Benefits of Parent Education Programmes

Benefits of Parent Education Programmes Chen Yishu Why parent education program? Persuasive goal: Adoption: I want the audience to think about taking parent education program before they become parents. Specific proposition: Policy: Parents should take parental courses before they have children. Taking parental courses can benefit not only parents but also children. Audience’s current opinion: Neutral: Some people think parents should take parental courses while some don’t think so. Introduction: (example 1, pathos and ethos) When talking about children, what do you commonly think of? Well, if you asked me half a year ago, I would throw out various adjectives like cute, energetic, enthusiastic, and so on. However, now I’ve changed. Last summer vacation, one of my cousins came to visit my family, together with her two-year-old son, my nephew. He is a pretty boy with extraordinary big eyes and long black eyelashes, and when he stared at you wishfully, you will never wish to reject any of his wishes. Even though people always say we shouldn’t judge by appearance, I couldn’t help holding him up and kissed him as soon as I saw him. At that time, he was the loveliest creature in the world until we went to take a nap. I had no idea that he didn’t feel asleep at all and got up secretly after my parents and my cousin went shopping. In just two hours, he broke into my study room and destroyed all my collection of Japanese animation figures. He tore down their heads, dismembered them, and then threw them away. The moment when I found him, he was surrounded by corpses, with my favorite comic book in his hand. He cocked his head and just smiled at me, like an angel proclaiming the end of the world. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even speak a word. But the worse thing happened when his mother, my cousin, arrived at home. The only comment she made after hearing the disaster had only four words: â€Å"Oh, you naughty boy.† She didn’t say sorry, not even express that emotion. When I asked her to compensate for the damage, she was even more astonished than me: â€Å"They are just toys! How can you be so stingy?!† I wanted to argue more but my parents wouldn’t let me do so. She walked away easily. It’s impossible for me to say that I don’t blame my nephew for what he did, but I did attribute his naughtiness to his mother for she lacked the ability and awareness to educate her chil d. Preview statement: Today I like to speak about the necessity for parents, especially parents with their first child, to receive parent education as well as the reasons for taking such courses. To illustrate the points, I’m going to divide the issue into two parts: first, what is parent education; second, why should parents take parent education. Transition: If you look around in your life in China, perhaps you will notice that many of our next generation are actually raised by their grandparents instead of their parents. Certainly one of the reasons is because they have no time to take care of them, but the deficiency of parenting knowledge and skill also has something to do with the situation. In China, parent education is a brand-new concept that worth our attention for the well-being of our offspring. Main Point 1: (logos) Parent education programs contain mainly three categories. Sub-point 1: (evidence 12, ethos) The authors of the academic paper Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement in Parenting Programs: A Qualitative Systematic Review point out in the article that â€Å"Parenting programs are short-term interventions to promote changes in the behavior of parents that result in improved relationships with their children and changes in child behavior† (Julie Mytton, Jenny Ingram, Sarah Manns, James Thomas 127-137) and aim at â€Å"activat[ing] the strengths, competence, and possibilities for change that exist in parents and in the social context,† according to Professor Ching-Man Lam from Chinese University of Hong Kong, in order to enable parents to take good care of their children (Lam 147-168). Sub-point 2: Roughly, there are three types of parent education program as the child grows. Programs that get parents prepared for the new birth. Programs that aim at parents with toddlers and young children Programs that cover common issue with teenagers. Transition: Honestly speaking, it is very hard to divide the types of parent education program for each couple has different demand and as a result, hundreds of thousands of parent education programs that focus on different aspect of parenting exist in the market. Whereas, the influence of parent education program is relatively easier to categorize. Main Point 2: (logos) Parents play a vital role in children’s development. Sub-point 1: When searching online, numerous articles and research papers that emphasize the influences of parents on their children from personality to lifelong goals can be found. (evidence 3, ethos) For example, in the article The Role of Parents in Childrens Psychological Development, Jerome Kagan, an American psychologist, stated that â€Å"The profile of cognitive abilities, beliefs†¦ that characterizes each child†¦ is the result of diverse influences operating in complex ways†¦ the most important determinants of the different profiles include parental practices and personality† (Kagan 164-67). (evidence 4, ethos) At the same time, a newly published article Parents influence suicidal children in the journal The Australian, pointed out that â€Å"PARENTS are more likely than school bullies to influence childrens suicide attempts† (Bita n.pag.). Sub-point 2: Therefore, since parents play a vital role in the quality of children’s development, parent education is needed urgently to help shape the well-being of parents in order to support the growth of children. Otherwise, children may experience severe problems as they grow because their parents don’t know how to take good charge of them. (example 2, pathos)One vivid example is my nephew, the two-year-old boy. He is my cousin’s first child and honestly speaking, she knew nothing about how to take care of him, even though