IT Conversion Strategies Essay Example for Free

IT Conversion Strategies Essay IT conversion takes place when the system has error or to improve functionalities or to expand the capacity of the system considering database, facilities , modules etc. for the conversion of system five components of system should be considered namely, hardware, software, data, procedure and people. While conversion of system any of these components should not be affected or the system conversion is not successful. There are four ways to system conversion, they are: * Direct cutover method: in this method a complete new system is introduced cutting off the old system. Â  This is the riskiest method to follow for system conversion. * Pilot conversion: in this method a part of an organization uses the new system while the rest of it continues to use the old method. In this method interface problem may prevail when the system needs to share data. * Phase conversion: In this method the part of the new system is introduced while the rest of the old one remains in use. In this method as well interface problem may prevail when the system needs to share data. * Parallel conversion: In this method, the whole new system is introduced while the old one is still in use. Both systems process all activity and the results are compared. Once there is confidence that the new one operates properly, the old one is shut down. For the proposed system the Phase conversion method is suggested as the system needs to operate for 24/7 and any kind of delay to run the application is occurred huge loss is to be suffered by the business as the overall business is relied on the web application. As the phase conversion method just add the new module to the system without affecting the old system, so the system can run continuously even when the change is taking place in the system.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) SWOT Analysis

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) SWOT Analysis Brief Company History Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), was founded on March 31, 2011 when Northrop Grummans Shipbuilding Sector was spun off as an independent company. HII is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia. HII is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than 130 years, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls Shipbuilding have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. The Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups. HII is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, and employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally (Who We Are, 2017). Integrity, safety, honesty, engagement, responsibility and performance are the values that guide Huntington Ingalls Industries. Putting these values into practice creates long-term benefits for employees, customers, shareholders, communities and suppliers (Company Values, 2017). The HII Corporate Governance addresses the relationship of the board of directors, management and stockholders with the objective of promoting the companys long-term success, improving company performance and representing the interests of the stockholders. The board will provide advice on the corporate strategy developed by management, access risk, select a chief executive officer, oversee development and succession plans for senior executives, monitor financial performance and oversee processes that maintain the integrity of the company (Proxy Statement, 2015). Strengths Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S., HII and also provides support services to nuclear energy and oil and gas industries. With divisions in Virginia and Mississippi, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. shipbuilder. HII is the sole source supplier of U.S Navy aircraft carriers and is the exclusive supplier of refueling services for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (Who We Are, 2017). Industry experience is one of HIIs major strengths. For over a century, HII has provided the U.S. military with quality ships (Who We Are, 2017). HII prides itself on a diverse labor force of over 35,000 people working in domestic and foreign locations. HII is the largest industrial employer in the states of Virginia and Mississippi. HII has the ability to build multiple products at the same time (Who We Are, 2017). HII has the skills, the knowledge and the facilities to build multiple products at the same time. There are currently four different classes of military ships being built at the Mississippi location at this time (Who We Are, 2017). HII has the physical capacity for increased production. HII continues to invest heavily in the physical infrastructure of its shipbuilding divisions as well as other divisions. Continued improvements and facility upgrades places HII in a position to increase workload (Annual Report, 2015). HII maintains a strong and independent board of directors. The board follows Corporate Governance Guidelines which promote responsible business practices and good corporate citizenship. The board promotes practices that support the interests of the stockholders, employees, customers and suppliers (Proxy Statement, 2015). In recent years HII has invested heavily in new technology. HII owns a large portfolio of proprietary intellectual property and license intellectual property rights to and from other companies (Annual Report, 2015). Weaknesses   Ã‚   Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) suffers from a limited customer base. U.S. defense shipbuilders have only two consistent customers the U.S. government and international partner nations. HII faces a lack of technology knowledgeable workers (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Many of the employees are unskilled with new technology and workforce training is needed to compete with domestic and foreign competitors. U.S. shipbuilders are considered, on average, to be twenty years behind international shipyards regarding advanced technology (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Physical infrastructure of shipyards like HII are difficult and expensive to maintain. Facilities include docks, work areas, machine shops, storage areas and shelters, heavy equipment and assembly areas. The facilities must include dock