Under Armour

AU has been able o increase its North American brand awareness by showing the advantages of its differentiated product which has improved athletes' comfort and performance. In order to compete in the global markets against Nikkei and Ideas LILA should consider the following four alternatives: mergers or acquisitions, establishment of foreign subsidiaries, joint ventures, or a continuation of the North American strategy to be used in the international markets.The decision criteria used in evaluating each option looked primarily at how to increase CIA brand awareness and market share, the financial strain on ALGA sources, protection of CIA patents and intellectual property, and the level of control maintained by CIA It is recommended that AU pursue appropriate mergers or acquisitions that will increase its resources and competencies internationally and enable AU to more quickly build its market presence. Aqua's big competitors have been selling their performance apparel internationally for several years, with the added advantage of already having international brand recognition.Since CIA won't have the first-to-market advantage they had in the US Market they need to carefully find complementary companies that can assist in both brand cognition and in core understanding of the global markets. Significant resources will be required initially, but it is expected that this investment will be paid back within 3 to 4 years. If this alternative proves unsuccessful AU should consider a joint venture or alliance which shifts some of the risk on to those other participants.For the full recommendation and action plan please refer to pages 12 to 13. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Identification 4 Backgrounds Problem Statement (Scope of Report) 4 Current Strategy 4 Analysis and Evaluation 5 External Analysis Macro-Environments Five Forces Analysis 6 Strategic Group Map 7 Key Success Factors Internal Analysis 9 SOTTO If uncial 9 Alternatives 10 1. Merger and Acquisition s 10 2. Foreign Subsidiaries (Greenfield Venture) 10 3. Joint Ventures and Alliances 11 4.Status Quo – Utilize the IIS Strategy Internationally 11 Decision Criteria 12 Recommendation 12 Action Plan 13 Contingency Plan 13 Appendix A 14 Appendix B 15 Bibliography 16 Identification Background Under Armor (AU), formerly known as KIP Sports, was founded in 1 996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank. KIP Sports was the originator Of performance apparel engineered with supreme moisture management to keep athletes cool, dry, and light throughout the course of a game, practice, or workout. The company's operations started out of the basement of Kevin Plank's grandmother's house.Shortly after founding KIP Sports, Kevin recruited one of his acquaintances from Maryland University to join the company as a partner. Kip Bulks, the gentlemen brought on as partner utilized his excellent credit rating to open 17 different credit card accounts to fund the cash flow requi rements of KIP Sports. By 1 998 the company's revenues had Increased efficiently enough for KIP Sports to acquire a $250,000 small business loan. The company was ever growing with a broader product line and consumer segments and from time to time it would take out additional loans needed to fund their working capital requirements.It was not until 1999 that Kevin recruited another acquaintance, a gentleman by the name of Ryan Wood from high school, to join the company as Vice President of Sales. In 2005, KIP Sports changed their name to under Armor and went public. This initial offering generated net proceeds of approximately $114. 9 million, from the 9. Million Class A Common stock issued. Problem Statement (Scope of Report) Although AU has done well in the present US market, carving out a sizeable market share, it is unknown how their current strategy will be able to compete with fierce rivals like Nikkei and Ideas on a global frontier.Their big competitors have been able to start selling their performance apparel internationally for several years, with the added advantage of already having international brand recognition, so CIA will no longer have the first-to-market advantage that they had in the US Market. If AU hopes to be successful in the lobar market, they will need to analyze their current strategy while exploring other possibilities to make an informed decision on how best to proceed.Current Strategy The company's principal business activities in 2012 were the development, marketing and distribution of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youths. 90% of its sales were from North American, though international sales were growing. AU uses a broad differentiation strategy as its corporate strategy. It has developed its own patented fabrics to create a differentiated product that its customers are ailing to pay a premium for.Its growth strategy includes broadening its product lines, targeting additional consumer seg ments, increasing distribution, expanding internationally, and growing brand awareness. Aqua's business strategies include how it will compete in each of its product line offerings of apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youths. Its strategy is to offer a variety of styles and price levels for its customers that will improve comfort, performance, and mobility no matter what weather condition exists. For its apparel it has designed three lines of gear designed o work in various temperatures (Heather, Coolidge, and Legionnaires).Its footwear is designed to be light, breathable, and high performing. Its line of accessories (such as gloves, header and bags) has similar differentiated performance features as Aqua's other products. Aqua's main functional strategies include its marketing brand management and promotion strategies as well as its product design and development strategies. CIA has an extremely large marketing budget (close to 1 68 million in 2011 ) which incl udes athlete endorsements, sponsorship of sporting events and advertising costs.It utilizes an in-house promotion and marketing department whose focus is to increase demand and build brand awareness. Aqua's main retail marketing strategy is to obtain as much CIA exclusive floor space as possible in each Of its major retail stores. Aqua's product design and development strategy is to continually upgrade its products and to use â€Å"visible technology†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Thompson, p C-51) to market the benefits of Aqua's products. There is a high degree of collaboration between the sales, product development, and sports marketing teams in identifying opportunities and markets.Aqua's key operating strategies include its distribution strategies and its sourcing, manufacturing and quality control strategies. Its distribution strategies included wholesale distribution (70%), direct-to-consumer sales (27%), and product licensing (3%). AU has two distribution facilities in Maryland, though it expects to add another facility overseas in the future. Many of Aqua's technically advanced fabrics were developed by third parties. These fabrics are available from a small number of sources. In 2011 CIA had 23 main manufacturers which operated in 16 countries.All manufacturers ad to follow stringent quality control processes and had to adhere to a code of conduct with respect to quality, working conditions and social concerns. Analysis and Evaluation External Analysis Macro-Environment The macro-environment is positive for the sports apparel industry without many restrictive influences in the political or regulatory realm. The most strategically relevant factors of the PESTLE analysis (political factors, economic conditions, socio-cultural forces, technological factors, environment forces, and legal/regulatory Factors) include the socio-cultural forces and technological factors as noted below:Socio-cultural Forces Recreational and professional sports are both very popular in North America and throughout the world. With an emphasis on active and healthy living in addition to the â€Å"life skills† learned in playing on sports teams schools and athletic associations offer many sports opportunities for all ages. Professional sports are a multi-billion dollar industry with athletes and coaches making very large salaries. Although there may be aging demographics in some areas of the world enthusiasm for sports remains high.Technological Factors Technology has only continued to improve as sports apparel companies onetime to refine and develop the relatively newly available â€Å"technologically advanced fabrics and specialized manufacturing techniques† (Thompson, p C-43) in an effort to create a more comfortable, drier experience for the athlete. Great strides continue to be made with these products. Five Forces Analysis Competition from Rival Sellers (Strong): Competition among rival sellers is intense. There are approximately 25 brand-name competit ors in the market for sports apparel, athletic footwear and related accessories in which (AU competes.Aqua's major competitors in its sports performance apparel and athletic footwear include Nikkei, Inc. ND the Ideas Group, both highly successful brand-name global companies. AU competes with other top name brands, such as Columbia, Spryer, and North Face in its performance Skewer products. Nikkei is the clear market leader with approximately 17% of the footwear market share and 4. 4% of the sports apparel market share. Customer Bargaining Power (Strong): Since approximately 70% of AU sales are from retailers, the retailers do have Strong bargaining power. 5% of all retail sales are to large retail chains who also sell Aqua's competitor products. They have the discretion as to whether to allocate a certain level of floor space exclusively to CIA or not. Although there is some differentiation in products between competitors many of the products are fairly standardized, increasing cust omer bargaining power. The cost of switching to competitor brands is likely fairly low as all competitors will be fighting for key retail space. Supplier Bargaining Power (Moderate): CIA specialty fabrics and other raw materials come from a relatively small number of sources.In 2011 , a little more than half of the fabrics used came from six suppliers in several different countries. With only six suppliers for such a large volume the suppliers do have some leverage in increasing their prices. It seems that it may be difficult for LILA to find alternative suppliers, though these suppliers must also depend on the revenues from CIA As such, they will not want to price themselves out of the market and they will want to see CIA succeed. Competition from Potential New Entrants (Weak): Given the strength and number of large brand name competitors already in the industry the threat of new entrants is relatively weak.The Ideas Group has several well-known brands within its company, such as R ebook, Rocket, ND Ideas. Nikkei and CIA are also well-known brands. All of these companies participate heavily in sponsoring sporting events and invest significantly in athlete endorsements. As a result, there are high degrees of customer loyalty, making it difficult for new entrants. These large companies also have well-established networks of distributors. All of these things as well as the capital investment requirements limit the potential of new entrants to the industry.Competition from Producers of Substitute Products (Weak): Although it is unlikely that there are significant substitute products in existence, CIA and its success shows that it is possible for a creative company to enter the industry with some sort of product which would be more appealing. Additionally, both Nikkei and Ideas spend significant amounts of money on research and development. It is possible that one of these competitors will be able to develop a next generation substitute product. Us Mary Overall, th e industry competitive forces are moderate to strong.The competition among rival sellers is quite intense and the retail buyers have significant power in working with