Ducati Essay Example

Ducati Essay Example Ducati Essay Ducati Essay Ducati Q) How did Ducati become a profitable motorcycle maker despite its small scale? Before its takeover by the American private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG), Ducati went from being one of the top manufacturers of the high performance sport motorcycle industry to being on the verge of bankruptcy. TPG identified Ducati as a high end product with enormous potential for growth but realized that serious change was required if Ducati was to ever fulfill this potential. TPG decided to appoint Federico Minoli, an expert in turnaround management as the CEO of Ducati. When Minoli arrived he saw that the company had no distinct overriding strategy, there was no management structure and no set goals to guide the direction the company would take. The first thing that Minoli did was revamp the entire management team, he looked for personnel that were not only talented but would also be passionate about Ducati. He believed that these characteristics, combined with very little internal rigidity would lead to creative decision making by his management team. Ducati had everything that it required to be successful in its market niche of high performance sports motorcycles; It had a top notch uniquely beautiful product, a world class team of passionate designers and engineers and a brand name with very strong potential. Its customer base was one of the most loyal in the motorcycle industry with about 56% expressing repeat purchase intentions. All Ducati needed was a direction. Minoli set 2 targets; double digit growth and to reach Harley’s profitability levels the highest in the industry. At that point Ducati faced two alternative strategies it could either focus on its product or focus on the Ducati brand. The first strategy would mean designating all of Ducati’s energy on producing a better, faster and more powerful product. However Minoli deliberated that Ducati was not about having the fastest bike with the most powerful engine; it was about the unique feeling, the unique sound, the dream, the passion that is evoked by a Ducati. This focus on the brand, the â€Å"World of Ducati†, was going to be Ducati’s fundamental strategy. This fundamental strategy combined with a very vigorous effort to increase its market share, improve overall quality, reduce all inefficiencies and significantly cut down on costs was to be the basis of the future success of Ducati. The 5 signature features that every motorcycle was going to have, that were going to collectively represent the universal image of Ducati were the desmodromic distribution system, the L-twin engine, the tubular trestle frame, the Italian style and Ducati’s unique sound. Previously, Ducati produced only sport motorcycles, specifically hyper sport, super sport and naked. These bikes were based on high performance and superior design and were geared towards younger customers. Ducati decided to expand in the sport touring category in order to produce bikes that were going to cater to an older population. Ducati also decided to introduce more variety in each of the categories by introducing both higher and lower end models. This proved to have a very good impact on revenues as it enabled them to cater to more price sensitive customers and at the same time, charge premiums of up to 30% on some of their higher end and more ‘exclusive’ models. Furthermore, Ducati made a lot of improvements in the use of its side businesses of spare parts, accessories and apparel. Both production and distribution of spare parts was outsourced to 2 companies in the local Emilian mechanical district. This led to an increase in availability, more efficient distribution and better prices which meant a significant increase in revenues from spare parts. On the accessories and apparel side it offered custom made components to improve performance and customization of the bikes, high performance racing gear and fashionable apparel which represented the style and exclusivity of Ducati. It soon became the second most successful brand in motorcycle accessories and apparel, only led by Harley. By 1999 Ducati, despite its small size, became the most efficient producer of sport motorcycles in the world. Ducati had managed to successfully establish itself as a producer of high quality, reliable and stylish motorcycles. They did this through an aggressive outsourcing policy, using strict supplier criteria, using the platform approach to production and by leveraging the advantages of being located in the highly sophisticated Emilian mechanical district. Ducati outsourced around 87% of their production, which was the highest in the industry. By outsourcing to highly specialized components producers in the Emilian district Ducati could focus on the key value adders such as design, RD, the production of strategic parts and quality control. Ducati was very selective and placed great emphasis on the quality of its suppliers, so its number of suppliers decreased from 200 to 130. It typically identified at least 2 suppliers for each component and signed only short term contracts with them. This provided Ducati with a pool of highly competitive and dedicated suppliers. A big factor in the efficiency