buy custom Perspectives on Teaching essay

buy custom Perspectives on Teaching essay The field of education has undergone innumerable historical changes, which have come to be from a revolution of various theoretical approaches on teaching. The issues in these perspectives range from the historical context of the students as well as teachers. For instance, various regions have divergent historical backgrounds on teaching. The issues experienced in various regions emerge into similar themes such as behaviorism and socialism, which cut across the field of teaching. Overall, historical and theoretically perspectives have affected teaching on classroom instruction. The influences brought about by theoretical and historical perspectives have been inevitable, thus the change we experience today in classroom instruction. They way schools operate in modern times is due to the historical changes, which the modern school program has adopted. A historical point view brought about the perception of school as colonial tool used by the imperial power to propel social stability, and sustain protest beliefs. The main goal of teaching during the colonial era was to ensure colonists learned how to read the scriptures. However, the requirement was strengthened by enactments, which made it mandatory for families in towns to pay a tutor to teach the young one how t read and write. For instance, the Massachusetts passed a law that facilitated children education in 1642. In 1647, the law was reinforced to ensure towns that consisted of more than fifty families embraced town schools system. This system dominated until 1635 when early schools were introduced which was the predecessor of the high school. The transition into grammar schools was entirely intended to put in order young men for the college education. The first such institutions were set up in Boston. Although the grammar schools system served a good transition for learners to college education, it had several limitatins. For instance, the curriculum comprised only of Latin and a few classical subjects. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. The increased demand for practical form of instructions for activities such as bookkeeping, engineering, navigation and foreign languages led to the growth of classified English grammar institution in the 1700s. The consequent historical developments on teaching led to the emergence of junior schools that offered practical instruction teaching. The main subjects taught in this approach included, commercial subjects, surveying English arithmetic, sciences and writing. In fact, the first junior school to exist dates backs to 1901. Developmental Psychology research findings during this period were conclusive that particular kinds of environment were better fitting for early adolescent learners. Consequently, the reaction of these findings was the development of junior high schools in the timely years of the twentieth century. These junior institutions provided a different curriculum, which was gender-specific, nurtured early abil ity-grouping prepared learners for high school. The junior schools were also responsible for promoting socialization (Alter, 1980). Indeed, the beginning of middle school was more phenomenal with a grade level structure. The movement that led to the rise of middle school was sort of philosophical position, but it undeniably introduced the individualized instruction teaching and teamwork. The modern schools are a combination of a wide range of trends and changes that preceded their advent. Therefore, most schools are in the category of comprehensive institutions whereby teachers give instructions to dissimilar groups of learners. It is noteworthy that schools are likely to remain community based since the issue of socialism is the root of schools, and possible change is gradual. Expectations for instructorrs and learners are on the rise in the future hence the suitable of self-contained classroom environment (Previts 1980). The advent of practical instruction teaching is argued to be the most effective method to observe behavior and determine where they are performing excellent and how best objectives can be met. The modern practical and viewpoints of teaching are linked to alternative methods. In this context, the theoretical circumstances vary. For instance, the experience of teachers shortage is more in rural areas than in urban centers. Personally, I have undertaken studies in both rural and urban institutions and experience the difference. In essence, the social, educational, cultural and practical purpose served by alternative teaching methods influence the credentialing guidelines. The geographical premises are quite significant in the issue of practices and beliefs that exist in a certain region since the characterization of schools is based upon its practices (Wise, 1972). In topical times, a lot of importance has been put on the duty of the society and professionals to ensure their commitments are of paramount benefit to the community. For instant, continuing instructors in nursing are required to explore all avenues that are likely to lead in learner behavior change. This is apparent to nursing professional since they are charged with the responsibility of eliminating abnormalities such mental retardation. It is necessary for nursing learners to undergone a transition in behavior change to fir the nursing specialty. Likewise, other professions also demand behavioral change to fit the professional requirement, which can be emulated as well. In conclusion, the historical and theoretical perspectives on teaching have had a lengthy transition, and future changes will be definitely steady if history is carefully consulted. Buy custom Perspectives on Teaching essay

Case Study of a specific Advertising Campaign Essay