admittedly she loves him very much. She went back to work in Changsha after labor while my nephew was left with his grandparents in a tiny village simply because she didn’t want to sacrifice her spare time to take care of him. She promised to visit once a week, stayed for one day and left again. As a consequence, they weren’t very intimate until my cousin changed her attitude suddenly and took him back when he was one year ol d. Then he was spoiled. My cousin, his mother, gave everything he wanted and praised everything he did. No one could blame his mistakes for he did no wrong in his mother’s eyes. Finally a child with severe behavior problems, or a little evil, was created. Transition: I believe every one of us has encountered some wild kids in our lives, and mostly, their parents are especially guilty. Therefore, since parents have a great impact on children’s development, it is critical for parents to attend parent education and therefore, gain the knowledge and skills to ensure their children’s well-being. Main Point 3: (logos) Parent education programs can benefit children. Sub-point 1: Parent education programs are very likely to improve the health of children. When we look around, we may find that many young parents don’t know how to take good care of children and have to rely on their own parents, especially when it comes to infants. (evidence 5, ethos) In the research paper Preventing Abusive Head Trauma Among Infants and Young Children: A Hospital-Based, Parent Education Program, the author indicated that â€Å"Abusive head injuries among infants (shaken infant or shaken impact syndrome) represent a devastating form of child abuse† while â€Å"25 to 50% of people have not received information about this problem.† What’s worse, â€Å"in some cases of abuse, the perpetrators admitted to shaking the infant violently but confessed that they were unaware of the dangers of doing so.† Then the authors evaluated the effectiveness of parent education program on reducing the injuries and found out that â€Å"a coordinated, hospital-based, parent education program, targeting parents of all newborn infants, can reduce significantly the incidence of abusive head injuries among infants and children Sub-point 2: (evidence 6, ethos) Jane Barlow, a journalist from Oxford University, pointed out in an academic paper that Parent education program can improve the mental health of children and reduce the amount of children’s behavior problems (Jane Barlow, S. Stewart-Brown 356-370). Transition: Besides doing good to children, parent education program can also help parents out of their struggles. Main Point 4: (logos) Parent education programs can benefit parents. Sub-point 1: It is conceivable that parent education programs can help parents understand their influence on kids’ behaviors and the importance to control their emotions and actions. (example 3, pathos) For instance, one of my mother’s colleagues often complained that her son got angry and irritable easily and frequently as long as there was anything unsatisfied. She tried every method and none of them worked. She finally went to a famous parent educator and counselor for help and found out that it was herself who became angry uncontrollably when troubles occurred and her son was just imitating her. She was recommended to attend a anger management class along with parent education courses where she learned that the uncontrollable eruption of anger may get in the way of parenting her children in a good way. Since then, she worked hard to control her temper and gradually, she also made influence on her son and he changed marvelously. Sub-point 2: Parent education programs can improved mental health and well-being of parents, more specifically, it can help ease parent’s stress when facing difficulties at every stage as their children grow, for example, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). (evidence 7, ethos) In a research paper A Parent Education Program for Parents of Chinese American Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): A Pilot Study, professor Hsu-Min Chiang from Columbia University pointed out that â€Å"parenting stress of parents of children with ASDs could be decreased through a short-term group parent education program† while â€Å"parental confidence in parents of children with ASDs can be improved through the parent education program using a group format.† Besides, the study also found that the parent education program â€Å"result[ed] in significant improvements in the physical health and environment domains† (Chiang 88-94). Transition: However, it is universally acknowledge that every coin has two sides and everything has its benefits and consequences. Therefore, even though parent education program has many advantages, they aren’t exceptions. Problems exist when people begin doing researches on the effectiveness of many programs and the results make them cast doubt. Main Point 5: Counterargument Sub-point 1: (evidence 8, ethos) Unfortunately, many people tend to believe that parents who attend parent education program are inadequate parent, sometimes even carers think so. Consequently, in order to avoid feeling guilty or stigmatized, parents are less likely to join the program, showed in the article Technique Is Not Enough: A framework for ensuring that evidence-based parenting programmes are socially inclusive (Barrett, 9). Sub-point 2: However ironically, the vast majority of the parents who don’t take parent education program are very likely to be the ones who really need to improve their parenting skills, the study showed later. (Barrett, 9). The text also points out that to change their attitudes, government should â€Å"empower local voices by implementing new programmes in co-production with local program service user parents so they become culturally congruent† (Barrett 10). Transition: It is undeniable that the development of parent education program still has to overcome numerous difficulties and problems however, by conducting further research, things will be better. Summary Statement: In my opinion, due to the influence parents have on their children’s development and the numerous advantages of parent education can bring to both parents and children, it is necessary for young parents to take the course. Besides, improvement still need to be done to increase the effectiveness of the programs. Conclusion: Briefly speaking, based on the arguments offered above, we as grown up who are very likely to have our own children within 10 years, should think about taking parent education program before becoming truly parents. Works Cited Barlow, Jane, and S. Stewart-Brown. Behavior Problems and Group-based Parent Education Programs.JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS No.21 (2000): 356-70. