The Kite Runner/Life of Pi: the Foil

The Kite Runner/Life of Pi: The Foil In both The Kite Runner and Life of Pi, the relationship between the major character and a minor character—the foil—help to highlight the main character’s qualities, illuminating his traits to be seen in an extraordinary, nonstandard way. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini creates Hassan as the foil for Amir. Hassan’s character, as perfect as he is, causes Amir to pale in comparison, something that Amir channels throughout his life, governing his actions.Similarly, Yann Martel employs Richard Parker as the foil for Pi in Life of Pi. The strength and ferocity of the tiger emphasizes Pi’s hopelessness and fear. Pi utilizes these emotions to fight and continue living. In both novels, the foil character underlines the main protagonist’s characteristics and provokes certain feelings that ultimately determine his fate. In The Kite Runner, Hassan is Amir’s half-brother, best friend, and servant. His chara cter is nearly perfect—loyal, courageous, caring, kind, and selfless. He has no evil qualities.When compared to Hassan, Amir’s value and positive qualities fall flat and are seen as insignificant and mediocre. Even more, his bad features are amplified and made more prominent. Amir cannot live up to Hassan’s goodness. This inadequateness is put into words and exemplified through Baba, who declares that, â€Å"If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull [Amir] out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son† (Hosseini 23). Baba often treated Amir and Hassan equally, which was unusual because the Hazara was essentially their servant.If Amir asked for a big and fancy kite, Baba would buy it for him—but then he would buy it for Hassan as well (Hosseini 51). These displays of affection were later explained in that Baba was actually Hassan’s real father, but the effect they had had on Amir stuck. Amir was always desperately vying for his father’s love and approval. The fondness Baba treated Hassan with vexed and aggravated him. Without the knowledge of Hassan’s true parentage, Amir felt many flashes of jealousy and frustration—emotions that, compared with his own brother’s understanding and humility, projects him as criminal.The most prominent situation that highlights Amir’s character is when he witnesses Hassan being raped. The event leading up to the incident is of Hassan running after the final kite—just for Amir. He finds it, only to be cornered by Assef who demands the kite as retribution for the â€Å"rude manners† he showed him during and earlier incident (Hosseini 71). Hassan refuses, retorting back, â€Å"Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite† (Hosseini 72). He is assaulted in reply.Here, Hassan’s traits of extraordinary loyalty and courageousness are displayed; however, switc h the scope to Amir and the qualities revealed are the exact opposite. Amir witnessed the raping of his best friend and did nothing. He was afraid of getting hurt, afraid of losing Baba’s newly earned affections and simply ran away (Hosseini 77). When compared to Hassan, Amir’s qualities of selfishness and cowardice are highlighted and intensified. From the presence of Hassan, Amir’s selfishness and cowardice, in addition to his desire to be â€Å"good enough†, are not only emphasized, but acknowledged by Amir himself.These are the traits that ultimately drive him throughout his life. The recognition of the evil in himself coupled with his will to do good lead him to search for redemption—one of the main themes of the novel. With the immense guilt over Hassan’s rape pushing him forward, Amir lives his life stiffly until taking the move to America where he starts a new morally upright life, where he helps his father and marries a good woman, and then finally completely redeeming himself through returning to Afghanistan and saving Sohrab from Assef.By establishing Hassan as a foil character for Amir, Hosseini creates a domino effect in which his main character discovers himself, realizes he dislikes what he finds, and fights his way towards the â€Å"way to be good again†Ã¢â‚¬â€redemption. In Life of Pi, Pi’s fellow passenger throughout most of his time at sea is Richard Parker, a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. The wild, aggressive tiger initially places the sensitive, intelligent Pi in an immense state of fear. Pi is overwhelmed by terror over an animal known for its ferocity and power, an animal he’s seen viciously attack and devour a live goat (Martel 35).Richard Parker scares him witless. His main focus, then, is to survive this creature. Richard Parker’s intimidating nature at first reveals Pi’s initial sense of surrender and loss of faith and general humanity. â€Å"With a tiger on board, my life was over† (Martel 135). As he accepts the presence of the tiger, however, he becomes determined. Richard Parker’s animalistic nature rubbed off on Pi. In place of his slight loss of humanity arises a sense of instinctual will to live. â€Å"I will not die. I refuse it.I will make it through this nightmare† (Martel 148). He hatches â€Å"several plans to get rid of [Richard Parker]† and ultimately decides to tame him (Martel 157). The decision gives Pi a sense of purpose, a distraction from the hopelessness of his situation—stranded in the middle of ocean, completely and utterly alone. If he killed Richard Parker, Pi acknowledges that he â€Å"would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger† (Martel 164). He declares, â€Å"It was Richard Parker who calmed me down.It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare sa y even wholeness† (Martel 162). In the end, Pi was able to survive because of Richard Parker. He kept Pi from â€Å"thinking too much about [his] family and [his] tragic circumstances. He pushed [him] to go on living† (Martel 164). Richard Parker’s role as the foil character to Pi is characterized by the fear and determination that the tiger incites in Pi. Compared to the magnificent animal, Pi becomes a defenseless, hopeless human.But, motivated by the feeling of weakness, Pi’s inner animalistic nature reveals itself. Through the daunting presence of Richard Parker, Pi discovered within himself that he had â€Å"a fierce will to live† (Martel 148). Richard Parker’s, the foil character’s, relationship with Pi personifies one of the major themes of the novel: the will to live. The entire novel is centered on Pi’s struggle to survive in this seemingly impossible, dangerous, and depressing situation. Pi’s instinct to survive is represented by the tiger itself. The qualities of Richard Parker, of the animalistic characteristics, were crucial to his survival.Despite some hesitation, Pi ultimately learns to embrace Richard Parker. He learns to embrace that fierce will to live, learns to fight for survival and, in the end, makes it out alive. The Kite Runner and Life of Pi were both written with a foil character. In both novels, the character motivated and provoked the main protagonist into discovering himself. The fates of both main characters were determined by the ways their foil affected them. This relation between two characters not only significantly establishes the characters themselves, but illuminates the meaning of the work.

