Gait Analysis Essay Example

Gait Analysis Essay Gait Analysis Name: Course: Lecturer: We will write a custom essay sample on Gait Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gait Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gait Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Date: Gait Analysis Gait analysis in biometrics Gait analysis has been a subject of discussion for many years as to its use. The recognition f gait by computers requires profound knowledge to instill in them the ability to recognize human traits or gait. Gait analysis is a new form of technology that has attracted the attention of computer enthusiasts and the medical fraternity alike, due to the profound abilities of the gait (Li, Miaou, Hung, Sese, 2003). The use of gait falls in two core categories, which are the gait recognition as a biometric and gait use as a means of rehabilitation and sports activity. Gait has attracted a lot of attention in many areas of its abilities. The area, which has attracted most interest, is the visual aspect of recognition by an individual’s gait. Gait analysis in biometrics works in ways that were never thought as possible in earlier periods (Whittle, 1996). . However, this has been enabled by the technological advancements in all aspects aiding research in the topic of gait use. Its use in the field of biometrics has enabled identification of suspicious individuals and restricting entry into various premises such as offices and residences of people. This is done is such a way that the biometric system is set in a way that it has the ability to recognize the bodily features of the people it is allowed to give entry or access into various premises. Biometrics, which involves identification of people by their features, is a new way of doing things, which can be attributed to the presence technological advancements (Razali Manaf, 2007) The common field of biometric is the use of fingerprints in the identification of individuals and facial recognition. These forms of gait analysis are used in numerous countries around the world. This is in areas of ensuring security especially within sensitive areas that are susceptible to criminal acts. Despite the advantages accrued to this forms of gait analysis, they are becoming obsolete in the sense that they are cumbersome in their use. For instance, fingerprint and facial recognition require a lot of effort to identify people. In addition, the gait systems cannot identify all individuals in busy areas such as airports and banks, which are susceptible to criminal, and terror activities. Hence, these vulnerabilities necessitate the creation of new forms of gait, which are able to recognize individuals even in crowded places with ease and adequate speed simultaneously. Gait recognition systems work in identical ways (Li et al., 2003). They rely on information fed to them about the specific individual. This enables the system to have background data and be able to recognize individuals at any vantage points. The individual should provide his features portrayed in background viewpoint. The gait detector is placed on a vantage point in order to allow it to recognize individuals from various positions. The gait detector takes up the features identified and compares them with the existing data in relation to the individual. This is with the hope of attaining positive recognition of the individual. The identification process can be classified into two distinct approaches the motion based approach model based approach. The model based approach focuses on the individual’s bodily features such as posture, walking styles, the height, neck length, feet length and the distance between the pelvis and the feet. Such details are vital in exact body recognition by the gait detector. The motion-based approach is whereby the gait detector recognizes the motion patterns of an individual such as the movement of the hands while walking (Post, 2006). Such movements are put as data and are fed into the gait for future recognition of the individual. Despite the numerous advantages accrued from the use of gait systems as biometric identifiers. The gait data can be manipulated by use of identical height and items such as clothing and shoes to gain identical height or body size. In addition, body movements can be mastered to gain access of individual residences or other premises. Moreover, the use of gait systems can be used with other forms of identifiers, which enhance their ability to recognize individuals with utmost accuracy. Gait analysis in rehabilitation and sport activities Gait analysis systems in the art of rehabilitation treatment and the enhancement of performance of individuals is different is some aspects in relation to gait systems used in biometrics. The gait capture systems are different because they are not invasive in terms of individual privacy, and more so, they do not operate without the consent of the subject. Gait systems because of consent from the subjects are elaborate in study of the gait. They are efficient because of their incorporation of various systems in the evaluation of the subject’s gait. Methods vary in terms of their application and methodology and more so the treatment of various conditions. Several equipments are used in the evaluation of the gait of an individual, they include, electromyography data, magnetic fields, cameras and force plates (Post, 2006). However, notion capture systems are disadvantageous in that they do not allow outdoor movement and mobile motion capture. This inhibits the medical practitioners from getting a clarified answer in relation to the movements of an individual on real terrain in comparison to the evenly shaped and sized floors in the medical institutions. Some gait systems use sensors placed on the subject’s body; these sensors are connected to a transmitter, which generates low electromagnetic forces. The electromagnetic enables the connection to the computer, which is programmed with tracking software for monitoring the different positions and movements of the body locations. Despite the efficiency provided by such methods, the method cannot be used effectively in the presence of other electromagnetic fields provided by other electronic equipment within an area. In addition, the presence of metal, which is attracted to any magnetic force, poses a challenge in the use of this method. Other methods use cameras with infrared capabilities. Cameras are used to monitor the markers placed on the subject’s body and they resonate with each movement of the individual. The primary focus of this system is on the central points and joints of the body in the evaluation of the subject. Artificial neural networks are another form of gait systems in that they use layer feed forward networks to examine the bodily activity of individuals. People with sports injuries, bodily injuries unrelated to sporting activities and those who have ever suffered from stroke require this form of treatment because it focuses on the movement of muscles and other vital body movements (Li et al., 2003). The methods usually use physical assistance from physiotherapists and medical practitioners to assist in the movement and therapy, which might eventually enable movement of the muscles. Gait analysis is extensive in terms of its study and its use. Gait analysis has been a successful subject of study because it has given people hope of achieving treatments in extensive study of body movements. In addition, it has enabled improvements in the methods used to achieve security in people’s areas of residences, premises and other sensitive pubic and private areas such as military barracks, airports, seaports and banks (Lee, 2003). There is adequate room for more inventions in terms of new gait systems. This can only be facilitated by the presence of new technological advancements, which have aided in the formation of new systems. Such systems will eventually transform the way medical practitioners with specific reference to the physiotherapists involved in the treatment of bodily-related ailments and injuries. References Lee, L. (2003). Gait Analysis for Classification. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Li, Y., Miaou, S., Hung, K. C., Sese, J. T. (2003). A Gait Analysis System Using Two Cameras with Orthogonal View. Chung-Li: Chung Yuan Christian University Post, D. C. (2006). Gait Analysis Review. Washington, DC: Mendeley University Razali, N. S., Manaf, A. A. (2003). Gait Analysis for Criminal Identification Based on Motion Capture. Advanced Informatics School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Whittle, M. W. (1996). Clinical gait analysis: A review. Human Movement Science, 15(3), 369–387