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11064964?dopt=Abstract>. Bita, Natasha. Parents Influence Suicidal Children. The Australian 29 Nov. 2014, Australian3 ed., THENATION sec.: 11. Print. Chiang, Hsu-Min. A Parent Education Program for Parents of Chinese American Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): A Pilot Study.Hammill Institute on Disabilities Vol. 29. No. 2, (2014): 88 –94. Hammill Institute on Disabilities. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://foa.sagepub.com/content/29/2/88.full.pdf html>. Davis, Fabian A., Lynn McDonald, and Nick Axford. Introduction. Technique Is Not Enough: A Framework for Ensuring That Evidence-based Parenting Programmes Are Socially Inclusive. Leicester, England: British Psychological Society, 2012. 9. Print. Dias, Mark S., Kim Smith, Kathy DeGuehery, R Paula Mazur, Veetai Li, and Michele L. Shaffer. Preventing Abusive Head Trauma Among Infants and Young Children: A Hospital-Based, Parent Education Program.PEDIATRICSVol. 115. No. 4 (2005): Pp. E470-E477.PEDIATRICS. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/4/e470.full?sid=7ea8cd19-674c-4b9c-9ebe-9dc4d0d048de>. Kagan, Jerome. The Role of Parents in Childrens Psychological Development. PEDIATRICS Vol. 104. No. Supplement 1 July 1, 1999 Pp. (1999): 164-67. PEDIATRICS. 1 Jul. 1999. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…“http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/104/Supplement_1/164.full.htmlà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¾. Lam, Ching-Man. Parent Education: Revision and Vision.Asian Journal of Counselling Vol. 10. No. 2, (2003): 147–168. The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. . Mytton, Julie, Jenny Ingram, Sarah Manns, and James Thomas. Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement in Parenting Programs A Qualitative Systematic Review.Health Education BehaviorVol.41. No. 2 (2013): 127-37.SAGE Journals. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. http://heb.sagepub.com/content/41/2/127.full.pdf html>.

Comparing and Contrasting Fruits and Junk Food Essay -- comparison com

Comparing and Contrasting Fruits and Junk Food To many people, especially children, the word snack implies thoughts of chocolate and sugar; however, in the early twentieth century, people relied on fruits to fulfill their desire for a between-meal snack. It was even a privilege to some children to receive an apple or a banana from their parents as an after-school snack. Unfortunately, children today prefer junk foods like candy bars. However, popular preference is not always the best way to go. Fruits, such as apples and grapes, are better snacks than candy bars because they are healthier, better tasting, and more satisfying. Fruits are much healthier than candy bars. First of all, fruits have fewer calories and less fat than any candy bar. For example, a medium size apple has eig...

Chernobyl Essay -- Nuclear Chernobyl History Essays

Chernobyl On April 26, 1986 disaster struck the world. It was not a disaster like any other before. A new type of death was now shown to the world. Although during World War II people encountered radiation sickness and death, that was sadly intended. The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear powerstation was undoubtedly the worlds largest nuclear accident. That was the difference. It was accidental, and although innocent people were killed or made sick in the past from radiation, this would prove to be the most disastrous of any incident (other that war) involving radiation. First of all, I should tell you exactly where Chernobyl is. Chernobyl is a rather small town in the Ukraine right near Belarus. It is north of Kiev, the Capital of Ukraine. Kiev is only One hundred and ten kilometers away from Chernobyl and has a population of 2.4 million. Chernobyl’s population is 12,500. In 1986, 10 percent of all the worlds nuclear energy was generated by the USSR. By the year of the accident (also 1986) 4 reactors at Chernobyl’s power station were the most modern reactors to date. These are known as the RBMK type. RBMK is a Russian acronym and when translated roughly means â€Å"reactor cooled by water and moderated by graphite.† This is one of two types of reactors that Soviets have built for the production of nuclear power. The reactor is made up of Three main important parts. The reactor vessel- this houses all other reactor parts. The Core- this consitsts of a huge container filled with the graphite blocks and the Control Rods which are long metal rods. In the Chernobyl reactors, these rods contain boron. They help to control chain reactions by absorbing f... ...incident, put an end to the development of nuclear power plants. Since 1979 no new nuclear power plants have been builtâ€Å"...http://library.thinkquest.org/3426/data/worldwide-effects/rest.html The fact that no more nuclear power plants have been created has created a big issue. Eventually we may be forced to build a new one. In fact plans are already being discussed about how to go about building these or finding alternative energy sources. Storage is also a problem because of the nuclear waste, that no one wants to claim responsibility for, and no one wants to deal with the risks of it. (nimby) So in a few years, changes are going to occur, and I heard it here in class first. That when we hear about the National Guard escorting trucks to Alaska through Canada or trucks containing nuclear waste being escorted through highways, the change has begun.

