Threats to America Free Essays

The conclusion of the Cold War inevitably surfaced gaps for the U.S. homeland security strategies. We will write a custom essay sample on Threats to America or any similar topic only for you Order Now The attacks on 9/11 emerged a new security apprehension that involved terrorist groups who pose distorted threats to the U.S. Failures in intelligence due to events such as the Boston marathon bombing, WikiLeaks, and the first attempt at Osama Bin Laden’s demise increase the need for concrete countrywide strategies, organized information databases, stricter punishments for criminals that breach security, and clear knowledge of intelligence policies and protocols. The Economic Espionage Act of 1996 was passed in attempts to protect U.S. information and trade secrets (Uhrich, 2001). Despite its enactment twenty-two years ago, America is in the midst of monetary surveillance. All U.S. technology is vulnerable and at risk. The current deterrence efforts are not enough to refrain the enemy and although America has inadequacies in privacy, other nations haven’t developed a successful model either. The information revolution has brought forth a major climate change within the last 10 years. Government agencies, militaries, law enforcement intelligence agencies, terrorists, hackers and criminals are on the net prowling information. Cyber espionage and criminal and foreign intelligence surveillance has gone into high gear post 9/11 due to the threats towards National Security being multifaceted and complex. Good intelligence is needed to meet the challenges in real time. In modern day society it seems like privacy no longer exists. The root of privacy was established since America’s declaration of Independence (Barr, 2015). During that time there was no telling how much everything in America would evolve, especially with technology. The accessibility of technology today is endless, especially with surveillance. The sharing of information is very constant and technology is assisting the world with connecting in manners that most are unfamiliar with. Privacy is becoming more dynamic today because of the new developments linked with technology. The similarities of interests between victims and international surveillance/cyber espionage provides an outlet in developing better protection in privacy within the cyber realm (Banks, 2014). With the advancement in technology the threats of espionage will continue to increase. Although the nation is underprepared for the vulnerabilities, there are numerous elucidations to conquer the breaching of privacy and security matters. The mutual groundwork relies on international cooperation as well as international legal agenda that fits the understanding of everyone involved. How to cite Threats to America, Papers

Foundational psychology Learning Methods

Question: Discuss about the Foundational psychology Learning Methods. Answer: The following essay is going to analyze a given scenario and understand the issue presented in it. The main concern of the following essay would be to evaluate the entire scenario considering the form of operant conditioning, which is considered as one of the most convenient learning methods for modifying strength of an individuals behavior. The goal of the present paper would be therefore to propose most possible interventions for the scenario and at the same time determine whether the intervention method of operant conditioning would be suitable for the scenario or not. The thesis statement of the following essay would be to establish that for the given scenario, operant conditioning as an approach for behavioral change would be most convenient for the given scenario. The scenario is indicative of the fact that a primary teacher is suffering from indifferent behavior and lack of response from her students. From the case, it has been understood that the teacher cannot accomplish her teaching goals as the students are not attentive and focused on the class. It can be said that such an atmosphere would possibly lead to worse learning outcome and bad reputation for Jane. Prior to analyze the strength and weakness of the proposed approach, it is essential to identify the range of behaviors in the class room presented in the given scenario and therefore a brief analysis of the scenario is found to be necessary. According to the given case study, a primary teacher Jane is finding it hard to engage her students into the classroom activities. The scenario refers that almost each of Janes primary students who belongs to the age group of 10-12 years is indifferent towards the classroom activity and does not care to participate in any of the classroom discussions. It has been understood that one of the most persistent as well as typical behaviors displayed by the students of Jane in the case scenario is the boycotting or withdrawing attitude. The case scenario indicates that the student always keep quiet and never participate in any of the classroom activities. On the other hand, it has been understood that there is a slight tendency of having general perva sive mood of unhappiness. Beside, the aforementioned attitude of the students, which is inattentiveness, it has been also found that another typical behavior of the students is their tendency of staring at their teacher, when they are asked to answer any question. The particular attitude of the students is indicative of the fact that they have the disruptive behavior of refusing to follow the instructions of the educator (Martin Pear, 2015). Furthermore, it is to say that through the tendency of not answering any question is a sign of disrespect towards the teacher too. On the other hand, the case of Jane is indicative of the fact that students do not complete their homework and show unwillingness to do the class assignments. Therefore, it can be said that in the behaviors displayed by the students in the case scenario, there is the hint that the students are possibly have inability to build as well as maintain any kind of satisfactory interpersonal relationship with the teachers (Chicas-Mosier Abramson, 20 15). It can be also perceived that there is probably a slight inability among the students to learn properly in the classroom or response to the instruction of the teacher. After considering the behaviors of the students listed in the given scenario, it is understandable that the teacher is in immediate need of a list of effective teaching and learning techniques. Specifically for the considered case, it can be said that the teaching and learning techniques of operant conditioning may prove efficient. Operant conditioning is considered to be a procedure of learning that involves the technique of giving rewards or punishment for modifying behaviors of the students (Bouton, 2014). According to Edward Thorndikes study and his developed percept of law of effect and voluntary behavior, punishment and reward are two key aspects, which determine behavioral change in a human individual (McSweeney Murphy, 2014). The percept of voluntary behavior has been further expanded by B.F Skinner, who has given a name to the classical conditioning and indicated that learning is a kind of function of transformation in overt behavior (Ruan Wu, 2013). The current scenario t hat has been considered for the present paper is indicative of the fact that there is