Case Study of a specific Advertising Campaign - Essay Example Following this, the company launched its ‘Happy to Help’ campaign, featuring the popular Hutch mascot (a Pug) and offering excellent customer service to its subscribers. This too was an effort in vain as people still connected the pug to the old brand, counteracting the company’s efforts to establish their presence in the country. This left Vodafone in a difficult situation where they needed to bring out their own mascot which would win over the hearts of the people while simultaneously communicating their USPs to their target audience. As explained by Harit Nagpal, the then Chief Marketing Officer of Vodafone India in an interview to afaqs (2009), Vodafone was acquiring customers at a very fast pace, but a large number of them were unaware of the value added services offered by their telecom service provider. Some of these services, like phone backup, had been available for over two years without being used much. Thus, the marketing team at the organisation felt a need to showcase their array of products and services, build an emotional bond with their customers and still be positioned as a market leader. It was this need that led to the creation of India’s most loved brand mascot in a decade. Conceptualizing the Campaign When in trouble, you turn to your best friend. If Vodafone India had a best friend, it was their multi award-winning ad agency Ogilvy and Mather, which was tasked with coming up with a new mascot and ad campaign to accomplish these goals. According to an interview with Rajiv Rao, Executive Creative Director, South Asia, Ogilvy India, the only brief given to the agency about the desired mascot was that the character had to be ‘simple to a stupefying level’ (afaqs 2009). After much experimentation, the agency came up with characters with humungous ellipsoid heads (with dots for eyes and the mouth) and disproportionately thin bodies clad in white. These ‘Zoozoos’ were simple living characters who spoke a language of their own (quite akin to the tongue of gibberish) and expressed emotions in a manner similar to the emoticons one came across on chat engines and forums. The idea behind using these characters was to portray slightly comical and endearing scenes featuring these Zoozoos where each scene or advertisement was used to portray one value added service to the customer. Each film was shot against a grey background, showing these characters interacting with each other with the product story weaved in. The Beginning of the Campaign Once they were done creating a mascot for an extremely ambitious purpose and shooting advertisements with extremely high expectations, the agency had the unenviable task of deciding when, where and how to launch this campaign. The company’s investment in the previous year’s ‘Indian Premier League’ cricket tournament had failed to make much of an impact on the target audience despite the series shattering the countr y’s television rating records for the past half decade. Therefore, it came as a surprise to most that the agency recommended investing an entire quarter’s advertising budget into the 47 day tournament and that the client complied (4Ps Business and Marketing, 2007). While the company took a huge risk choosing to invest in a venture that had already failed them in the recent past, they incorporated one significant change in their advertising strategy. The idea now was to

We Steal Secrets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

We Steal Secrets - Assignment Example Certainly one notable fact is that the title of the documentary has something that sounds like a disrespectful slogan for the embattled WikiLeaks organization. Actually, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the National Security Agency ex-director is the one who speaks out the expression â€Å"we steal secrets.† Gen. Michael V. Hayden does this when he tries to explain how the activities of the government, which involve secrets, require absolute secrecy. The unanticipated basis of the quote is simply not a curiosity, since it lies at the heart of twinned stories of the documentary and WikiLeaks. The documentary gives an explanation of what took place when Julian Assange came up with the WikiLeaks project with the purpose of circulating sensitive documents from unidentified contributors, and when a forlorn private Army, Bradley Manning, took the chance WikiLeaks made to air the dirty laundry of the military (Dir. Gibney, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks). Furthermore, the documentary is a story of absolutist ideals that appeared somehow sour and of private distress in search of a channel, with drastic results. Alex Gibney’s account of this latest history tries to map out a kind of double misfortune. The documentary, which takes over two hours, shuffles among the well-revealed story of WikiLeaks, directed by the arrogant Mr. Assange; Private Manning’s far more persuasive afflictions involving sexual distinctiveness; and some strong but overlapping critics. The extensive treatment does not have the drive the documentary maker has depicted elsewhere, and the story feels prolonged to comprise an obviously prized interrogation with one of the two females who have made claims of sexual assault crimes against Mr. Assange. The woman with a partly hidden face plays a role in the documentary’s central, basic pivot regarding Mr. Assange, whose web site, the WikiLeaks, also supplied sensitive

Treatment and Quality of Life of Heart Failure Patients