all of these sellers. Brand image and loyalty re important in this industry. Nikkei is a well-established company and the clear market leader, but the Ideas Group is also a global leader. CIA has done very well at establishing a solid market share in its sports apparel and training/fitness clothing. Strong profitability is evident in this industry as can be seen in the net profit margins among Nikkei, the Ideas Group, and Under Armor.Strategic Group Map Key Success Factors Performance and Reliability – To remain competitive in this industry, CIA products must meet or exceed customer expectations for high performance and reliability. CIA was founded on creating clothing that was cooler, drier, and more comfortable for its athletes. AU must continue producing high quality items which can be counted on. This includ es utilizing high quality standards. New Product Development -? In this competitive environment it is important that AU invest sufficient funds into research and development so that it can gain improvements in its fabrics and its products.Additionally, CIA must keep a sufficient number and styles of products available to be able to meet various consumer segments, such as it has done with Heather, Coolidge, and Legionnaires. CIA will need to re-examine its product line and its inventory management systems to ensure it is able to better meet customer needs without high levels of excess inventory. Pricing – Due to the number of brand name competitors in the industry with similar products an appropriate pricing strategy is crucial to Aqua's success. CIA will have to remain vigilant in watching competitor prices and discounts given.Brand and Product Image – Each competitor in this industry will need to continually work on communicating and maintaining its overall brand imag e that is consistent with its mission and vision. Additionally, certain key products should have high visibility in terms of the image they represent. Loyalty from customers will be driven in part by these branding images. Customer Support and Services – In part a company is only as strong as it is perceived to be by its customers. Aqua's retailers and its direct sale customers must be treated fairly and be given adequate support when purchasing AU products.Retailers (representing 70% of sales in 2011) will be driven to work with La's competitors if customer support and service is lacking. If Under Armor is able to successfully manage each of these key success actors which matter to its customers it should have continued competitive success for the long-term. Conclusion The external environment is conducive to successful results and profitability for the current competitors in the sports apparel industry. Although CIA is competing against some large global rivals it has been able to gain substantial market share from 0. 6 percent in 2003 to almost 2. 8 percent in 2011.This is compared with 7. 0% market share for Nikkei and 5. 4% market share for Ideas. AU should be able to remain competitive and earn reasonable profits as long s management remains attentive and pro-active With any changes in the environment. Internal Analysis SOOT under Armor has a variety of strengths which allows them to compete in the highly competitive sports apparel industry. Over the years, the business has focused on building an authentic brand with high quality apparel that has allowed them to gain significant market share from their competitors. Below you will find an analysis of their internal and external environments.Strengths Built an incredibly powerful and authentic brand in a relatively short time Became the official footwear supplier of major league baseball Uses superior scenically advanced fabrics Weaknesses International presence is very low Limited number of distrib utors to ship their products Insufficient tools in place to manage inventory efficiently and accurately Opportunities Ability to broaden Aqua's product offerings for wear in a variety of recreational activities and sports Athletic wear, a category historically dominated by men, is seeing significant growth with females Gender equality continues to grow in other parts of the world The reads Highly competitive market Competitors have a well established footprint in international markets Materials used in AU products are petroleum-based synthesis and therefore subject to crude oil price fluctuation If uncial Under Armor financial shows both positive and negatives (see Appendix A for the full financial details). The profitability ratios are in good standing and are relatively stable over the 5 year period 2006-201 1.The gross profit ratio indicates that CIA has enough revenues to cover operating expenses and leave the company with a profit. The net profit margin shows that their after t ax profits per dollar of sale decreased from 9. 05% in 2006 to 6. 58% in 2011. That is a drop of 2. 47%. The return on total assets and return on shareholder's equity have both decreased from 2006-201 1. A return of 12-15% range is average and Under Armor is at 15. 23% as of 201 1 which is within the range. Liquidity analysis shows that the working capital has improved over the years. As of 2011, the company has $506,056 of internal funds to cover its current liabilities. That is $332,667 more that in 2006 showing a big improvement The leverage ratios show the negative side of Under Armor.The debt to asset ratio has been increasing from 2% in 2006 to 8% in 201 1. This means hat 8% of borrowed funds have been used to finance assets. Also the debt to equity ratio has increased from 3% to 12%. This signifies lower creditworthiness, potential excessive debt and a weaker balance sheet. On the other hand, in order for a business to continue growing and compete with the industry taking on additional loans is a requirement. Even though it appears that CIA has the capability to pay off the debts these ratios should be watched carefully to ensure that covenants are not broken. The activity ratios show that AU inventory management efficiency has decreased over the years. Under Armour AU has been able o increase its North American brand awareness by showing the advantages of its differentiated product which has improved athletes' comfort and performance. In order to compete in the global markets against Nikkei and Ideas LILA should consider the following four alternatives: mergers or acquisitions, establishment of foreign subsidiaries, joint ventures, or a continuation of the North American strategy to be used in the international markets.The decision criteria used in evaluating each option looked primarily at how to increase CIA brand awareness and market share, the financial strain on ALGA sources, protection of CIA patents and intellectual property, and the level of control maintained by CIA It is recommended that AU pursue appropriate mergers or acquisitions that will increase its resources and competencies internationally and enable AU to more quickly build its market presence. Aqua's big competitors have been selling their performance apparel internationally for several years, with the added advantage of already having international brand recognition.Since CIA won't have the first-to-market advantage they had in the US Market they need to carefully find complementary companies that can assist in both brand cognition and in core understanding of the global markets. Significant resources will be required initially, but it is expected that this investment will be paid back within 3 to 4 years. If this alternative proves unsuccessful AU should consider a joint venture or alliance which shifts some of the risk on to those other participants.For the full recommendation and action plan please refer to pages 12 to 13. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Identification 4 Backgrounds Problem Statement (Scope of Report) 4 Current Strategy 4 Analysis and Evaluation 5 External Analysis Macro-Environments Five Forces Analysis 6 Strategic Group Map 7 Key Success Factors Internal Analysis 9 SOTTO If uncial 9 Alternatives 10 1. Merger and Acquisition s 10 2. Foreign Subsidiaries (Greenfield Venture) 10 3. Joint Ventures and Alliances 11 4.Status Quo – Utilize the IIS Strategy Internationally 11 Decision Criteria 12 Recommendation 12 Action Plan 13 Contingency Plan 13 Appendix A 14 Appendix B 15 Bibliography 16 Identification Background Under Armor (AU), formerly known as KIP Sports, was founded in 1 996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank. KIP Sports was the originator Of performance apparel engineered with supreme moisture management to keep athletes cool, dry, and light throughout the course of a game, practice, or workout. The company's operations started out of the basement of Kevin Plank's grandmother's house.Shortly after founding KIP Sports, Kevin recruited one of his acquaintances from Maryland University to join the company as a partner. Kip Bulks, the gentlemen brought on as partner utilized his excellent credit rating to open 17 different credit card accounts to fund the cash flow requi rements of KIP Sports. By 1 998 the company's revenues had Increased efficiently enough for KIP Sports to acquire a $250,000 small business loan. The company was ever growing with a broader product line and consumer segments and from time to time it would take out additional loans needed to fund their working capital requirements.It was not until 1999 that Kevin recruited another acquaintance, a gentleman by the name of Ryan Wood from high school, to join the company as Vice President of Sales. In 2005, KIP Sports changed their name to under Armor and went public. This initial offering generated net proceeds of approximately $114. 9 million, from the 9. Million Class A Common stock issued. Problem Statement (Scope of Report) Although AU has done well in the present US market, carving out a sizeable market share, it is unknown how their current strategy will be able to compete with fierce rivals like Nikkei and Ideas on a global frontier.Their big competitors have been able to start selling their performance apparel internationally for several years, with the added advantage of already having international brand recognition, so CIA will no longer have the first-to-market advantage that they had in the US Market. If AU hopes to be successful in the lobar market, they will need to analyze their current strategy while exploring other possibilities to make an informed decision on how best to proceed.Current Strategy The company's principal business activities in 2012 were the development, marketing and distribution of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youths. 