areas and piers with service facilities for fire mains, electrical power, compressed air and fresh water (Shipbuilding and Repair, 2017). HII faces a high rate of labor turnover. Obtaining and retaining a skilled workforce is a problem faced by most shipyards. Employment can be cyclical resulting in hiring during upcycles and layoffs during downturns. Skilled workers leave for higher pay in other industry such as construction (Shipbuilding and Repair, 2017). HII faces a highly competitive market both domestic and foreign. Intense competition relating to programs, resources and funding are characteristics of the defense shipbuilding industry. Work is sometimes shared between multiple companies for major programs (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Opportunities New markets are opening for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). The new LX(R) amphibious ship program was secured by the Ingalls Shipbuilding division. The Stoller Newport News division was developed for nuclear operations and environmental services capabilities. HII provides a wide variety of products and services to the commercial energy industry and other government customers. The HII Universal Solutions Group is positioned to take a role in the unmanned underwater vehicle market. UniversalPegasus International division has 22 offices worldwide providing engineering, project management and field services (Annual Report, 2015). World unrest always creates demand for repairs and maintenance for existing ships and design and build of new ships for the U.S. military. This also provides the opportunity for sales to U.S. allies and partners to promote the strengthening of the global partner network to keep international order in balance (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). HII has the benefit of government assistance to pay for training for new workforce. The U.S. government has several different programs for grants for training the local workforce (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). More than 1,400 apprentices are trained by the shipbuilding units in more than 26 crafts (Annual Report, 2015). New contracts opportunities have recently been secured by HII. The Newport News division has recently received the contract to kick off the advance fabrication of aircraft carrier CVN 80. The Ingalls Shipbuilding division will begin fabrication of the destroyer DDG 123 and will begin the ninth National Security Cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard (News Releases, 2017). Due to the fact that HIIs largest single customer is the U.S. Government, political climate plays a large role in the stability of the company. Most of the companys revenues for 2015 were a direct result of sales to the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. The current political climate is encouraging for increased military spending and growth (Annual Report, 2015). HIIs recent strategic acquisitions are expected to continue fuel growth. The Stoller Newport News Nuclear (SN3) group is a full-service nuclear operations and environmental services company focused on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) clients. The Undersea Solutions Group (USG) develops and builds specialized manned and unmanned undersea vehicles for military customers around the world. UniversalPegasus International (UPI) provides world class expertise, efficiency and value in project management, engineering and construction management for the energy industry (Our Capabilities, 2017). The Jones Act (a portion of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) is a federal statue regulating maritime commerce in U.S. territorial waters and between U.S. ports. Ships must be owned by U.S. citizens, crewed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents, built by U.S. shipyards and operate under U.S. laws. The Jones Act protects domestic shipyards by requiring domestic carriers to utilize U.S. shipyards for new builds maintenance and repair (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships are required to be built in U.S. shipyards. This provides HII and other domestic military shipbuilders with the assurance of obtaining the available contracts (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). The major HII physical locations in Virginia and Mississippi offer the company a benefit of lower cost of living and lower wage scale. The South has few higher-paying jobs and is characterized by low cost-of-living adjusted wages. Issues pushing wages up or down include regional industry concentration, education levels and housing costs (Maciag, 2015) Having multiple business segments provides HII with increased areas of business opportunity. The HII shipbuilding divisions have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. The Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support services, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups (Who We Are, 2017). Threats Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) operates in a heavily regulated environment with many government imposed regulations. HII is routinely audited for compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. Improper or illegal activities can result in fines, penalties, repayments or other damages. Certain findings can lead to suspension or debarment from future contracts or the loss of export privileges (Annual Report, 2015). Defense contractors such as HII are always a possible target for acts of terrorism. Operation of facilities may be disrupted and cause the incurrence of higher costs for security or it can shut down operations for a period of time (Annual Report, 2015). HII and other U.S. shipbuilders face foreign competition due to the fact that other countries such as Japan and South Korea provide subsidies or direct cash payments to their shipbuilders. This enables foreign shipyards to sell their vessels at or below the cost of construction (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). HII faces domestic competition from key rival General Dynamics. There is intense competition related to programs, resources and funding. Defense programs, conducted under binding contracts, allows companies that perform well to benefit from program continuity not found in civilian industries (Annual