African Americans and Politics Essay

For decades African Americans have faced struggles throughout history. Most notably, African Americans were involved in slavery, suffrage, and the civil rights movement. These struggles were very visible and everyone was aware of what was going on. However, now African Americans are involved in a struggle that it not visible and recognizable. This is a struggle that is used to capitalize on wealth and prevent African American families and individuals from living normal lives. They are involved in environmental racism. Environmental racism â€Å"refers to intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, the intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities for the siting of polluting industries, or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. †[1] This form of racism has been plaguing African American communities for years and most people have not taken notice. There are many form of environmental racism; however, this paper will specifically address redlining, blockbusting, racial profiling, and housing segregation and how each has impacted the African American community. Redlining is the act of refusing or increasing the cost of services such as loans, insurance, banking, and access to healthcare to citizens based upon race. The practice involves taking a map and drawing a red line through neighborhoods where banks would not invest money. Redlining was used to segregate African Americans in the housing, workforce, and school market. Parents had to find work in other areas of the city because there were not any resources available in the community. Because of redlining, schools became over crowded with 50 students crammed into one classroom. With the schools overcrowded, teachers were not able to provide special attention to the needy students and other students became uncontrollable. Cathy Cohen would argue that African Americans were being marginalized in the school system. To be considered marginalized means, to have continuously been denied access to dominant resources, barred from full participation in dominant institutions, and defined as â€Å"others, â€Å" living outside the norm and values agreed upon by society (Cohen 1999). African American students were all forced to go to one school in the community to keep them out of the White schools. Along with marginalization, Blacks were, and still are, a part of a power struggle. Blacks were seen, and will always be seen, as an inferior race. Also, Blacks have been disempowered knowingly and unknowingly. African-Americans have been taken advantage of and used to make other races feel superior. Blockbusting was a practice used by real estate agents and developers in the United States to encourage white property owners to sell their homes by giving the impression that minority groups (such as African Americans) were moving into their previously racially segregated neighborhood. [2] When African Americans began to move into the inner city, fear arose that they were an economic threat. Blockbusting was also the cause of many White Americans moving into the suburbs. The practice of blockbusting involved an African American purchasing a home for very cheap in a predominately White neighborhood. The real estate broker would contact the White residents and offer to buy their houses for quick cash and resell the house to an African American family for much higher. Real estate agents claimed that African Americans moving into a predominately White neighborhood would cause property values to go down and urged White homeowners to sell as soon as possible. Real estate agents indicated that the property values would go down because African Americans would not keep up their property, avoid lawn care, and if would affect the entire neighborhood. This practice has caused major shifts in urban neighborhoods, especially Chicago, in recent decades. The Blockbusting methods were profitable and became common across the nation. For example, by 1962, when blockbusting had been in practice for fifteen years, Chicago had over 100 operators and the city had been changing an average of two to three blocks a week for several years. Blockbusting is the reason why cities such as Chicago are now predominately African American and the surrounding suburbs are predominately White. Blockbusting caused African Americans to be marginalized as well. They were denied fair participation in the housing market. Real estate agents inflated housing prices for African Americans to gain commission. White homeowners already had prejudices about African Americans and the real estate agents only made the situation worse. The stereotypes that Black families do not take care of their property was the main reason White homeowners sold their homes. Racial profiling is â€Å"the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime or an illegal act or to behave in a â€Å"predictable† manner. †[3] The practice of racial profiling is a huge problem in the United States. African Americans are usually the targeted victims in the act of racial profiling. It is believed that an African American driver will be more likely stopped than a White driver. Some police officers share the belief that Black drivers will most likely possess an illegal substance of committing an illegal act. However, policemen argue that they do not base their arrests on race but are greatening their probability of a successful search. Some policemen also argue that the probability of catching a Black offender is greater than catching a White offender. Whether the statement is true or not, it places a bias on African Americans and White Americans. The belief that African Americans men are more likely to commit crimes is unfair and not true. One cannot base the behavior of all African American men on the ones that have done wrong and been imprisoned. Another belief of racial profiling is it is the cause of the racial disparities in the American prison system. There are many more African American men in the jail system than there are White men. The previous statement is mostly likely to be true. Because some policemen hold biases and have prejudices against African Americans, it will cause more African Americans to be placed in the jail system. Another instance of racial profiling involved African Americans owning nice material possessions such as a car or a house and African Americans being in a predominately White neighborhood. For example, in an episode of Family Matters, Eddie was in his car travelling through a predominately White neighborhood and was pulled over by the police for â€Å"failure to signal. † However, the routine traffic stop turned into nothing more than a beating for young Eddie. The significance of the episode shows that racial profiling does exist in the United States and it takes place every day. The practice has impacted African Americans because hundreds of innocent people have been harassed and humiliated by police officers simply because of their race. The most recent national example of environmental racism occurred when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. When New Orleans was flooded with tons of water, there were no relief efforts for days and almost a week. Many believed this was due to the fact that majority of the New Orleans population was African American. The population was basically ignored for days until the help decided to come. Citizens of New Orleans were faced with intentional racism and were denied help for several days. This has impacted African Americans because many people died because of the heat, starvation, and disease from the water. African-Americans have been marginalized for centuries. To be considered marginalized means, to have continuously been denied access to dominant resources, barred from full participation in dominant institutions, and defined as â€Å"others, â€Å" living outside the norm and values agreed upon by society (Cohen 1999). Most recently, African-Americans were marginalized in regards to the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. While HIV/AIDS was once considered to be the disease of white gay men, Blacks are now the center of the epidemic. With the turn of the new millennium, the outbreak of AIDS in the Black community has soared. Black men who consider themselves to be â€Å"down low† are the center of the rising epidemic. The men have intercourse with other men while continuing to have intercourse with their female partners thus spreading the AIDS virus. Even though the soaring rate is shocking, there has been limited response from the African-American community. One can argue that Blacks have been marginalized from the resources to treat the epidemic. However, the Black community seems to be ignoring the spreading AIDS virus and focusing more on electing a Black president and high blood pressure. While both electing a Black president and lowering high blood pressure are important issues, similar emphasis should be put on the rising AIDS epidemic. In a sense, African-Americans have marginalized themselves from dealing with AIDS. Continuing to turn a cold shoulder to the issue will not fix the problem. Although Blacks are being marginalized when it comes to AIDS, they are also marginalized when it comes to property and social relationships. For example, when it comes to receiving bank loans, African-Americans is marginalized heavily. Some bank loan officers practice redlining which causes Black residents, whether qualified or not, to be denied loans for property. By using the redlining technique, bank loan officers are marginalizing Blacks from being able to own their own property. Relating back to the AIDS epidemic, Black men were marginalized for having the virus. For instance, if a Black man was open about his homosexuality would be marginalized heavily. Homophobia could be a valid reason for the marginalization of Black men. With open homosexuality, an African-American could be left out from participating in activities and denied being recognized as a normal individual. Homophobia could damage an individual’s social life and leave him feeling disempowered. [4] Along with marginalization, Blacks were, and still are, a part of a power struggle. Blacks were seen, and will always be seen, as lower than Whites. Also, Blacks have been disempowered knowingly and unknowingly, which is the center of environmental racism. African-Americans have been taken advantage of and used to gain wealth and keep at the bottom of the ladder. In short, there are many types of power struggles. One does not have to see power to know that it is taking place. [5] For instance, being called an inferior race is a power struggle within itself. African-Americans that believe that they are actually inferior will begin to act that way. They will begin to doubt themselves and their abilities in life. Once they have it in their mindset that they are inferior, it will cause them to act that way. Housing Segregation is â€Å"the practice of denying African American or other minority groups equal access to housing through the process of misinformation, denial of realty and financing services, and racial steering. †[6] The act of housing discrimination involves real estate agents and landlords not providing African American families with an accurate account of available housing. Housing segregation happens when landlords and real estate agents lure White Americans to available housing only in white communities, and African Americans to Black or diverse and mixed communities. The realtor and landlord usually work together in the process and will agree not to tell the African Americans about the available units in the European American communities. This process goes back to the assumption that African Americans residents will bring down the property value of homes in the neighborhood because they will not take care of their own property. Housing segregation is intentional racism that excludes African Americans from participating fairly in the housing market. Black families should be able to live wherever they please without regardless of the demographics of the neighborhood. With all that African Americans have been through, environmental racism should not be ignored or taken lightly. People should take heed to the practice and fight for what is right. All of the above forms of environmental racism have plagued the African American community. It has caused a major shift in the urban cities such as Chicago. Real estate agents have inflated the costs of housing for Black families moving into predominantly White areas. African American families can fight the issues by becoming more aware of their surroundings and becoming familiar with the practices. They can hire good lawyers to defend them and fight for justice. With regards to the AIDS epidemic, African Americans have been marginalized when it comes to resources and thus leads to environmental racism. African American of the new generation, as a whole, should stand together and fight the justice that was promised to them in the United States Constitution. ———————– [1] Dictionary. com [2] Dictionary. com [3] Dictionary. com [4] Cathy J. Cohen, The Boundaries of Blackness (The University of Chicago Press) 47-48. [5] John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness (The University of Illinois Press) 1-32. [6] Dictionary. com.

Biology and Ecosystems Education Admission/Application Essay

Biology and Ecosystems Education The paper "Biology and Ecosystems Education" is an outstanding example of an application/admission essay on English. The environment in which we live, the uniqueness of different creatures across diverse ecosystems, as well as, how a man gets along with them has been a question that has always fascinated me. The way in which the environment and ecosystem relate to the future of humankind has always been an intriguing subject for me. When I joined a junior school that was my first experience with nature and interaction with human life. It was here that I noticed I had an affinity for the environment and animals. Nothing excites me more than seeing plants and animals behaving the same way as I have learned in the classroom. Immediately, I get the urge to share what I know and observe with people around me, feeling that they need to realize and appreciate the wonders of nature around us. I usually feel in these situations that man has forgotten the wonders of nature in his pursuit for p rofit and wealth.Understanding the environment and ecosystems has aroused curiosity in me and taught me to view the world from a new point of view. This passion has propelled me to chose NYU and focus on biology. It is my belief that this will be the best institution to conduct experiments in biology, as well as to learn how to conduct research with regards to the ecosystem. In high school, I built up my knowledge of different ecosystems through my work with the wildlife club and cleaning up beach land. Three years of high school have firmed up my determination to pursue biology, and it is my belief that NYU is the best institution to do this. With the advanced opportunities of research and the working partnerships between NYU and other universities around the world, I believe that I can improve my knowledge in biology and ecosystems greatly. Thank you.