Product Liability essays

Product Liability essays Every day American consumers purchase products that they feel are beneficial to there development. Where that lies depends on the consumer. However, One underling variable is a constant when it comes to purchasing the product. That variable is whether or not the product is right for them. When the consumer purchases a product, they are liable for whatever mishaps may occur and accidents that may happen. But producers are not completely free from the liability of their product to their consumers. This is where product liability legal issues come from, a segment of the law which has seen its fare share of turmoil and difficulties. Product liability is the producers requirement to warn the consumer of and any possible troubles associated with the product. This is usually done with a warning label attached to the product, or is found via flyer form in the instruction manual. Sports and recreational equipment cause serious injuries everyday. There are many reasons for the cause of injury, but most cases of injury are due to product defects. These defects are manufacturing, design, and failure to adequately warn. Besides the product defects, consumers are exposed to other forms of potential mishaps, which are negligence, breach of warranty, and strict tort legal responsibility. Because America is a society largely dependent upon the outside means in which to entertain themselves, many Americans are changing from the casual spectator to that of the exuberant participator. Therefore, the number of accidents associated with products has risen. Subsequently, so have the court cases and trials. Product liability comes into play when the product breaks, or doesnt perform up to regulation standards set forth by the producer. In more cases than not, there is some form of injury sustained due to product defect or claims. So in short, the definition of product liability is the responsibility of the manufacturer to the user ...

A family affair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A family affair - Essay Example Such families need intervention by the social services to protect the child (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.84). As Broad discussed social institutions do not allow children to stay with their substance misusing parents. Kinship care, offered primarily by family members, is an option that allows the children to remain in the family atmosphere. Family members especially the grand parents can play a special role in such circumstances (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). On the other hand, various studies about the kinship carers in US have revealed their own social and financial problems. Kinship carers can be poor and illiterate. Kinship care, a blessing or a curse, is a matter of discussion according to Cuddeback (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). Also, because of the prebirth maternal drug abuse, children may have to face serious health and behavioral problems. However compared to non-kin care, kinship care is a more stable option as concluded by Beeman & Boisen (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.86). Barnard noted that support by family members protects kids from the consequences of the irresponsible and violent behavior of their parents. Moreover the parents who want to get rid of the drug problems can achieve this while their children are being taken of by the family members. On the other side, the presence of care takers frees the parents from their responsibility and they do not try to change their habits (as cited in Kroll, 2006, p.87). Substance misuse can pass from parents to their children. It is a very serious matter of concern. Kids who face such problems at home in their childhood often fall prey to such a practice very easily in their adulthood. Inheritance is not the only reason for substance misuse, other factors such as social circle, economic or emotional troubles can also lead to the same. Parental conduct can be a reason of shame for the children in the society and can have adverse effects on their mental state making them vulnerable to other social

Symbolic paper 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Symbolic paper 3 - Essay Example However, symbolic interaction becomes more realistic when humans are able to interpret the actions of others by applying a meaning to the actions. George Herbert Mead discusses the notion of significant other (pg. 127) and the generalized other (pg. 128) as examples of symbols with which we interact. The individual self comes out of the experiences a person has had as a result of symbolic interactions and gestures presented by society. However, more central to his argument is the idea of the I and the me which are slightly different aspects of the self. The me is a production of the environment in which the person lives. It is created when the person acquires knowledge about society and the ways in which s/he relates to it. Things such as gender, age, socioeconomic position all become parts of the me and this created by how other individual respond to him/her. The I on the other hand, is the active persona of the individual which works within the parameters set by the me to interact with society. As a part of the formation of the self, the ideas of Cooley have to be considered important since his position on the looking glass self (pg. 129) is quite useful in many cases. According to Cooley, the looking glass self is created when a person judges him/herself unconsciously or consciously to be a certain way in terms of traits and personality. Then the person observes and views the reactions of others to understand how much of their own concept is true which in turn creates as well as evaluates a personal concept of the self. Of course a person can use disclaimers to present a different image of him/herself as discussed by Goffman (pg. 132), but his ideas on symbolic interaction are important not because of the idea of disclaimers but because of the idea that we may be called upon to play different roles in different situations. The idea of having a front stage where we interact with society or other