of the production process was the platform approach to production. Ducati would divide motorcycles into a small number of large components which would consist of smaller subcomponents. A key supplier would then be made responsible for a component and managing the suppliers for the respective subcomponents. Heavy investment in RD was made and an internal design division (Ducati Design Centre) was created which led to a 50% decrease in time to market for product launches. These approaches combined with a very high level of standardization – Ducati only used 2 crank cases and 3 cylinder heads in making all of its motorcycles – proved to be extremely profitable as they enabled Ducati to successfully reduce costs, increase quality and efficiency all while preserving the essence of Ducati. Ducati also launched a new 3 step distribution strategy in line with the firms overall branding strategy. Firstly, it took control of distribution and marketing in strategic markets by creating subsidiaries. Then, it revamped its network of dealers, instead of focusing on quantity it started placing greater emphasis on factors such as quality of services and showrooms greatly reducing the number of dealers. And lastly, it created a chain of â€Å"Ducati Stores† in major cities across the world which provided superior technical assistance and emphasized Ducati’s unique and exclusive brand image. The new distribution strategy combined with the unique â€Å"World of Ducati† strategy proved to be a hit as Ducati’s market share grew and the company reaped the benefits. Ducati launched its first global marketing campaign in 1998 called â€Å"Ducati People† which focused on all the characteristics that really identified Ducati; the Italian style, the history, the young and fashionable customers. It also initiated many marketing campaigns with fashionable brand names such as DKNY and Harrods and was really successful in establishing itself as a designer motorcycle. Its state of the art Ducati museum in Bologna which gets around 10,000 visitors a year is another symbol of the fashionable and exclusive â€Å"World of Ducati†. Similar to the â€Å"Harley Davidson owner’s club† Ducati also tried to create a â€Å"Ducati owner’s club† and held yearly events to create hype and interest in the brand. It also offered Ducati club members exclusive access to Ducati Race teams through various social events and dinners. In conclusion Ducati, through the implementation of a set strategy of focusing on its brand, combined with structural changes in production and distribution was able to not only retain but successfully expand its market niche and establish itself as a successful and profitable motorcycle maker.

Sodium in Water Chemistry Demonstration

Sodium in Water Chemistry Demonstration The sodium in water chemistry demonstration illustrates the reactivity of an alkali metal with water. This is a memorable demonstration that creates a spectacular reaction for students. Still, it can be performed safely. What to Expect A small piece of sodium metal will be placed in a bowl of water. If a phenolphthalein indicator has been added to the water, the sodium will leave a pink trail behind it as the metal sputters and reacts. The reaction is: 2 Na 2 H2O → 2 Na 2 OH- H2(g) The reaction is especially vigorous when warm water is used. The reaction may spray out molten sodium metal and the hydrogen gas may ignite, so use proper safety precautions when conducting this demonstration. Safety Precautions Never use a piece of sodium larger than a pea or pencil eraser.Wear safety goggles.Perform the experiment behind a clear safety barrier or at a distance from the students. Materials Sodium metal stored under mineral oilA 250 mL beaker, filled halfway with waterPhenolphthalein (optional) Procedure Add a few drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the water in the beaker. (Optional)You may wish to place the beaker on an overhead projector or video screen, which will give you a way to show the reaction to students from a distance.While wearing gloves, use a dry spatula to remove a very small chunk (0.1 cm3) of sodium metal from the piece stored in the oil. Return the unused sodium to the oil and seal the container. You can use tongs or tweezers to dry the small piece of metal on a paper towel. You may wish to allow the students to examine the cut surface of the sodium. Instruct the students that they can look at the sample but must not touch the sodium metal.Drop the piece of sodium into the water. Immediately stand back. As water dissociates into H and OH-, hydrogen gas will be evolved. The increasing concentration of OH- ions in the solution will raise its pH and cause the liquid to turn pink.After the sodium has reacted completely, you can flush it with water and rinse it down the drain. Continue to wear eye protection when disposing of the reaction, just in case a bit of unreacted sodium remained. Tips and Warnings Sometimes this reaction is performed using a small piece of potassium metal instead of sodium. Potassium is even more reactive than sodium, so if you make the substitution, use a very small piece of potassium metal and expect a potentially explosive reaction between the potassium and water. Use extreme caution.