Comparison between the effects of globalization on the USA and Saudi Essay - 2

Comparison between the effects of globalization on the USA and Saudi Arabia economics - Essay Example Countries, which previously depended on their own resources for the production of goods and services, are now able to choose from one further option. They can purchase cheaper materials needed for production. Hiring cheaper or more highly skilled labor that is available in a different country is now a feasible option. Even simply buying finished products from different countries is possible due to globalization. While on the surface, this liberalization seems to help only the country that is able to avail these goods and services, this is not the case. It is true that the country importing the goods is able to take advantage of the lower prices of raw material, services, and products in the other countries. This country is most often a developed country. On the other hand, the country it imports these cheaper goods and services from are usually developing. This liberalization helps the exporting country as well. This is because these countries have excess of these goods and services. For example, many developing countries will have an excess of unskilled labors, and not enough employment opportunities for them. This would not only result in unemployment, but also an economy in recession. To be able to use this excess labor to fulfill the need for cheap labor in other countries is a considerable benefit to the developing country (Stallings, 2001). The liberalization that accompanies globalization can also result in several problems for the country, which need more immediate attention. For instance, the high growth that liberalization in trade will cause will result in that country’s carbon dioxide emission increasing inevitably. The emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) is an example of how this high growth in the world economy would be detrimental to the natural environment. Issues like global warming and pollution would only be aggravated due to this effect of globalization, and seems to decrease the importance of stressing on a high growth strategy. Another issue

Digital marketing presents opportunities and challenges to Essay

Digital marketing presents opportunities and challenges to organizations - Essay Example This has in return triggered the human need to stay connected with their friends, thereby triggering the platforms of social networking like Facebook, Twitter etc. in every corner of the globe. Social networking which provides the power to develop linkages between individuals, communities and even organizations have sponsored the growth and development of digital marketing, which runs exclusively on the people media. The purpose of this discussion is to highlight the advantages and negative aspects of digital marketing. The discussion also intends to cover the strategies in which organizations can implement it in order to generate their competitive advantage in the market. Body Chitty and other writers have outlined in their book on digital marketing that the concept of digital marketing helps to target consumers located in every corner of the globe, irrespective of any impenetrable geographical barriers. Also, another point that was highlighted was the fact that the usage of digital marketing leads to the fact of lower cost per contact with regards to the advertising prospects of other marketing media and platforms (Chitty & et.al, 2011, p. 224).Another unique advantage as cited by Kimmel in his book is the fact that online marketing provides the companies with the chance to increase the level of involvement among the intended target audience (Kimmel, 2010, p. 210).However, Smith and Zook in their book, has outlined the fact that the digital marketing pose a significant amount of challenges as well. The important factor is that in the presence of online communities, the company sponsoring the digital marketing is unable to control the comments and feedback of online users. Thus, it has the potential to destruct a company’s brand image on the basis of negative word of mouth marketing by online users on the social networking sites (Smith and Zook, 2011, p. 152). An extra disadvantage as mentioned by Prakin is the fact the digital marketing by multiple com panies may lead to overload of information to the consumers and this increasingly leads to less amount of retention for any particular brand that has participated in online branding activities (Prakin, 2008, pp. 121-139). It has to be increasingly taken into consideration that digital marketing is another form of marketing where the marketing is done online using the internet, while specifically targeting the consumers with the products and services as desired by them. Hence, it is of extreme importance that the companies need to keep in mind that the online marketing activities should be done in a complementing manner with respect to the entire marketing campaign, so that it adds value and increasingly serves the purpose for the marketing campaigns as a whole. The very initial point that has to be taken into consideration while increasingly implementing the tools of digital marketing is the process of delivering the right message from the organizational point of view to the desired target market, which helps in creating a strong bonding between the organization and the target audience. The delivery medium for the voice can range from company sponsored blog pages, twitter updates to the more commonly used social media interfaces ranging from updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. It has to be increasingly kept in mind that the previous mediums that are exclusively sponsored by the companies itself helps in marketing

The French Revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The French Revolution - Research Paper Example There has been, however, a lack of consensus about what led to the French revolution exactly. In same context, different historians have come with different theories that explain what really caused the revolution. Gorges Lefebvre, for an instance used his Marxist interpretation to explain the cause of the revolution. For him, the French revolution was rooted in the bourgeoisie rise (Burbeck 18-19). Another Marxist writer, Albert Mathiez, was of the notion that the French revolution stemmed from class conflict (Duvall 13-14). Majority of historians and students of the French revolution hold the notion that this insurrection was a bourgeois revolution, fueled by class conflict. For a long time, inequality reined supreme in France. In ancient French, the clergy and nobles led privileged lives. They were, for instance, exempt from paying tax on their incomes. â€Å"The taxes were mainly paid by the Third Estate.† 1 Third Estates consisted of artisans, peasants, professionals and m erchants. Political and economic inequalities also existed in France. Furthermore, despite the Third Estates paying their dues to the king and nobles, they were still required to pay dues to the church. Paying the dues to the church was seen as pointless obligation because people were coming to terms with the age of reason. The writers and poets of this time also played a critical role in sparking thought and dissatisfaction among the French people (Burbeck 18-19). Before the revolution, France was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. This bankruptcy was caused partly by the wars of Louis XIV and by the royal family spendthrift indulgence and that of his predecessors. Even the so, the 250 million dollars that America was lent to fight for their independence also contributed to the bankruptcy. France in 1789 in presumption was a supreme monarch, a progressively more disliked form of government at the time. In reality, the King’s ability to assume on his supreme powers was edge d by the equally disliked power and rights of the nobility and the clergy, the surviving scions of feudalism. The massive and growing population of French middle class, and a section of the nobles and working class, had embraced the ideology of equality and liberty of the majority of people. Similarly, philosophers and intellectuals like Voltaire, Turgot, and Didero influenced this type ideology. Little, however, is attributed to the theorists of Enlightenment. Additionally, the French had been influenced by the American Revolution, which portrayed that it was possible to implement Enlightenment ethics about the organization of the government. The French revolutionalists ganged up against the less democratic government (Orlando 121). Taxes rates in France were relatively high. Taxation was based on a mechanism that targeted internal tariffs that Balkanized some regions of France. This regional separation led to a slow economic growth. For instance, taxes like gabelle were taxed on f armers, whereupon the private collectors signed contracts for the collection of taxes. This mechanism led to unfair collection of taxes. Similarly, royal taxes were collected as mandatory labor. Furthermore, this method also exempted the clergy and nobles from paying taxes on their pay perquisites. The weight of the tax burden was placed on the shoulders of merchants, peasants, and business classes. These classes of people were denied government positions, causing insurrection (Tocqueville 111). For a century, the French monarch operated without