Telecommunications Essay examples -- essays research papers

What is Telecommunications?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Telecommunications enables people around the world to contact one another, to access information instantly, and to communicate from remote areas. It usually involves a sender and one or more recipients linked by a technology, such as a telephone system, or computer network (LANs or WANs), that transmits information from one place to another. Devices used for telecommunications can convert different types of information, such as sound and video, into electronic signals. These signals then can be transmitted to different types of media such as telephone wires, or radio waves. Once the signal reaches its destination it then gets converted back into an understandable message, such as the sound on a telephone, video on a television screen, or pictures on a computer monitor, Telecommunications also allows to send and receive personal messages across town, between countries, and to and from outer space. It also provides the key medium for news, data, information and ente rtainment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Telecommunication messages can be sent in a variety of ways, and by a wide range of devices (radios, televisions, telephones, computers, etc.). They can be sent from one sender to a single receiver (point-to-point) or to many receivers (point-to-multipoint). Point-to-point transmission usually involves telephone conversations or a facsimile (fax) message. Point-to-multipoint transmissions (also called broadcasts), provide the basis for commercial radio and television programming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most personal computers communicate with each other and with larger networks, such as the internet, by using the ordinary telephone line. Since the telephone network functions by converting sound into electronic signals, the computer must first convert its digital data into sound. They do this with a device called a modem, which is short for modulator/demodulator. A modem converts a stream of 1s and 0s from a computer into an analog signal that can be transported over a telephone network. The modem of the receiving computer demodulates the analog signal back into a digital form that the computer can understand. The internet can also be accessed by higher speed sources, such as cable, DSL and ISDN.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Telecommunications systems deliver messages using a number of dif... ... they need to be in, or may have several errors contained in them.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Routers – Connect network segments and intelligently direct data. They are used to connect LANs to WANs. It operates at the network layer of the OSI model. The strength of a router lies in its intelligence, they can determine the shortest fastest path between nodes. The internet relies on millions of routers around the world.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switches – Subdivide a network into smaller logical pieces. Operates from the Data Link layer of the OSI model. By having multiple ports, they can make better use of limited bandwidth and prove more cost efficient then bridges. Each port on the switch acts like a bridge, and each device connected to a switch effectively receives its own dedicated channel. In other words, a switch can turn a shared channel into several channels.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Network Operating Systems – A special system software designed to manage data and other resources on a server for a number of clients. Network operating systems also provide the ability to manage network security, network users and groups, protocols, and networked applications.

Sap Sdlc

SAP Development Life Cycle The Typical SAP Module development has to be maintaining a sequential development formation. For any of the module development someone has to follow the following steps to make the module functional: [pic] †¢ Business Process Blue Printing: This function documents the business processes in the company that we want to implement in the system. In a Business Blueprint for Projects, the manager has to create a project structure in which relevant business scenarios, business processes and process steps are organized in a hierarchical structure. The Manager can also create project documentation and assign it to individual scenarios, processes or process steps. Then assign transactions to each process step, to specify how your business processes should run in the company’s SAP systems. The Business Blueprint is a detailed description of the company business processes and systems requirements. Use The Business Blueprint provides a common strategy of how your business processes are to be mapped into one or more SAP systems. The Business Blueprint documents in detail the scope of business scenarios, business processes, process steps, and the requirements of an SAP solution implementation. Structure A Business Blueprint comprises the following structure elements in a hierarchy: ? Organizational Units ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Master data ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business scenarios ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business processes ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Process steps †¢ GAP Analysis A through gap analysis will identify the gaps between how the business operates its needs against what the package can/can't do. For each gap there will be one of three outcomes which must be recorded and action has taken, 1. GAP must be closed and customized software can be developed 2. GAP must be closed but software cannot be written therefore a workaround is required 3. GAP does not need to be closed. GAP must be closed and customized software can be developed close the gap, GAP must be closed but software cannot be written therefore a workaround is required; GAP does not need to be closed. In simple terms: Gap means small cracks. In SAP world. In information technology, gap analysis is the study of the differences between two different information systems or applications (ex; existing system or legacy system with Client and new is SAP), often for the purpose of determining how to get from one state to a new state. A gap is sometimes spoken of as â€Å"the space between where we are and where we want to be. † Gap analysis is undertaken as a means of bridging that space. Actual gap analysis is time consuming and it plays vital role in blue print stage. †¢ Integration Testing: The purpose of integration testing is to confirm that the company business processes work according to the requirement established in the business blue print phase and the system is ready to go live. To accomplish this we must test every aspect of business. Integration Testing a process, development or configuration within the context of any other functions that the process, development or functionality will touch or integrated. The test should examine all data involved across all modules and any data indirectly affected. A successful test indicates that the processes work as designed and integrate with other functions without causing any problems in any integrated areas. †¢ UAT (User Acceptance Testing): The purpose of this document is to provide a detailed explanation of