a need to change the behavior pattern of the students of Jane, so that acquires positive attitude towards the class. Therefore, it can be said that there is the need for reinforcement apparently. If the teacher would not get the expected behavior then following the theoretical framework of operant conditioning, the aspect of punishment would be required. With the help of reinforcement, the teacher Jane can positively strengthen the behavior of the students towards learning as it has been pointed out above the students are probably suffering from an inability to make satisfactory interpersonal relationship with the teacher. The recognized behavior pattern is indicative of the fact that both positive and negative reinforcement would be required. The positive reinforcement technique would help the teacher to increase the level of participation in the classroom activities (Huston et al., 2013). With the help of positive reinforcement the students will be given anything pleasant after an appropriate or expected behavior. On the other hand, the positive reinforcement would also provide the chance of con tinuing the expected behavior (Loovis, 2016). Besides, positive reinforcement, there is the requirement for the technique of negative reinforcement too. The predominant concept of negative reinforcement says that in order to take anything unpleasant or to remove any inappropriate content from a behavior, there is the need for a strong action (Gentile et al., 2014). The concept further indicates that the process of taking away an unpleasant content from the behavior is for the reason to acquire the acceptable or required behavior. The particular technique of operant conditioning is convenient in increasing positive behavior and satisfaction (Kelder et al., 2015). In order to accomplish the aforementioned techniques, three particular methods should be applied, which are shaping, extinction and generalization. The application of shaping would help both Jane and her students in teaching and learning new styles of expected behavior though the method of applying reinforcement of behavior. After each application of reinforcing behavior al trend, the complexity or difficulty level of the tasks to acquire proper behavior gets change (van Slooten et al., 2013). On the other hand, though the procedure of extinction, the teacher Jane can prohibit repetition of any kind of undesired behavior. Through this method of reinforcement, Jane can proactively stop any aspect that would cause the repetition of any kind of wrong behavior or can completely diminish it. If the aforementioned concepts of operant conditioning and the procedures would be considered by the teacher of the case scenario, then there would be requirement of another process, which is generalization. In the process of generalization, the students will properly learn when and in which contexts the learned behaviors should be applied (van Slooten et al., 2013). The process of generalization proves most helpful in continuing the expected behavior of the students, so that they can accurately meet the learning outcomes of their individual class. However, in this context, it can be also suggested that the technique of positive and negative punishment should be also applied on the student, if Jane would find it difficult to acquire the expected behavioral outcome after the application of reinforcement. It can be expected that both the negative and positive punishment techniques would help in removing any unpleasant behavior if the procedure of generalization would not work as per the expectation (Bosworth Judkins, 2014). Nevertheless, the teacher should keep in mind the fact that in several cases, it has been found out that student prefer to avoid teacher who gives them punishment instead of the improvising their flawed behavior (Debeer et al., 2014). Therefore, the techniques of positive and negative punishment should be applied only when the abovementioned technique of generalization would fail to accomplish Janes aim of improving her students behavior. Nonetheless, in this respect, it is significant to identify and evaluate the strengths and weakness of the considered and suggested procedures of operant conditioning. The fundamental principle of operant conditioning is to control behavior with the help of a list of consequences. The predominant principle of operant conditioning is dependent upon four key concepts, which are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. The advantage of applying varied techniques of operant conditioning is modification or desired improvement of the behavior is pursued in a systematic way (Bosworth Judkins, 2014). With the help of positive and negative reinforcement, a teacher can easily establish pleasant behavior among the students and at the same time can maintain it by taking away the negative behaviors. On the other hand, through positive or negative punishment, teachers can maintain the modified behavior and can stop intervention of any unpleasant behavior by the fear of having punishment (Debeer et al., 2014). However, several disadvantages are also there, which can prohibit the accomplishment of the fundamental goal of operant conditioning. The disadvantages are mainly related to the application of positive and negative punishment. With the application of positive or negative punishment, the students can start ignoring the teachers rather than modifying their behavior. Moreover, several times it has been understood that the students start lying in order to avoid punishment. Further, the application of punishment may create anxiety or undesirable attitude among the students. In this respect, if the theory of Kohlberg would be considered then it can be said that morality is the aspect that should be taught to the students initially. Kohlberg says that in order to grow proper behavior in a child there is the need to consider three levels, which are pre-conventional morality, conventional morality and post conventional morality (Peters, 2015). In level one with the help of obedience and punis hment behavior and individual interest are grown and in the second level, interpersonal behavior is built (Brabeck, 2016). Finally, in level three, behaviors are drawn by the use of social contract and universal ethics. Therefore, it seems that in operant conditioning there is no such definite way to drive the behaviors of the students in a way that would increase the internal moral principles. However, it should also considered that through applying reinforcement style along with the punishment techniques, level 1 and 2 of Kohlbergs theoretical framework can be accomplished. On the other hand, if Banduras social learning theory can be considered in this context, then it can be said that the conceptual frameworks of operant conditioning has not given much priority about the significance of observational learning. Banduras theory suggest that in order to establish proper behavior, there is the need for observational learning through which students can learn about an expected behavior through imitation as well as modeling (Renkl, 2014). The theory underpins that an expected behavior is determined by the integration of cognitive and physical and environmental factors (Kelly, 2015). Therefore, it can be said that one of the major disadvantages of operant conditioning is it does not consider one