Four questions of Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Four questions of Banking - Essay Example A bank which cannot fulfil the obligations is said to be illiquid. If such a case arises then the bank is said to have defaulted which causes the shareholders and the depositors of the bank to incur heavy losses. Funding liquidity risk on the other hand is defined as the probability that the bank won’t be able to pay its obligation in a certain time period in future. So there exists a major difference between the two concepts of funding liquidity and funding liquidity risk. Funding liquidity has only two possible outcomes, i.e. either the bank would be able to pay its liabilities or the bank won’t be able to pay its liabilities at a particular time in future. Funding liquidity risk on the other hand can have infinite possible outcomes depending on the distribution of future incomes. It is spread over a time period not a particular time. As per the theoretical definition of funding liquidity a bank can be said to be liquid as long as the outflows is less that the inflows and the stock of money held. The market liquidity is a function of three different perspectives. The most popular and crudest measure is the bid-ask spread is called width. A low or narrow bid ask spread is said to be tight and reflects more liquidity in the market. Depth refers to the market’s ability to absorb sale of a position. Another feature of the market liquidity risk is the resilience which refers to the market’s ability to bounce back from temporarily incorrect prices. In period 2 banks can therefore not only trade in interbank market but also obtain liquidity either from depositors depositing money in the banks or by selling assets. Whereas deposits is considered as the natural hedge against liquidity risk which arises out of the giving out loans, but the problem is that it not always possible for the banks to fetch new deposits by attracting new depositors. So inflow and outflow can be considered to be

Branding of a City in the 21st Century Coursework

Branding of a City in the 21st Century - Coursework Example The results of analysing the case studies have provided great examples of revealing the elements that interprets in consumer's mind from different perspectives. Such that, branding is measured in aspects of tangible and intangible forces as far as the image of the city is concerned. Most importantly, the paper has examined that brand value of a city can only be studied through identifying the psychological way that influences the decision making process, and the overall elements required for branding a city such as the emerging importance of societies. Moreover, the investigation of branding elements are recommended by the author for further study in order to thoroughly analyse how these elements are incorporated in cities nowadays. Also, examination on competition between cities may provide a vital role of continuing the study in the future. Marketing is an arena where the basic norm is to promote visibility. Visibility, in turn, depends on positioning which again depends on branding and the equity commanded by the same. This research paper focuses on the elements that go into branding a city so as to understand the importance of branding a city in the 21st Century. Globalisation has had far reaching effects on the way cities are perceived. In this age of increased information and access, it has become imperative to present cities as brands, not just organisations or celebrities. This has prompted cities the world over to study and implement strategies that will accentuate brand equity as this is the greatest indicator of, and the base for, the calculation of returns on investment in terms of having a definite character of each city that makes it a distinct brand. While the consumer's awareness of a brand, and the reasons for choosing an

The Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Business Plan - Essay Example rder to create their own imagined designs of the cakes and in turn help our bakers to have as many designs as possible; hence our business will stand out among others. We value good customer service and therefore we will make sure that our service is up to date with the ever changing technology. This will keep us to the mark of competition and remain friendly to the customers. The bakery will belong to the partnership of 5 people. There are no bakeries in the area and therefore this will give us a break through. We only have few competitors as threats one of the major competitions is the big supermarkets, Milton, marsh and best choice bakery. Although economy has gone from good to bad it has not affected the bakery industry. â€Å"The consumer price index for food, an indicator of bakery product values, rose 4.7 percent in September 2011 compared to the same month in 2010† (â€Å"Hoovers†). We will focus on the changes in customers’ needs such as preference, pleasure, health, and convenience. Middle class citizens are mainly our targets. But we will also give the lower class people and opportunity to access our products in a well created section in our bakeries. These sections will have breads and cakes from one day old. We are going to have average prices but keep up to date the quality and quantity in our production. Our objective is to be able to attract from 200 customers and above. We expect the customers of all ages and regardless of their sex, religion, color, or race. If our prediction goes right, we will be able to make about $500 in any single day and this will translate into $13000 in a month. Because of the current technology we will be able to contact our customers through internet. That is by the use of all available social sites such as face book, twitter and so on. By having our own website we will be able to display all our products and service to hundreds of potential customers. We also plan on advertising our business to the local dailies,

Managing Decision Making and decision support Essay - 2

Managing Decision Making and decision support - Essay Example c) The inability of Morse to handle its end-user computing is a structure problem. There company understands the problem and it is recurrent occurrence. There are solutions and potential paths the company can choose to solve the problem if they are willing to invest resources to obtain the solution to the problem. a) The communication model Morse adopted with its SPMT management is a wheel communication model with the SPMT serving as hub control mechanism. There is small liberty to make decision, but the managerial staff in particular the CEO has a lot of power over the decision making. b) The communication and decision making model at Morse has not worked because at times people without the knowledge are getting involved in matters they do not understand. The IT department is a perfect example how defective the decision making model is at Morse. c) Groupthink was not effective at Morse because the staff did not listen to each others ideas and the head of the managers were too confrontational. This caused bad decision making in this organization. d) Group think can have detrimental effects at the ability of a group arriving at a decision because it ignores the objectives, limits the alternatives, reduces the ability to identify and incorporates biases into the decision. a) Process losses of group decision making include: unequal verbal contribution, coordination problems, airtime fragmentation, attenuation blocking, concentration blocking, power relationship issues, socializing, domination and information overload. Information overload means too much data is entering into a meeting without any real evaluation. Unequal verbal contribution means one or two member utilize all the time to expose their ideas while other are not contributing anything. b) At Morse various process losses occurred. Domination occurred against the initiatives of the IT staff as well as information overload from the IT staff to the rest of the managers. There

Good citizen Essay Example for Free

Good citizen Essay A Good citizen is one who knows his rights and duties as a citizen to maintain his/her rights and perform duties with interest . political rights consist of rights to vote, right to freedom of expression, civil rights are of as vital importance as the political rights. A good citizen defend his political and civil rights very zealously the state help him in the threw of law and justice. Violation of the rights should be punished by the law. good citizen must remember that the right and duties are equal to every one . they must not have bad habits . A citizen free to organize his/ her life as he/she likes. but freedom doesnt mean a citizen can built a house any where . Even it does not mean the house are build in any way a citizen want. it must be built in a perfect way. A citizen cannot throw a garbage or refuse staff out of house any where he/ she likes to. It allows them to shout or make noise at midnight. if they get right to do it, it denies your neighbor rights to sleep properly. so a citizen must retain some discipline. as a good citizen a person have some responsibilities and duties toward the society. A good citizen must not let the poverty percentage higher and literacy percentage lower . A good citizen must have faith and trust on neighbor or society peoples, they should have care for each other when someone get ill or infected by some other diseases. He /She must not let any talent go to waste . it will be a lost for the society and country as well. A good citizen talk in a very well manner with everyone and respect the law and government officer who tries to maintain the law and order .he/she must always pay tax to the government and does not try to evade tax, as it is a evil crime indeed. He/she must know that his own good is linked with the good of other. A good citizen should never favor the evil works like giving bribe to the government office worker for his/her own private work.

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Example for Free

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Wall’s came to Pakistan in 1995 establishing the Wall’s factory on Multan Road in Lahore. Fully equipped with state of the art machinery, the Wall’s factory is a standard of hygiene and technology in the region and has become synonymous with quality. In 1998 Wall’s acquired Polka, a local ice cream manufacturer. Some of the most popular brands loved by the masses were linked to Wall’s making an irresistible combination that few could refuse. Key facts about Wall’s Pakistan: * Wall’s is the market leader of the Pakistani Ice cream market. * All Wall’s products are Halal and are made with Halal ingredients in a Halal compliant manner Ice cream is made from milk, fat and sugar. These are cooled as they are mixed, then whipped to create a light, airy texture. Flavourings, fruit or chocolate are added then the whole mixture is frozen again before packaging. IDEA: The idea is to open an ice-cream parlor under the brand name walls. Ice Cream parlor is a unique opportunity.walls is a very well established brand in Pakistan and will surely have its name in ice-cream parlour. The ice cream parlour will not only give products but also excellent services. The features would be quality, quantity, a lot of flavours plus an additional flavour and sugar free ice creams. They would be at low price compared to competitors. The future plan will be to start a van service in twin cities for consumer’s convenience. Our goal would be to penetrate the market and make good customer relationships by providing great quality and taste. Potential: As already said hat walls is a established and well known brand having many loyal customers so definitely it will be successful as there are so many loyal people to this brand they would love to come and enjoy ice-cream at walls parlor having different kind of atmosphere as well as different types of ice-cream.