Architecture and Disjunction-book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Architecture and Disjunction-book review - Essay Example According to Nikos A. Salingaros; an Australian born critic, mathematician and polymath known for his work on urban theory, architectural theory, complexity theory, and design philosophy and a close collaborator of the architect and computer software pioneer Christopher Alexander, the genuine architectural theory must have developed through two ways: the approach based on solutions that work historically and â€Å"not surprisingly, this strand turns to traditional architecture, using its typologies in an innovative manner. Architects ignorant of this strand of architectural theory misjudge it, falsely thinking that it merely copies older models, whereas in fact, it is using a well- developed vocabulary to generate novel solutions.† (Salingaros, para. 5). While the second the approach is based on science. â€Å"Here, models from biology, physics, and computer science are used to explain how architectonic form emerges, and why human beings react in certain predictable ways to d ifferent structures.† (Salingaros, para. 5) Salingaros urges that there can be enough authors, like Christopher Alexander, Leon Krier and Bernard Tschumi, those architectural writings are based on scientific facts and form a nucleus from which the architectural topic can be built and their works can be considered as a genuine architectural theory. He gained his basic education in Paris and then moved to the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich where he received his degree in architecture in 1969 (Biography, 2005).

Midshires College of Midwifery and Nursing Essay

Midshires College of Midwifery and Nursing - Essay Example The Steering Group had a total of 24 members derived from ten local Health Authorities, the NHS Hospital Trust and the Regional Health Authority. The members had various capacities such as General Managers, Chief Nursing Officers and some were representatives. The inclusion of General Managers from the ten Health Authorities was important since the five colleges provided services to hospitals in the ten Health Authorities. Their views, therefore, were needed to ensure that the creation of Midshires College of Midwifery and nursing becomes a success. The Steering Group had one main objective, which was amalgamating the five different colleges of midwifery and nursing. Although the Steering Group had a clear objective and the members needed to achieve its objective, it faced various problems in the process of creating Midshires College. The first problem encountered during the process of amalgamating the five colleges was the uncertain future regarding the demand for nurse education. T he number of nurses needed, and their functions in the health sector in the coming future were not clear. In this case, it was certain that nurses’ jobs faced a threat. If formed, Midshires College would face the problem of not admitting enough students to purse the midwifery and nursing course. The future of nursing jobs was measured in terms of population growth and establishment of new hospitals. It was only natural that when creating a new college, it had to accommodate more students than the other five colleges accommodated in total. However, there was a low demand for more nurses in the future market (Hughes et al, 2009). The second problem experienced when creating Midshires College was a conflict of interest between members in the Steering Group and the new college to be formed. In the five colleges, the General Managers were charged with the task of providing nursing education. It was apparent that, the new college, Midshires, if created could not rely on direct nurs e education services from the General Managers. The General Managers had the option of putting up a tender, which could see to it that they secure the contract of training nurses in the college. The objective and goal, which Midhires College was based on, contradicted both the intentions and interests of General Managers who formed the Steering Group. The creation of Midshires College faced a challenged, which came from the same people who were supposed to oversee its creation. A definite competition was on the rise, as it was seen when an organization to compete with the new college in terms of availing post-experience nurse education was formed by two Health Authorities. The Steering Group had the intention of frustrating efforts that the new college was making in order to provide post-experience courses. It is worth noting that the Steering Group was all along protecting its interests, through lamenting that if the new college provided post-experience courses then 30% of the five colleges’ staff would lose their jobs. Creating the new college became a challenge since members in the Steering Group were opposing change, which would affect jobs and provision of nursing education (Hughes et al, 2009). The third problem came as a result of the expectation that a higher educational institution would validate qualifications achieved from Midshires College, which was on the verge of formation. It was also expected that, in the end, Midshires College

Measuring Happiness Levels in Mumbai: Methodology