the concept and approach that will be used for User Acceptance Testing. This document does not include the performance testing approach. The objective of the User Acceptance Test is to ensure that the SAP solution has met our business requirements and to provide users with confidence that the system works correctly and is manageable by them to run our business. User Acceptance Testing is accomplished through the execution of real life scenarios with a representative subsection of end users. To that end, â€Å"Day In the Life Of† scenarios (DILOs) will be performed in a multifaceted computing environment comprised of SAP software, third-party software, legacy applications and various hardware and software components. It is this environment that builds the necessary level of confidence that the solution is complete and will perform in our business. User Acceptance Testing is a role-based dress rehearsal of SAP production including security, change management, and production support. Burning Hand Exercise: It is the practice period where the user to practicing the operation more and more to prepare themselves in live uses. By practicing the operation the user could able to know the difficulties, possible solutions of the difficulties and make themselves furnished for future. †¢ SAP End User Training: SAP User training is the proces s of formally introducing the user community to the business processes as implemented in SAP along with acclimatizing them to the SAP environment. In general this involves identifying the key stakeholders, documenting the business processes and interactively training them. Many projects fail or face serious hiccups in spite of excellent resources from a technical standpoint and superior project management. While the entire team is racing against time to complete the implementation, they forget to ramp-up the major stakeholder in the entire project. Users often come from other ERP backgrounds and are often very ignorant of the SAP environment. Often there is subtle resistance as well. Go Live All of the previously described phases all lead towards this final moment: the go-live. Go-live means to turn on the SAP system for the end-users and to obtain feedback on the solution and to monitor the solution. It is also the moment where product software adoption comes into play. The go live strategy comprises of the following: a) Cut of procedure b) Pre go live check Cut of Procedures: SAP system is configured as per the requirement of the company. The system is read for the client to use. The client now needs to migrate from the old systems to the new SAP System. The migration from the old system to the new system is known as the cut of date. The old system is switched of and the new system is on. The data will be migrated from old system to SAP. The data will henceforth be entered in new system. To have a smooth switch over from the legacy system to the new SAP systems are devised the cut of procedures. Pre go live check: It is ensuring that SAP production system is ready to go live smoothly.

Marketing Strategy Essay

While there’s merit in evaluating the strategy from a qualitative standpoint (its completeness, internal consistency, rationale, and relevance), the best quantitative evidence of how well a company’s strategy is working comes from its result. The stronger a company’s current overall performance, the less likely the need for radical changes in strategy. The weaker a company’s financial performance and market standing, the more its current strategy must be questioned. Organizations succeed in a competitive marketplace over the long run because they can do certain things their customers value better than their competitors e. offering better quality products with cheaper prices. First we must understand what is the current strategy the company is implementing now; 1. A low-cost leader strategy:  striving to be the overall low-cost provider of a product or service that appeals to a broad range of customers ie;focus on being the lowest cost provider e. g Lidyl , and tal- Lira. 2. A broad differentiation strategy:  seeking to differentiate the company’s product offerings from rivals’ in ways that will appeal to a broad range of buyers i. they want to differentiate from their rivals ie by offering something different eg, Apple and Rolex as a prestige brand, Dr. Pepper with a different taste, Wal-Mart with value and more for your money. 3. A best-cost provider strategy:  giving customers more value for the money by emphasizing both low cost and upscale difference, the goal being to keep costs and prices lower than those of other providers of comparable quality and features (a couple of examples are the Honda and Toyota car companies with customer satisfaction ratings that rival those of much more expensive cars). . A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on lower cost:  concentrating on a narrow buyer segment and outcompeting rivals on the basis of lower cost (The Gap is a good example). A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on differentiation:  offering niche members a product or service customized to their tastes and requirements [examples are Rolls-Royce (sells limited number of high-end, custom-built cars) and men’s big and tall shops (sell mainstream styles to a limited market with specific requirements) i. they aim to focus on a particular target market eg constructions at madliena targeting high class people, or do they try to be the best cost provider ie providing value for money products. Approaches to assessing how well the present strategy is working Qualitative assessement – Is the strategy well conceived, is it well thought ie The strategy should be consistent with the vision and mission of the company, it should be in line with the current market trends. Quantitative assessement – It is the measure of return on total investment, Is the strategy being implemented resulting in higher profits for the company? This means that a good strategy should result in an above industry performance. Key Indicators of How Well the Strategy is Working See the trend in sales/market share Acquiring/retaining new customers Detecting how well is your image and reputation and overall financial strenghth Question 2. What Are the Company’s Resource Strength and Weaknesses and Its External Opportunities and Threats? SWOT analysis provides a good overview of whether the company’s overall situation is fundamentally healthy or unhealthy. A first-rate SWOT analysis provides the basis for crafting a strategy that capitalizes on the company’s resources, aims squarely at capturing the company’s best opportunities, and defends against the threats to its wll-being. A resource strengths is something a company is good at doing or an attribute that enhances its competitiveness in the marketplace. Resource strengths can take any of these forms: a skill-an area of specialized expertise, or a competitively important capability, valuable physical assets, valuable human assets and intellectual capital, valuable organizational assets, valuable intangible assets, an achievement or attribute that puts the company in a position of market advantage. A competence(abilta li jaghmlu xi haga ahjar minn kumpaniji ohra) is an activity that a company has learned to perform well. It is nearly always the product of experience, representing an accumulation of learning and the buildup