Report, 2015). As a defense contractor, HII is a high-value target for cyber security threats due to the classified nature of information controlled by the HII information technology infrastructure. HII has faced attempts to gain access to classified and other sensitive information. A breach of the information technology infrastructure of physical facilities could cause significant recovery and restoration expenses (Annual Report, 2015). HII has operations located in regions of the U.S. that have been impacted by severe weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. The damage and disruption can be significant and long-lasting. Natural disasters can disrupt workforce, electrical and computer infrastructure that are critical for normal operations (Annual Report, 2015). Approximately 50% of HIIs employees are covered by eight collective bargaining agreements. Several of these agreements will expire in 2017 and 2018. While HII strives to maintain good working relations with labor unions, it is possible that there may be difficulties in negotiating expiring collective bargaining agreements. In the past there have been work stoppages, strikes and other labor disruptions (Annual Report, 2015).   HII relies on other companies to provide raw materials, major components and sub-systems. Manufacturing costs can increase over the life of the contract. Some U.S. Government contracts require certain materials and components be purchased from approved sources. The inability of the sole-source supplier to provide the product in a timely manner can result in adverse effects on the financial position and cash flows for HII (Annual Report, 2015). HIIs manufacturing operations are subject to federal, state and local laws regarding environmental protection. Estimated costs are accrued to account for future incurred expenses. However, it is difficult to estimate these costs which can cause estimated remediation costs to change. Costs relating to environmental regulations can effect financial position, results of operations and cash flow (Annual Report, 2015). Political climate effects defense spending and therefore effects defense contractors such as HII. Changes in the governments priorities and spending could have an adverse effect on the availability of future contracts (Annual Report, 2015). References Spring 2016 Industry Study Final Report Shipbuilding [Scholarly project]. (2016). In The Eisenhower School. Retrieved from http://es.ndu.edu/Portals/75/Documents/industry-study/reports/2015/es-is-report-shipbuilding-2015.pdf Ship Building and Repairing. (2017). Retrieved January 30, 2017, from https://business.highbeam.com/industry-reports/equipment/ship-building-repairing Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/who-we-are/ Company Values. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/who-we-are/company-values/ Maciag, M. (2015, March 13). Where Wages Are Lowest and Highest in America. Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-metros-where-wages-are-lowest.html Annual Report 2015. (2015, December). Retrieved February 03, 2017, from http://ir.huntingtoningalls.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=243052p=irol-reportsannual News Releases. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/releases Our Capabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/our-businesses/ Proxy Statement 2015. (2015, December). Retrieved February 03, 2017, from http://ir.huntingtoningalls.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=243052p=irol-reportsannual      

Little Price Story :: essays research papers

It all happened one day while I was sitting in my back yard trying to come up with ideas for my English paper. I had to write about my family. A little boy, maybe 8 or 9, my age, walked through the back gate and just stood there looking a bit confused. I asked him who he was and what he was looking for, and he responded, â€Å"Are you looking for a friend also?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I loved meeting new people so I said, â€Å"Sure, why not?† He asked me what I was doing and I explained my whole English paper project. He seemed pretty interested in what I had to say which surprised me because I thought this project was pretty boring. He then asked if he could help me and I said yes since I needed all the help I could get.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What is your name?† I asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Name? Well the people on my planet just call me †Little Prince†. What is your umm name?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"On your planet? What do you mean on your planet?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"My planet, Sublime. What is your name?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Jacob, but I am still confused.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain some other time.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So that was my first encounter with the Little Prince. I figured since he was going to be helping me write about my family, he should meet my family. I brought the Little Prince in to my house and up to my sister’s room where she was getting ready for her â€Å"big date† she had been babbling about ALL week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hannah, this is my new friend I just met today. He is going to help me with my family project.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I don’t have time to worry about you and your little friends. I only have three hours until my date!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Three hours?! It takes you that long to get ready?†, asked the Little Prince.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, yeah. I have to look really good for this guy!† Then the Little Prince looked at me and told me my sister was too caught up in self image, and that she worries too much about what others think about her. So now I have learned one new thing about my older sister. â€Å"Caught up in self image†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I thought I should jot that down on my yellow notepad that contains my notes for my paper (even though I did not have very many notes to begin with). I then heard my dad in the living room yelling at the television.