Treatment and Quality of Life of Heart Failure Patients Compliance to treatment and quality of life of Sudanese patients with heart failure Mugahed AL-khadhera,*,Imad Fadl-Elmulab ,Waled Amen Mohammed Ahmedc Abstract Background: Heart failure is known to decrease the quality of life, especially in non-compliance patients with regards to medications and life style changes. Objective: The present study aimed to determine the level of compliance to treatment and quality of life of Sudanese patients with heart failure. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 76 patients with heart failure admitted to the Sudan Heart Institute. Demographic and clinical data including the compliance (medication, sodium restriction, fluid restriction, daily weights, exercises, and appointment-keeping) were collected. The quality of life was measured using the Minnesota living with heart failure Questionnaire. The data were collected from all patients and the analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Results: Heart failure patients showed low compliance ranged between 11.84% and 75% of which the highest compliance was to medication (75%) followed by the follow-up appointments (71.05%), and the lowest compliances were to the fluids restrictions (11.84%), the weight monitoring (17.10%), regular exercise (21.05%), and the sodium restriction (27.6%). Quality of life score ranged between 62-97 score and the Mean (SD) 83.6 (7.82) which reveled of poor quality of life in most of Sudanese patients with heart failure involved in the present study. Conclusion: The study showed that patients with heart failure in Sudan have low compliance to treatment and poor quality of life. Key words Heart Failure, Treatment Compliance, Quality of life, Sudan Introduction: Heart failure incidence increases with age, increase from approximately 20 per 1000 individuals with age 65 to 69-year-old to more than 80 per 1000 individuals aging 85-year-old (1). In fact few epidemiological data on heart failure in Sudan exists and the recognition of the disease as a major health issue remains questionable, the prevalent of heart failure accounts for 2.5% of the population, and hence it is one of the major causes of hospital mortality (2). The WHO defined adherence as extent a person’s behavior –taking drugs, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle modifications, follow the agreed recommendations from a health care providers (3). Poor compliance â€Å"noncompliance† usually refers to patients’ failure to follow health interventions as recommended by the health care provider, but it can also refer to the providers’ failure to act according to practice guidelines or standards of care(4). The factors affecting the compliance could be divided into patient-related factors, regimen-related factors, and health care providers-related factors (5). Non-compliance to medications and diet contributes in many cases to worsening heart failure symptoms. The compliance to prescribe medications or other caregivers recommendations such as lifestyle changes is a widely acknowledged problem leading to hospitalization ((6-8). The non-compliance of HF patients is a major problem and remains to be a continuous source of concern for patients. It is mainly for diet and fluid, daily weight and exercises (9). Quality of life (QOL) is defined as the individual’s unique cognition and a way to express feelings about his/her health status(10).Moreover, QOL is a good predictor of mortality and the need for hospitalization (11-13). Patients in class II and III heart failure of New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification cannot normally do their daily activities (9). Although, several studies on compliance of HF patients and their quality of life have been performed worldwide, to our knowledge this is the first ever study conducted in Sudanese HF patients, aimed to assess the compliance to treatment and quality of life in Sudanese patients with heart failure. Materials and Methods This descriptive study was conducted on 76 patients with heart failure admitted to the Sudan Heart Institute. A total of 76 Sudanese HF patients were randomly selected from Sudan Heart Institute in Khartoum, January-March 2014. The patients participated were above 20 years, confirmed diagnosed as heart failure by the cardiologist at least a month, already start HF treatment, in class II or III heart failure of NYHA, and with ability to communicate. The questionnaire consists of 36 questions of which 10 for demographic and clinical data, 5 questions for compliance, and 21 questions for quality of life. Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records and/or by interviews. The demographic data included age, gender, educational level, and marital status, whereas clinical variables include left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), previous hospitalization in the past three months, and duration of HF. Revised HF Compliance Questionnaire was used (14), on a five-point scale (1=‘never’; 2= seldom; 3= half of the time; 4 =mostly; 5=‘always’) (15). the participant’s compliance to medications, diet, fluid restriction, exercise, weight, and appointment keeping was evaluated by asking patients to rate their compliance of the last week (drugs, diet modifications, fluid restriction, and exercises), the last month (daily weighing), and the last 3 months (appointment keeping) before hospitalization. The patients were divided into two groups; either compliant or noncompliant (16-19). Patients were considered ‘overall compliant’ the compliance with four or more of the six recommendations.