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation - Case Study Example So what made them so different from the rest in the corporate jungle to bring about rather such exquisite products or service offerings that consumers lapped up them in time The answer well lies in the fact that these guys are not only great entrepreneurs, techno honchos, and brilliant chaps but rather they always understood that to stay ahead in the rat race of corporate tussle; you have to keep a tab on the pulse of the consumers. The key always lies among them. Again a different perspective can very well be that these guys were great practioners of marketing principles and understood the 4Ps' of Marketing very well enough to always come up with great products and services which mapped the consumer needs so well that today they are all in the list of Forbes 500. These people could create an idea which held the attention of millions together and then they had the brilliance to turn the attention into a long term association and loyal purchase. Apart from corporate and organizations, we also certainly can't ignore the everyday innovations we make in our daily lives, from mending a simple broken cigarette to finding ways how to make life simpler by implementing certain simple and unthought-of of innovative ideas and processes which actually makes life simpler and smoother. On the whole what I am trying to say is that innovation can be brought about by virtually anybody at any place and at any point of time, but to commercialize it one necessarily needs to take the corporate route. So let's see and understand how certain key players in our society have unraveled innovations to make life simpler and technologically progressive. To take a prime example we'll concentrate on Mr. Steve Jobs the CEO for Apple Inc. He along with Steve Wozniak started Apple Computers in their garage in 1976. From their onwards to revolutionizing the computer world with iMacs' and the music industry with his concepts in music download i.e iTunes' and iPod. We have seen a man change from being extremely bull headed to becoming one of the foremost leaders of the 21st century. From getting ousted from Apple to starting up NEXT and Pixar Animations, this is one person who has learnt from his own mistakes and has decided to take Apple to newer heights and as once envisioned as a youn g entrepreneur. When Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple Inc, it was pretty well known as to why he was removed from his post as Chairman. His overbearing and prejudiced management style and constant conflict with then CEO John Sculley (Steve Jobs Transforms Apple), as result by the time he left it was assumed that Apple was in good hands now. But the company may have had taken the decision in haste as it had removed one person from the organization whose core skills lay in product innovation. As a result when he joined back again in 1997 it was very well known that the organization needed some new product offerings apart from iMac Slim and its desktop variants. As a result by 2005 he had come