Measuring Happiness Levels in Mumbai: Methodology Methodology Happiness has been defined either as a broad notion of how one feels about their life in general or as an emotional or affective state. Depending on the way researchers define the concept, there have been variable attempts at measurement. With decades of research, we have a better understanding of how to measure the happiness of others. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods appears to be most productive. (Helm, 2000) This chapter illustrates the methodology followed, tools used and ethical guidelines followed during the study. The following are the research objectives of the study. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To determine the level of happiness among the residents of Mumbai To assess the mental healthcare facilities in the city To find out If there is any correlation between mental health and happiness among the residents of Mumbai On the basis of these research objectives, the following methodology was formulated. Quantitative measurement of happiness Over the past two decades there have been an increasing number of quantitative studies of happiness and well-being. In particular, there have been ongoing debates on whether happiness can be measured, whether it should be measured, how it should be measured and what are the factors affecting it (Ballas Tranmer, 2012).Psychologists and sociologists have used subjective questions regarding individuals’ happiness for over three decades. Cantril (1965) developed a question for life satisfaction. Similar question modules include the Likert (1932)-scale and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). See also Bradburn (1969). The answer to these subjective questions has been indiscriminately termed ‘happiness’, ‘general satisfaction’ and ‘subjective well-being’. In the GSOEP the satisfaction question is: Please answer by using the following scale in which 0 means totally  unhappy, and 10 means totally happy. How happy are you at present with your life as a whole? Here, we call the response to this question the General Satisfaction (GS) level of the respondent. In this case, there are 11 numerical categories, but the question has also been posed with 7 or 5 categories or with verbal labels, such as ‘very happy/happy/so-so/somewhat unhappy/very unhappy’. The end result is invariably an ordered categorical evaluation of the quality of life of the individual.(Ferrer-i-Carbonell Frijters, 2004).The survey context, such as question order, introductory text and the survey source, can influence respondents’ understanding of individual questions within a survey, as well as the information that they draw on in order to answer those questions. In quantitative measurement, we measure the overall subjective well begin by quantifying certain constructs and concepts given below. Measurement of subjective well being Eudemonic questions like show happy are you with your life and how satisfied are you with your life have been asked to be rated on a cantril ladder. Subjective wellbeing is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions and global judgements of life satisfaction. Each of the specific constructs need to be understood in their own right ,yet the components often correlate substantially suggesting the need for the higher order factor.(Diener, Suh, Lucas, Smith, 2013). Quality of life is a broad term covering those aspects of overall well-being that are not captured only by material conditions(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). 12 different constructs were identified and worked upon to generate questions. The constructs namely are: education, employment, family, gender, health/lifestyle, personality/self-efficacy, relationships, work-life balance, communal living housing/income. Employment status – employment status is known to have a large influence on subjective  Well-being, with unemployment in particular associated with a strong negative impact on  measures of life satisfaction.(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). Hence 9 questions have been formulated on employment. Both physical and mental health are correlated with measures of subjective well-being (Dolan, Peasgood and White, 2008), and there is evidence that changes in disability status cause changes in life satisfaction (Lucas, 2007). Although health status is complex to measure in household surveys, there is a large pool of well-developed measures available, such as the health state descriptions from the World Health Survey (WHO, 2012), or more specialised question modules, such as the GHQ-12 for mental health (Goldberg et al., 1978). Environmental quality is inherently a geographic phenomenon, and integrating datasets on environmental quality with household level data on life satisfaction is costly. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that noise pollution (Weinhold, 2008) and air pollution (Dolan, Peasgood and White, 2008) have a significant negative impact on life satisfaction(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). Hence by merging both, 14 questions have been formulated beneath the heading Health/Lifestyle. There is significant evidence that aspects of work/life balance impact on subjective well-being, in particular commuting (Frey and Stutzer, 2008; Kahneman and Kruger, 2006), and time spent caring for others(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). To gauge its effect, 4 questions have been formulated on it. Education and skills have obvious interest both as variables for cross-classification and because there is good evidence that education is associated with subjective well-being at a bivariate level(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). To understand the effect and views of the respondent on education, 7 questions have been formulated. Generalised trust in others as well as more domain specific measures of neighbourhood and workplace trust are crucial factors when accounting for variation in subjective well-being(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013).Social contact is one of the most important drivers of subjective well-being, as it has a large impact both on life evaluations and on affect(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). 