90% of its sales were from North American, though international sales were growing. AU uses a broad differentiation strategy as its corporate strategy. It has developed its own patented fabrics to create a differentiated product that its customers are ailing to pay a premium for.Its growth strategy includes broadening its product lines, targeting additional consumer seg ments, increasing distribution, expanding internationally, and growing brand awareness. Aqua's business strategies include how it will compete in each of its product line offerings of apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youths. Its strategy is to offer a variety of styles and price levels for its customers that will improve comfort, performance, and mobility no matter what weather condition exists. For its apparel it has designed three lines of gear designed o work in various temperatures (Heather, Coolidge, and Legionnaires).Its footwear is designed to be light, breathable, and high performing. Its line of accessories (such as gloves, header and bags) has similar differentiated performance features as Aqua's other products. Aqua's main functional strategies include its marketing brand management and promotion strategies as well as its product design and development strategies. CIA has an extremely large marketing budget (close to 1 68 million in 2011 ) which incl udes athlete endorsements, sponsorship of sporting events and advertising costs.It utilizes an in-house promotion and marketing department whose focus is to increase demand and build brand awareness. Aqua's main retail marketing strategy is to obtain as much CIA exclusive floor space as possible in each Of its major retail stores. Aqua's product design and development strategy is to continually upgrade its products and to use â€Å"visible technology†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Thompson, p C-51) to market the benefits of Aqua's products. There is a high degree of collaboration between the sales, product development, and sports marketing teams in identifying opportunities and markets.Aqua's key operating strategies include its distribution strategies and its sourcing, manufacturing and quality control strategies. Its distribution strategies included wholesale distribution (70%), direct-to-consumer sales (27%), and product licensing (3%). AU has two distribution facilities in Maryland, though it expects to add another facility overseas in the future. Many of Aqua's technically advanced fabrics were developed by third parties. These fabrics are available from a small number of sources. In 2011 CIA had 23 main manufacturers which operated in 16 countries.All manufacturers ad to follow stringent quality control processes and had to adhere to a code of conduct with respect to quality, working conditions and social concerns. Analysis and Evaluation External Analysis Macro-Environment The macro-environment is positive for the sports apparel industry without many restrictive influences in the political or regulatory realm. The most strategically relevant factors of the PESTLE analysis (political factors, economic conditions, socio-cultural forces, technological factors, environment forces, and legal/regulatory Factors) include the socio-cultural forces and technological factors as noted below:Socio-cultural Forces Recreational and professional sports are both very popular in North America and throughout the world. With an emphasis on active and healthy living in addition to the â€Å"life skills† learned in playing on sports teams schools and athletic associations offer many sports opportunities for all ages. Professional sports are a multi-billion dollar industry with athletes and coaches making very large salaries. Although there may be aging demographics in some areas of the world enthusiasm for sports remains high.Technological Factors Technology has only continued to improve as sports apparel companies onetime to refine and develop the relatively newly available â€Å"technologically advanced fabrics and specialized manufacturing techniques† (Thompson, p C-43) in an effort to create a more comfortable, drier experience for the athlete. Great strides continue to be made with these products. Five Forces Analysis Competition from Rival Sellers (Strong): Competition among rival sellers is intense. There are approximately 25 brand-name competit ors in the market for sports apparel, athletic footwear and related accessories in which (AU competes.Aqua's major competitors in its sports performance apparel and athletic footwear include Nikkei, Inc. ND the Ideas Group, both highly successful brand-name global companies. AU competes with other top name brands, such as Columbia, Spryer, and North Face in its performance Skewer products. Nikkei is the clear market leader with approximately 17% of the footwear market share and 4. 4% of the sports apparel market share. Customer Bargaining Power (Strong): Since approximately 70% of AU sales are from retailers, the retailers do have Strong bargaining power. 5% of all retail sales are to large retail chains who also sell Aqua's competitor products. They have the discretion as to whether to allocate a certain level of floor space exclusively to CIA or not. Although there is some differentiation in products between competitors many of the products are fairly standardized, increasing cust omer bargaining power. The cost of switching to competitor brands is likely fairly low as all competitors will be fighting for key retail space. Supplier Bargaining Power (Moderate): CIA specialty fabrics and other raw materials come from a relatively small number of sources.In 2011 , a little more than half of the fabrics used came from six suppliers in several different countries. With only six suppliers for such a large volume the suppliers do have some leverage in increasing their prices. It seems that it may be difficult for LILA to find alternative suppliers, though these suppliers must also depend on the revenues from CIA As such, they will not want to price themselves out of the market and they will want to see CIA succeed. Competition from Potential New Entrants (Weak): Given the strength and number of large brand name competitors already in the industry the threat of new entrants is relatively weak.The Ideas Group has several well-known brands within its company, such as R ebook, Rocket, ND Ideas. Nikkei and CIA are also well-known brands. All of these companies participate heavily in sponsoring sporting events and invest significantly in athlete endorsements. As a result, there are high degrees of customer loyalty, making it difficult for new entrants. These large companies also have well-established networks of distributors. All of these things as well as the capital investment requirements limit the potential of new entrants to the industry.Competition from Producers of Substitute Products (Weak): Although it is unlikely that there are significant substitute products in existence, CIA and its success shows that it is possible for a creative company to enter the industry with some sort of product which would be more appealing. Additionally, both Nikkei and Ideas spend significant amounts of money on research and development. It is possible that one of these competitors will be able to develop a next generation substitute product. Us Mary Overall, th e industry competitive forces are moderate to strong.The competition among rival sellers is quite intense and the retail buyers have significant power in working with all of these sellers. Brand image and loyalty re important in this industry. Nikkei is a well-established company and the clear market leader, but the Ideas Group is also a global leader. CIA has done very well at establishing a solid market share in its sports apparel and training/fitness clothing. Strong profitability is evident in this industry as can be seen in the net profit margins among Nikkei, the Ideas Group, and Under Armor.Strategic Group Map Key Success Factors Performance and Reliability – To remain competitive in this industry, CIA products must meet or exceed customer expectations for high performance and reliability. CIA was founded on creating clothing that was cooler, drier, and more comfortable for its athletes. AU must continue producing high quality items which can be counted on. This includ es utilizing high quality standards. New Product Development -? In this competitive environment it is important that AU invest sufficient funds into research and development so that it can gain improvements in its fabrics and its products.Additionally, CIA must keep a sufficient number and styles of products available to be able to meet various consumer segments, such as it has done with Heather, Coolidge, and Legionnaires. CIA will need to re-examine its product line and its inventory management systems to ensure it is able to better meet customer needs without high levels of excess inventory. Pricing – Due to the number of brand name competitors in the industry with similar products an appropriate pricing strategy is crucial to Aqua's success. CIA will have to remain vigilant in watching competitor prices and discounts given.Brand and Product Image – Each competitor in this industry will need to continually work on communicating and maintaining its overall brand imag e that is consistent with its mission and vision. Additionally, certain key products should have high visibility in terms of the image they represent. Loyalty from customers will be driven in part by these branding images. Customer Support and Services – In part a company is only as strong as it is perceived to be by its customers. Aqua's retailers and its direct sale customers must be treated fairly and be given adequate support when purchasing AU products.Retailers (representing 70% of sales in 2011) will be driven to work with La's competitors if customer support and service is lacking. If Under Armor is able to successfully manage each of these key success actors which matter to its customers it should have continued competitive success for the long-term. Conclusion The external environment is conducive to successful results and profitability for the current competitors in the sports apparel industry. Although CIA is competing against some large global rivals it has been able to gain substantial market share from 0. 6 percent in 2003 to almost 2. 8 percent in 2011.This is compared with 7. 0% market share for Nikkei and 5. 4% market share for Ideas. AU should be able to remain competitive and earn reasonable profits as long s management remains attentive and pro-active With any changes in the environment. Internal Analysis SOOT under Armor has a variety of strengths which allows them to compete in the highly competitive sports apparel industry. Over the years, the business has focused on building an authentic brand with high quality apparel that has allowed them to gain significant market share from their competitors. Below you will find an analysis of their internal and external environments.Strengths Built an incredibly powerful and authentic brand in a relatively short time Became the official footwear supplier of major league baseball Uses superior scenically advanced fabrics Weaknesses International presence is very low Limited number of distrib utors to ship their products Insufficient tools in place to manage inventory efficiently and accurately Opportunities Ability to broaden Aqua's product offerings for wear in a variety of recreational activities and sports Athletic wear, a category historically dominated by men, is seeing significant growth with females Gender equality continues to grow in other parts of the world The reads Highly competitive market Competitors have a well established footprint in international markets Materials used in AU products are petroleum-based synthesis and therefore subject to crude oil price fluctuation If uncial Under Armor financial shows both positive and negatives (see Appendix A for the full financial details). The profitability ratios are in good standing and are relatively stable over the 5 year period 2006-201 1.The gross profit ratio indicates that CIA has enough revenues to cover operating expenses and leave the company with a profit. The net profit margin shows that their after t ax profits per dollar of sale decreased from 9. 05% in 2006 to 6. 58% in 2011. That is a drop of 2. 47%. The return on total assets and return on shareholder's equity have both decreased from 2006-201 1. A return of 12-15% range is average and Under Armor is at 15. 23% as of 201 1 which is within the range. Liquidity analysis shows that the working capital has improved over the years. As of 2011, the company has $506,056 of internal funds to cover its current liabilities. That is $332,667 more that in 2006 showing a big improvement The leverage ratios show the negative side of Under Armor.The debt to asset ratio has been increasing from 2% in 2006 to 8% in 201 1. This means hat 8% of borrowed funds have been used to finance assets. Also the debt to equity ratio has increased from 3% to 12%. This signifies lower creditworthiness, potential excessive debt and a weaker balance sheet. On the other hand, in order for a business to continue growing and compete with the industry taking on additional loans is a requirement. Even though it appears that CIA has the capability to pay off the debts these ratios should be watched carefully to ensure that covenants are not broken. The activity ratios show that AU inventory management efficiency has decreased over the years.