An Over View Of The Costa Coffee Campaign Marketing Essay

An Over View Of The Costa Coffee Campaign Marketing Essay It has always been said that distinguish a correct market place for a business is very difficult as well as to gain sustainable interest from a customer as a steppingstone when there is such a fragmented marketplace with many competitors. However the Costa coffee campaign will make a definite difference. It will emphasize the quality of the coffee and its value of spending time discovering your favourite coffee. This will take place in shopping centre in Auckland City as well as on television, radio and magazines. This initial advertising is sure to establish Costa Coffee as a new brand name for the New Zealand Coffee Lovers. Sending the message to our target consumers both male and female aged between 18~45 years old that drinking Costa coffee can be enjoyable and worth experience than other brand outlets coffee. Then when the target consumers realise a positive impact (benefits) the Costa Coffee is having on their daily life the product is sure to be promoted through word of mouth. This initial advertising is sure to establish Costa Coffee as a brand name for the leading New Zealand Coffee shop in future. Coffee consumption in Australia and New Zealand has increased massively in the past few years. It is easy to find lots of different cafes around that are open and lots of people drinking coffee steadily inside and outside the cafà ©. New Zealander loves drink coffee in their daily life and a Flat white is a good example. A Flat white is one of most popular coffee beverage served in Australia and New Zealand which created by New Zealander called Derek Townsend in the early eighties. Coffee is actually one of the healthiest beverages that billions of people consume regularly and it is one of the most widely researched ingredients. The growing body of scientific research has shown that coffee is safe for healthy adults and can even have beneficial health implications as a part of a healthy diet and physically active lifestyle. For example, the most predominant fact is that regular consumption of coffee decreases the risk of type II diabetes and many other health risks. Therefore, the concept of creating healthier, pleasant and high quality coffee beverage of Costa Coffee will be implemented. This idea revolves around the importance of reinstating the value of spending time with their favourite coffee beverage more effectively, and also the attempt to break into the competitive market of Coffee shops (including private cafes) in Auckland City. Costa Coffee is one of the largest and fastest growing coffee chains in the UK. It was founded in 1971 in Italy by two Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa. Costa Company which introduced the first Costa coffee shop in the UK in early 1980s had as a main objective to create and serve the finest authentic Italian coffee. Costa became part of Whitebread PLC in 1995 and has followed an expansion program, so to become recognised nationally. With over  1,000 stores in the UK and over 400 internationally, Costa has enjoyed a remarkable period of growth since it opened its first store.  Costa is now the leading UK branded coffee shop with over 300 stores that now operates in 25 countries (Costa Coffee, n.d.). In addition, it opened its 1000th milestone store in March 2008 in Moscow (Whitbread PLC, 2010). Costa Coffee has a specially blended coffee called Mocha Italia that created by Sergio and Bruno Costa 37 years ago, made of their own special blend of coffee beans. Its a unique blend as it manages to combine the sweetness, bitterness and body needed to make the perfect cup of coffee. As for the blend itself, thats a closely guarded secret, but you can enjoy a cup of its distinctive flavour and a warm Italian welcome at any of our Costa coffee shops (Costa Coffee, n.d.). Just beyond the Mocha Italia, Costa Coffee provided variety range of coffee beverage selections like other coffee shops have, it also includes non-coffee beverages (tea, juice and hot chocolate etc) and snacks (sandwiches, muffins and cakes etc). (Costa Coffee, n.d.). TARGET MARKET In the advertising plan, the target market would be divided into smaller segments as geographic, demographic and psychographic. Firstly, geographic includes of the country, town, place or city. This advertising plan is for Auckland City, and it covers all central city area and it also including areas such as Parnell, Newmarket and Mission bay. Auckland Central city is known as a heart of Auckland; consequently, large populations can be found because this is where most universities and the business are located. After 12 months, the target market can be extended to other area such as North Shore, Waitakere City and Manukau City. Secondly, under the demographic, both male and females aged between 18 45 years old is our products target market, but it does cater for everyones needs. The reason for this is primarily because the product itself is ideally for the adults (business men and women). They usually go to Costa at the office-going hour to take morning coffee before starting the work and at lunchtime. Costa coffee is relatively high price is the reason why working people take a bigger part of customers than students despite their similar using hour. However, it will also include university students who can afford to buy priced coffee. Overall, our advertising will directly towards to people who are interest to spend their money on coffee beverage. Additionally, Costa introduced the Kids menu for new target market Family. As many Costa stores are located in high streets and shopping malls in UK, there is an massive potential for family target. To meet this demand Costa has launched a specific range of food for children- Costa Kids, comprising a little sandwich, new Smarties American style cookies, yoghurts and Robinsons Fruit Shoot drinks placed in special Costa Kids bags so that children can take the food with them (Costa Coffee, n.d.) Under the psychographic, all internet users can be our target market. It includes students of final year in college or in university and young employees who could be Costa coffees potential customers. Yet, not many coffee shops offering free Wi-Fi, therefore, open 24 hours and providing unlimited free Wi-Fi will attracting those ADVERTISING OBJECTS Our advertising objectives have been created to be something that advertising can accomplish, for instance a shift in perception or to create awareness. In order to launch the advertising plan effectively, both the marketing objectives as well as the communications objectives are important to be considered. Marketing Objectives These are the marketing objectives that Costa Coffee should achieve after launching the advertising campaign. To increase the brand recognition To increase unit sales of both coffee beverage and non-coffee beverage To generate steady profit over the next 12 months To increase the market share by 10% over the next 12 months Communication Objectives These are the communication objectives that Costa Coffee should achieved after launching the advertising campaign. To increase the quality of blended coffee beverage and excellent customer service To maintain Costa Coffee as the preferred brand of coffee shop among 50% business men/women and student customers in Auckland city next 12 months To build the awareness of Costa Coffee among 70% of the target audience in the next 12 months To enhance the brand and corporation image in the consumers mind-set over next 12 months ADVERTISING STRATEGIES Our campaign plan for the advertisement of the Costa Coffee mainly covers the aspect of interaction between customers and Costa Coffee and how this will ultimately effect customers daily life. Definitely its focus based on the activity of customers spending time at one of Costa coffee outlets for relax. Strategy is the means by which we aim to achieve the objectives (White, 2000). Our strategy is to encompass a significant aspect of advertising, incorporating elements of the marketing mix. As White states that enable advertising to fulfill its role in the overall marketing mix (2000), it also covers the development of identifying specific objectives that can be met by advertising. Strategies It is recommended to Costa Coffee to use the three types of strategy to achieve its marketing and communications objectives as stated earlier. Those three strategies that are suggested to implement are position strategy, message strategy, and media strategy. Position Strategy Costa Coffee position for its product as high quality blended coffee beverage which using affordable pricing strategy. In order to accomplish this position strategy, it is suggested to Costa Coffee to emphasize its quality and excellent customer service in all outlets. These will creates a trust and strong commitment on Costa Coffee and its coffee beans quality and customer service. Once the customers have trust and believed the quality and the services provided by the Costa Coffee, they will go around talking more about Costa Coffee to others. Costa Coffee will be the first on to choose among other competitors, likely, Starbucks could be the second choice.   