5 questions have been formulated under communal living. One of the most consistent and robust findings in the field of subjective well-being (SWB) is that the components of SWB are moderately related to personality. Like personality traits, SWB is consistent across situations and is stable across the life span, even after the occurrence of intervening life events(Diener Lucas, 1999). 7 questions have been formulated on personality. Subjective sexual well-being refers to the perceived quality of an individual’s sexuality, sexual life, and sexual relationships. We focus primarily on evaluations of sexuality in terms of satisfaction judgments, which have been central for studying the concept of overall wellbeing(Laumann et al., 2006). Some of these questions have been asked under relationships (4). The relationship and effect of familial relations, housing and income has also been captured by asking 8 questions on it. Satisfaction with life scale The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was originally developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen and Griffin (1985), and was intended as a brief assessment of an individual’s general sense of satisfaction with their life as a whole. Although the SWLS includes only five items, it has demonstrated good psychometric characteristics.(Pavot Diener, 2008) The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, Griffin,  1985) is a widely used measure of life satisfaction. The SWLS consists of five items  which are rated on a seven-point Likert-type response scale? Scores on the SWLS vary  from 5 to 35 and can be compared with the scores of an international norm group (see  Pavot Diener, 2008). According to Pavot and Diener (2008), various studies confirmed  the internal consistency of the SWLS (with alpha coefficients varying from .79  to .89) (Rothmann, 2013) The authors began the development of the SWLS by generating a pool of 48 items intended to reflect life satisfaction and well-being. From this original pool of items, factor analysis was used to identify 10 items with high loadings (0.60 or above) on a common factor interpreted as global evaluations of a person’s life. After the elimination of redundancies, this group of items was then further reduced to five items, with minimal effect on the alpha reliability of the scale. A 7-point Likert style response scale (ranging from 1 ¼strongly disagree to 7 ¼strongly agree) was utilized in order to afford respondents an array of response options. The five items are all keyed in a positive direction, so the five responses can simply be added to arrive at a total score for the scale. The possible range of scores is therefore 5 to 35, with a score of 20 representing the neutral point on the scale. Scores between 5 and 9 indicate that the respondent is extremely dissatisfied with lif e, whereas scores ranging between 31 and 35 indicate that the respondent is extremely satisfied with life. Scores between 21 and 25 represent slightly satisfied, and scores from 15 to 19 are interpreted as falling in the slightly dissatisfied range(Pavot Diener, 2008). Quality of life has become a primary concern in the evaluation of both the quality and outcome of health care (Moons, Budts, De Geest, 2006). In a review of different conceptual approaches of quality of life, Moons et al. (2006) found life satisfaction to be the most adequate and appropriate conceptualization, as it successfully addresses all of the conceptual problems they examined with regard to health-related quality of life.(Pavot Diener, 2008). In most ways my life is close to my ideal 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. The conditions of my life are excellent 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. I am satisfied with my life. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. Rating scale There are multiple scales, questionnaires and inventories of happiness. The following tools are mere examples: the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Depression-Happiness Scale and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale Of Happiness. These scales and other contain multiple items, most frequently from 10-130 items. A plethora of studies on happiness have used single item self-rating scales with different options , mainly the Likert scale which offers 5 or 7 choice point.(Abdel-Khalek, 2006). Much quantitative research within psychology relies upon the use of numerical scales and in the main Likert scales have emerged as the dominant measurement tool(Ogden Lo, 2012). Although providing respondents with a rating scale may seem straightforward, there  are many ways in which response formats can vary. There may be differences in the response formats that may be optimal for evaluative, eudemonic and affective measures. Evaluative and eudemonic measures are similar to attitude measures in that it may be preferable for the response format to contain information about both the direction of feeling (positive/neutral/negative or agree/disagree), as well as its intensity (strong-weak). In the case of affect measures, it is often desirable to measure positive and negative affective states separately. Thus, rather than asking about the direction (positive-neutral-negative) of affect, respondents are often given a single adjective (e.g. happy) and asked to describe either the intensity or the frequency with which they felt  that way within a given time period. This may in turn have implications for the optimal  number of response options, as well as response scale labelling and anchoring. There is, however, considerable debate around the optimal number of response  categories – and a very wide range of opinions is available in the literature (Weng, 2004,  for a brief summary). This number will depend on respondents’ information-processing  capacities and preferences, survey mode, scale labelling, and, to some extent, presentational  concerns