Abstract of 3D InternetÂÂ

Abstract  of 3D Internet Also known as virtual worlds, the  3D Internet  is a powerful new way for you to reach consumers, business customers, co-workers, partners, and students. It combines the immediacy of television, the versatile content of the Web, and the relationship-building strengths of social networking sites like  Face book  . Yet unlike the passive experience of television, the  3D Internet  is inherently interactive and engaging. Virtual worlds provide immersive 3D experiences that replicate (and in some cases exceed) real life. People who take part in virtual worlds stay online longer with a heightened level of interest.To take advantage of that interest, diverse businesses and organizations have claimed an early stake in this fast-growing market. They include technology leaders such as  IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco, companies such as BMW, Toyota , Circuit City , Coca Cola, and Calvin Klein, and scores of universities, including Harvard, Stanford and Penn S tate . Introduction of  3D Internet The success of 3D communities and mapping applications, combined with the falling costs of producing 3D environments, are leading some analysts to predict that a dramatic shift is taking place in the way people see and navigate the Internet.The appeal of 3D worlds to consumers and vendors lies in the level of immersion that the programsoffer. The experience of interacting with another character in a 3D environment, as opposed to a screen name or a flat image, adds new appeal to the act of socializing on the Internet. Advertisements in Microsoft's Virtual Earth  3D mapping  application are placed as billboards and signs on top of buildings, blending in with the application's urban landscapes. 3D worlds also hold benefits beyond simple social interactions.Companies that specialize in interior design or furniture showrooms, where users want to view entire rooms from a variety of angles and perspectives, will be able to offer customized models t hrough users'  homePCs  . Google representatives report that the company Google is preparing a new revolutionary product called Google Goggles, an interactive visor that will present Internet content in three dimensions. Apparently the recent rumors of a Google phone refers to a product that is much more innovative than the recent Apple iPhone.Google's new three dimensional virtual reality  : nyone putting on â€Å"the Googgles† – as the insiders call them – will be immersed in a three dimensional â€Å"stereo-vision† virtual reality called 3dLife. 3dLife is a pun referring to the three dimensional nature of the interface, but also a reference to the increasingly popular Second Life virtual reality. The â€Å"home page† of 3dLife is called â€Å"the Library†, a virtual room with virtual books categorized according to the Dewey system. Each book presents a knowledge resource within 3dLife or on the regular World Wide Web.If you pick the book for Pandia, Google will open the Pandia Web site within the frame of a virtual painting hanging on the wall in the virtual library. However, Google admits that many users may find this too complicated. Apparently Google is preparing a new revolutionary product called Google Goggles, an interactive visor which will display Internet content in three dimensions. A 3D mouse lets you move effortlessly in all dimensions. Move the 3D mouse controller cap to zoom, pan and rotate simultaneously. The 3D mouse is a virtual extension of your body – and the ideal way to navigate virtual worlds like Second Life.The Space Navigator is designed for precise control over 3D objects in virtual worlds. Move, fly and build effortlessly without having to think about keyboard commands, which makes the experience more lifelike. Controlling your avatar with this 3D mouse is fluid and effortless. Walk or fly spontaneously, Hands on: Exit Reality: The idea behind ExitReality is that when browsing the web in the old-n-busted 2D version you're undoubtedly using now, you can hit a button to magically transform the site into a 3D environment that you can walk around in and virtually socialize with other users visiting the same site.This shares many of the same goals as Google's Lively (which, so far, doesn't seem so lively), though ExitReality is admittedly attempting a few other tricks. Installation is performed via an executable file which places ExitReality shortcuts in Quick Launch and on the desktop, but somehow forgets to add the necessary ExitReality button to  Firefox's toolbar  . After adding the button manually and repeatedly being told our current version was out of date, we were ready to 3D-ify some websites and see just how much of reality we could leave in two-dimensional ust. Exit Reality is designed to offer different kinds of 3D environments that center around spacious rooms that users can explore and customize, but it can also turn some sites like Flickr i nto virtual museums, hanging photos on virtual walls and halls. Strangely, it's treating Ars Technical as an image gallery and presenting it as a malformed  3D gallery  . 3D Shopping  is the most effective way to shop online. DInternet dedicated years of research and development and has developed the worlds' first fully functional, interactive and collaborative shopping mall where online users can use our 3DInternet's Hyper-Reality technology to navigate and immerse themselves in a Virtual Shopping Environment. Unlike real life, you won't get tired running around a mall looking for that perfect gift; you won't have to worry about your kids getting lost in the crowd; and you can finally say goodbye to waiting in long lines to check out.

See Order Instructions Please Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

See Order Instructions Please - Essay Example After researching on the potential institutions that would help in realizing my career ambitions, I settled on the Sterling College, a Kansas-based Christian college. The ideology and philosophy propagated by this institution is in tandem with my aspirations of upholding Christian values in all aspects of life. For my case, I intend to uphold the Kingdom values by pursuing a career in the field of medicine, with specialization in pediatric cancer cases. Therefore, I plan to study biology, pre-medicine and a minor in music on my way to the realization of these ambitions. With my good GPA grade of 3.8 thus far, I am considering study in any field of biology like marine ecology and zoology as the second option. Apart from concentrating on academics associated with this scholarship, I anticipate an exciting extracurricular life, especially on games and music. This is in line with my previous life where I have been involved in playing volleyball for 4 years, singing for six years in which four was spent on Honor Choir and two as a Sound master. I also consider the contribution to the community as pivotal in the life of a Christian like me. This is evident in my previous involvement, in community service where I participated for two years in Sing station, a community singing group, three years in Loaves and Fishes, a group that delivers food to shut-ins and four years in Church Youth Group. I learned about the availability of this scholarship with great excitement.

The Battle of Midway - One of the Critical Events in World War II Essay

The Battle of Midway - One of the Critical Events in World War II - Essay Example The military confrontation between the United States of America and the Japanese Empire escalated in the early months of 1942, as strategic territories located in and around the Pacific Ocean saw unprecedented levels of attritional warfare. The following passages will analyze the unfolding of events during the Battle of Midway from various authors’ viewpoints and place this battle in the wider context of the Second World War and the then-emergent new world order. To begin with, let us consider the book written by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully titled Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. The most remarkable aspect of this book is the fact that the authors try to present the political and military developments from the point of view of the Japanese. American and British documentations of the Battle of Midway can at times be biased in favour of the Allied forces. So, this change in perspective offered by Parshall and Tully comes across as refreshing and different. This is not to say that their account of the story lacks objectivity and balance. We learn that Admiral Yamamoto’s planned to keep Japanese forces in the Midway and western Aleutian Islands as a way of gaining the advantage over the Naval Fleet of the United States1. In contrast with the commonly available literature on the Japanese plan, Parshall and Tully explicate in detail its technological, doctrinal and historical aspects spanning the early decad es of the twentieth century. The authors also allude to the contrasting motives and modus operandi of the Japanese and American air strategies. The following passage from the book illustrates the range of references and attention to detail exhibited by the authors: â€Å"The Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu, the four aircraft carriers of "Kido Butai," the First Mobile Striking Force formed the offensive core of Japans fleet. Commanded by Admiral Nagumo, "Kido Butai" planned to attack Midway and then destroy any elements of the U.S. Pacific Fleet that tried to intervene.     

What do you feel is a major challenge facing nursing today Essay

What do you feel is a major challenge facing nursing today - Essay Example The current situations as it is has seen nurses being stretched thin, with very unworkable shift programs rendering them largely unable to meet the needs and demands of their patients, even as they themselves would wish to and are capable of. In addition, the current overcrowding of the Emergency Departments as a result of blood tests and other diagnostic procedures continue to slow patient flow and retards performance and availability of nurses. This development above is aggravated further with the recent trend in nursing, where advanced degrees are no longer optional. Nurses are now forced to pursue master’s degree which only eventually scares away potentially great workforce, and thereby consequently reducing number of nurses and exacerbating short staffing in medical centers. Competition for human resources by other less strenuous and well-paying courses has also seen to a shift in interests from this field, over time (Zhan, 70-80). The challenge of meeting patient expectation however does not solely lie with the mechanisms surrounding nursing and the circumstances that continue to impact it. Instead, it is also a result of patient factors and diversity issues. This is not to imply that nurses are allowed to be negligent and incompetent but on the contrary argues that even the best efforts by nurses can go amazingly unnoticed and unappreciated by patients whose demands are â€Å"out of this world†. Patients may also have issues they may take out on the nurses particularly during their hospital visits. Nurses may therefore feel fatigued as a result, and in the process even the best and dedicated nurses are left reeling and battered in thoughts of inadequacy, unprofessionalism and low self-esteem. This can produce a negative effect on general performance and injure good relations of nurses toward their patients (Zhan, 83-85). Some of the few solutions that can be implemented to correct this problem are: to embark on a rampant promotion of

Biomechnics lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biomechnics lab report - Essay Example The change in the horizontal velocity during the braking, propulsive and stance phase are calculated. In the results the changes are summarized and the variables are presented in relation to the body weight of the individual rather than in Newtons. The discussion includes the explanation of the general pattern of the Fz- and Fy- time traces an dthe change in magnitude of the Ground Reaction Force (GRF) variables between each running speed. The paper aims to investigate the effect of increasing running speed on ground reaction force (GRF) related variables. According to the Newton’s Law of Gravitation, any two objects with masses attract each other and the magnitude of this attracting force is proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance. The gravitational force acted upon an object by the earth is called gravity or weight of the object. Since we always have contact with the ground due to this gravity there is always an interaction between our bodies and the ground. The reaction from the ground is called the Ground Reaction Force (GRF). The GRF is important external force acting upon the human body in motion. This force is used as propulsion to initiate and control the movement. A single male weighing 74kg uninjured participant was subjected to an exercise to determine the ground reaction force. Following habituation, GRF was recorded while he was running across the Kistler Force Plate five times at 3, 4 and 5 m-s-1 10% . Following each trial during the laboratory session, a MS-Excel spreadsheet containing Fz (i.e the vertical component of GRF) and the Fy (i.e. the anterior-posterior component of GRF) versus time data and the braking and propulsive impulse were produced. From this raw data, we will need to obtain the magnitude of the following GRF related variables (shown in fig. 1) for each trial. Calculation of the changes in horizontal velocity during the braking

How the Declaration of Independence was accepted in America and Europe Essay

How the Declaration of Independence was accepted in America and Europe - Essay Example American Revolutionary War was the last part of the political American Revolution, so it was expected that the Great Britain would offer its colonies their rights; unfortunately, the colonists had refuted the civil liberties of the Parliament of Great Britain in ruling them with no representation. In the mid 1770s, revolutionaries were in charge of all of the thirteen colonial governments. They established the Second Continental Congress, while at the same time forming a Continental Army. Formal requests to the King to intervene on behalf of the colonial governments were ignored; rather, the outcome was the Congress declaring the colonial governments as traitors, which led to rebellion by the state in the following year. This led to Americans taking action and proclaiming themselves a new independent nation. They asserted jurisdiction and declined any obligation with the British rule. Later on in 1770, the Continentals incarcerated a British army, which resulted in France joining the war and supporting the Americans. Early the following year, the military had empowered with Britain, which resulted in Spain and Dutch Republic joining forces with Britain as French allies. During the course of the war, the British had utilized their naval power in taking over, as well as inhabiting the coastal cities. They had also gained control over the countryside where most of the occupants were avoiding them due to their comparatively small land army. The involvement of France was significant, since in early 1980s, there was a victory in Chesapeake which led to the surrendering of the second British army in Yorktown. Later on there was the signing of the Treaty of Paris that acknowledged the supremacy of the United States over a number of territories (Vigil 23). Effects of the Declaration of Independence on Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence had a number of effects on the Revolutionary War, some of which were negative, as well as positive. All the stakeholders invo lved in both the signing of this treaty and the revolutionary war either suffered or gained as a result. These impacts were tremendous, since the expectations of the Great Britain were completely diminished, while at the same time their colonies gained independence. By giving out the Declaration of Independence, which was accepted by the Continental Congress, the thirteen American colonies totally damaged their political connections with the Great Britain, since the Declaration highlighted the colonists’ tenacity in achieving their independence. By asserting themselves as an independent nation, the American colonists were capable of finalizing a legitimate coalition with the French government. Therefore, they achieve their cooperation in the war against the Great Britain. The British Imperial policies had for a long time oppressed the North American colonists, especially when it came to issues relating to taxation and frontier policy. Despite protests on these British policie s, Great Britain did nothing to change the situation; instead, this resulted in the closure of the port of Boston, along with the declaration of martial law in Massachusetts. Apart from that, the colonial government propelled representatives to a Continental Congress so as to synchronize a colonial ban on British goods. As a result of this, when war began between the British forces and American colonists in Massachusetts, the Continental C