(20) (Table 2). The quality of life data were collected and measured using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire after translated to Arabic language (9). This instrument used most widely to evaluate quality of life in research studies (21-24) .Which Contains 21 questions and overall score of 105 (521) with possible answers ranging from 0 (no) to 5 (very much), (0= no; 1= Very Little ; 2= little: 3= moderate; 4= much; 5= very much). The final score is the sum points obtained for the 21 questions; it can therefore vary between 0 and 105. It evaluates how heart failure affects patients ‘physical (8 questions), emotional (5 questions), and socioeconomic (8 questions) dimensions (25). The sum of responses reflects the overall effects of heart failure and treatments on individual’s quality of life (9). Data was presented using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean with standard deviation (SD) and P-value of ≠¤0.05 was considered statistically significant for relationship investigations. Ethical approval was obtained from Al Neelain Ethical committee at Al Neelain University. All patients signed an informed consent before participate in the study. Results The study showed that out the 76 patients, 63.2% were male and 36.8% were female; the mean age was 61.4  ±13.5 years. The education levels were 34.2% of patients were illiterate, 32.9% had completed primary school, 19.7% secondary school, and 13.2% had university graduation (Table 1). Although the vast majority of the patients were chronic patients with diagnosis for more than 5 years, the participant ask to define what is the heart failure? Only 24% had basic conscious about their disease, the remaining 76% of patients had no idea what the heart failure is. Overall compliance among the patients was 28.95%, whereas 71.5% of the patients were classified as non-compliant. Of those compliance with medication was 75% and 70% compliance with appointment-keeping. In general most patients showed low compliance with diet restriction (27%), exercise (21%), weighing (17%), and fluid restriction (11%) (Table2). The quality of life data showed that poor quality of life, the score ranged from 62-97 score /105, and the Mean (SD) quality of life was 3.2 (1.3) which reveled of poor quality of life in most of Sudanese patients with heart failure involved in the present study .There is statistically significant in compliance and quality of life (p value= 0.002) in compression with patients who is noncompliant. Also statistically significant with improved NYHA classification, LVEF and quality of life (pTable 3). (Table.1): Demographic and clinical variables of the study population (n=76) in Sudan. (Table.2) Compliance (Medications, diet, Fluid restriction, Exercise, weight, and appointments keeping) in Sudan. (Table.3) Quality of life of heart failure patients in Sudan (N=76) Discussion The patients’ compliance in this study ranged between 11.84% and 75% of the patients. Although the differences in measurement instruments and differences in interventions, the result of the this study showed low compliance compared with other previous studies including knowledge of the patients about their illness, the hazard of high salt consumption, and the daily weighing. Study done by Baghianimoghadam MH, et al, reported that the disease knowledge in Iranian patients reached 38% (26), whereas our result showed that 76% of HF Sudanese Patients lack essential knowledge of their disease or what the heart failure is. According to definition of ‘overall compliance (16).The overall patients’ compliance of the present study was 28% compared with the study conducted by van der wal in which the overall compliance reached 72% of patients with HF(16). In the same study compliance with medication (98.6%), appointment keeping, salt restriction (79%), fluid restriction (73%), exercise (39%), and weighing (35%) where all higher compared with the results of the present study(16). Also the compliance level of present study is lower than Evangelista study which found higher levels of compliance more than 90% for (follow-up appointments, medications, smoking, and alcohol cessation), low compliance dietary 71% and exercise recommendations 53% (17). Medicati on compliance in the present study result is similar to the study done by kamlovi yayhd which found 74.7% that compliance to medication (27). This may be a reflection of lack of knowledge and training programs offered to HF patients in Sudan. The Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLWHFQ) showed that poor quality of life, the score ranged between 62-97 score /105, and the Mean (SD) quality of life was 83.6 (7.82) which reveled of poor quality of life in most of Sudanese patients with heart failure involved in the present study . It was also found that no correlation between age and quality of life (p value =0.925) ,this similar to study done by Kato N,et al (28), some studies found association between age and quality of life (29). We did not observe sex differences in quality of life ( p value =0.99 ), which similar to study done by Heo S, et al 2007 (29). But other studies have reported quality of life worse in female (30;31). Also we found marital status had no influence on QOL in our subjects (p value =0.34) , it is lower to study done by Luttik ML, which found differences in QoL between married patients and those living alone were most pronounced with regard to future expectations of QoL (6.5 vs 5.0, P=.00 (32). Our study shows there is statistically significant in duration of disease with QOL (p value =0.004), Also statistically significant with improved NYHA classification, LVEF and Quality of life (p In this study, the researcher found that total compliance was poor for HF Sudanese patients, compliance for drugs and appointments keeping were high but still in an unacceptable level. Compliance with diet, fluid restriction, activity and daily weighing was low. Also the study revealed that non-compliance negatively affects the quality of life of Sudanese HF patients. Based on result of present study, education and counseling are extremely needed to increased patients-knowledge about their disease, leading to more compliance and improvement of their quality of life.