Global Threat Cyberterrorism

Global Threat Cyberterrorism By inner government policy writers, analysts, and the public. The social and global tactics that terrorist cells use, the countries that support terrorist groups, and the policies and procedures that have been used to counter terrorist actions by the target countries are all becoming unmanageable, billions are being spent in security measures but the whole concept is untraceable and can easily change, it is essential to keep the publics confidence. The information age or the technological era is magnificently shaping the way in which terrorists operate; new technologies mean newer weapons with more destructive powers, more ways to cause death and damage. Not only the types of weapons and targets the terrorists select, but also the ways in which terrorist cells have cemented their internal structure and the operation of their organisations (Zanini and Edwards, 2001, p. 30). According to Zanini and Edwards, terrorist organizations are using information technologies, such as computers, telecommunication devices, software, and the Internet to organize and coordinate activities (2001, p. 30). Criminality and Cybercrimes are now continually originating from new technologies, such as the Internet, wireless communications, military sciences this all in all creates many challenges for law enforcement around the world (Sussmann 2000). Responding to Cyberterrorism and investigating computer-related crimes pose challenges for law enforcement, as well as the legal system. There are many loopholes with the justice system that enables those with malicious intent to evade capture. The internet can be of so much use to terrorists, first of all, the communication that can be done over the internet is endless and alot more harder to trace then conventional ways of communication. Electronic mail has become one of the cheapest, quickest and anonymous as well as effective ways of communication today, to communicate with any part of the world. So overall the terrorists of this world are able to use the internet as a platform to communicate and swap information and messages to further their cause. General information on targets like maps and instructions are widely available, terrorist organisations can make their own WebPages to promote their ideologies, distribute propaganda and recruit sponsors or supporters. As being a platform for propaganda they are able to reach the public directly and make their existence known in international circles. Terrorists can also obtain funds through the internet, using services such as PayPal and western union; people can deposit monies anonymously so it is perfect for terrorist organisations to operate. In recent times after atrocities such as September 11th and Afghanistan you have often seen terrorists put up film footage on the internet to promote their groups, when terrorist cells kidnap any westerners, they will publicise their crimes by recording beheadings and playing them live on news sites for the world to see. According to news reporters from NBC who have been abducted previously by Al-Qaeda, claim that within their fortress of caves they have large banks of computer servers, communications devices and mass storage data discs. Hamas are another group that use advanced technology for their cause; they reportedly use 128 256 bit encryption for their files and communications. The more a country is technologically advanced, the more vulnerable it is to attack against its infrastructure, at the last count the number of computers that the USA have installed is just over 180 million, at least 5 times the number that of Japan, seven times as much as in Germany and twice as many as all of Europe combined. US computers account for 42% of the worlds computing power, whilst China represents only a meagre 1% and Russia 8%. The objective of this paper is to provide a general overview of the research; First of all, we look at the critical concepts of this research. These concepts are terrorism, cybercrime, information warfare, and Cyberterrorism. Definition of the Concepts Terrorism Defining the word terrorism itself constitutes problems. The problems that occur when Defining terrorism is the difficulty to have an agreed upon definition of terrorism. In other Words, there is no consensus in the international arena as to what terrorism comprises. No statement has been made to clarify the concepts under which the terrorism heading falls into. The problem emerges from the fact that terrorism is solely a political issue which means A terrorist for one country could be a freedom fighter for another. Furthermore, as Laqueur claimed in 1977 â€Å"It can be predicted with confidence that disputes about a comprehensive, Detailed definition of terrorism will continue for a long time, that they will not result In consensus and that they will make no noticeable contribution to the understanding of terrorism. â€Å" While the statement seems to be vague in character, the true statement of terrorism is in fact much closer to the truth then imagined. Of course the Human Rights Act and other international agreements set the scene for the standards in terms of human rights; but the non existence of procedures for the use of responding to terrorism creates confusing, irregularity and severe turmoil. On top of this, any such effort that is taken by a country which is targeted by cyber terrorists may not have a desired effect since other countries may not consider that group as a terrorist organisation. In terms of legal stature, by not having any by laws as to what Terrorism constitutes, while country 1 may deem a specific act as terrorism, country 2 may judge the action to be a meaningless computer mistake. Enders and Sandler define terrorism as â€Å"the premeditated use or threatened use -of extra-normal violence or force to gain political objectives through intimidation or fear† (1993, p. 829). The US Department of State defines terrorism as â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national Groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience† (1999). Classes of Information warfare Many authors have written substantial articles on the subject of Cyberterrorism and such activities, the subject itself is deemed to a very grey area with mostly myths and hear say, obviously hackers do exist and they can cause serious and malicious damage to an infrastructure but not all are convinced of their overall threat, many authors publish hard hitting texts to drive the point home that our world is at risk from this ruthless wave of technological storming.In his book, Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway: Information Warfare, Winn Schwartua, talks about the concept of information warfare in comparison to everything around us including politics, economy, power, fear, survival and harmony. He has even led claims that information warfare and information age weaponry will replace bombs and bullets, which are not restricted to the governments of superpowers (Schwartua 1996, p. 16). Schwartua also proposes the classification of information warfare. According to him there are three types of information warfare: Class 1: Personal Information Warfare. This includes attacks against an individuals privacy. Cyber attacks on the personal computer or wireless devices or use of private information about an individual are possible examples of personal information warfare. Class 2: Corporate Information Warfare. This classification involves large corporate companies of magnitude and focuses on the issues of competition between companies, industrial espionage, misinformation, sponsors, shareholders etc Class 3: Global Information Warfare. This type of warfare is â€Å"waged against industries† (p. 195). This level of warfare is waged by the most elite individuals through Internet and other computer network systems according to Schwartau (1996). According to Monge and Fulk (1999), the use of new age computing advancement and various wireless communication devices has led to the establishment of networks in three ways: Firstly, the new technologies have enabled terrorist cells to reduce the transmission time of their encrypted messages so that members of the organization can communicate faster. Secondly, new technologies also reduced communication expenses. Obviously before the internet, as the same with all of mankind, sensitive communication was done by either word of mouth or by coded messages. Not only have new advancements in technology visibly reduced the length of transmission time and considerable expense, but have also significantly increased the scope and complexity of the information due to the combined technologies. Terrorist organisations have now gained their own independence, whereas a time once existed where terrorist and fundamentalist groups were once linked with governments due to lack of financing now have the platform to better finance themselves due to the broader scope of the internet. Zanini and Edwards compare the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who are considered to be more politically and hierarchical in contrast to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and al-Qaeda, these are considered to be more recent forming and less hierarchical groups more intent on bloodshed then political uprising. Dispersed groups find that the advantages of the new technologies eliminate normal problems gained through distance. In particular, using the World Wide Web for communication amongst the cells can not only increase the flexibility of peoples time. In fact, these technologies may enable terrorists to operate from nearly any country in the world (Zanini and Edwards, 2001, p. 38). We are seeing that terrorists gain momentous advantage from new technologies and that the world cannot prevent much, due to the general era that we are in, everyone has access to anything as long as funds are available. The internet provides the best and most effective communication dial-ups between the terrorist organization and its members. Weimann identifies eight different ways that terrorists use the Internet: Psychological Warfare, Publicity and Propaganda, Data Mining, Fundraising, Recruitment and Mobilization, Networking, Sharing Information, Planning and Coordination (2004). Different terrorist organisations have different causes so the web sites they setup can act with a purpose of a communication channel between the various members of the organisation, the supporters and those anonymous sympathisers of the organization, Through this channel, terrorist groups can broadcast their harsh messages to the world stage and have regular updates to their recent campaigning and recent activities. They often use the Web site to justify their violent sadistic murders and killings. These Web sites are a platform to the whole world and can lead to recruitment of potential supporters, and target population or government entities (Weimann 2004). In addition to being a communication method between terrorists and the public, advanced tools, such as; Cryptography Steganography These types of advancements are used by terrorists to convey their messages to the world around them. Here we look at these two tools in more detail; Cryptography Bruce Schneier describes the act of Cryptography as â€Å"the art and Science of securing messages† (as cited in Taylor et al., 2004, p. 29). The method is a process of â€Å"extreme strong encryption† of the data transmitted between sources to a target. Even though this technology can be useful to those in the private and public sectors it can also be an explosive and damaging weapon to hide information from law enforcement agencies. (Slambrouck, 1998). Denning argues that the threat to law enforcement and government agencies is widespread; she explains four ways that the encrypted data presents danger: 1) It will hinder the intelligence community from getting foreign intelligence critical to national security (Denning, 1997). 2) The intelligence community will have hard time retrieving vital Information about any given investigation, 3) It may avoid the law enforcement from gathering evidence to convict offenders, 4) The law enforcement community may be unable to avoid attacks or any harm. (Denning 1997) Members of the group Al-Qaeda have been using the newly advanced computer technologies to communicate and relay information to sub-coordinates around the globe, it has been heard in social circles that Al-Qaeda love the internet as they are able to keep in real time with all information even though they are based within caves in mountainous regions. According to some research forensics evidence that was collected and compiled after the September 11th attacks shows that terrorist cells often used the internet for their vigorous planning before the attacks. Overall the internet is a source of great value to all those who use it whether it maybe for a student at university or a terrorist with plans to blow up an airliner, information is free and in abundance. Terrorists especially from the Arab continent frequently upload their propaganda and messages via news channels as it is the quickest way to get publicised. Most commonly used is the Jazeera TV network, an example of the use of news channels by terrorists is the final message sent to Mohammed Atta of Al Jazeera by the two senior members of Al- Qaeda 3 weeks before September 11th, 2001 attacks, what was sent was a simple code that showed the four targets the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Capitol Hill which were referred to as faculties† in the message. The communication said, The semester begins in three more weeks. Weve obtained nineteen confirmations for studies in the faculty of law, the faculty of urban planning, the faculty of fine arts and the faculty of engineering.