HUM310 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HUM310 - Essay Example This statement can also be found in different sections of the book even more emphasizing how Dubois believes that the division of the society based on the skin color of the people has greatly impacted the interactions of people within the society, that is between dark-skinned and fair-skinned people. He creates the symbolism of a Veil that describes how African Americans, and other dark-skinned men at that, are separated from the world they are living in. Living in a predominantly white society, African Americans living in the American society face different kinds of unjust and unfair treatment. There is somehow a shield or a Veil that separates the two worlds though living in the same space. But even in this line of thought, Dubois himself was able to break free from that Veil, from the division, by being able to engage himself in the activities that the White men believe Blacks cannot. He became a university graduate. He was able to present his thoughts with great impact, especially through his work The Souls of Black Folks. He was also able to show, even within his work, how African Americans can integrate themselves within the society that is evidently has divisions. Dubois presented the concept of dual consciousness which allowed the readers to see how African Americans even within themselves are separated. African Americans are torn within themselves because of their culture and color and their citizenship. African Americans struggle everyday with segregation, discrimination and restrictions of their activities. They struggle everyday fighting for their human rights and beliefs that they, too, are part of the society they are living in. And while they are struggling for their own identity in a world which doesn’t readily accept that they, too, have the same rights as human beings, they also struggle within themselves seeing

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human Resource - Essay Example 1. __False__ Suzy is employed as a secretary in the U.S. Senate. Her supervisor has insinuated that there are negative references in her personnel file. Suzy has demanded to see her personnel file and her supervisor has refused. Her supervisor has violated the Privacy Act. No, he has not violated the privacy Act since it relates mostly to health issues but in this case, Suzy is not authorized to see her personal file .It may be against the company policy to show the personal files of the employees. 4. False Melissa is fired for stealing from her employer, LaMont and Co. She is convicted of the theft, but given only a light sentence. Some time later, a prospective employer calls LaMont for a reference, and is told that the reason for Melissa’s termination was that she had committed theft of employer property. Melissa does not get the new job. LaMont has defamed Melissa According to the labour law the employees shall have the right to self organize and form unions or refrain from it. However, unfair labour practice charges can be brought against an employer on account to wages, hours and other terms of employment if they are not in accordance with the state laws or norms prevailing within the company or industry. False, The Wagner Act identifies the unfair labor practices that the employer can be accused of. The Taft Hartley Act was passed to amend the Wagner Act to restrict mis-use of unionism allowed through the Wagner Act. OSHA allows the workers to refuse to work if they see that the employer is violating their duty of providing a safe workplace. The employer is required to take corrective action but can not replace the workers since it is their right under OSHA to refuse to work in unsafe conditions. 14 TRUE OSHA does not hold employers liable for injuries suffered by employees while working in the employee’s home offices, but employers are responsible for injuries suffered by employees if the employee

Immigrant Children and U.S Education Essay Example for Free

Immigrant Children and U.S Education Essay Aware of the free education provided by the United States government to any school age children, immigrants both legal and illegal continue to be attracted to the United States, migrating in an attempt to provide better opportunities for their families and themselves. As the number of illegal immigrants living in the United states continues to rise and the percentage of illegal immigrant households which consist of children also continues to rise, it is important for the American government to examine the effect that these illegal children are having on the United States public education system. How educators and policymakers address the increasing diversification of the population will ultimately determine the stability of communities in the future.In order to produce a more effective public education system for students as a whole, it is important for the government examine the effects of the influx of immigrant students and learn to address the issues in a more productive way.Americans must ask themselves and answer the question, â€Å"How should the government better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system?† In 1982, the supreme court case Plyler v. Doe, ruled â€Å"that public schools were prohibited from denying immigrant students access to a public education. The Court stated that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Undocumented immigrant students are obligated, as are all other students, to attend school until they reach the age mandated by state law (Olivas).† As an american citizen, it is crucial for our society to realize the effects of allowing illegal immigrants the right to free public education because the effects affect us as individuals and future generations in the american society. It is important for us to see if the benefits of allowing immigrants free education outweighs the strain it puts on our public education system. Researching and answering the question â€Å"How should the government better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system?†, will help americans realize what laws and policies need to be edited, reformed, or added, to greater benefit our society. Answering this question will show us if we need more laws promoting and protecting immigrants rights which would bring in more immigrants or if we should create laws restricting the rights of immigrant children. As immigration continues to increase, and the children of immigrants fill more of the schools, educators will have to recognize and address the social, cultural, political, psychological, and economic complexity that is immigrant education in the twenty-first century. â€Å"Despite several decades of reform, public education in the United States is criticized by some as not teaching all children effectively† (Koehler). Due to poor test results and low graduation rates, many taxpayers criticize public schools and want to see better results. Among many of the issues creating discontent with the public educational system, inequality of opportunity ranks high among citizens. Despite the historical promise of quality education for all children regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, many americans feel that many children do not have equal opportunities to learn and are not likely to attend a quality school. â€Å"Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 63 percent of fourth graders perform at only basic, or below basic, levels in reading. Sixty-nine percent perform at these levels in mathematics. African-American, Hispanic, and Native American fourth graders perform consistently lower than their white coun terparts†(Koehler). These statistics show that over half of the students in the American educational system fail to learn high thinking skills. â€Å"And once again, this bottom half comprises primarily the poor and ethnic minorities†(Koehler). Majority of immigrants live in poverty.†The poverty rate for immigrants and their U.S.-born children (under 18) is two-thirds higher than that of natives and their children, immigrants and their minor children now account for almost one in four persons living in poverty†(Camarota). The high percentage of immigrants that live in poverty causes majority of their children to attend an underachieving school adding to struggles they already face as an immigrant and effecting their educational success.â€Å"The percentage of immigrants without a high school diploma is 30 percent, more than 3.5 times the rate for natives.†(Camarota). with out proper management of immigrant children in the school system, these underachieving schools will take th e blunt force of the student population increase and due to lack of resources and funding the schools have, the schools will continue to strip the students of their equality to opportunity. As the immigration population continues to increase â€Å"immigration has become the determinate factor in population growth. The arrival of 1.5 million immigrants each year, coupled with 750,000 births to immigrant women annually, means that immigration policy is adding over two million people to the U.S. population each year, accounting for at least two-thirds of U.S. population growth†(Camarota), it is important that the government learn how better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system to ensure equality of opportunity to american and immigrant students. As taxpayers, citizens should especially be concerned with the amount of their money that is used to educate immigrants. In January 2011, it was estimated that 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants are currently living in the United States. Of these it is estimated that 1.5 million children attend a public school costing the government an estimated six thousand dollars a year per student. In addition to the six thousands per student the government also pays about $1.5 billion annually to pay the bi-lingual teachers which are necessary to teach and attempt to provide an equal opportunity to immigrant children. All together, the total cost of educating the children of illegal immigrants is around $52,000,000,000. Educating the children of illegal immigrants is by far the single largest cost to American taxpayers. Even though americans are paying large sums of money to educate children of illegal immigrants, â€Å"foreign-born students ages 16-24 had a drop out rate of 29% while students ages 16-24 of foreign born parents had a high school drop out rate of 38.7%†(Illegal immigration statistics). This drop out percentage shows that despite the large amounts of money being spent, the government needs to find a way to better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system. Due to the large number and rising percentage of immigrants in our school system, the immigrants educational success will influence our nations future success. Works Cited Camarota, Steven. Immigrants in the United States: A Snapshot of Americas Foreign-Born. Center for Immigration Studies. Nov. 2002. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Hernandez, Donald J. Demographic Change and the Life of Immigrant Families. Publication. New York: Foundation for Child Development, 2004. Future of Children. Web. . Report TagsEditDelete Illegal Immigration Statistics. Illegal Immigration Statistics. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Immigration Statistics. DHS. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Koehler, Paul, and Joy W. Lewis. Criticism of Public Education. Encyclopedia of Education. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 1948-952. Print. Encyclopedia Article TagsEditDelete Olivas, Michael A. No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Schoolchildren. New York: New York UP, 2012. Print. Book TagsEditDelete Schoorman, Diyls. Immigrant Education: Contemporary Issues. Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2009. 433-35. Print.