significant aspects of human behavior that is the cognitive development. Nevertheless, considering the given case study it is to say that the scenario has not given any hint about the fact that the students are suffering from moral development. On the other hand, in th e positive and negative reinforcement techniques, there is the scope for applying observational learning. In positive reinforcement, the teacher can help the students in imitating her attitudes to achieve behavioral goals. Henceforth, it is to contemplate that the evaluated methods of operant conditioning would not be completely fruitless for the given scenario. It should also be considered that with the application of the theoretical techniques of operant conditioning would bring a huge behavior change in the classroom of Jane, which can be both positive and negative. Finally, it is to recommend that initially, Jane should start with applying the reinforcement techniques and should give priority to both positive as well as negative reinforcement. If the teacher finds that the theoretical practice of generalization is not working as per the anticipated result, then Jane should adopt both the negative and positive punishment strategies. In order to avoid the probable adverse impact of punishment, the teacher should consider discussing about the application of punishment strategies with the students and with their parents. It would help Jane in effectively applying the techniques with the consent of the parents. It is to further recommend that if the primary need of the In the conclusion, it can be said that from the above discourse, it has been understood that the students of the given scenario are mainly having the typical behavioral disorders like lack of attention, trend of withdrawal, indifferent and inability to make interpersonal bonds. According to the essays analysis about the given case scenario, the teacher desires to change the typical attitude of the students and increase their encouragement level so that they can become more participative. The above essay is indicative of the fact that the condition of Jane can be changed if she will apply the methods of operant conditioning. However, the essay has also indicated that adverse outcome may also take place with the application of punishment technique of operant conditioning. However, the paper has also indicated that the application of the punishment technique should be applied only when one of the techniques generalization would fail. The essay has argued about the fact that the punishm ent technique of the operant conditioning does not prove fruitful all the time and has also argued that operant conditioning does not properly prioritize the observational learning. The essay has finally suggested that operant conditioning techniques would be convenient for Jane though she would have to analyze whether there is need for applying the techniques of punishment or not. References Bosworth, K., Judkins, M. (2014). Tapping into the power of school climate to prevent bullying: One application of schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports.Theory Into Practice,53(4), 300-307. Bouton, M. E. (2014). Conditioning and Learning. Brabeck, M. (2016). Moral Judgment: Theory and Research on.An Ethic of Care: Feminist and Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 33. Chicas-Mosier, A. M., Abramson, C. I. (2015). A new instrumental/operant conditioning technique suitable for inquiry-based activities in courses on experimental psychology, learning, and comparative psychology using planaria (Dugesia dorotocephala and Dugesia tigrina).Comprehensive Psychology,4, 09-IT. Debeer, E., Raes, F., Williams, J. M. G., Craeynest, M., Hermans, D. (2014). Operant conditioning of autobiographical memory retrieval.Memory,22(3), 171-183. Gentile, D. A., Groves, C. L., Gentile, J. R. (2014). The general learning model: Unveiling the teaching potential of video games.Learning by playing: Video gaming in education, 121-142. Huston, J. P., de Souza Silva, M. A., Topic, B., Mller, C. P. (2013). What's conditioned in conditioned place preference?.Trends in Pharmacological Sciences,34(3), 162-166. Kelder, S. H., Hoelscher, D., Perry, C. L. (2015). How individuals, environments, and health behaviors interact.Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 159. Kelly, J. (2015). Using Structured Positive And Negative Reinforcements To Modify Student Behavior In An Educational Setting In Order To Achieve Student Academic Success. InEDULEARN15 Proceedings(pp. 1039-1041). IATED. Loovis, E. M. (2016). Behavior management.Adapted Physical Education and Sport, 6E, 101. Martin, G., Pear, J. J. (2015).Behavior modification: What it is and how to do it. Psychology Press. McSweeney, F. K., Murphy, E. S. (2014).The Wiley Blackwell handbook of operant and classical conditioning. John Wiley Sons. Peters, R. S. (2015).Moral Development and Moral Education (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Renkl, A. (2014). Toward an instructionally oriented theory of example?based learning.Cognitive science,38(1), 1-37. Ruan, X., Wu, X. (2013). The skinner automaton: A psychological model formalizing the theory of operant conditioning.Science China Technological Sciences,56(11), 2745-2761. van Slooten, J., Wilbertz, G., Sterzer, P. (2013). Does punishment influence conscious visual perception? A study of binocular rivalry using operant conditioning.Perception ECVP abstract,42, 180-180.

SMART GRID Essays - Energy, Electric Power, Physical Universe

SMART GRID for Efficient Electrification S. SAIKUMAR, K. SRINIVAS Department of electrical engineering, VIGNAN university INDIA [emailprotected] [emailprotected] INTRODUCTION: Well, the world today is earning its own bread due to Electricity, otherwise it is unimaginable to animate on earth. As the credential given to every living thing in this cosmos is that, it can think, this is the logic why the mankind especially is able to reach out to the entire universe in spite of confining him to his homeland, Earth. In this aspect, the first discovery was the WHEEL, through which man travelled along, extending his thought he urged to see the world even in darkness, then it came, FIRE, through which he cooked the food and also used it to lit his home. He did not confine to that later on he discovered the existence of electric CHARGE, then to electricity. The first form electrical energy was STATIC ELECTRICITY, a discovery of Benjamin Franklin. Then the father of electricity, Michael Faraday proposed his laws through which he was able to produce the flow of charge using the principle of MAGNESTISM, which says that one object attracts the other due to some imaginary force between them. That's it, the era of electricity began and it literally made the earth bloom in the night. WHAT IS ELECTRICITY: It is defined as "the flow of charge ", from higher potential to lower potential. Till date the electrical energy is produced basing on the faraday's laws which state that whenever a conducting material cuts the imaginary lines of force between the two magnets an EMF (i.e. some potential) is induced dynamically or statically based on the mechanical moment of conductor. The primary prerequisite to produce it is the availability of a resource, regarding this the existence of magnetism is the boon of earth. It can be produced in many ways