of proficiency in performing an internal activity. A core competence is a competitively important activity that a company performs better than other internal activities. A distinctive competence is a competitively important activity that a company perfoms better than its rivals – it thus represents a competitively superior resource strength. The competitive power of a resource strength is measured by these four tests: is the resource really competitively valuable? Is the resource strength rare? Is the resource strength hard to copy? Can the resource strength be trumped by substitute resource strengths and competitive capabilities? Competitively valuable resource strengths and competencies call for the use of a resource based strategy. Core concept of Resource-based strategy is that it uses a company’s valuable resources strengths and competitive capabilities to deliver value to customers in ways rivals find it difficult to match, advised to pass on a particular industry opportunity unless the company has or can acquire the resources to capture it. It is management’s job to identify the threats to the company’s prospects and to evaluate what strategic actions can be taken to neutralize or lessen their impact. SWOT analysis are drawing conslusions from the SWOT listings about the company’s overall situation, and translating these conslusions into strategic actions to better match the company’s strategy to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. The final piece of SWOT analysis is to translate the diagnosis of the company’s situation into actions for improving the company’s strategy and business prospects. What are the company’s resource strengths and weaknesses, and its external opportunities and threats? A SWOT analysis provides an overview of a firm’s situation and is an essential component of crafting a strategy tightly matched to the company’s situation. The two most important parts of SWOT analysis are (1) drawing conclusions about what story the compilation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats tells about the company’s overall situation, and (2) acting on those conclusions to better match the company’s strategy, to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. A company’s resource strengths, competencies, and competitive capabilities are strategically relevant because they are the most logical and appealing building blocks for strategy; resource weaknesses are important because they may represent vulnerabilities that need correction. External opportunities and threats come into play because a good strategy necessarily aims at capturing a company’s most attractive opportunities and at defending against threats to its well-being. A strength is something a firm does well that enhances its competitiveness eg alliancing. Company Competencies and Capabilities Competencies are assumed to be the company’s valuable resources Competency – A competency is anything a business does well. A business may have numerous competencies. For example a manufacturing company might be extremely successful in keeping its number of defects per thousand units produced extremely low. The Companies Competencies and Capabilities stem from skills, expertise, and experience (esperjenza li kibbret maz-zmien usually representing an accumulation of learning over time and gradual buildup of real proficiency in performing an activity. i. e il-kumpetenza ta kumpanija tigi through the buildup of performing the activity ghax taghmel l-istess attivita kontinwament u l-esperjenzi li jkollha matul l-operations taghha) Core Competency – A core competency is a competency of the business that is essential to its overall performance and success. If this company held itself out to the market as a reliable manufacturer of quality products, this could easily be a core competency, because the ability to consistently provide quality products is a key to its business model. (Core competence tfisser l kompetenza ta xi kumpanija li hija centrali ghall-kumpanija, fejn permezz ta din ilkompetenza se tikkumbatti tajjeb lil competitors l ohra u se tiddistingwixxi ruhha minn ma kumpaniji ohrajn. Importanti li din il kompetenza tkun giet through l-esperjenza tal haddiema eg. Jien immur ghand Toni & Guy ghax jogghobni il-way kif jaqta’ x-xaghar, immure ghand dak ir-restaurant ghax jaghmel ricetti tajbin tal-hut, expertise in integrating multiple technologies to create new products. ) Distinctive Competency eg Toyota (low cost high quality manufacturing of motor vehicles and Starbucks – innovative coffee drinks and store ambience A distinctive competency is any competency that distinguishes a company from its competitors. A distinctive competency is typically a core competency that truly distinguishes a company from the rest of the competition. For example, one of Google’s distinctive competencies is its name recognition and status as the most famous search engine. This competency is hard for competitors to imitate and sets Google apart from the rest of the market (Distinctive competence of a firm refers to a set of activities or capabilities that a company is able to perform better than its competitors and which gives it an advantage over them. Distinctive competence can lie in different area such as technology, marketing. They provide sustainable competitive advantage because these are hard to copy. ) Identifying Resource Weaknesses and Competitve Deficiencies After identifying the Company’s strengths we will now identify the company’s weaknesses. * A weakness is something a firm lacks, does poorly, or a condition placing it at a disadvantage. Resource weaknesses relate to Inferior skills, expertise. * Missing capabilities in key areas Identifying a Company’s Market Opportunities. Opportunities most relevant to a company are those offering enticing prospects which reflect financial growth, is a good resource to outcompete your rivals, good match with its financial and organizational resource capabilities jigifiri li l-opportunitajiet ikunu addatati ghall-kumpanija e,g taghraf li tista tidhol ghall xi sistema gdida eg xetra trading system fejn tista ggib new listings. Identofying External Threats Some possibilities are that other competitors will * Emerg cheaper/better technologies * Introduce better products * Entry of lower-cost foreign competitors * Onerous regulations Rise in interest rates * Unfavorable demographic shifts changes fit-tastes tan nies * Adverse shifts in foreign exchange rates * Political turmoil and/or burdensome government policies Question 3 : Are the Company’s Prices and Costs Competitive The intent of a company is to do things that ultimately create value for buyers. Assessing whether a firm’s costs are competitive with th ose of rivals is a crucial part of company situation analysis. One can assess whether a firm’s costs are competitive through 2 Key analytical tools: * Value chain analysis * Benchmarking Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. * The value chain (A value chain is a chain of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver something valuable (product or service), Value Chain Analysis is one way of identifying which activities are best undertaken by a business and which are best provided by others (â€Å"out sourced†). It contains two types of activities: * Primary activities – those that are directly concerned with creating and elivering a product.