Water Decontamination Methods Advantages and Disadvantages

Water Decontamination Methods Advantages and Disadvantages Outline Abstract In Malaysia, for the past many years, drinking water treatment was only limited to water disinfection by using chlorine; however it had been concluded that its use in potable water treatment can be harmful to human health.(Subedi, et al., 2012) Following the development in drinking water treatment, conventional methods in three different technologies are available to have more purified water. They are biological, physicochemical and advanced oxidation process (AOPs) technologies. Each of the technologies has different roles in purifying water and they can be combined to treat drinking water as well. In this assignment, the lists of methods of each technology are stated and some of the main processes are discussed, including the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. For biological technology, slow sand filtration and perchlorate processes are discussed in 3a.For physicochemical technology, coagulation process is discussed in details in 3b. Lastly, the advanced oxidation proces s, AOPs, include both photochemical and non-photochemical oxidation. The fenton system and photocatalytic processes which are categorized in photochemical oxidation are discussed in 3c. Introduction Safe drinking water that free of contaminants is essential to human health and development issue at national, regional and local levels. Its accessibility is human’s rights and a component of effective policy for health protection. (who et al) Therefore, there are many drinking water regulations and acts set by specialized agency such as WHO to have standard on safe drinking water to give awareness to public and thus limit the levels of contaminants. The national primary drinking water regulations and number of regulated contaminants shown in Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2 in appendix 2.According to the regulations and standards, the characteristics of safe drinking water are contaminants free, natural minerals rich, alkaline pH, taste good and odorless. Firstly, microbiological and chemical contaminants in drinking water may cause acute or chronic health effects or undesirable aesthetic properties when present at excessive concentrations. Microbiological contaminants refer to path ogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoan parasites. Chemical contaminants refer to toxicity, inorganic and organic chemicals. The other contaminants are pesticides, herbicides and radioactive materials (radionuclide). Besides that, pH of water should be maintained from 6.5 to 8.5. This is because alkaline water is able to neutralize stored acids and help in eliminating toxins. Because of these, various types of technologies of drinking water treatments are introduced to minimize the deleterious effects of contaminated drinking water on human health. Details of contaminants by National Secondary Drinking Water Standards and details of contaminants and potential health effects by National Primary Drinking Water Standards as shown in Figure 2.3 and Figure 2.4 respectively in appendix 2. In the following, three different technologies which are biological, physicochemical and advanced oxidation process (AOPs) are introduced to treat drinking water to a safety level s o that human health is ensured. The goal of all of the developed water treatment technologies is to remove turbidity as well as chemical and pathogenic contaminants from drinking water source in the most affordable and expedient manner possible. 3.Content 3a.Biological Technology Water used for drinking and household use, even water from a ground water supply, should be treated before it is used to ensure it is safe and aesthetically pleasing. One innovative method of water treatment is biological water treatment. Biological drinking water treatment is one technology that has the potential to further many of these objectives. This technology is based on the ability of microorganisms – specifically non-pathogenic bacteria – to efficiently catalyze the biochemical oxidation or reduction of drinking water contaminants and produce biologically stable water. (Snoeyink, 1984) .Biological drinking water treatment is often used in combination with other chemical and chemical processes including ozonation and filtration. There are some types of biological drinking water treatment such as slow sand filtration, rapid biological filtration, ozone-enhanced biological filtration and granular activated carbon biological adsorption. Firstly, the slow sand filtration is a type of centralized or semi-centralized water purification system. A well-designed and properly maintained slow sand filter (SSF) effectively removes turbidity and pathogenic organisms through various biological, physical and chemical processes in a single treatment step. According to (Patrick J. Evans, 2010), slow sand filtration involves very low filtration rates (e.g. 0.04 to 0.10 gpm/ft2) through sand media without pre-oxidation or pre-disinfection (Awwa, 2005). During initial operation of slow sand filtration, a layer of biological matter will be produced on the surface of filter media by the separation of organic matter and other solids. This layer is called as schumutzdecke which acts as the predominant filtering mechanism. It supports the biological matter that works as the primary biofiltration process to remove BDOC, pathogenic microorganisms, and particulates (Page, 2006).To maintenance the slow sand filtration process, periodic scrap ing and removal of the top layer of sand are needed. Besides that, there is another more precise term to replace slow sand filtration which is called biological filtration (SBF) since the biologically active schmutzdecke is an integral part of this process. Besides that, the advantages of slow sand filters is very effective in improving the microbiological and physicochemical qualities of water and it is very easy to operate and maintain. The disadvantages of slow sand filters are vulnerability to clogging when the incoming water is of high turbidity. When dealing with such waters, pre-treatment, such as sedimentation or roughing pre-filtration is required. Next, biological perchlorate or nitrate process. Perchlorate and nitrate have the ability of being anaerobically biodegraded to chloride and nitrogen gas. (Patrick J. Evans, 2010) stated the process involves addition of an electron donor such as acetic acid plus nutrients to water to promote biochemical reduction of biological perchlorate or nitrate process. Moreover, perchlorate and nitrate act as the terminal electron acceptors for respiration by these bacteria. As a result, BPNP vary from the predate biological drinking water treatment processes that are aerobic and employ aerobic bacteria that use oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor for respiration. BPNP can be employed in diverse arrangement including packed beds, fluidized beds, and membrane systems. BPNP is followed by an aeration process to promote aerobic biodegradation of assimilable organic (AOC) and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) in combination with a filtration process for turbidity removal. 3b.Physicochemical Technology Physicochemical drinking water treatment is frequently used in the area of drinking water treatment. This technique is applied to remove the heavy metals, oils and suspended matters. This physiochemical drinking water treatment technique is used to treat drinking water in order to become process water. According to (Spellman, 2009)the steps that are under this technique are coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection and arsenic removal from drinking water. The coagulation process that occurs in this drinking water treatment technique will be discussed in details in this assignment. The definition of coagulation is the destabilization of colloidal particles.(L.Droste, 1997)The particles are coated with a chemically sticky layer that enables them to stick with each other, forming a large molecule and settle in a short period of time. The ability of an agent to agglomerate the tiny particles found in water is directly related to its charge. The other factor that will affect the ability is the size of synthetic polymers. The most common materials that are used to coagulate the water are alum (aluminum sulfate) and iron salts. (L.Droste, 1997) stated that the multivalent characteristic of these coagulants effectively attracts them to charged colloidal particles and their high insolubility helps to ensure their removal from the water to a high degree. When coagulant such as alum is being added into the water, a chemical reaction that produces positively charged will occur. This reaction will indirectly reduce the electrical charges of the particles and hence form a sticky substance which also known as floc. In this reaction, turbidity, color and microorganisms can be removed easily. The formation of floc is the primary step of coagulation process. For perfect efficiency, intimate, rapid mixing of the water must be done and coagulant must be present. After mixing, the water should be stirred slowly so that the particles can stick to each other forming a large molecule. According to (Spellman, 2009) , the factors that will affect the coagulation process are pH, turbidity, temperature, alkalinity and he use of polymers. The degree to which these factors affect coagulation process relies on the type of coagulant use. The condition of raw water, optimum pH to coagulate the water and other factors must be taken into account before making decision on which chemical to be used. According to(E.Manathan, 2009), the main advantage of using this technique is lower cost compared to biological treatment. It requires less worker force and able to settle the issues regarding toxic materials effectively. On the other hand, it has its disadvantage too, which is require careful operator control and use up huge amount of energy. 3c.Advanced Oxidation Process (AOPs) Advanced oxidation process (AOP) is an oxidation process which affects water treatment by generating a sufficient quantity of hydroxyl radicals.(Goi, 2005) Hydroxyl radicals (†¢ OH), are non-selective reactive species, helps to oxidize pollutants into mineral end-products, yielding CO2 and inorganic ions.This process can treat those organic pollutants with high chemical stability and low biodegradability which cannot be treated by conventional techniques. Basically, refractory compounds cannot be removed efficiently by conventional biological processes, but AOPs will do and help to improve the overall compound removal efficiency in water treatment. Refers to Figure3.1 in appendix 2, in biological systems, AOPs are used as pre- and post-treatment. The pre-treatment improve wastewater biological treatability by common microorganism whereas post-treatment is targeted on the contaminants removal which not completely done during the biological treatment. (Cesaro, et al., 2013) Organic contaminants such as halogenated hydrocarbons (trichloroethane, trichloroethylene), pentachlorophenol (PCP), detergents, pesticides, etc can be destroying by this process easily. Besides, the inorganic contaminants (cyanide, nitrite, and sulfide) can be oxidized by this process. Non-photochemical and photochemical methods are used to generating the OH radicals. These two methods are as shown as table below: Fenton system In Fenton system, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) acts as an oxidation agent. When hydrogen peroxide presents in excess, Fe (II) oxidizes to Fe (III) within few seconds or minutes and hydroxyl radicals will be generated. The reactions are as shown as below: Fe2+ + H2O2 → Fe3+ + OH– +.OH The catalyst used in this process is iron salts which generate ferric ion, Fe2+as the Fenton’s reagent. Besides, ozone (UV-light) and transition metal salts are used.Mostly, ironsalts are used as transition metal salts. (Munter, 2001)Under the UV-radiation, the felton’s reagent undergoes oxidation processes that utilize activation of H2O2, has high efficiency to treat the hazardous organic pollutants that present in water. (Albert, 2010) Fenton reagent uses in wastewater treatment to convert the contaminants to harmless compound such as carbon dioxide and inorganic salts. This Fenton’s oxidation is the most efficient method in removing effluent toxidity and color compare to coagulation-flocculation process. It helps to decrease the rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD), aromatic compounds, and total polyphenols in the wastewater. However, Fenton process also can be combined with coagulation to reduce flocs settling time, amount of COD, and enhanced color removal. Photo-Fenton-type oxidation is a process when Fe3+ ions added to H2O2/UV process, resulted Fe (OH)2+ complex in pH3 condition. Fe3+ + H2O →Fe (OH)2+ + H+ Fe (OH)2+ ↔ Fe3+ + OH When Fe (OH)2+ will further decompose into .OH and Fe2+ ions with the presence of UV light. Fe(OH)2+hv→ Fe2+ + .OH This type of reaction very relies on UV irradiation to start up the .OH generation. Besides, this UV irradiation can mineralize organic pollutants completely. Efficiency of Fenton/Fenton-like reagents with UV irradiation can be increased by efficient use of light quanta and photo-reduction of ferric ion.(Munter, 2001) Photocatalytic oxidation Photocatalytic oxidation is an alternative AOP method which introduced high energy (photons of ultraviolet light,UV) into the treatment system. Besides that, it is a potentially green chemistry drinking water treatment process. Throughout the whole process, no reagents are added and only relatively harmless catalyst TiO2 and sunlight (source of UV) is needed. Solid titanium dioxide, TiO2 is used as the photocatalyst leading to chain reaction for the production of HO. free radicals. (E.Manathan, 2009) When the surface of TiO2 is irradiated with ultraviolet radiation, â€Å"holes† (h) are generated at sites where excited electrons (e) are produced: TiO2 +hv → TiO2 (h + e) The surface holes may take electrons from dissolved hydroxyl ion to produce reactive hydroxyl radicals on the TiO2 surface: TiO2 (h) + OH → OH. Refers to theFigure 3.2 in appendix 2, solar disinfection (SODIS) and solar photocatalytic disinfection (SPCDIS) are appropriate technologies for water disinfection of Cryptosporidium oocysts at household level. Cryptosporidium species are protozoan parasites that infect humans and causes diarrheal disease by the food-borne or waterborne routes. Cryptosporidium is capable to survive in the environment for long periods and even treated water is not guarantee to be safe from these infective parasites. Therefore, SODIS and SPCDIS are introduced to deactivate these microorganisms to reduce the risk of infection. SODIS and SPCDIS are both using the same method to reduce the oocyst viability. Both of them involve storing contaminated drinking water in transparent containers that are placed in direct sunlight before consumption.The disinfection effect of sunlight only occurs at temperatures exceeding 45 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. Therefore during cloudy conditions, this process may take a longer time to ensure the safety of the drinking water. Photocatalytic disinfection, SPCDIS uses the non-toxic photocatalyst, TiO2 to enhance and accelerate the inactivation rate of the parasites. For SPCDIS, the photocatalyst particles would have to be removed after solar exposure and before consumption. Due to this additional step, the probability of compliance within communities in developing countries is low and lead to the inefficiency of the treatment. In order to overcome this problem, this photocatalyst,TiO2 has been isolated onto some form of coated flexible insert, which would reside permanently within the SODIS reactor. Due to the effectiveness of the cheap, flexible insert coated with the non-toxic photocatalyst TiO2, the photocatalytic oxidation is recommended since it enhances the diminution of the oocyst viability by as much as 50%. 4.Conclusions The three technologies in treating contaminated drinking water used different methods to purify water. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages. They have faced respective challenges in terms of added research and development. Some of the common challenges are techniques for effective removal of emerging contaminants, synthetic chemicals and pesticides, as well as problems in dealing with spills of chemicals in navigable rivers and lastly the development of sustainable treatment. The challenge involving technological development is the needs of economic, appropriate, relevant and sustainable developing technology. (Ray Jain, 2011) In fact, three of the technologies can be combined to bring the greatest efficiency in water treatment process. For biological technology, the slow sand filtrationand perchlorate processes are discussed. The biological treatment is environmental friendly but the limitation of the processes are low effectiveness when the turbidity of water source is hi gh. For physicochemical technique, the method discussed is coagulation, one of the challenges it meets is large amount of energy consumption; whereas its future prospect could be get use of solar energy which is environment friendly. For AOPs, fentonand photocatalytic process are discussed. Both of the processes still need a further research about the fundamental concepts and reaction mechanism. It is because there are still much remain to be done in terms of maximizing its efficiency, by enhancing the performance-related properties of oxide materials. 5.References /abstract 1 /intro 2,3 *4+WHO *5+natural regulations *biological /physico 6,7,8 carson /aops9,10,11,12 /13,14,15,16,17,18 (6) /conclu19 1