because the aim is to cut the magnetic lines. process of Utililisation of Electricity: Idea of energy production was really simple, but to transmit it is the legitimate challenge, till date. Coming to its journey, initially it is produced in a particular area named Generating Station, then the power is given to the Transmission Lines which carry the energy to the local receiving stations which store and distribute it through local lines to the daily purposes like households, industries (load). Due to the property of materials, law of conservation of energy there are many hurdles in transmission. Challenges with Energy Production Distribution: The first challenge associated with it is the Resistance (Z) of the materials used for the transmission, due to which the amount of power that is being produced is not able to reach the consumer. In this regard, there is no other option as the conductors are the only materials which take the electricity. The other one is the external factor, it is the Scarcity of the natural resources which drive the generating station. When it comes to the production by COAL, the pollution is alarming and through WATER the efficiency is low which can be combinedly considered as another challenge. The counter to these challenges is the RENEWABLE sources like Sunlight, Wind, Nuclear energy, but these are economically not suitable and that is the reason why these are not being implemented in daily life of mankind. Inconsistency in Power Factor maintenance is another point of challenge because it results in increase of reactive power consumption, which would damage the connected loads. Necessity of Centralized Monitoring: As the collection and distribution of the electricity for a particular nation needs to be smooth and uniform. So, that is mandatory to set the central point of circulation. From this it can be implied that the generating stations and the transmission lines need to be interlinked within for a certain area of country. GRID: As the electrical power system consists of many Generating power plants, transmission lines, Sub-Stations, various load tapings we definitely need centralized monitoring system. So, we come across "GRID". DEF: GRID is defined as an interconnection of several transmission lines and Sub-Stations. It is literally said to be The Energy Bank though the generating stations are Minting spots. Every consumer will draw the power from the GRID indirectly through several small-scale power distribution corporations of individual states. There is no limitation in the amount

All About the Habits and Traits of Carpenter Bees

All About the Habits and Traits of Carpenter Bees Carpenter bees dont exactly endear themselves to people. They excavate nests in wood decks, porches, and homes, and the males tend to  exhibit an unsettling aggressiveness. However, despite their bad behavior, carpenter bees are quite harmless and are actually excellent pollinators. Large carpenter bees (about 500 different species) belong to the genus Xylocopa. Interestingly, these insects inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Identifying Carpenter Bees Carpenter bees get their name from their woodworking skills. These solitary bees excavate nest tunnels in wood, especially in lumber that is bare and weathered. Over several years, the damage to wood can become quite extensive, as the bees expand old tunnels and excavate new ones. Carpenter bees often nest in decks, porches, and eaves, putting them in close proximity to people. Xylocopa bees look quite similar to bumblebees, so its easy to misidentify them. Look at the upper side of the bees abdomen to differentiate the two kinds of bees. While bumblebee abdomens are hairy, the top of a carpenter bees abdomen will be hairless, black, and shiny. Male carpenter bees will hover around nest entrances, chasing away intruders. They lack a sting, though, so just ignore their buzzing and aggressive flights around your head. Females do sting, but only if seriously provoked. Refrain from swatting at them, and you shouldnt have to worry about carpenter bees causing you harm. Carpenter Bee Classifications Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: HymenopteraFamily: ApidaeGenus: Xylocopa Diet and Life Cycle Like honey bees, carpenter bees feed on pollen and nectar. Female bees provision their larvae with food by placing a ball of pollen and regurgitated nectar in the brood cell. Its important to note that carpenter bees do not feed on wood at any time during their life cycle. Carpenter bees overwinter as adults, usually within vacant nest tunnels. As the weather warms in spring, the adults emerge and mate. Males die after mating, while females begin excavating new tunnels or expanding tunnels from previous years. She constructs brood cells for her offspring, provisions them with food, and then lays an egg in each chamber. Eggs hatch within a few days, and the young larvae feed on the cache left by the mother. Within a period of five to seven weeks, depending on environmental conditions, the bee pupates and reaches adulthood. The new adult generation emerges in late summer to feed on nectar before settling in for the winter. Special Adaptations and Defenses Though they are good pollinators of open-faced flowers, deeper flowers present a challenge for the large carpenter bees. To get to the sweet nectar, they will slit open the side of the flower, breaking into the nectary center and robbing the flower of its juices without providing any pollination services in exchange. Carpenter bees practice buzz pollination, an active method of collecting pollen grains. When it lands on a flower, the bee uses its thoracic muscles to produce sound waves that shake the pollen loose.

Transfer Wise Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transfer Wise - Coursework Example For instance, Transfer wise would allow a user in Spain to have an access of his money which is being transferred from Britain without physically sending that money to Spain. This is by giving them a similar amount of money in Spain, whereby they swipe with another person in the United Kingdom (Engel, 2014, p. 173). This enables the users of the company to receive their money without paying the banking fees. However, the question to ask, is, if the services of the organization are legal?   The services of TransferWise are legal.  Ã‚     The evidence to this fact is when the Financial Regulator of the United Kingdom allowed the company to open offices in the country. The registration of the company occurred in England and Wales, and its registration number is 07209813 (Klein, 2014, p. 122).This is in accordance to the companies’ act of 2006, which mandates that every company operating in the country must have a registration. Furthermore, to avoid law suits, emanating from a breach of contract or misunderstanding, TransferWise makes it mandatory for the users of its services to agree with the policies of the company, before using its services. For instance, TransferWise recognizes the fact that someone may use the account of their customers without authorization.     To protect itself from lawsuits emanating from this situation, TransferWise has set a provision that it won’t be liable for any transactions that are conducted from the accounts of their consumers. TransferWise is also very concerned about the privacy of its users.