Information and Communication Technology in the Philippines Essay

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become and will continue to be an integral part of the day-to-day life of every Filipino across all levels of our society. Information has always played a vital role in our history. Over the ages, people have used it to gain a more accurate picture of their current situation, make better decisions for the future, and improve the quality of their lives. But never has information been more accessible and more widespread than it is today. The latest improvements in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have been impressive. Computers are progressively becoming smaller, more affordable, and more powerful. They are capable of storing an almost vast amount of data and information. And they are interconnected through telephone lines, satellites, and fiber-optic cables that span across the world, allowing the ability to communicate and share information with one another across borders. The pervasiveness of communication technology around the world necessitates that government embark on a cohesive and coordinated strategy on how to prepare its citizens to survive, live and thrive in a digital world. The world is experiencing a digital revolution and the Philippines have the opportunity to play an enormous role in it. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an important part in the country’s development. Opportunities abound with the help of ICT. The current ICT master plan for the Philippines dates back to 2006. With all of the new developments in this highly dynamic field, there is clearly a need to develop a new blueprint on how the country and its people can benefit from the use of ICT in governance, our economy and improving one’s way of life. The Philippines positions itself at the forefront of the digital revolution – dynamic and in command of the future. ICT is used extensively in the delivery of career information and guidance. Such usage covers wide range of applications. The role of ICT in guidance can be seen in three ways: as a tool, as an alternative, or as an agent of change. The growth of websites and helplines as forms of technically mediated service delivery means that the potential of ICT as a change agent is now greater than ever before. Current business-command the optimization of ICT usage to support national objectives of becoming a high income developed country. Thus as an enable, ICT in public sector must be addressed in general manner including people, process and technology where internal and external needs must be taken into place. The ICT evolution will take place with or without a systematic, comprehensive and articulated policy. However, the lack of a coherent policy is likely to contribute to the development (or prolonged existence) of ineffective infrastructure and a waste of resources. The importance of ICT policies is understood at the highest political level in many developing countries, and some countries have already adopted their own policies. The effectiveness of an ICT policy in one country does not guarantee that the same method would work in another and many developing countries face similar constraints that need to be taken into account when ICT policies are formulated. Philippines’ ICT against Other Countries ICT Development Current trends the world over the pointed to the fact that the major developments in the information economy. It resulted in revolutionizing the way people communicate and for the governments and firms to interact and conduct business. The presence of a reliable, accessible and affordable Philippine Information and communications infrastructure is a necessary condition for our participation in the information economy. Without it, our country will once again face the prospect of being marginalized in the global economy. The next part of this case study will discuss a brief ICT’s plan and current situation of our 3 neighboring countries; Singapore One of the key drivers of the Singapore’s Economic growth is their ICT. The island state is well connected via both fixed and wireless networks. By early 2012, their mobile penetration has passed 150%. By maintaining Singapore’s status as an ICT market leader, the government launched its plan for a nationwide fibre-based broadband network known as the Next Generation Broadband Network (NGNBN) and this is being rolled out in line with the government’s strategy. Hong Kong The world’s freest economy, characterized by free trade, free market and free flow of capital with stable and freely convertible currency and no foreign exchange controls. Their ICT development, the free flow of information with no censorship on content transmission provided a good environment for the development of web-based businesses such as content and media and cloud computing. In the next few years’ government will increasingly adopt cloud-based services. Such initiative will spawn opportunities for vendors and providers. Their telecommunications infrastructure is one of the most sophisticated in the world, with a wide range of innovative and advance services available in relatively low prices. The country also ensure the online secure. Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) was set up to coordinate responses to computer security incident, promote information security and take preventive measures against Internet Security threats. Malaysia Malaysia’s national transformation agenda envisions an innovative citizen-centric model of public service delivery accordance with the country’s principles. This is undertaken in tandem with a bold economic transformation approach to propel their countries in to a high-income economy by 2020. The effective utilization and application of information and communications technology (ICT) across multi-faceted service delivery of internal and government operations. The developments of country’s future where the ICT implementation comprise a suite of service offerings and infrastructure development that support a fundamental shift towards a collaborative and co-operative arrangement of open consultation, open data, shared knowledge and expertise. The Malaysian Public Sector ICT Strategic Plan (2011-2015) provides the blueprint to accelerate the innovative utilization and development of ICT in readiness for the ever-changing service landscape facing their public sector. Is it our country really prepared for this to compete with our neighboring countries? Can we level up our ICT sector with them? How ready is our country to harness the fast phase and benefits of information and communications technology? Our country’s main department about ICT related issues is the ICTO (Information and Communications Technology Office) which is under the