Managing Church Conflict

Managing Church Conflict Conflict within Churches continues to be a problem (Tony Cartledge 2001), and it shows little sign of abating. In fact, the opposite could be much closer to the truth. Perhaps this is why so many in the ministry turn to the writings of Hugh Halverstgadt (2002), a ministry professor from Chicago. In the introduction to his book â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts†, Halverstgadt analyzes the personal and congregational reasons that provide the root causes, which can lead from minor disagreements to outright conflict. His book develops the theme that, as in many areas of life, to sensibly address these problems, ministries and churches globally need to institute a system of conflict management. Leading the reader through a step-by-step conflict management strategy, covering a wide range of typical scenarios, Halverstgadt leads us to his image of peace in churches based upon the notion of Shalom, which promotes the â€Å"right harmonious relationships to other human beings,† (Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1983).   The real question is whether the views held, and the solutions that Halverstgadt promotes to resolve conflict, address the situation. Halverstgadt’s preface asks the question â€Å"can Church conflict be Christian?† and argues that where it degenerates into a â€Å"dirty fighting† scenario, which is not uncommon, this is perhaps not the case. To address this he suggests that ways of turning such disputes into a â€Å"fair† Christian fight need to be found. However, he accepts that there is no need for the Church to fear conflict, provided it is engaged in a manner of fairness. He provides an insight into the reasons conflicts, identifying that essentially the foundation for all conflict is power and that power turns to conflict once its balance is disturbed. Such disturbances can one sector seeks to promote its power in a way that other may perceive would result in a weakening, and therefore limiting or reducing, the power that they think they should enjoy. As, in the case of the Church, most conflicts are deemed centered round power battles within the congregation itself, the book promotes the theory that it falls to the pastor or minister to take on the mantle of conflict manager. It suggests that to successfully take on and execute the role, the manager will needs to reassess their own ideas and beliefs in terms of conflict and their reactions to a situation that arises. In effect, Halverstgadt is looking to the conflict managers to retrain themselves into this new role so that their approach will lead to a solution to the issue that will be acceptable to all of the parties concerned. He acknowledges that the force nature of such a role may be alien to the person, but counsels that as long as they approach it from a position of self-worth, a knowledge that one is a loved member of God’s and the communities family, others will respond positively to them. Part two of â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts† concentrates on the understanding of the issues that have given rise to the conflict, and analyzing these issues and the parties involved into their component parts. One of the first steps advocated is to set rules for the discussion of the conflict, which may mean reorganizing the current ways that existing systems of debates within the Church and its congregation are managed. Often, in conflict situations, both the root causes and indeed the participants in the dispute are not easily identifiable. Therefore, the book suggests that there is a need for the conflict manager to move between the disputing parties and draw them together in conversation that is open and productive. One of the first, and most important, steps in this process includes ensuring that the disagreements move from a â€Å"dirty fighting† stance, which is characterized by its personal direction and content, to an open discussion based upon the foundation of Christian ethics. Haverstadt suggests that it is only once all of these issues have been addressed that the ministry or pastor can move onto the next step, which is the task of managing the conflict and bringing about a resolution that is just, fair and brings about unity once again. Haverstadt further recognizes that managing a conflict situation is no easy task, even for the most experienced conflict manager, and that is has certain limitations. Therefore, in the second part of his book, he sets out a straightforward systematic process for the church mediator to follow.   