Porter's Five Forces Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Porter's Five Forces Model - Essay Example It is needed to discuss to what extent that Porter's model of national competitive advantage adequately accounts for variations in national business systems and comparative economic performance. Porter's theoretical postulates on national competitive advantage have been critically examined by many authors. Egan (1995) suggests that Porter's focus on a specific country's success in international trade in one particular industry is of importance due to the fact that there is the untiring accent of the often superior model that the customer comes first. This paper examines Porter's emphasis on the four determinants (the Diamond) of the national competitive advantage (Porter, 1990). Porter's arguments on factor conditions go to the other extreme as well. He proposes that lack of resources would not act as a barrier to development, Eg. Switzerland, Singapore like countries. His demanding conditions are equally loaded with such positivity as a complicated domestic market and its implications in guaranteeing a competitive edge in international markets to the country concerned. Eg. wine industry of France. His related and supporting industries argument parenthetically emphasizes the technology-related benefits (Rao, & Holt, 2005). The spill-over effects of main industries lead to the creation of supporting industries and next the cyclical effect goes on and on to bring about a very positive outcome in competitive advantage, Eg. Italy's leather shoe industry. Finally his firm strategy, structure and rivalry related posture focuses on capital markets, individuals' career choices, management structures and strategic competitive environment in domestic markets. AnalysisOutline of Porter's Diamond of national competitiveness Competitive advantage in international trade is defined as "the nation's capacity to entice firms (both local and foreign) to use the country as a platform from which to conduct business" (Paulson, & Wilber, 2002). The sectoral strength /weakness analysis of a nation's economy to determine competitive advantage in international trade by Porter is a revolutionary idea which gathered some more drive during the post 1998 period. Whereas many economists have doubted the efficacy of Porter's conceptual framework of the "diamond of national competitiveness" basically owing to its many shortcomings in structural consistency, others agree that its theoretical underpinnings have stronger relevance to modern international trade context. Factor conditions, as Porter defined them, not only refer to mere physical resources such as land, labor and capital but also to some key or specialized factors which are being continuously created as against being inherited (Murmann, 2003). For example the firm continuously innovates and produces a specialized set of resources such as capital, skilled labor and infrastructure. After all such specialized resources cannot be copied by rivals - the resource-based view of the firm and leadership.Porter also discusses non-key or non-specialized resources such as unskilled labor. According to him they fail to create a permanent competitive advantage because they are not endowed with those difficult-to-duplicate characteristics that are inherent in specialized

Assessing The Marketing Plan Of Accenture Commerce Essay

Assessing The Marketing Plan Of Accenture Commerce Essay Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. It boasts of a unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the worlds most successful companies,. The main aim of the company is to collaborate with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Thus this company is a good company for study. Here I am analyzing their market strategy and how they could increase their customer base round the world. Keller, K (1998) Competitor Analysis One of the major competitors of Accenture is IBM company. The financial and company statistic of both have been compared below. Both are into similar business and specially compete in the area of consultancy to key corporate clients. DIRECT COMPETITOR COMPARISON ACN Pvt1 Pvt2 IBM Industry Market Cap: 27.28B N/A N/A 167.26B 111.07M Employ ­ees: 176,000 N/A N/A 410,830 810 Rev. Growth (ttm): -11.20% N/A N/A 0.80% 16.10% Revenue (ttm): 22.45B N/A N/A 95.76B 192.40M Gross Margin (ttm): 30.01% N/A N/A 45.73% 36.21% EBITDA (ttm): 3.32B N/A N/A 23.66B 12.47M Oper. Margins (ttm): 12.59% N/A N/A 19.49% 6.97% Net Income (ttm): 1.55B N/A N/A 13.43B N/A EPS (ttm): 2.375 N/A N/A 10.009 0.12 PE (ttm): 18.03 N/A N/A 12.86 18.81 PEG (ttm): 1.16 N/A N/A 1.3 1.06 PS (ttm): 1.22 N/A N/A 1.75 0.83 Pvt1= Deloitte Consulting LLP(privately held) Pvt2= HP Enterprise Services(privately held) IBM= International Business Machines Corp. Industry= Management Services Direct customer contact has made Accenture one of the most successful companies of the1990s Accenture is following the strategy of what called Direct business Model. The meaning of their model is -It is actually get to have a relationship with the customer, and that creates valuable information, which, in turn, allows them to leverage their relationships with both supplier and customers. Along with that information with technology, and they have the infrastructure to revolutionize the fundamental business models of major global components. Keller, K (1998) Accenture competitive strategies are speed to market; superior customer services; a dynamic commitment to producing consistently high quality, custom-made systems that provide the highest performance and the relevant technology to their customers; and an early exploitation of the Internet. The companys extraordinary growth and profitability en route to becoming the second largest consultants in the world. Accenture used different marketing strategies to sell there services around the world making them the most successful company in the world. Through its build-to-order manufacturing capability, Accenture has been able to cut many of the risks of the business. The company can persists on lower inventories and take advantage of price cuts more quickly than competitors. Selling service directly to customers also reduces costs by eliminating dealer markup. Brooks, I and Weatherston, J. (1997) Market Analysis Accentures pinnacle to market leadership is the result of a persistent focus on delivering the best customer experience by straight away selling products and services online and through catalogs.They put a great deal of emphasis on understanding what drives the customer satisfaction, whether it was response times on the telephone, quality of products, valuable features, or the ease of experience in using the product. Engaging the entire company from service providing to sales to support staff in the process of understanding customer requirements became is a constant focus of management, energy, training, and employee education.Accenture Computer Corp. has used the Internet to trim costs and boost sales, both of which were becoming increasingly difficult to do in the saturated consultancy market of the late 1990s. It made possible for customers who previously had placed custom orders via the telephone to place them on Accentures Web site. Customers selected configuration options, ge t price quotes, and order both single and multiple systems. The site also allowed purchasers to view their order status, and it offered support services to Accenture owners. Given below is how Accenture has been operating in the market in the year 2009 . Environmental Analysis Accenture helps organizations create and implement breakthrough operational and transformational solutions. This is critical for any company today. There are many environmental factors which become crucial in the environment in which Accenture is operating. The economical environment has a crucial impact on consumer behaviour. This factor becomes all the more relevant t in the recession period. Security of a good job and a regular income to spend on goods are factors that effect consumer behaviour. Marketing and advertising do influence consumers in helping them to purchase a particular