Edward Teach aka Blackbeard the Pirate Essay -- biographies bio biogra

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was undoubtedly one of the most feared and most despised pirates of all time. Edward Teach is thought to have lived in England before his pirate career, although his exact origins are unknown. He was named "Blackbeard", for his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. To strike terror in the hearts of his enemies Blackbeard would weave hemp into his hair, and light it during battle. Edward Teach was an unusually large man, carrying two swords, numerous knives, and pistols- he was feared by his own crew. At the sight of this pirate, many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. If they did, he would often times just take their valuables, rum, and weapons— allowing them to sail away. However, if the vessel resisted capture, he would either kill the crew, or maroon them. Blackbeard needed to maintain his devilish image in order to maintain the respect of his crew (very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn’t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him). Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard’s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected t... ...ks running in blood. The battle could have had a different ending, Blackbeard had ordered one of his crew to blow up the powder magazine if the boat was taken, and fortunately for the survivors one of his less determined shipmates stopped him. The battle was over. It was rumoured that Blackbeard’s headless body ran amok and jumped into the water swimming around the ship. Whatever the truth of these tales, Maynard sailed home with Blackbeard’s head on a pole. Blackbeard had captured over 40 ships during his piratical career, and had been the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people. Although Blackbeard's lawless career lasted only a few years, his fearsome reputation has long outlived him. The death of Blackbeard and the trial of the remaining crew were seen as the beginning of the end of the years of buccaneering glory, and a big coup in the war against piracy.

Greed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Gatsby and Greed In this day and age, money is a very important asset to have. One needs to have at least enough to live on, though great amounts are preferable. In The Great Gatsby, by Thomas F. Fitzgerald, having a large amount of money is not enough. It is also the way you acquire the money that matters. Gatsby and Tom both have a lot of money yet Daisey picks one over the other, not because of the difference in the amount they have, but because of the manner in which it is attained. To the main characters in the book, money is everything. Tom, Gatsby, and Daisey are all consumed by money and its prestige. Gatsby uses his money as a tool to lure Daisey back into his life by giving her a tour of his possessions inside and outside his house. Because Daisey seems to fall in love with Gatsby again, it shows that she was not really in love with Tom, it was his "old" money that she is truly in love with. Money is important to Tom and Daisey because it makes them feel superior to those who have less. All of these characters have been corrupted by their greed but the one person that has not is Nick, Daisey's cousin. He is nice enough to help Gatsby with Daisey out of friendship, not for his money. In the book, money symbolizes a social evil as it destroys lives of people corrupted by wealth. In the first chapter, Fitzgerald treats money as if it was a cookie cutter for social classes and tells how wealth divides the society into different groups. For instance, East Eggers have "inherited money" whereas West Eggers have newly acquired money. Tom is an example of an East Egger who has "prestigiously" inherited quite a lot of "old" money. Gatsby is a West Egger who by boot legging, swindling and doing favors for others, has acquired "new" money. The difference between social and economic classes is best demonstrated by the comparison between Tom and Gatsby. Tom was born an East Egger, which was something that Gatsby could never achieve. No matter what he did, he would always be a West Egger. Although Gatsby could have been an economic equal to Tom, he would never be a social equal.