How they can avoid damaging exchanges between the parties, partially by using the interpretations of faith on the issues, and seeking calmer methods of controlling the discussions. He further discusses ways in which this process should not be limited to just the main protagonists as this could bring about the arising of new conflicts, but include the Church community, so that everyone understands where the process is heading. Furthermore, recognizing that there are issues within the individuals involved that might be better served in private, he suggests that the using of a mentor, or coach, may be beneficial. This gives the individuals the opportunity to discuss those feelings on a personal basis, and to receive comfort and counseling from those appointed to assist them. The desire is that this will lead to a situation where parties can put forward the basis of their strategies and arguments in a positive and clearly defined manner. In the relative calmness of discussion that these moves are hoped to produce, Haverstadt’s book then attempts to deal with the subject of resolution itself, outlining the strengths and weakness of the possibility of trying to reunite the differences or achieving a negotiated settlement acceptable to all. The whole focus or aim of the procedures that Haverstadt’s book promotes is the perception that, by following the guidelines outlined, a position of shalom will be reached. Shalom, in the biblical understanding of the term, a vision which emphasizes the notion of a united, just community bound in pleasant relationships. Although this may seem to exclude discord and diverse viewpoints, as Haverstadt explains, this is not the case. Diversity in the vision of shalom is realized and accepted within an enthusiastic wish to maintain and restore relationships with others using the one abiding link between the congregation, namely their belief in God and the trilogy. Differences in this situation become part of the core strength of the community, rather than the influence that tears the community apart. Result To the extent that the focus of Halverstgadt’s interpretation that the causes of Church conflict are produced by a clashing of power bases, there is little evidence to argue against his findings. If one looks at the development of the Christian Church over the centuries since it’s birth with the death of Christ, the power theory is evidently supported. From a that one focus, Christianity, one has seen it develop into a multi-faceted structure, with the only link, and that somewhat precarious, being the core belief in the trilogy. Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Methodist, amongst a host of Churches, ostensibly promote the same message, all offering the same vision for the salvation of the human being. Yet, when reflecting about each other, the divisions are obvious, sometimes almost vitriolic in their expression. Historically, it is clearly demonstrated that these divisions resulted from a conflict of power. A typical example is the way in which the King of England separated the Anglican Church from the Church of Rome. Halverstgadt’s promotion of the use of conflict management in an effort to resolve Church conflicts, by providing a calm and common sense vehicle through which issues can be identified and resolved is laudable. Such systems have been used as an integral part of human resource management in business for a number of years, often with much success. However, like all strategies, it has its limitations. Successful conflict management in a community relies upon all the protagonists having the same goals. Business is possibly unique, in that all involved have a tangible focus for conflict management, the business itself. The difference with Church conflicts is that although much of the dispute is about power, it also rests in emotions and non-tangible ideas and beliefs. For example, some of the congregation would promote the idea that the Church should accumulate wealth, so that it can promote its message from a position of strength, others promote the idea that strength of message is better served and more honest from a position of meekness. Conclusion My opinion of this book is that it will serve as a good foundation for dealing with Church conflicts in a number of instances, the main areas to benefit from this good will be concentrated on a parochial basis. At the level where major conflicts occur, as identified in the example of conflict between King of England and the Church of Rome, the power driven differences are too embedded within the psyche of the dominators of the various factions for mediation to be truly successful. In addition, whilst the vision of Shalom is a worthy target for all communities, particularly in Churches, such is the nature of the Human Being that it is unlikely the culmination of this vision will come to fruition. My conclusion therefore is that, whilst the book provides valuable direction from which the Church, its concentration and examples are too localized to make a significant impact upon the area where it is needed most, namely the hierarchy of the various religious sects themselves. References Halverstgadt, Hugh. F. (1992). Managing Church Conflict. Westminster/John Knox Press. U.S. Cartledge, Tony. W.   ed. (2001). Church conflict a common problem. Biblical Recorder. North Carolina. U.S.A. Wolterstorff, Nicholas (1983). Until Justice and Peace Embrace Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. p 70.               