† Many other political and terror organisations within Europe and America use an encryption program known as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an easily downloadable program that provides basic and stronger encryption to use within coded emails for intelligence sharing. Steganography Steganography is the art of hiding data within objects such as Documents, pictures etc files (Collin, 1997). It is a wide method used by many organisations as a simple way to hide information from those who do not have the clearance to view but it can also be severely exploited by terrorist organisations. This technology relies on â€Å"security-by-obscurity,† basically the person will know that a message is hidden within and once he accesses it he be able to read the hidden information behind the veil. From the exterior appearance, a picture would be entirely perceived as a normal picture, but an encrypted message can be extracted from that picture if the person knows where to look. Obviously there are some major drawbacks to technological advancements, computer memory is very hard to completely erase and often leave a trail for law enforcement agencies to use against criminals, For instance, in Turkey, towards the end of 2000, practically a thousand members of the radical group, Hezbollah, were arrested in a serious of raids and taken into custody, and allegedly about 20,000 pages of documents were recovered from computer archives (Aras Bacik, 2002). Fund Raising and Promotion In todays day and age, terrorists have so much available to them, websites are full of propaganda and due to the advancements in software language barriers are no problem to overcome (Weimann, 2004). The information that the terrorist Web sites usually give is usually about general history, their activities, their ideology and political statements, current news regarding their activities, as well as information about their targets, often they will also give out rogue information on targets which will get the security services into a twist, but this information is designed to mislead. The way in which the Internet is used to raise money by terrorist organisations is a good example as to how information technology can provide new ways to fund their operations. Cost of Cyberterrorism. Between 1993 and 1995, there were 40 threats made directly to banks in the US and Great Britain. It is reported that in January 1999, a investment bank paid roughly ten million pounds after receiving a threat against their computer systems, the hackers reportedly crashed a computer in order to show the seriousness of their intent, the bank gave in and paid them off, knowing that the authorities were helpless to act and if their systems did crash there would be alot more then 10 million pounds worth of losses. It is estimated that in United Kingdom, during the three years between 1993 and 1995, terrorists gained more than 400 million pounds (Statistics on Cyber-terrorism, 2000). The Security Industry Survey carried out in 1999 largely showed that the number of companies that were successfully penetrated went up from 12% in 1997 to 23% in 1998. Malicious code is used by hackers which attack systems is devastating as the code mutates and leaves systems vulnerable to attack. The most costly malicious code attacks were Low Bug in 2000 at $ 8.75 billion and Code Red at $ 2.62 billion (Wiederin, Hoefelmeyer, and Phillips, 2002) The consequences of cyber terrorist attacks are not as devastating as the physical terrorist attacks, at least until now. For example, cyberspace provides opportunities for e-bombs and cracking down a Web site but the ramifications of these acts seem less significant than the effect of a physical bomb killing hundreds of people in a matter of seconds, such as the bomb attack in Nairobi in 1998 and Oklahoma City in 1995. Regarding the potential attacks outlined by Collin, they would be difficult to execute, because of the human factor in these processes. For example, even if it is possible to hack an air traffic control station, there are pilots who have been trained to double-check unusual commands. Cybercrime Cybercrime can be looked on as computer-related activities which are illegal and or destructive, the sole object points at thievery, dishonest means of obtaining cash or leading others to stray by the attacking of infrastructure. Cybercrime can be conducted through global electronic networks† (Thomas and Loader, 2000, p. 3). Cybercrime can be defined as a crime committed in a cyber environment, including the Internet, computer networks, and wireless communication systems. In other words, cybercrime involves crime committed through use of the personal computer. Cybeterrorism is the word given to acts of malicious intent with the convergence of Cyberspace and Terrorism, networks, servers and computers alongside data storage are constantly at threat from unlawful attacks, for an attack to qualify under the Cyberterrorism heading it should result in violence against persons or property, at the minimum it shouild cause or generate fear. Acts upon infrastructure, economic loss, plane crashes and explosions are all forms of Cyberterrorism. Cyberterrorism and Cybercrime makes the job for law enforcement even harder ,law enforcement and policy makers already struggle under immense pressure to meet targets and maintain the peace proving a safe environment for the public. Due to the nature of cyber-criminals rerouting their trail through international countries, a response to such a malicious threat requires international cooperation involving participation of all concerned parties . However, society today is cased within the technological bubble, everything is controlled by computers and vulnerability emerges from increased reliance on technology, lack of legal measures, and lack of cooperation at the national and international level represents major obstacles toward effective and immediate response to these threats. In all the sheer lack of global peacekeeping in terms of responding to cyberterrorism and cybercrime is the general problem. Pollitt (1997) defines Cyberterrorism as â€Å"the premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which result in violence against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents.† Terrorists and cyber criminals will spend sometimes months to exploit vulnerabilities in a system, all the time remaining undetected and hitting key sectors including technical, legal, Political, and cultural, as well as defence. Such a broad range of vulnerabilities can be dealt with by Comprehensive cooperation which requires efforts both at the national and international level. Expert opinions suggest that cyberterrorism is split into three general classifications; Disruptive and destructive information attacks, Disruptive and destructive information attacks Facilitation of technology to support the ideology, and Communication, Fund raising, Recruitment and Propaganda Terrorist use for the Internet Terrorists use the internet for mainly communication, essentially covert operations and as a means for a new command and control infrastructure. Access to information via the Internet and the world wide net, as well as maps for target locations and applications that will help with encryptions and monitoring. Technical data is widely accessible on the net for weapons and bomb construction. Use of the internet as a platform for distributing propaganda on terrorist groups and causes, and related recruitment of individuals, Examples of Attacks In 1998, what was once known as the first attack by terrorists against a countries computer systems was when Tamil guerrillas jammed the servers located at all Sri Lankan Embassies with 800 emails a day over a 2 weeks period with messages such as â€Å"We are the Internet Black Tigers and we are doing this to disrupt your communications† The statement couldnt have been more true, everything stops, whilst security specialists comb the networks using off the shelve virus removers and other software to get rid of the spam. During the Kosovo conflict in 1999, NATO computer systems were targeted in a huge blitz by several eastern European countries in a protest to object against the bombings. Businesses and public organisations with ties to NATO were targeted and considerable money was lost in the turmoil. More recently Estonia was hit by a spate of terror acts from Russia in what is deemed a Cyberterrorism act of vengeance for the movement of a Soviet-era war memorial commemorating an unknown Russian who died fighting the Nazis. Government websites that normally received 1000 hit a day were getting 2000 hits per second, causing the servers to crash and be shut down for hours, even days and weeks. The public just think that a few guys with nothing better to do sit on their pcs and create viruses and mess around, but there is no actual threat to physical life but this is a myth, the business world and people within are often exposed to grave harm. Another example showing the problems of hackers infiltrating web sites and Web site defacement was between attackers from Pakistan and India. At the time of much unrest between Indian and Pakistani soldiers in Kashmir in 1999, both countries computer geniuses also fought in the cyber world. Pakistans experts hacked the Indian Army Web site www.atmyinkashmir.org and left anti-Indian statements about the Kashmir issue. The Indian Government, in retaliation, cut off all network access to the Web site of the prominent Pakistani newspaper, Dawn (Varma, 1999). Processes of attack Different forms of attack are available to hackers and those who wish to deface or destroy data, they use malicious code attacks: â€Å"Malware.† The term malware represents the combination of â€Å"malicious† and â€Å"software† (Furnell, 2000, p. 143). There are different types and processes of malware attacks. The common forms of malware attacks are viruses, worms, Trojan horses and software bombs. These are examined in detail in the following section. Internet worms or Viruses These viruses and worm programs are designed to imbed themselves within the codes of programs and lie dormant till the hacker requires them to destroy or shit down computers; they can hijack the computer and can copy and destroy email lists and address books. Communication devices such as mobiles and PDA are also hot items to target. Viruses: Brunnstein, Fischer-Hubner, and Swimmer define a virus as â€Å"a non-autonomous set of routines that is capable of modifying programs or systems so that they contain executable copies of itself† Furnell, 2000, p. 144). Viruses are malicious software that has the ability to replicate themselves, the virus will attach itself to other applications and software and slowly spread as infected files and disks are used by users. With every new host, the malicious virus inserts itself and executes its payload, they are often weird and strange warning messages or look like innocent files when clicked can wipe all the files from the hard drive (Taylor et al., 2004). A brilliant example of how a virus can be very expensive is the much publicised I LOVE YOU virus. ICSA, a computer security company estimated the cost of the I LOVE YOU virus to be up to 1$ billion (Miastkowski, 2000). Worms: Unlike Viruses, worms do not attach themselves to other software programs. They exist entirely as separate programs and they can spread themselves automatically (Stephenson, 2000, p. 37). Trojan Horse Trojan horses: Hackers and attackers will often use Trojan horses to gain access to important and highly sensitive data information, often a Trojan is used where access is restricted and the hacker is lucky enough to find a ‘Backdoor basically a loop within the code for access, for example, the targets password is captured by the dormant Trojan, it will replicate it, and forward it to the hacker. There are differences between viruses and Trojan horses, firstly the Trojan horses will not replicate or infect any other files on the hard disk. Secondly, the Trojan Horse can stand alone without any attachment to other applications and programs. And finally, the target source may not always be entirely aware of the fact that a maliciously intended Trojan horse was sent to him or her. Basically Trojan horses can be sent with under covert means where the intended target perceives it to be harmless, like an email attachment that looks conspicuous enough and looks safe enough. For example, the attacker may send a message that may be interpreted as friendly information for the receiver, such as a link to a competition etc Phlooding This is a new wave of attack used by hackers and fraudsters to simultaneously launch geographically distributed attacks that targets a businesss authentication or network log-in structure, with the goal of overloading its central authentication server, these attacks have originated from all across the globe, they bombard a wireless Access points (APs) with login requests using multiple password combinations which have the ability to severely slow down logins and critically interfere with broader network operations causing major security breaches. Security specialists reckon businesses with multiple office locations served by a single identity management server could be particularly vulnerable to Phlooding attacks. Malware Programmes such as the ‘Trojan Horse hides a malicious code within a document that will in turn collect usernames and passwords for email accounts amongst other information, These programs can download programmes without the user knowing and relay attacks against other computers remotely. An infected computer can be controlled by the attacker and directed to carry out functions normally available to the systems owner. Hacking Nowadays increasingly the method of attack most favoured is the art of hacking, to use the knowledge of codes and programming to access systems to find secrets. Government computers in Britain have a network intrusion detection system, which monitors traffic and alerts officials to misuse or anomalous behaviour. Botnets These are compromised networks that the attacker can exploit. Deliberate programming errors in the software can easily remain undetected, Attackers can exploit the errors to their advantage to take full control of the computer remotely. Botnet can be used to steal information from highly encrypted computers or to collect sensitive information such as credit card numbers by ‘sniffing or logging the keystrokes of the victims keyboard. Software Bombs This software acts like a bomb connected to a detonator, which may contain an execution of a program. The malicious code may be hidden in a program, and once the program is activated, malicious code becomes activated. For example, a sacked employee who feels dissatisfied with the employer who has access to internal software may upload and hide a software bomb in the companys payroll program. In 1992, an employee of the United Kingdoms Chilworth Communications was convicted of planting a logic bomb before his resignation in September 1990. The bomb was triggered in October 1990 and damaged important files that cost the company more than $50,000. (Larry Greenemeier, InformationWeek, June 12, 2006) Keystroke Loggers This is a device that can be fitted to the keyboard or an application that can be installed on the computer that automatically records every key that is typed on the keyboard, obviously all information such as passwords, email, basically anything that is typed on the keyboard will get logged and then accessed by the third party. Denial of service Attacks Overloading a computer system with data so that it can no longer function. This is the method allegedly used by the Russian hackers which targeted the Estonian government computers in May. Phishing and Spoofing This is a system of attack designed to trick an organisations computer user to reveal passwords and confidential data such as card details. Those that use this method impersonate a trusted source such as a bank or a well known service to persuade the victim to hand over the details in complete faith. IP spoofing: After overloading the system, an attacker can pretend to be an authorized system, while blocking the actual systems service. Since the flooded system cannot respond to the inquiries, the unauthorized system will receive all of the legitimate Computers packets (Stephenson, 2000, p. 46). Force Multiplier Effects Different types of Cyberterrorism may also be used to multiply Cyber-terrorists commit acts of terrorism simply for personal gain or sometimes out of boredom. A less known group known as Chaos Computer Club was discovered in 1997. They had created a simple Active X Control for the Internet that could trick the Quicken accounting program into removing money from a users bank account