An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

Drama: An Inspector Calls- Task One ----------------------------------- Written in 1946, "An Inspector Calls" takes us into the comfortable and complacent world of the Birling family who are disturbed during a celebration by the arrival of a mysterious police inspector. A young girl has committed suicide and it is revealed how all members of one family contributed to it. "An Inspector Calls" resorts to the ripping off of masks that we human beings frequently wear, with the Inspector relentlessly pursuing the truth. Just when the audience is tiring of discoveries, the whole action is given a violent twist and everyone is caught up in the unfolding events. When each member of the Birling family find out that they contributed to the death of Eva Smith, they react in very different ways and learn different things from the experience. Mr Birling is an arrogant and recognisable capitalist. He is highly conceited, and believes that whatever he says is true, for example "The Germans don't want war!" and "[Russia] will always be behindhand". We know that these statements are incorrect because of the war between Germany and England and Stalin's influence on Russia. However, Mr Birling seems oblivious to the warning signs of such serious matters. Or he just decides to blank out all the bad aspects of life, which do not concern him directly. When the Inspector arrives, Mr Birling tries to use his influence as a highly placed local to put down and demoralise the Inspector. This attempt is immediately dismissed as the Inspector does not seem to be interested in Mr Birling's influence. To try to show his importance Mr Birling remarks that he was "an alderman for years- lord mayor two years agoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is still on the bench". However, the Inspector does not take any notice of this and continues with the investigation. As Mr Birling tells his part of his involvement in Eva's death, he manages to tell it in a way that makes him seem fair and kind to his workers. However, this is just a cover for his conscience and the Inspector and the audience can see this. In reality, he is greedy. Every penny in his pocket counts, and he tries to makes it seem that he feels that his workers deserve no more than the national average pay, if that. Nearer the end of the play, he begins to show remorse, although this remorse is directed more toward the fact that he may not get his knighthood because of the scandal, instead of feeling remorse at his actions in the situation. This is shown quite well when he says "But I care. I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List".

Macbeth: Tragedy :: essays research papers

According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does macbeth do this? Shakespeare’s Macbeth is definitely a tragedy in the sense that it arouses feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Macbeth is a weak minded man who, if sees an opportunity for power follows his ambitions and takes it, even if this is not the rightful thing to do. He is easily persuaded and suffers great guilt. Macbeth the character on his own creates the feeling of pity and fear in the audience. This added to the abundance of other developed characters creates a great tragedy. Pity is felt by the audience at many times. These feeling of pity are quite strong in some instances. The first example of pity is the general feeling for Duncan, Banquo and Macduff and his family after being slaughtered by Macbeth for the only reason of his personal ambition. Duncan was a fair and good king, and had even shown gratitude to Macbeth and Banquo after the battle in Act I. Also there is pity towards Macduff, who after leaving the country returns to find his wife and child murdered. The audience can relate to this by the unfairness in which they were killed in cold blood by Macbeth. The second example of pity in Macbeth is for Macbeth. Even though he had just assassinated Duncan he regretted it and realised what he had done wrong. He realised that Lady Macbeth had encouraged him incorrectly and he was sincerely scared for what he had done: â€Å"I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not† Act II Scene ii The audience feels pitiful for Macbeth because he knows he has made a mistake and he is suffering for it through the guilt and his conscience. Thirdly the audience feels pity for Macbeth when he sees the vision. Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates severely after killing Duncan, and seeing the ghost of Banquo at his own dinner party in front of the lords do not help his cause. â€Å"If trembling I inhabit then, protest me The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence!† Act III Scene iv Macbeth is scared at this point. For a great warrior king to be scared is a big deal in the eyes of the lords and the audience. The audience feels pity for him because he is at a time of weakness which at this stage is uncharacteristic for Macbeth.

My Educational Philosophy :: Philosophy of Education Teaching

My Educational Philosophy ABC†¦123†¦, think about all the times throughout the day that the use of something as simple as the ABC’s and the 123’s. Who was it that teaches those things that we deem as so simple now? It was teachers, all through out school they teach children not only the basics like reading writing and arithmetic, but they also teach how to grow up and be a functioning person in the complex world that is all around. In this paper I will explain why I want to teach, the philosophies that I plan to use and my educational goals. Many people in the teacher education program have known all their lives that they wanted to teach, but not me. I have changed my mind numerous times and each time the reason is because I can’t imagine myself doing that given profession for the rest of my life. However, I had never actually considered teaching until the summer before my senior year. I got the opportunity to volunteer at a local day care center and work with children from the ages of 3 months through 12 years. It is that summer that completely changed my mind on what I wanted to do the rest of my life. The first reason that I decided that I want to teach is for the simple fact of getting to shape young minds and change lives. The influence that teachers have over their pupils is amazing, I can remember all of my teachers individually and how many people do you meet and can remember them 12 or 13 years later? It is not only an awesome opportunity is an enormous responsibility, one that I am excited and also a little scared about taking on. Not only do teachers teach children, they also have an influence on the parents that they come in contact with. Getting the parents involved is a vital part of teaching, if you can get the parents excited about the child’s learning then they will encourage the child. In the elementary years children tend to look towards their parents and react in the same ways they do about situations that they encounter. Having the parents involved not only gives the children encouragement, teachers can change the ways that parents do things. If the child’s parent didn’t have guidance as children then they probably don’t know how to encourage and guide their own children, but teachers can change all that by keeping them involved and interested.