Message Strategy Costa Coffee may use a new theme or slogan called Costa Coffee A little taste of Italy worth waiting for. This message conveys the customer who used to drink American style blended coffee beverage. To create Italian heritage, interior of Costa coffee shop will provide the image of Italian heritage for their customers as well as a unique taste. It will guarantee the customers highest satisfaction. Media Strategies In order to achieve the objectives which was stated earlier, various types of advertising media will be use to communicate the selling theme to the target audience such as television, newspapers, Internet banner, billboard and magazines. All of this media may increase the Costa Coffee Companys sales, profit and awareness of the product as it can deliver the message very wide to all target audience and leave a deep impact on the target audiences mind at the same time. Tactics There are many types of media and direct marketing that can be used for advertising campaign, each media has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, it is very important to choose the best media to reach the target audience. In this case Costa Coffee may choose television, newspapers, Internet, billboard, and Magazine for the advertising campaign. Television Television is the best media to advertise the certain product/service, however, it is relatively expensive than newspapers and magazines. The main reason for this is, it contains the combination of sound, visual images, motion and colours. It offers national coverage where it can covers large amount of audiences within short period of times. Television does easily grasp consumers attention and create awareness on them. Through television, Costa Coffee will be able to achieve its objectives by creating awareness on the consumers. The advertisement will advertise equally in three most popular television channels such as TV1, TV2 and TV3 and Sky TV. The advertisement would advertise in all months throughout the year. However, more advertisement would advertise on early April, May, June, July, August and late September. The main reason for this is, these are the months that New Zealands autumn and winter season started and ends. Theoretically, more people would preferred to drink hot beverage especially in winter time. Moreover, this advertisement will advertise on daily on both the TV channels during the prime time, which is between 8.pm and 11.pm. This is considered the best timing because, most students and working people would back from colleges or work, and this is the time where they will be resting in front of the TV. However the length of advertisement would be 15 to no more than 30 seconds. 1st scene A man with a bulk of paper work in his office 2nd scene A group of university students with loads of assignments 3rd scene It is morning tea time and two seniors sitting down on the couch in their living room and willing to drink something with their snack 5th scene Showing Costa Coffee with its slogan A little taste of Italy, worth waiting for. 6th scene Happy and satisfaction faces of the working man, the college student, and seniors with the take away coffee beverage in their hand. And at the bottom of the last screen the Costa Coffees website and locations will appear saying Visit today! Newspapers Costa Coffee will choose two most popular newspapers in Auckland religion; it would be The New Zealand Herald (The Aucklander) and The Sunday Star times. According to the latest Nielson national newspaper survey, the both readership of the Weekend and Daily Herald were up strongly in 2009 (Weekend herald readers grow, 2009). For Weekend Herald was read by an average of 618,000 people aged 15+, up by 17,000 from a year ago, and about 568,000 people read the Daily Herald and as well as the combined print edition and website readership was also up 5.5 per cent to 685,000 (Weekend herald readers grow, 2009). This figure clearly shows that The New Zealand Herald is the highest readership of any newspaper in the country. Additionally, over a week the Herald audience has increased by 52,000, reaching 1.15 million New Zealanders; six out of 10 Aucklanders read a print edition of the Herald or visit nzherald.co.nz each week (Weekend herald readers grow, 2009). The Sunday Star-Times is New Zealands only national broadsheet newspaper with a readership of over 608,000 (Murphy, n.d.). Sunday Star-Times is a newspaper provides the backgrounds stories of national significance, at the same time providing quality leisure read for an audience which has time to take it in. Due to this, these two newspapers are selected in this advertising campaign. Newspaper advertisement would be done in every month throughout the whole year. The advertisement would be done only on Monday, Saturday and Sunday, where it would be in full page in colours. This is because on Monday all business people going back to their office. Of course, Saturdays and Sundays are the days that people usually rest in their house and spend enough time to go through each and every pages on the newspapers. And furthermore there are lots of special editions on weekends about lifestyle and so on, which will attract many people, read newspapers. While going through the newspapers, definitely they will come across Costa Coffee advertisement because it covers the full page with colourful image. Thus, this will create awareness on the consumers. Internet Banner The Internet banners are the best media for online advertisements. The internet banners will be advertised on the best New Zealand websites such as Trade me, Yellow pages, Stuff, TVNZ, and NZ Herald, yahoo!xtra and Google NZ and more. Banners will show with the advertising campaign and it will put for the 24/7, 12 months. It will place at the top of the search machine or the websites, therefore target audience will be aware these banners while searching or surfing the internet. To make sure, all the banners should flash shifting from one screen to another and it will only goes off when the user clicks to close it. Billboards Billboards are usually put along highway and main roads to capture the audiences who long on the road or drive along the streets and highways. The billboard advertisement will be for the whole year during the advertising campaign. The billboard will use a poster panel form which is silk screened and printed in sheets to the billboard. It is important to use appropriated size of image and font so drivers are able to see the billboard while they are driving without any distraction. The billboard will be set up on the Northern, Southern and Western Motorway and high traffic areas in the central city. Therefore, it will create the brand recognition and product identification by target audience, plus, increase the brand equity. Magazines Magazines are one of the best ways to advertise the branded Coffee shop like Costa Coffee, especially the fashionable Coffee Lovers. Normally, it contains fancy colours of pictures and photos to attract their target audience. Decided to advertise Costa Coffee in Fashion, Food Beverage and Restaurant related magazines such as Cuisine, Vogue, and Womens Weekly. The Womens Weekly magazine is the main magazine media to advertise because it ranked in number one selling New Zealand Magazines (isubscribe, 2010). The advertisement will be printed in each month throughout the whole year in full page with colourful image and a logo of Costa Coffee and simple message will be add on. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths The main strength of the Costa Coffee is the made in UK Company has a strong presence with a good reputation for creativity and coffee in UK. Therefore, the strong connection between New Zealand and UK may influence to increase the Costa Coffee consumption. The second strength for the Costa Coffee is Italian Heritage. Most of the branded Coffee outlets are selling American style or Kiwi style blended coffee beverage. However, Costa Coffee is known as an Italian influenced culture founded on Italian expert knowledge of roasting unique coffee beans to make high quality handmade drinks. As a customer, it will be great reason to motivate them to experience a new style of coffee. Lastly, the wide range of food (ie. Cake, sandwiches, muffins etc) for both adults and kids and unlimited free Wi-Fi internet connection can be also strong strength for Costa Coffee. Weakness The biggest weakness for the Costa Coffee is its market share in Auckland, New Zealand. Yet, Costa Coffee has no market share in the Central city of Auckland and no brand recognition has been made. Therefore, it will be challenge for Costa Coffee to create strong presence with a good reputation like in UK. Opportunities Expansion could be a key opportunity for Costa Coffee. For example, opening more outlets near the University campus, city council, immigration agency, banks within Central Auckland City. Also attracting a wider population especially families with specific products for children. Costa Coffees Kid menu is the good example for this opportunity. Treats As a treat for Costa coffee, Auckland Central city could become saturated with different types of coffee shops. Therefore, this area is quite challenge for Costa Coffee to entering in and targeting the same market with existing coffee shops eg. Starbucks, Columbus, Esquire etc. New entrants are also treats to Costa Coffee. For example, increasing competitive threats from donut and bagel chains as they continuously expand their outlets and increase alternatives of coffee product offering. BUDGET The table below shows the budget allocation across the different media of the advertising plan. The overall budget allocated for this advertising plan would be no more than NZ $4,000, 000. As shown in the table, it shows Television is the major media spend most of the budget followed by the Newspapers. However, it is worth spending massive budget on Television advertisements because it does exposed to larger quantity of target market incredibly within short period of time. Thus, it can easily grasp the target audiences attention by use of combination of visual images, motion, colours and sound effects. For Newspapers, it also plays an important role, because it is cheaper than Television but it also covers wide areas of target market and audience. Communication Tools Amount per year (NZ $) Television 2,592,000 Newspapers 3,512,832 Internet Banner 235,200 Billboard 222,000 Magazine 161,000 Total (NZ $) $ 3,390,116 The calculation above is the maximum amount of the advertising campaign for the whole year. MEASUREMENT Since Costa Coffee has been spending lots of money on its advertising campaign, it is very important to know whether the advertising was effective or not. The effectiveness of advertising campaign needs to be assessed in order to avoid costly mistakes (Belch Belch, 1999). In this case, pre-test can be used before the campaign is implemented and post-test is done after implementing the advertising campaign. There are many ways or methods to do these measurements, such as questionnaires/survey, interview, observations and focus group project or more. Questionnaires, survey and interview are the basic and most common methods to be used by everyone because it is reasonably cheap and easy to gather the peoples opinion towards product/service.