Bullying Is a Legal Crime Essay

On September 18, 2011 a 14-year-old Jamey Redeemer took his life after years of bullying. The news spread in a blink of an eye. The whole country mourned. Jamey cried for help for months. He regularly posted online about being bullied at school and how people would launch insults at him. Soon, students started to bully Jamey online. They posted horrible things like â€Å"I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it 🙂 It would make everyone WAY more happier!† Jamey left several messages on his blog letting everyone know that he was in trouble and needed help. But still no one listened. On Saturday night he posted a lyric from Lady Gaga’s song on his Facebook page which said: â€Å"Don’t forget me when I come crying to heaven’s door.† In a few hours he wrote that he was looking forward to seeing his great grandmother, who recently died. It was Jamey’s final message. (â€Å"Suicide: Police Consider Criminal Bullying Charges†) As identified by the the United States Department of Justice, bullying has two key components: repeated harmful acts and an imbalance of power. â€Å"It involves repeated physical, verbal or psychological attacks or intimidation directed against a victim who cannot properly defend him- or herself because of size or strength, or because the victim is outnumbered or less psychologically resilient.†(â€Å"Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series†) In other words, children are verbally and physically assaulted by their peers every day. At school, bullies rip their victim’s self-esteem to shreds while theirs gets high. It has become a huge problem in the U.S. Nearly 160 000 students stay home and miss school everyday due to the fear of being bullied. 20% of all children say they have been bullied and 20% of high school students say they have seriously considered suicide with the last 12 months. By age 24, 60% of bullies have a criminal record. (â€Å"National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education†) As a matter of fact, bullying can occur almost anywhere. At home. At work. At school or even on the street. It becomes a very widespread, invisible threat. Statistics go that that one out of 4 boys or girls will be bullied sometime throughout their childhood. (â€Å"The United States Department of Justice†) The media started to pay more attention to the problem of bullying recently. While it is seemingly impossible to defeat, it can be overturned. This is possible if parents get involved, students are taught how to identify and stop bullying, and if individuals stand up for and support the victims and bullies. These solutions overtime will definitely bring bullying to its demise. One of the widespread questions is who truly a bully is, why does he or she behave in such a way or another. For the most part, bullies are the kids who feel insecure about their beliefs and appearance or who are the victims of bullying. In that case, bullying becomes a mental defense for the victims. â€Å"A number of researchers believe that bullying occurs due to a combination of social interactions with parents, peers and teachers. The history of the parent-child relationship may contribute to cultivating a bully, and low levels of peer and teacher intervention combine to create opportunities for chronic bullies to thrive (as will be discussed later).† (â€Å"Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series†) A child that comes from a poor, abusive and usually one-parent family will probably end up a bully. Being picked on at school or simply rejected by the peers, kids tease smaller ones just to feel better about themselves and release negative energy. Tracy Vaillancourt, Canada Research Chair in children’s mental health and violence prevention at the University of Ottawa claims that there are two types of bullies. The first type is the habitual bullies. â€Å"They tend to be really impulsive and have poor emotional regulation. And that represents about 10 per cent of kids who bully others.† (â€Å"Interview: Who’s a Bully?†) Basically, Tracy Vaillancourt is saying that this type of a bully is the most rare one, but at the same time it is the most severe and brutal. It more or less becomes a disease that requires an immediate medical intervention. The point is that this type of a bully is the easiest to identify: it is usually impulsive kids who get into trouble in school for bad behavior. The second type of a bully is everyday kids. According to Tracy Vaillancourt, â€Å"they tend to be really popular; because they have power, they can abuse power.† It is the hardest type of a bully to identify. Therefore, it is the most dangerous one. Parents usually get blindsided when their kid might be bullying someone. They take their child’s side, and it is completely natural. Parents want to protect their son or daughter no matter what. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that they do more harm than good and that the consequence of such parenting behavior can be catastrophic. â€Å"In terms of childhood abuse and bullying, it is possible that intrusive, flashback memories of these traumatic events occur in adolescence and adulthood.