and questionnaire length. Increasing the number of response categories beyond  the optimal length could result in loss of information, increased error and decreased  reliability, because the individual scale points will mean less to respondents. The increased  response burden associated with longer scales may also lead respondents to become less  motivated to optimise and more likely to satisfice in their answers, thus also increasing the  risk of response biases and error Bradburn et al. (2004) argue that, due to the burden on memory and attention, five categories is the maximum number that a respondent can process in a verbal interview setting (telephone or face-to-face) without visual prompts. Furthermore, when the response categories are qualitatively different from one another (rather than being imagined on a sliding scale), these authors suggest that four categories should be the upper maximum. On the other hand, Alwin and Krosnick (1991) indicate that respondents may prefer to have response options denoting weak, moderate and strong negative and positive evaluations (i.e. a 7-point scale) in part because these are the categories that people often use to describe attitudes and opinions in everyday life. For evaluative measures with numerical response scales, longer scales (up to around  11 scale points) often appear to perform better. Using a multi-trait-multi-method  design, Alwin found that across all 17 domains of life satisfaction measured, the 11-point scales had higher reliabilities than the 7-point scales. In 14 out of 17 cases, the 11-point scales also had higher validity coefficients; and in 12 of 17 cases, 11-point scales had lower invalidity coefficients, indicating they were affected less, rather than more, by method variance – I.e. systematic response biases or styles. This overall finding is supported by Saris et al. (1998) who used a similar multi-trait-multi-method analysis to compare 100-point, 4 or 5-point and 10-point satisfaction measures, and found that the 10-point scale demonstrated the best reliability. For affect measures, one might be interested in measuring either the intensity of feeling  or the frequency with which that feeling occurred. Measures of recently-experienced affect  are less like attitude measures, in that one is effectively asking respondents to remember a  specific experience or to sum experiences over a specific time period. The method adopted for this study due to paucity of time and level of research expected from us at master’s level is using a 7 point scale for affect measures and using cantril ladder for eudemonic measures. The 7 point scale ranged from strongly disagrees to strongly agree. Background characteristics Questions on the respondent’s background characteristics were collected in the beginning of the questionnaire. Information such as the following was collected. Age Gender Marital status Religion Education Work status Family income Number of years residing in Mumbai Native state Number of family members Number of earning members in family No of rooms in house Ownership of house Qualitative measurement of happiness One open ended question was asked in the beginning of the questionnaire i.e. what does happiness means to you? The aim was to explore what people equate happiness with and how does it affect their overall living. The use of qualitative assessment methods, such as open- ended questions, provides information about the participants’ perceptions, views and beliefs in their own terms, in contrast to using outside researchers’ definitions and categories, which is typical of quantitative inquiries (Denzin and Lincoln 2000). Qualitative data show an additional crucial feature: it is possible to convert them into quantitative scales for purposes of statistical analyses(Fave, Brdar, Freire, Vella-Brodrick, Wissing, 2010). The entire questionnaire was formulated in the following way Data collection sampling Some surveys with the household as the unit of measure rely on a single respondent (such  as the head of household) to provide responses for the household as a whole. This cannot be  used for measures of subjective well-being, since the cognitive process of evaluating and  responding with respect to one’s own subjective well-being is very different to that of providing an estimate of another householder’s state of mind. Responses to questions on subjective wellbeing are inherently personal, and consequently the unit of measure for subjective well-being must be the individual. While this will typically not be an issue for surveys where the individual is the primary unit of analysis(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). The two modes most commonly used to collect information on subjective well-being are Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), conducted by an interview over the telephone, and Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), where the interviewer is personally present when recording the data.(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013) Due to paucity of time, the mode was data collection was paper and pen method. The respondents were allowed to take the questionnaire home for a day and could be collected later based on their discretion. The sampling universe was people who had lived in Mumbai for more than 5 years and was targeted at literate working population. The sampling method chose was convenience sampling and the sample size is 200. Confidentiality and ethics Initially the respondents were informed about the purpose of the study and the collector’s identity and her affiliation to the institute. The confidentiality of the participants was not disclosed at any point during the course of the research. Furthermore, the respondents were assured that their responses would be used for academic purposes only.