Health Care Reform in the United States Essay example -- President Oba

Health Care Reform in the United States In the United States, more than forty million people are without health insurance. Of these people, many are employed by firms that do not offer coverage and many others fall just below the poverty line. Many are poor but still do not qualify for Medicaid. At least twelve million of those without health insurance are children. Reliable sources indicate that the number of uninsured people could rise as high as sixty million by the year 2010. There is also a dilemma that the insured United States citizens face, that their healthcare system is sick, and everyone is aware of its illness: profit. In 2008, Malike Hassan's, an HMO stockholdings CEO, salary was 166.4 million dollars. Most experts agree that the lack of plan participants' personal involvement in the healthcare system is largely responsible for inflation within the plans. However, as the debate rages on about how to best resolve the issues, it is certain that, as individuals become more involved in the healthcare process, they become an integral part of the solution. If people wish to change the system, they must change their role in healthcare reform from passive to active. In order to bring unification and unconstrained functionality to the U.S. healthcare system, people must first educate themselves on how their healthcare works, voice their opinions, and finally join together to bring reform. The first action people must take to insure their own well being and safety is to stay thoroughly informed on how their HMO plans run. Managed care is often criticized for encouraging the withholding of beneficial care from patients. People need to be aware that many HMOs contain Gag Rules. These rules, in contracts ... ...normous medical bills. Then there are citizens who are caught in the surreal world of Workers Comp, where money, if it ever shows up, is often too late. Healthcare is the one asset that affects every United States citizen. US citizens need to realize that the demand for healthcare services starts and ends with individuals. As personal involvement and education increase, people become empowered to make informed healthcare decisions, and that is good medicine for America as a whole. Bibliography: 1. Orient Jane M M.D. Your Doctor Is Not In Healthy Skepticism About National Healthcare Crown Publishing, Inc., Macon, GA, 2007. 2. National Organization of Physicians Who Care http://www.pwc.org/ 3. Daniels Norman. Benchmarks of Fairness for Health Care Reform Oxford Univ Press, London, UK, 2006. 4. Labor Party Online http:www.ipc.apc.org