Deviant Behavior Emergence Essay

Deviancy has been defined as the actual shift from a standard-norm conforming behavior towards a direct behavior alteration that is not accepted by society or viewed as unacceptable by the minor cultures. People who engage in defying acts are seen as having low self-control. They engage in many conventional behaviors, but due to low self-control, they are predisposed to committing deviancy if opportunities arise. This explanation explains all types of deviant behavior (Hunter & Dantzker, 2005 p. 53). Deviant behaviors are deemed to arise out of environmental etiologies that stimulates the intrinsic character of an individual, which in the end, results to behavioral deviation. Such scenario is evident in specific events in life that most of the time due to adaptation and societal strain implicated in these deviating individuals (Holmes, Maahs & Vito, 2007 p. 67). Discussion Adaptation is one of man’s greatest capacity and need in order to survive the ever-changing structure of the society. Such change causes strains through events or environmental stressors that facilitate as an alarm for adaptation to begin, which, consequently, cause deviancies (Hunter & Dantzker, 2005 p. 153; Holmes, Maahs & Vito, 2007 p. 77). Such causation is better explained by the theoretical angles of strain theory, which connotes the contribution of societal strain and pressure. The socio-cultural domain of every individual recognizes the absolute need to adapt to strains in order to progress to success or conditions of fulfillment (Siegel & Senna, 2004 p. 14). Strain theory talks about the causation of crimes not directly because of strain but due to failure in tolerating these kinds of stimuli. They are both result of negative impregnation of environmental pressures that in the end leads the client vulnerable to breakdown (Holmes, Maahs & Vito, 2007 p. 67-68). The theory suggests that a person performs acts of deviancy not because of attachments or relationships but rather because of the pressuring strain. In criminological perspective, the crime rates, according to this theory, justify the increased criminal persona in places wherein financial depression or extreme difficulties are present (Siegel & Senna, 2004 p. 314). The last resort of the individuals is nothing but to commit crimes. In an example given, a person is ready to kill just to get the material possession that the person wants to acquire (Holmes, Maahs & Vito, 2007 p. 67). In all cases, the behavior emerges from a sequence of structural conduciveness, structural strain, generalized beliefs, precipitating factors, mobilization for action, and the breakdown of social control. Structural strain is loosely defined as ambiguities, deprivations, conflicts, and discrepancies in social structure. If in case strain does provoke collective behavior (e. g. panic, crazes and fads) in the context of other determinants, deviant behaviors result, which involves a short-circuiting of levels of social action that gives it a crude, excessive, eccentric, or impatient quality (Snow, Soule and Kriesi, 2004 p. 50). Structural strain theory traces the origins of deviance to the tensions caused by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have to achieve these goals. In society, culture establishes goals for people; social structures provide, or fail to provide, the means for people to achieve those goals. If the means to achieve goals are out of balance, deviant behavior is the result (Andersen and Taylor, 2006 p. 174) In the United States, most people place a high value on the culturally valued goal of economic success and social mobility. Americans tend to believe that anyone can achieve success-that is, they believe that all people, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, can achieve affluence and stature (Ferrante and Wallace, p. 37). In the case wherein, a depressed community is surrounding a person, significantly full of drug addicts and negative and influencers, a person still strives to obtain moral life in spite of community pressures and sociological influence. Let us say that this person has been given a good working opportunity as well as good family relationships, the person might still withstand the implicating strain imposed by the negative environment and progress to success (Kendall, 2006 p. 213). The driving force utilized by the individual is the positive reinforcement obtained from the home environment and/or the natural desire of the individual to succeed. It is very much justified by the state of mind involved and utilized by the individual, which provides the driving force and enables adaptation to stress (Holmes, Maahs & Vito, 2007 p. 67; Kendall, 2006 p. 213). However, if the positive reinforcements break down and add up to strain, which consequently causes failure to succeed and adapt on the goals imposed, deviancy arise due to structural strain manifested in collective behaviors. Conclusion Every society presents every individual with varying stress, which involves internal and external stressors. Such conditions facilitate stress and act as the primary strain, which implicates the need for adaptation towards the implicating societal pressures. The study concludes that deviant behavioral patterns arise if such adaptive goals are not meant due to structural strain, which is evident among American society.

Positive Behavior Interventions

Positive Behavior Interventions Managing classroom behavior is one of the tasks most challenging for beginning teachers and even some veteran teachers. A national survey revealed that 20% of first- year teachers did not feel adequately prepared to maintain order and discipline in their classroom (Faul, Stepensky & Simonsen, 2011). I struggle with controlling individuals’ behavior that interrupts the other students learning. A research was designed to show how a specific management strategy helped decrease inappropriate behavior and increase appropriate behavior.The research combined with my experience in the classroom helped me come to the conclusion of how to promote positive behavior. The study was looking at the effects of teachers prompting appropriate behavior on the off task behavior of two middle school students. Prompts are used as reminders and they can be verbal, visual, gestural, and physical but they should be specific and frequent for them to be effective. The stu dy took place in an urban middle school with 1000 students across grades 5-8.The two participants in the study was Owen, an 11 year old male in the fifth grade and Tom, a 12 year old male in sixth grade. They were in general education classes and both were academically able to complete the work when not engaging in off task behaviors. Their off task behaviors included getting out of their seat, talking out, making disruptive noises, and talking to peers. Data was collected in the classes where problem behaviors were most likely to occur for each student.The dependent variable in the research was direct observation to document students’ on-and off-task behavior and the independent variable is the verbal prompt addressed to each student. The verbal prompt was given only one time at the beginning of class and was alternated every other day and it was â€Å"Be respectful, be responsible, and have pride. Do your best! † The results showed that both students engaged in less off-task behavior when they were prompted than when they were not.The teachers also commented that they saw an improvement in academic performance during classes when the student was prompted. They believed that prompting increases appropriate behavior and decreases inappropriate behavior. This study shows that prompting is a simple and effective strategy that may be implemented successfully with students who engage in off-task behavior in a general education classroom setting. I would use prompting in my classroom because prompting requires minimal training and effort to implement so it would be an ideal strategy for me to use for managing student behavior.In my classroom now I have many behavior problems in my last period class. They will talk over me and disrupt me when I was giving directions or trying to explain something to the class. One day I decided to use prompting and I did it at the beginning of class and at the end of class by saying â€Å"Today we will not be disrupti ve and we will be respectful and raise our hands if we have a comment or question† I was very surprised to see how much this improved classroom behavior as a whole.The students then were able to be on task and actual learn more when they were not disruptive. In conclusion, prompting is shown to increase appropriate behavior and decrease inappropriate behavior. Prompts can be effective even in different settings and not just in the classroom. The article stated that prompts delivered over the phone to encourage people to exercise where effective at increasing exercise behavior (Faul, Stepensky & Simonsen, 2011).Prompting should be used inside and outside the classroom to improve positive behaviors. Classroom management can become much easier for first year teachers if they use the strategy of prompting combined with other strategies. Reference Faul, A. , Stepensky, K. , & Simonsen, B. (2011). The effects of prompting appropriate behavior on the off-task behavior of two middle s chool students. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 14(1), 47-55. doi: 10. 1177/1098300711410702 Positive Behavior Interventions Positive Behavior Interventions Managing classroom behavior is one of the tasks most challenging for beginning teachers and even some veteran teachers. A national survey revealed that 20% of first- year teachers did not feel adequately prepared to maintain order and discipline in their classroom (Faul, Stepensky & Simonsen, 2011). I struggle with controlling individuals’ behavior that interrupts the other students learning. A research was designed to show how a specific management strategy helped decrease inappropriate behavior and increase appropriate behavior.The research combined with my experience in the classroom helped me come to the conclusion of how to promote positive behavior. The study was looking at the effects of teachers prompting appropriate behavior on the off task behavior of two middle school students. Prompts are used as reminders and they can be verbal, visual, gestural, and physical but they should be specific and frequent for them to be effective. The stu dy took place in an urban middle school with 1000 students across grades 5-8.The two participants in the study was Owen, an 11 year old male in the fifth grade and Tom, a 12 year old male in sixth grade. They were in general education classes and both were academically able to complete the work when not engaging in off task behaviors. Their off task behaviors included getting out of their seat, talking out, making disruptive noises, and talking to peers. Data was collected in the classes where problem behaviors were most likely to occur for each student.The dependent variable in the research was direct observation to document students’ on-and off-task behavior and the independent variable is the verbal prompt addressed to each student. The verbal prompt was given only one time at the beginning of class and was alternated every other day and it was â€Å"Be respectful, be responsible, and have pride. Do your best! † The results showed that both students engaged in less off-task behavior when they were prompted than when they were not.The teachers also commented that they saw an improvement in academic performance during classes when the student was prompted. They believed that prompting increases appropriate behavior and decreases inappropriate behavior. This study shows that prompting is a simple and effective strategy that may be implemented successfully with students who engage in off-task behavior in a general education classroom setting. I would use prompting in my classroom because prompting requires minimal training and effort to implement so it would be an ideal strategy for me to use for managing student behavior.In my classroom now I have many behavior problems in my last period class. They will talk over me and disrupt me when I was giving directions or trying to explain something to the class. One day I decided to use prompting and I did it at the beginning of class and at the end of class by saying â€Å"Today we will not be disrupti ve and we will be respectful and raise our hands if we have a comment or question† I was very surprised to see how much this improved classroom behavior as a whole.The students then were able to be on task and actual learn more when they were not disruptive. In conclusion, prompting is shown to increase appropriate behavior and decrease inappropriate behavior. Prompts can be effective even in different settings and not just in the classroom. The article stated that prompts delivered over the phone to encourage people to exercise where effective at increasing exercise behavior (Faul, Stepensky & Simonsen, 2011).Prompting should be used inside and outside the classroom to improve positive behaviors. Classroom management can become much easier for first year teachers if they use the strategy of prompting combined with other strategies. Reference Faul, A. , Stepensky, K. , & Simonsen, B. (2011). The effects of prompting appropriate behavior on the off-task behavior of two middle s chool students. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 14(1), 47-55. doi: 10. 1177/1098300711410702