Duties and Responsibilities of Ceo Essay

A chief executive officer (CEO) is the head of the company and is responsible for its overall success. Some CEOs are also members of the board governing the company, or boards with other organizations. They determine the policies that make up the structure of an organization, or its corporate governance Chairman of the Board A CEO often serves as chairman of the board of directors. The board conducts performance reviews on the CEO and other high-level executives and determines whether they are doing a good job running the company. The board has the power to hire and fire CEOs. As part of the board, a CEO provides input on where he sees the company heading, financially and strategically. Steve Jobs was both the chairman and CEO of Apple for many years. Industry Analysis To lead the company, the CEO must be knowledgeable about the industry. She attends or maintains a presence at conferences and has meetings with other executives to make deals and exchange information. This not only keeps her informed about upcoming events and opportunities like mergers, but also makes her aware of potential threats, like a new competing product line. Approve Annual Reports Annual reports are like a report card on a public company’s s financial status. The CEO writes a personal message that accompanies the report. The message is a summary of the entire report and states his thoughts on future goals, and how the company is progressing toward them. The letter is intended to inform stockholders about the company’s past and future performance. A CEO must verify that all the financial statements in the report are true and complete. Work With Other Executives A CEO must communicate with other high-level executives to make decisions. She often helps recruit candidates at this level since she will be working so closely with them. Although she typically receives input from officials such as the chief financial officer, the chief technology officer and the chief marketing officer, the CEO is the final decision maker on issues. She must clearly state her reasoning for decisions in a variety of formats such as presentations and company meetings. Effective communication reduces misunderstandings and makes employees feel secure about the company’s future. Determine Corporate Policies The CEO must know a lot about basic business topics so he can make decisions in a wide variety of  areas. He is required to have a master of business administration (MBA) degree and at least 10 years’ experience in business, preferably in the same industry, background elements that provide him with a broad base of knowledge. Among the things he’ll determine are when the company goes public, how many employees to hire or lay off, whether or not to merge with other companies and what companies to acquire. He must also make sure that company policies are clearly communicated to the right people in email, memo or newsletter formats.

Online Learning Essay - 954 Words

Should online courses be offered in more colleges? Today, there is a growing demand of students who are determined to pursue their education without having to go to school. The critics of online education argue that traditional teaching in classrooms is better than online education. However, online courses should be offered in more colleges. One of the reasons for online courses to be offered in colleges is level of comfort. In this case, students get less intimidated by some students around them in classrooms. Because there are students who smell bad and have rude personality, some students are likely to be uncomfortable around them and lose focus in class discussions. Additionally, students, especially ESL students who have a hard time†¦show more content†¦With online classes offered in institutions, students do not need to commute, and they are not prone to traffic to get to class. Melody Clark, the academic director of distance learning at Cincinnati University, Ohio, st ates that online courses lessen the need of students to bodily show up in class meetings like they normally do (Rowh). Furthermore, because course materials are accessible twenty four hours a day, students can access course materials anytime; therefore, they are able to re-read and revisit readings, assignments, and lectures. If students forget to read or do their assignments, they can easily go online and complete them day or night. Additionally, online classes are cost-effective to students. They get to save money from buying campus parking permits, bus tickets, and gas by taking online classes. Indeed, online courses should be offered in more colleges because students save time and money in taking these classes. Flexibility of learning is the major reason for online courses to be offered in more colleges. In this case, students get to choose classes that will fit in their schedule. Mothers, especially those who have not finished high school or college yet can continue learning through online education. Not only can they pursue their degree, but they can also take care of their kids at the same time. Moreover, for students who have full-time jobs, they get to maintain their job and learn as well. According to Rich Rice, assistant professor and extendedShow MoreRelatedThe Benefits Of Online Learning931 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the main benefits of online learning is a flexible schedule, providing a service who is easily available and quick, some on-line courses are available 24 hours. This is particularly helpful for users that for many reasons can’t undergo formal education, such as, mothers, workers, or even students trying to pursue different subjects. A flexible schedule becomes a key benefits for people when considering taking an on-line course as it allows the user to get rid of time limitations. 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