Department of Science and Technology which is the former Commission on Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The ICTO’s primary thrusts for 2011-2016 are in the areas of ICT Industry Development, E-government, ICT Policy Development, ICT infrastructure and Cyber security. As designated organization by our government ICTO will ensure the development and implementation of comprehensive program to sustained the growth and comprehensiveness of ICT industries segments and firms; formulate an integrated program to support the growth of the ICT industry in the regions; undertake the development of an industry-relevant curriculum in coordination with the industry, government and academe to enhance the competitiveness of the ICT workforce, formulate, recommend and implement a comprehensive and harmonized ICT promotions and advocacy programs. Facilitating ICTO’s mandate in formulation ICT policies, implementing ICT plans and programs, leading international ICT cooperation bodies, and other related functions is the ICT Governance Policy and Planning group, which take lead in multi-stakeholder policy development. Primary initiatives for the policy and planning includes; National Connectivity and Broadband Development Plan, Philippine Digital Strategy (PDS) Implementation Plan, Cyber security and Data Privacy, ICT Procurement Standards, Digital TV Migration, ICT Standardization and the Philippine ICT statistics Portal. Ensuring that ICT access and Internet opportunities are available for the entire country is made possible by the development of effective and sustainable and strategic ICT infrastructure. The ICT infrastructure Group through its various programs ensures that these connectivity requirements are met in an efficient and effective manner. These projects include the TV White Space Initiatives (TVWS), Government Fiber Core Network, Upgrade of National Microwave Network, Cloud Top e-Learning for Public Schools and Internet TV Testbed. With all the documents presented our country’s policies regarding in boosting our ICT development and infrastructure are impressive. But only question is that, is there will be enough budget that the government will provide to sustain these developments? We might left behind in many aspects with our neighboring countries in terms of ICT development but we can still move forward and have these implemented with the right manpower, policy and full support from our government and private sector as well. Recommendation for ICT Development We are all contributors to the development of the global economy. Globalization, which is made possible by the ICT revolution, has extremely changed the rules of the development of it. Efficiency more than ever is now an indicator of competitiveness to achieve our nations goals. Nations, corporations and people that find the means to become more efficient will advance and prosper. We all know that in our country ICT will be one of the major drivers for boosting economy, and as a critical tool for better governance, corporate performance and individual achievement as a Filipino. Our government’s should provide an enabling policy, legal and regulatory environment for the ICT development. This means that our government should act as a facilitator and its involvement should be predictable, developmental, transparent and efficient. With more transparency in government operations and diminishing corruption by placing more government data in the public domain using the Internet, thus increasing opportunities for public scrutiny. For government more improvement for ICT development they must build public trust, enhance citizen to participate in government projects and activities, improve government’s public services online, and improve country’s competitive ness thru more efficient government operations. Another factors that needs to give attention to our country’s ICT development are the private sectors, civic organizations and society, international organizations they the role and responsibility as well. There are some actions that need to implement in order for these organization to help on enhancing our ICT programs: * By providing knowledge tools and enhance capacity in industry sectors to take advantage the ICT. * Create an environment for job growth in ICT and ICT-enable job all over the country if possible. * Promote an environment that entices investments for ICT research, innovation, development & manufacturing In order to ensure the success and sustainability of ICT initiatives, investors should be enabled by ensuring their direct participation during its conceptualization, planning and implementation. These sectors have the role as well to provide investments, capitals and other resources. By this the project for the ICT sector will be higher change of success and sustainability if these are market-led, rather than government-led. Let us not also forget the LGUs, schools and other community organizations, they must be consulted and their specific requirements are determined. They as well have an active involvement to the operations in building the ICT of our country on their own respective area of jurisdiction. Many of us today use the Internet for a variety of reasons: e-mailing to connect with friends and family, for business and work correspondence, web-browsing for news, research and entertainment, and increasingly for richer media and applications, such as watching online TV, posting videos and photos, as well as creating Internet content through blogs and other interactive forum. Being able to use the Internet has become an important necessity to any social and work life. For many different reasons, there are also many Filipinos who are not able to access the benefits the Internet has to offer. Some cannot afford the Internet or computers; others do not know how to use the Internet; and there are parts of the country where there is no Internet service or even electricity available, such as in more rural areas. Not only is the possibility and ability to use the Internet important for individuals, but also for countries as a whole. In our globalized world, the connectedness and Internet capabilities of a country are important elements for its competitiveness. Developing the Internet, including to rural areas, leads to new opportunities for nonagricultural employment, better paying agricultural jobs and greater overall productivity. Access to the Internet also promotes small and microbusiness growth, allows people in remote areas to work from home, offers greater access to crop market prices and enables rural businesses perhaps to compete more successfully even in the world markets. As far as I can say creating Internet opportunities for all guarantees that the Philippines has an inclusive growth and helps eliminate poverty.