† (â€Å"Society and Psychosis†) In other words, the authors of the â€Å"Society and Psychosis† believe that a victim of bullying will suffer psychological harm for almost the rest of his or her life. Moreover, a bullied child is more likely to develop a criminal record or get psychiatric disorder and mental illness than his or her peers. (â€Å"Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series†) At this point, suicidal behavior becomes a real threat. And numerous teenage suicides and suicidal attempts are an alert and a call to action to all of us. As bullying becomes a serious problem, people try to come up with different ways of solving it. Different programs, developed to stop or at least reduce bulling, almost every time pay much attention to the parents and teachers. On the one hand, I agree that authorities including but not limited to parents, teachers and professor are capable of maintaining a positive surrounding for the kids creating a safe, free from bullying environment. But on the other hand, I still insist that those authorities are not the key to solving this problem. Bullying has been identified as a potential threat for a long time. This issue has been discussed many time at the different forums and summits, and all kinds of programs were introduced to stop it. But, apparently, it’s not working. Most of the teachers don’t even care about their students lives, since it’s not their business. That’s the way things are in my home country Russia. Teachers go to the classes, give lectures and go back home. They view their job as a way to educate students on a particular field of study. When, in fact, teachers are mentors for children or at least that’s what the have to be. They should set an example of a loving, accepting, tolerant human being who is willing to help and support a person in need whether it’s a student, colleague or a friend. The most important thing is that the first step in stopping bullying has to be made by us, the ones who are often easily affected by it. Every each one of us can contribute to solving this problem and making the world a better place. First of all, we have to change the climate of the school environment and stop putting the power in the hands of the teachers, or the government. I don’t believe they have the answers. I believe we do. It is out lives after all. The truth is that there’s no law that can be passed on the federal level to stop or prevent bullying. The public school system in the U.S. is operated by state laws that are hard to pass. (â€Å"Bullying Prevention State Laws†) Rather than dealing with the legal system, we should come to an understanding that we have the power to make a shift in how people view bullying and react to it. It is not an over night thing. It has to become a cultural change, a movement of tolerance, love and acceptance. Another thing is that people pay too much attention to cyber bullying and consider it as the major dangerous form of bullying. But, truthfully, it’s really not. It’s the most visible because you can see all the hate mails and comments online. The worst bullying experience is face to face, on the street, in the school, at home. There has to be a support system in our communities. We need to change the way kids think about themselves. There has to be a suppÐ ¾rt system around every human being that can help anyone build confidence in themselves and others. The work has to be done from the ground up. Creating a climate and an environment in schools where everyone feels safe has to become a priority today for parents, school administration, teachers and students themselves. By doing little acts of kindness, we will create a loving and accepting environment. Just come to a friend or a person you don’t know. Say a compliment or how good the weather is today, or simply: you look great. These are the things that are going to chÐ °nge the culture and make a huge shift in how people communicate and react to bullying in a particular environment. Just set an example. Because teenager are very impressionable. And if you set an example, the rest will follow. Find a friend. Tell somebody in your life, someone important or maybe someone you don’t know about love, tolerance and acceptance. It is not gonna be just the experts that are going to change things. It is going to be all of us. As we all know, life is an energy. And we are responsible for the energy we bring into this space. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. If you insult someone, the negative energy you put onto them will come back to you. By brining negative energy onto those people, you are making them bring negative energy onto others. Firstly, empowering youth is one of the keys to stopping bullying. All of us have to set an example of brave and tolerant human beings. It has to become cool to be the person that says that something’s not quite right here, that help is needed here. For whatever reason, students tend to ignore the acts of bulling or teasing in school. They go to classes, do their homework, hand in the paper, go home†¦ Students notice the violence, happening in schools, but the do not speak about it. There needs to be attention that is payed to looking for signs of violence and bullying. When students start to look up for each other, then the major shift is made. Secondly, using a multifaceted, comprehensive approach will definitely decrease the percentage of bullied kids. This approach includes establishing a school-wide policy that addresses indirect bullying, providing guidelines for teachers and, most importantly, students on specific actions to take if bullying occurs, encouraging students to report known bullying, to be supportive to classmates who may be bullied and educating and involving parents so they understand the problem and the importance of it. I believe that each of us comes with a gift – to use our lives, to bring goodness to the world, to connect with other people. Every single person, whether it’s victim of violence or the person who committed the violence,has one thing in common: we all want to know that what we do and what we say and who we are matters. We want to be validated. Every single person. Every argument is really about: do you see me, do you hear me, does what I say mean anything to you? Come up to a girl who always seats alone at the canteen, talk to her. Maybe you will be the one who’ll make her day. Be loving, accepting and tolerant. Only this way we’ll create a kind, free from violence and bullying environment.