Learning from LeapFrog Essay

1. What was the Leapfrog business model at the time that the company launched its first products and services? How did the business model change over time? 2. Who are LeapFrog’s key stakeholders? How does LeapFrog deliver value to each of these stakeholder groups? 3. At the time of the case, Leapfrog had become the #3 consumer toy company in the U.S. behind #1 and #2, Mattell and Hasbro respectively. What factors contributed to Leapfrog’s success? Do you expect the success to continue in the future? 4. What challenges and opportunities does the company face in early 2003? Would you buy stock in Leapfrog? Why or why not? As an independent member of the company’s board of directors, what would you expect of management in the short-term and long-term? How would you fulfill your fiduciary duties to the company’s shareholders? Canyon Ranch 1. What is the value of customer information to Canyon Ranch? 2. As CIO, how would you make the case for customer relationship management (CRM) and business intelligence (BI) systems at Canyon Ranch? 3. What impact would you anticipate these systems to have on the Canyon Ranch strategy and capabilities? 4. What advice do you have for Canyon Ranch executives? Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO 1. What will be the biggest obstacles faced by the business intelligence implementation as it expands throughout SYSCO? 2. Why did SYSCO decide to initially address only two questions with its new BI software, rather than using it as a more general analysis tool in the operating companies? Why did Business Objects recommend this approach? What are its strengths and weaknesses? 3. Will effective use of BI software ever be a competitive differentiator for SYSCO? Wouldn’t it be straightforward for another food service company to also purchase and implement similar software? 4. How much software should Day purchase at this time? Boeing’s e-Enabled Advantage 1. What challenges and opportunities did Boeing face in the late 1990s? 2. What is the e-Enabled Advantage? How did it link to the company’s strategy? 3. What advantages would such an approach give Boeing? 4. What challenges did Boeing face in executing such a radical new strategy? CareGroup 1. Describe the health care context in which the case occurs. 2. List several strengths of the IT environment at CareGroup. 3. On the other hand, list several weaknesses that led to the collapse. 4. Evaluate carefully the 10 lessons that John Halamka learned from the experience. What are the pros and cons of each of these lessons? Are there other learnings that come from this situation? The IPremier Company: Denial of Service Attack 1. How well did the IPremier Company perform during the seventy-five minute attack? If you were Bob Turley, what might have you done differently during the attack? 2. The IPremier Company CEO, Jack Samuelson, had already expressed to Bob Turley his concern that the company might eventually suffer from a â€Å"deficit in operating procedures.† Were the company’s operating procedures deficient in responding to this attack? What additional procedures might have been in place to better handle the attack? 3. Now that the attack has ended, what can the IPremier Company do to prepare for another such attack? 4. Describe the ethical implications of not being sure if credit card numbers had been stolen. What options do you have in the struggle to be an ethical vendor, yet to stay in business? What actions would you take? 5. In the aftermath of the attack, what would you be worried about? What actions would you recommend? Strategic Outsourcing at Bharti Airtel Limited 1. What must Bharti do well to succeed in the Indian mobile phone market? What are Bharti’s core competencies? 2. Do you think Bharti should enter the outsourcing agreements outlined by Gupta? What do you see as advantages and disadvantages of such agreements? How do the different outsourcing agreements work towards building these core competencies? 3. If you were Bharti, what major concerns would you have about entering an outsourcing agreement with IBM? With Ericsson, Nokia, or Siemens? 4. How would you structure the agreements to address your concerns and capture any advantages you have identified? What governance mechanisms would you design for the agreements? 5. Assume the role of IBM or Nokia. What major concerns would you have about entering an agreement with Bharti? How would you structure the agreement and the governance mechanisms? VW of America: Managing IT Priorities 1. What is your assessment of the new process for managing priorities at Volkswagen of America? Are the criticisms justified? Is it an improvement over the old process? 2. Who controls the budgets from which IT projects are funded at Volkswagen of America? Who should control these budgets? Should the IT department have its own budget? 3. How should Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? 4. What should Matulovic do about the unfunded Supply Flow project? The ITC eChoupal Initiative 1. What was ITC’s motivation for creating the eChoupal? 2. What were the old and new physical flows and information flows in the channel? 3. What principles did it employ as it built the newly-fashioned supply chain? 4. What barriers did ITC face in embarking on this project? 5. How should ITC develop this platform for the future?

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