product or service. Brassington, F and Pettitt, S, (2000), Peoples social class will also effect their behaviour. The role of society is critical. Be it the profession based influence like Actors, Doctors, engineers, low grade staff, and mothers and fathers also effect the purchase decision. Also being parents affects consumers buying habits based on the age of the children, the nature of job .Say if you are a highly paid official you could buy consultancy more easily than a lower class of corporate consumer. Also many other characters influence the consumer buying decision. The persons personality be it extrovert (out going and spends on luxury and fun) and introvert traits (keeps to themselves and purchases with online or mail order) again has an impact on the types of purchases made. Brassington, F and Pettitt, S, (2000), Customer Analysis One study which is vital when studying the consumers of Accenture are the reference groups in the corporate clientele. Reference groups are close groups of people consumers may look up towards to that have an impact on consumer behaviour. They could be celebrities like Brad Pitt or your immediate family members. Other influential people like Opinion leaders are those people that you look up to as you honor their views and judgments and these views may impact consumer decisions. Also the type of consumer need of Accenture consumers can be explained by the motivation theory of Maslow. Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory was targeted to explain what motivated individuals in life to achieve. This was explained in the form of a hierarchy. He explains that consumers aim to meet basic psychological needs of hunger and thirst. When this has been fulfilled they then go up to the next stage of the hierarchy, safety needs, here their key needs are job security ,home security and the emphasis that an income will be available to them regularly. Booms, B.H. and Bitner, M.J. (1981) Social needs come in the third level of the hierarchy, the need to attachment to someone ,to be loved is a normal human desire and people do work for this belonging. Esteem need is the ext in the hierarchy and means the need for status and recognition among peers in the society, status of people, the recognition to have a good job title and be known are all needs that add to the symbol of status. Self-actualization or the realization that an individual has reached his potential in life is the top most in the need pyramid. The need of self-actualisation is critical to the individual, as he only know when he has reached the point of self-fulfillment. This concept helps an Accenture trying to sell a product or service to a consumer. it is known to all that marketing is about fulfilling needs and providing benefits, Maslows need concept suggests that needs differ as move along our path of striving for self-actualisation. Accenture customers are also looking for the status and self esteem need to be fulfilled among the higher class purchasing services . Maslows concept is useful for firms as it helps to understand and work for consumer needs and wants. Internal Analysis Accentures corporate philosophy is elite and quite different from many a companies. The same has helped it form a goodwill among prospective customers. Below are the core elements of the Soul of Accenture as they state their corporate culture summary heading: Customers: They believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. They are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience. Blythe, J. (2001) The Accenture Team: They believe our continued success lies in teamwork and the opportunity each team member has to learn, develop and grow. They are committed to being a meritocracy, and to developing, retaining and attracting the best people, reflective of our worldwide marketplace. Direct Relationships: They believe in being direct in all they do. They are committed to behaving ethically; responding to customer needs in a timely and reasonable manner; fostering open communications and building effective relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and each other; and operating without inefficient hierarchy and bureaucracy. Global Citizenship: Booms, B.H. and Bitner, M.J. (1981) They believe in participating responsibly in the global marketplace. They are committed to understanding and respecting the laws, values and cultures wherever they do business; profitably growing in all markets; promoting a healthy business climate globally; and contributing positively in every community they call home, both personally and organizationally. Winning: They have a passion for winning in everything they do. They are committed to operational excellence, superior customer experience, leading in the global markets they serve, being known as a great company and great place to work, and providing superior shareholder value over time. Blythe, J. (2001) (Source Accenture.com) SWOT analysis: Strengths: One of the best consultancy providers.  Ã‚      It has been more than fifty years in the market.    A wide range of coverage in corporate clientele areas..     Promotions are very strong and effective Weakness: Pricing is a little high Has a premium range of services Customers service is to be worked upon Opportunities: Wide world wide coverage . USP is the hold of loyal consumers Provide new services for new corporate companies Growing consultancy services Prominence in the mind of the key consumers Recovery from recession of the customers. Baker, M. (2000) Threats:   Ã‚   Recession, has decrease disposable income in people Other competitors like IBM. Changing mindset of customers Lack of loyalty of brand among this segment consumers. Marketing Plan Phase 2 (Objectives and Strategy Development) : Executive Summary The strategic management literature is far from clear in explaining how firms choose to formulate strategy and implement it. Indeed, there are many different schools of strategic management that help to explain the manner in which firms engage in strategic decision-making and action. These include the design, planning, positioning, learning, entrepreneurial, cognitive, power, and cultural school, to name just a few. There is no right school of strategic management that should be followed, but different firms tend to subscribe to different schools depending on the industry in which they compete and the nature of the firm. The planning school is appropriate for such firms because of the nature of the industry in which they compete. At the same time, significant investments are required to back up any strategic or tactical decision made by such companies. In addition, the futures of the consultancy companies are highly changeable and unknown, with factors such as prices fluctuating grea tly. As a result, these firms tend to adopt principals from the planning school of strategy because these help the firm to focus on the external environment in which it competes and devising strategies based on such an environment. As such, when examining what guides the strategy of a firm like Accenture, it is also important to examine the school of strategic management that best explains its choice of strategy. In Accentures case, this is the positioning school, as discussed next. Brassington Frances and Pettitt Stephen (2006) Marketing Objectives The positioning school of strategic management views the strategy process as an analytical one in nature . Whilst many scholars have written about this school, the dominant proponent has been Porter (1980, 1985). In this regard, the purpose of firm strategy is to establish a position within the industry that is profitable. According to Porter (1980, 1985) this requires a firm to examine the industry within which it competes in terms of the five forces: the intensity of the rivalry amongst competing firms, the threat of substitute products and services, the threat of new entrants, and the relative bargaining power of buyers and suppliers. On this basis, it is possible for firms to select on of three generic strategies overall low cost, differentiation or focus that help it to capitalise on a position within the industry that provides for above-average industry