Customer Needs and Preferences Essay

DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE INSPIRATIONAL, AUTHENTIC AND PERSONALIZED CUSTOMER SERVICE / IDENTIFYING CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS: Every customer has different needs and wants when they step into the store. As every customer has different preferences, it is essential to personalize the experiences for different customers. To find out what the customers are looking for, we need to ask TED questions. Through the answers the customers give, we will have better insights and understanding about what they are looking for. PROVIDING INFORMATION ON PRODUCTS / EDUCATING CUSTOMERS: Fragrances: As important as sales is, educating the customers is equally crucial. What makes Jo Malone’s colognes so unique is that it is light so it can be layered. They are good on its own but when layered, you will get truly individual effects. Therefore, customers can come up with their own bespoke scents. Candles and diffusers: For every customer that buys the candles and diffusers, our job is to teach them how to use the products. For candles, the customers can only burn for up to four hours and then extinguish it and after burning, the wick of the candle must be trimmed to prevent the candle from tunneling. ASSIST IN DAILY RETAIL OPERATION: Co-ordinate and check merchandise on display: Except for the testers, the products on display are not displayed pieces but actual selling stocks. In Jo Malone London ION Orchard, it often gets busy and customers are always rushing in this fast-paced city so we often do not take the stocks from the cabinets and just sell the products on display instead. During our free time, we will replenish the merchandise on display. By doing so, it would also minimize external theft as we would be able to immediately realize that the product is missing and then report to our superiors and request for them to check the surveillance cameras. By coordinating and checking the merchandise on display, we will also have better insights on approximately how much of each product needs to be reordered. Handle exchanges of merchandise: A lot of the customers that comes to Jo Malone London are customers that are looking for gifts for their family, friends or loved ones. They often do not know what to buy and often purchase the options between our recommendations. To successfully close these deals and not let our potential customers slip out of our hands, we would persuade them to buy by letting them know that we will issue them a sales memo so that the receiver may bring the unused products to exchange for something they like should they not like the gift. DISPLAY PROFESSIONAL IMAGE AND ETIQUETTE: In Jo Malone London, we are required to wear our uniforms, wear formal footwear and put on our aprons and name tags once we are on the sales floor. Grooming is of great importance as it will not only portray our professionalism, our customers will also place their trust in our recommendations when they see how well-dressed we are. What we say to them will seem more professional and convincible to them too. Other than attire-wise, makeup is also required as it would add colors to our face making us look more refreshed and it will also positively affect the perception people has on us. PERFORM DAILY HOUSEKEEPING: As our store is an open layout store with no automatic doors that opens and closes when a customer walks in and out, there is a lot of dust in the store. What adds to the this-this issue is that we have many spotlights in the store which makes the dust a lot more visible. Therefore, it is essential that we wipe the shelves and the tables every morning. On Sunday mornings, we would wipe all products, shelves, and tables. I do not wipe the shelves and tables, it would make our store look dusty, deserted and unsanitary. 2.2 GOOD OR BAD MOMENTS EXPERIENCED GOOD: Seeing the reactions of my customers when I tell them that I am merely an intern. After a few days of the internship, I feel more confident with the amount of knowledge I have which really played a huge part in my ability to persuade customers to purchase. BAD: During our orientation, we were thought to ask TED questions. And then further suggest scents or products to customers based on our insights. But there often are customers that ask what the best sellers are when they step foot in. What makes this situation tricky is the customers because what may be the bestseller may not be what they like. â€Å"May I know what kind of scents you like, miss? Because what may be the bestseller may not be what you would like† would earn me some glares and angry customers that would stomp off. I often encounter such customers and as much as I want to stay unaffected, I really am.