Importance of Personal Ethical Viewpoint

Personal Ethical Viewpoint A personal ethical viewpoint is a statement that defines what a person believes in, in terms of ethics, morals and values. Almost every part of our life is governed by our ethical viewpoint. What do you believe is right and wrong? It is represented in the way that you act, respond and live your life every day. Your ethics, morals and values define your strength of character. They show who you really are as a person.These values are learned and developed as you grow from a child to an adult. It is important to know what you believe in because as the old saying goes, â€Å"If you don’t stand for anything, you will fall for everything. † The ethical lens exercise helped opened my eyes and helped me to further define my ethical viewpoint. As an African-American, I have always valued the equality of all people because I feel this is the just way to live. As a child, I was taught to value justice and justice is righteousness.So, the ethical lens inv entory was correct about these two values, but I feel that the exercise overemphasized the fact that I value rationality over sensibility. I do believe in being logical because yes, sometimes things do not feel great but using rationality can help you come to the best decision. But, this does not mean that I do not value sensibility; I feel that I am a very sensitive person and I always consider others feelings before I say or do anything. This proves that I do value sensibility.According to the Ethical Lens Inventory, my preferred ethical lenses are rights, responsibility and relationship lens. This means that I value mine and other’s rights. I feel that taking responsibility is important. It also means that I prefer to have personal relationships rather than being alone. My blind spot is the belief that motive justifies method or overconfidence in the process. To be quite honest, I am not sure how much I agree with this statement but, I must say that I do believe with all m y heart that justice should be upheld.Justice is fairness so I do not think that this could hurt someone that does not deserve it. My strength is being able to logically think and research options before I take action. My weakness is feeling sad or guilty when I am not able to provide justice or seeing someone who did not receive justice. My classical values are temperance and justice. Temperance is the using moderation and self- restraint. My course of action is always defined by my personal ethics. I will continue to uphold justice in every situation because RIGHT is RIGHT!