profitability. In order to know which of these strategies is the most appropriate for a firm, it is necessary to look at its various parts. In this respect, taking a broader and deeper picture of the firm is important in understanding the context within which it competes because as Porter (1980, 1985) notes: competitive advantage cannot be understood by looking at a firm as a whole. It stems from the many discrete activities a firm performs in designing, producing, marketing, delivering, and supporting its product . As such, the value chain is an important way of assessing the Accenture primary activities its inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service as well as its support activities firm infrastructure, human resources management, technology development, and procurement and assess areas of independence and mutual dependence. Accenture is a low cost provider, but also manages to use its design of the supply chain to provide a differentiated offering. The estimated earning od Accenture as doen by analyst has been shown in the table below: Earnings Est Current Qtr Feb-10 Next Qtr May-10 Current Year Aug-10 Next Year Aug-11 Avg. Estimate 0.61 0.71 2.70 3.01 No. of Analysts 19 18 21 20 Low Estimate 0.59 0.67 2.61 2.78 High Estimate 0.68 0.75 2.79 3.26 Year Ago EPS 0.63 0.68 2.68 2.70 Targeting and Positioning Segmentation: Accenture concentrating on upper-end customers. They have different segments and different USPs. While there are many possible avenues to exploit in terms of sales opportunities for these companies, the market is highly segmented in such a way that it is important for Accenture to engage in target marketing. This is the point where the particular companies must decide whether they will individually follow a niche market or a full-line strategy. Accenture thus caters to a vast market that too individually. Brassington Frances and Pettitt Stephen (2006) Branding: Accenture is a well known brand. Although its sales have been falling but it has been one of the key players in the consultancy market. Its name and use of service is associated with many a known names in its market. It is the leading brand in the world, with a focus on performance and international presence. Positioning analysis: Accenture sees positioning as a key factor in growing the brand in developing markets of Asia like China, Korea, and Malaysia. Moreover, Accenture already had marketing tie-ups in Asian market segments. Competition: While Accenture build product lines and marketing campaigns the major competition is from IBM. Thus the promotion strategies of these two companies being similar, the joint advertising and promotion cost are sure to be reduced as of their independent cost. They can target a wide range of segments which includes consultancy and solutions for the corporate client. While both these brands make use of a differentiation strategy to attract its customers, IBM concentrates its efforts on a broad cost strategy approach. The differentiation strategy of the Accenture can be seen in action by examining the various productions of this company.  In looking towards the future, the company seems to place into a position to steadily increase its market share and brand value to better compete in the consultancy business and to help in transformations of clients. Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001) Segmentation: Accenture can now really focus on premium service full of design and innovation-the kind of service people with too much money like to buy. Accenture have their own USPs. Growth Strategies (if the objectives set refer to growth/improvement of current position) BCG analysis Here I would say that Accenture is in the cash cow position. Thus it should now harvest its product that is the Accenture company should now stop investing money in mass promotions of Accenture and wait for the right time for the market to take up dynamism. Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001) Thus it is suggested that Accenture should not just get back and wait for this cash cow to give returns. It has been listed as a cash cow because the amount of revenue which can come from this product is now saturates. Another strategy that it can follow is that it should make this brand and launch it in the Asian market where recession hasnt taken such a big toll. There it can be launched as a question mark and will need high amount of promotions and distribution to be established in a new country. This is a strategy that Accenture should take on to survive in a global market like that of today. This is by far the only way in which it can cover up the market saturation the company has reached at present. Ansoffs Matrix:   According to the Ansoffs Matrix there are four major strategies that Accenture can follow. However the strategy that is recommended is Product /service development. This strategy is recommended for Accenture as they have still got basic problems with their product that is differentiation form competitors.. This is to be improved. Aaker, D and Joachimsthaler, E (2000) Innovation in technology needs to be added to these products to bring in more business in the current markets. Global Customer wants value for money that is cheaper prices and good quality. Also in this field new technology and luring the customer with the same is very important a suggested to Accenture. PESTLE Analysis PESTLE Analysis or survey of the marketing environment include history of firm, macro/micro factors that are relevant including a stakeholder analysis . It is critical to understand the toothpaste too through these points of strategy. This classification distinguishes between: Political factors. These refer to government policy such as the degree of intervention in the economy. What goods and services does a government want to provide? The liberalization by the government has of course helped out the business in consultancy companies to survive in recession too. Economic factors. These include interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation and exchange rates. These include higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more a strong currency may make exporting more difficult because it may raise the price in terms of foreign currency inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products It is seen in recession times that many delegate have been shown the pink slip.. But the same phenomenon has also lead those who could start purchasing this product to deter and not buy it due to the conservative nature that has seeped in the consumer after recession round the world specially to the consultancy business sector.. Social factors. Changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. For example the consumer of the Accenture service may vary form one country to another. Technological factors: new technologies create new products and new processes. Online shopping, bar coding and computer aided design are all improvements to the way we do business as a result of better technology. As far as Accenture is concerned, it will have to incorporate these in its portfolio of services too for the ease of the customers. Environmental factors: environmental factors include the weather and climate change. Changes in temperature can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and FMCG. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming and with greater environmental awareness this external factor is becoming a significant issue for firms to consider. Legal factors: these are related to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years world has been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour. Legal changes in a country can affect a firms costs (e.g. if new systems and procedures have to be developed) and demand (e.g. if the law affects the likelihood of customers buying the good or using the service).Thus the same are critical in the analysis of Accenture. Aaker, David and Joachimsthaler, E. (1999). Selection of Competitive Advantage As far as the competitive advantages is concerned Accenture has to work on the following areas in 2010 The company is loosing its growth in the market The company is apprehensive to spread to other countries The stress of the company has always been consultancy no other service The company has priced its product at a very high price as compared to the near competitors. Also the fact that competitors like IBM are present in the market ,it becomes all the more important to bring up a very strong competitive advantages. Accenture should do this by a good supply chain management across the world. Understanding the strategic choices of Accenture is important in supply chain management (SCM) because it helps to establish the focus on the companys activities. Indeed, SCM reflects the management of the interconnections of organizations that relate to each other through upstream and downstream linkages between the processes that produce value to the ultimate consumer in the form of products and services. SCM is a critical component of this. Through SCM Accenture can examine ways of being more efficient, especially for an overall low cost strategy, and well as adding more value to end customers, important for a differentiated strategy. In the case of Accenture that adopt an overall low cost strategy, the goal is to increase sales volume whilst also reducing unit costs because this helps to improve the margin achieved by the firm. Over time, a firm can capitalise on economic of scale through investment in infrastructure, as well as learning curve effects and perhaps more effective purchasing decisions, supply chain efficiencies and better logistics management. When adopting such a strategy, it may also be pertinent to not simply optimise individual links within the supply chain, but examine how efficiencies can be made across the supply network since it can easily be possible for a distant supplier in the supply network to disrupt the entire supply chain . Nonetheless, many efficiencies are likely to be found in the immed iate supply chain because the firm has greater control over this part of the supply network . Marketing Mix Programme As far as the pricing of Accenture is concerned ,it is little on the premium side. As compared to IBM it should reduce its prizing to competitive level. Whilst controlling costs is still important, focus is placed on the Accenture intangible assets and its ability to leverage these within the value chain. Product wise Accenture has a good range of services to offer backed up by a good customer care. More so it could forward integrate to technology making in various fields to expand business and profits. In the case of Accenture pursuing a differentiated strategy, these aim to focus on those aspects of their products or service provision that add most value in the eyes of the consumer. A critical component of this strategy is to understand which parts of the supply network should be kept in-house and which should be outsourced, or perhaps even acquired. In-house activities are those that add greatest value to the firm and where its has particular competence, whilst the outsourcing of supply chain activities should take place for more peripheral activities within a Accenture value chain. In reality, just as Accenture do not always follow one of the three generic strategies, but a hybrid corporate strategy, so should they look for a hybrid approach to business. The key point, however, is that there is alignment between Accenture corporate strategy and its marketing mix approach Theory building in MARKETING MIX based strategic research has focused on two areas: international marketing mix management (MARKETING MIX) and decision-making in stock management. MARKETING MIX research has focused on the potentially virtuous and vicious cycles that are evident in Accenture . The overall analysis of this is that Accenture were generally facing reinforcing loops that led to either successful or unsuccessful MARKETING MIX. One of the major issues in MARKETING MIX is service management, with the general problem that individuals do not understand the feedback mechanisms that lead to failure in the marketing system. Accenture tend to focus on inventory management, demand amplification, marketing mix re-engineering, and marketing mix design .This work is particularly appropriate to the bullwhip effect and the marketing mix redesign that has been taking place at Accenture . The notion of the bullwhip effect in marketing mix which is followed by Accenture came from work by Procter Gamble, a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company that had a large, complex international marketing mix. During the process of managing their marketing mix, the company noticed that as information went up the marketing mix, the distortion of that information increased. The market negative effect is the term used to describe this effect. It results from a lack of synchronization between members of a marketing mix, which is amplified the greater the number of members and the larger the number of defaults in the slae system linkages through which information passes. The problems that Accenture face is that since supply characteristics do not match demand characteristics, inventory starts to accumulate at the different stages of the marketing mix. Accenture is striving with the problem of delivery and supply and demand mismatch since 2004. Marketing mix management is the oversig ht of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. A marketing mix is the group of organizations, people, technology, information and resources consisted in transferring the product or good from the producer to the end consumer.. Supply chain helps in the marketing mix in moving the raw material to the manufacturer , the final good or ready product to the wholesaler and from their to the consumer.. It is important to have glance at the component of the marketing mix management to understand the relevance of integration planning and management of the same. . There are six key elements of the company that are critical to any business: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Production à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supply à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inventory à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Location à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Transportation, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Information. Accenture try to deal with the dangers of the marketing defaults through the forecasting of demand. This is important because demand is rarely stable. Such variability often means that Accenture need to keep a degree of safety stock; effectively an inventory buffer. The further up the supply chain towards raw material producer, the greater the observed demand, and therefore the greater the safety stock that is required. When demand rises in a given period, downstream suppliers increase their orders, whilst during falling demand, the converse occurs. Since fluctuations in demand are more pronounced up the supply chain, this increases the size of the oscillations faced through the supply chain. This is something that Accenture has to manage. No consumer should go unattended. There are a number of factors that contribute to the negative marketing mix effect. First, forecast errors can easily occur simply because Accenture are unaware how demand many change over time. Even for goods that have a common demand pattern there can be instances where demand suddenly changes because of unknown factors. Second, there can be an overreaction to backlogs in supply of service by the company. In the diagram below of the companys supply chain; the arrows are for supplier-relationship management, internal SCM and customer-relationship management . A supply chain starts with ecological and biological regulation of natural resources. This is then taken on to supply of raw material, many production links before one moves to several layers of storage facilities of various size and remote geographical locations. Then on it finally reaches the consumer. Here the service to be delivered although is the price which also has to be followed up for customer care after sale. Thus this as a whole can improve the sales of the company to bring in an effective marketing mix strategy for Accenture.