Tapescript Role Play in Business Meetings

Tapescript – Role Play in Business Meetings (NF=Nigel Fraser, M=Martin, J=John, E=Eliana, D=Denise, MK=Markus) NI  think we all agree that we need to work a  lot better as a  team. I’ve got some suggestions for improving our teamwork. I’d like to share them with you and see how you feel about them. OK, let’s start with meetings. At the moment we meet once a month. That’s not enough. In future, I’d like us all to meet once every two weeks. I would expect everyone to attend, and to be on time – that’s not the case at the moment as you know. So Martin, what do you think?MTotally against the idea, to be honest. Once a month is fine, surely. I’m making the most money for us at the moment and I can’t go on doing that if I have to attend meetings all the time. Anyway, when we do meet, we spend most of the time arguing with each other. A lot of them are a waste of time. No, keep things as they are. NThank you, Martin . John, what do you think? Meeting once every two weeks. Compulsory attendance. JIt’s a good idea. Why not? We need to spend more time together to sort out problems, share ideas, that sort of thing.Actually, I think we should meet once a week. MRubbish. NNow Martin, calm down. You’ve had your say. And nothing’s been decided yet. But thanks John for backing me up on this one. Eliana, how do you feel about this? EI’ll go along with whatever you say. It really won’t affect me much. My main problem, as you well know, is I want to move from data projectors. I’d like to sell plasma screens, they’re in great demand at the moment, that’s why Martin tops our sales, it’s not difficult to be the best when you have the best products to sell. MI thought we were talking about meetings, Nigel.Do we have to listen once again to Eliana’s complaints? NNo we don’t Martin. You’re right, we’re getting off the poin t. Denise, let’s hear from you now. DThanks, I’d like more meetings, once a week would be OK for me, but I don’t know if attendance should be compulsory. But yeah, people should turn up on time, not drift in as they do at the moment. If we had more meetings, I’d get a chance to make a few suggestions for improving sales. And maybe I wouldn’t be interrupted so often by Martin and Markus. John seems to be the only person here who listens to me. AllOh come on now.Nonsense. Right. True. NCould we come to order, please? Everyone calm down. Markus? Meeting once a week, once every two weeks, or keep to once a month? What do you think? MKKeep it as it is, once a month. That’s enough. When we do have a meeting, two or three people seem to take over, and no one else can get a word in edgeways. Frankly, Nigel, our meetings are not very productive, and that’s the real problem. I’d prefer to spend time meeting our customers and trying to dr um up more sales. That’s what we’re paid for. NOK, Markus, thanks very much. Let me get a few more opinions†¦. Robert†¦. Role cards Director one You want to: ? get rid of Nigel Fraser by asking him to resign. You do not think he is a suitable person to manage the sales team. ? Replace him with a new person from outside the company. The new manager would have a fresh approach to the team’s problems. ? Have more meetings and weekly sales reports. ? Reorganize the sales team into mini-groups, for example all plasma sales staff working together. Commissions would be based on sales targets set for each mini-group. ? Think of other suggestions for improving the performance of the team.Director two You want to: ? Keep Nigel Fraser as manager – you are a close friend of Nigel. You think he’s an excellent manager of a ’difficult team’. ? Send Nigel on a short training course which helps managers to develop team building skills. ? Get rid of Martin. He is rude and upsets members of staff. ? Have fewer reports and meetings. ? Pay commissions based on the performance of the whole team. The team should be set challenging sales targets. ? Think of other suggestions for improving the performance of the team. Director three You want to: Move Nigel Fraser to another department in the company. ? Replace him with another member of the sales team – John? Denise? (you decide) ? Hold the meeting of the whole department every two weeks, and allow members to express their opinions frankly. ? Keep Martin in the team – you are Martin’s closest friend. He is a difficult person, but a brilliant salesman, in your opinion. ? Reduce the sales team from 7 members to 6 (you decide who should go). ? Reorganize the teams (you decide how). ? Think of other suggestions for improving the performance of the team.Director four You want to: ? Hear the opinions of the other directors before making up your mind. You are not sure whether to keep Nigel Fraser as manager or not. ? Have Eliana as manager if the other directors think Nigel Fraser should go. She is young, talented, and has good people management skills. ? Get rid of Markus – he is lazy, selfish and unreliable. ? Ask Vanessa Byrant to come back and advise Nigel Fraser for the next six months. ? Send staff on regular team building courses. ? Think of other suggestions for improving the performance of the team.

Silver & Growth of World Trade essays

Silver & Growth of World Trade essays In what ways did American silver facilitate the growth of world trade? The discovery of American silver and its subsequent influx into Europe and Asia had a significant impact on the growth of world trade, to the extent that it is accurate to say that the growth in trade at this time laid the foundations for a world economy. In the Early Modern Period there was a world market for silver, and silver was a product produced for profit just like any other commodity. The discovery of silver in the Americas led to an increase in trade between the silver markets of the world. In particular, silver was widely used by Europeans to acquire goods from Asia. This increase in trade and the routes through which it was conducted, laid the foundations for a world economy. In the context of this essay, the concept of a world trade in the 16th and 17th centuries refers to the trade that took place between parts of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It is necessary to be specific about the areas that engaged in this world trade, as many regions of the world were not involv ed. However, in the world of the Early Modern Period, Western European expansion was facilitated by American silver in a number of respects. Unquestionably, the primary benefit of the silver to Europe was that for the first time it gave Europeans a commodity that could be traded in Asia. Subsequent consequences of the discovery of silver were an increase in the practicality of new, European controlled sea-trade routes connecting parts of America, Asia and Europe; the accumulation of capital in Europe allowing the shift from feudalism to capitalism to take place; and ultimately, an increase in the power of Western European nations. The importance of Silver to the World Economy will first be described. Other important consequences of American silver will then be examined, as will the impact of these on World Trade. The disco...

4 signs your boss is not impressed with your work

4 signs your boss is not impressed with your work When things are going well at work and the praise is flowing, things are great. You’re feeling happy and accomplished, and comfortable that you’re in the right place. But sometimes there will be bad days and bad periods, when the work is more difficult, or you’re just not performing up to where you should be. How can you tell if things are moving into a danger zone with your boss? Let’s look at some of the signs that you’re just not crushing it at work.You’re bored. All. The. Time.A little boredom can be a good thing- it can give you some space to be creative, or find a new way of doing things. Feeling bored all day, every day is a bad sign. It means that something just isn’t clicking for you in your work. Maybe you just don’t have enough to do, or maybe you don’t like what you are doing. You should be doing work that makes you feel challenged and satisfied- if not all the time, then at least most of the time. If you†™re constantly bored, it’s likely that you’re not the only one who has noticed, and it’s time to consider your other options.Your work gets reassigned.If a project that would normally have come your way goes to a colleague (or is taken on by the boss herself), that’s a red flag too. It’s a sign that your boss is losing confidence in your ability to get the job done. If it happens only occasionally, it could just be that your boss is trying to spare your workload. But if you notice it happening frequently, it’s time to talk to your manager about it. Let her know that ready and able to take on tasks.You’re being micromanaged.Everyone’s had a manager like this at some point- the boss who details all of your next steps, item by item, and hovers to make sure everything is getting done. The boss who checks in every five minutes to see if you got his email. Some people are just micromanagers, but if you find that this is a consisten t issue with your own boss, it could be a sign that he or she doesn’t trust you with particular tasks.You’re called into meetings to discuss your work.Status meetings are one thing, but if you find your boss is regularly scheduling sit-down meetings to talk about the quality of your work, that’s not a great sign. Even if there’s no specific criticism, it can be a sign of lost confidence.So what do you do when you notice these issues creeping into your working relationship with your boss? The first step should be having a neutral, nonconfrontational discussion about it with your boss. Make sure he or she knows that you’re open to more responsibilities and making changes that make you more productive, while avoiding personal accusations. And if you find that there’s no longer a productive dialogue and your boss is still freezing you out, it may simply be time to look for another job.

Air Transport Management and Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Air Transport Management and Operations - Essay Example The different entities in the air traffic are coordinated through a flight schedule, which often comprises of flight legs between airport locations. In addition, the flight schedule itself defines three other layers of schedules, for example, the aircraft schedule, the crew schedule, and passenger itineraries (Sheehan, 2003). Airport management contributes to the industry’s goals indirectly by directing the efforts of all the employees. This is done by the manager in charge of the airport. In addition, management involves planning, organizing, actuating and controlling, performed so as to determine and achieve objectives by the use of the employees. Managers in the airport industry must think of their actions in advance before implementing them as they can either lead to losses or benefits. Airport operations of controlling different runways and different aircrafts, as well as the safety of the passengers, require some plan rather than impromptu decisions (Tripathi, 2008). Organizing as a major function of the manager requires the coordination of human as well as material resources in the airport. Further, actuating means that the manager should engage in those activities that are aimed at motivating and directing the employees; while controlling means that; managers should try to ensure that there is no deviation from norm or plan. Whenever there is something wrong in the airport, such as economic problems, security threats, and weather disruptions, the managers must take action to remedy the situation. Managers are also required to use the employees and other resources such as finance, and equipments to attain the goals of the industry. For example, a manager who wants to increase the sales in the airport industry should try not only to motivate the employees but also to provide to increase the advertising budget. Advertising will ensure that consumers are made aware of the quality of

Building and a Fire Code Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Building and a Fire Code - Essay Example Adoption of new or revised building codes cannot be applied to existing buildings unless it has been modified or renovated. A new or revised fire code applies retroactively to all structures and conditions within. All hazardous conditions that were not previously marked as such are required to be addressed. Codes are usually updated every three years by the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) but adoption of these is still the discretion of state and local agencies. If it is not adopted, it is not enforceable. What is common between the building and the fire code is that it relies on standards for the regulation of building systems. Fire protection standards are important references for a building code as it is used, for example, in the ratings of fire doors and fire walls. An example of a standard is the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) E-119 otherwise known as the Standard Test Method for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials. Nonetheless, building codes go beyond fire protection measures and incorporates structural details for the durability of buildings and other protective measures for other scenarios such as seismic activity and noise control.