demand Essay -- essays research papers

Firstly, I will deal with the factors which can affect the demand for houses in an economy.In many people’s opinion, the single most important factor which affects demand for housing is interest rates. This belief is held because for most people, the cost of purchasing a house is so great that the only way they can afford to do so is to take out a mortgage from a bank or building society. One of the main conditions that banks and building societies apply to mortgages is that during the course of the mortgage, interest will be paid on the loan. Although it is possible to have a fixed rate mortgage - where the rate of interest which will be paid is fixed at a constant level throughout the mortgage- most mortgages are variable rate mortgages, where the amount of interest which will be paid varies throughout the mortgage [1]. By increasing interest rates, the government can control how much money people have in their pockets. The variance of interest rate can be used to control m uch of the economy, including inflation. This is known as monetary fiscal policy. Interest rates have such a large affect on the economy because such a large percentage of the population has a mortgage and so is vulnerable to interest rate rises. An increase in interest rates can greatly increase the amount of money that a household has to pay each month. If people without a mortgage who are considering taking one out to cover the cost of a very expensive purchase see that interest rates are high then they are likely to be wary of taking out a mortgage, as they know that they will have to pay a greater amount of extra money each month. Because people may be put off taking out mortgages, they will be unable to purchase a house, so this will cause demand for houses to fall. This is known as a slump in the housing market. Conversely, if people see that interest rates are low and they are considering the possibility of purchasing a house, they may decide to go ahead with their purchase due to the fact that it will be more affordable- at least in the short run- due to the lower interest rates. Variable rates will also make mortgagors vulnerable to fluctuations in interest rates as even small changes in the interest rate can have a big effect on the outgoings of those with large mortgages. When rates rise steeply, one likely result is an increase in the number of mortgagors who cannot afford ... ... of their home being repossessed increases. If a large number of homes are being repossessed, people will be put-off purchasing a house. Also, people who are considering taking out a mortgage will be less likely to do so because they will be less able to afford it due to the fact that they are paying more tax. Both of these effects are likely to cause a slump in the housing market. Conversely, if tax rates are low the state of the housing market will improve due to the fact that people will feel that they are more able to afford the added cost of a mortgage. However, if they take out a mortgage at a time when tax rates are low, there is always the possibility that tax rates will increase at a later date. [1]The interest rate is set by the lender, but it is usually in line with the rate set by the Bank Of England, which is turn is likely to respond to changes in the interest rates of the main world banks, most of which are in America. [2]This is because there is a large labour pool from which to draw replacement workers. However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example people in the professions like doctors and lawyers tend to have a high degree of job security at all times.

Judaisms Modernization In America :: essays research papers

The Jewish way of life has been affected in a tremendous way by the people of the United States of America. By the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there were only 2500 Jews in America. For forty years beginning in 1840, 250,000 Jews (primarily from Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia) entered this country. Anti-Semitism and economic woes in Eastern Europe went from bad to worse after the pogroms of 1881-1882. Almost three million Eastern European Jews left between 1881 and 1914, two million (85%) of which decided to come to America, where they thought "the streets were paved with gold." They were wrong. Because of this intercontinental migration, the social characterization of Jews in America changed drastically. Before the move, the largest group in the early eighteenth century were the Sephardic Jews. They lived in the coastal cities as merchants, artisans, and shippers. The Jews who predominately spoke German came to America over 100 years later, and quickly spread out over the land. Starting as peddlers, they moved up to business positions in the south, midwest, and on the west coast. New York City had 85,000 Jews by 1880, most of which had German roots. At this time in American history, the government accepted many people from many different backgrounds to allow for a diverse population; this act of opening our borders probably is the origin of the descriptive phrase "the melting pot of the world." These German Jews rapidly assimilated themselves and their faith. Reform Judaism arrived here after the Civil War due to the advent of European Reform rabbis. Jewish seminaries, associations, and institutions, such as Cincinnati's Hebrew Union College, New York's Jewish Theological Seminary, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, were founded in the 1880s. America was experimenting with industry on a huge scale at the time the Eastern European Jews that arrived. Their social history combined with the American Industrial Age produced an extremely diverse and distinct American Jewry by the end of the intercontinental migration, which coincided with the start of the Great World War (World War I). Almost two out of every three new immigrants called the big northeast municipalities (such as the Lower East Side of New York) their new home. They would take any job available to support the family, and they worked in many different jobs which were as physically demanding as they were diverse. The garment district in New York today was made from the meticulousness, the sweat, and the determination of the Jews.

Sample Marketing Plan

Plan Outline * 1. 0 Executive Summary * 2. 0 Situation Analysis * 3. 0 Marketing Strategy * 4. 0 Marketing Mix * Pricing * Promotion * Advertising * Public Relations * Direct Marketing * Web Plan * Website Goals * Website Marketing Strategy * Development Requirements * Website Milestones * Implementation Schedule * Milestones * Funding Plan * Funding Strategy * Funding Process * Funding Account Plan * Funding Pipeline * 5. 0 Financials * 6. 0 Controls Executive Summary 1. 0 Executive Summary All4Sports is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization that provides the community with a complete youth sports program. All4Sports offers participants from kindergarten to high school positive learning and team experiences along with the opportunity to create life-long memories. All4Sports continues to be the premier provider of youth sports experiences, and seeks to make this experience affordable and available for all interested participants. This is done through a series of successful undraising activities, the role of the fundraising Foundation, and a solid financial approach to managing these resources. All4Sports now serves more than 24,000 participants in seven sports throughout the Jackson County area with additional youth participating on an out-of-district basis. Ongoing efforts are in place to continue to improve the quality and integrity of the program. The success of these efforts has been documented through studies that confirm the positive perception of the program wi thin the Jackson County area. Major challenges face All4Sports for the future. These include the uncertainties brought on by property tax changes, facility and capital requirements, the impact of alternative programs, and volunteer training and educational needs, to name a few. The Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers continue to work toward providing a quality experience in the most effective and efficient manner possible with optimism for the future of this exceptional organization. Situation Analysis 2. 0 Situation Analysis The need for youth sports programs is validated and magnified by information that attributes long-term value to participants in these programs. Numerous studies document the direct value of youth participation in sports. These studies indicate a direct correlation demonstrating that involvement in sports results in reducing the potential to become involved in drugs, sex, crime, and gang-related behaviors. Research indicates the economic, social and personal value of â€Å"investing† in the lives of children in a positive and constructive manner avoids the social and penal system costs that may later result. To meet this need, All4Sports offers an experience that serves as a personal â€Å"sports reference† for participants throughout their lives. These important benefits continue to validate the All4Sports concept. 2. 1 Market Needs The initial reasons for All4Sports remain constant. School-sponsored sports programs are severely limited in terms of age and range of events. Based on a recent study, 59% of the people in the Jackson County area surveyed believe the public school system fails to meet their sports experience expectations. Driven by economics, most notably with the passage of state legislation limiting school funding, many sports programs have not survived increasing economic pressures on the public school system. Property tax modifications may further impede the public school system's ability to offer any more than the most basic classroom experiences. All4Sports seeks to serve all interested children from kindergarten through high school regardless of what the school they attend offers. There are absolutely no expectations regarding skill or experience, only the desire to participate. The All4Sports program is orchestrated to make this experience as accessible and affordable as possible to this audience. 2. 2 The Market All4Sports provides valuable team and social experiences for the increasing population of public, private, and home-schooled youth. All4Sports offers young people the opportunity to participate in a variety of team sports throughout the calendar year. Beginning in kindergarten, these experiences provide a source of recreation and simultaneously improve athletic skills, health and fitness as they offer experiences in teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play, cooperation and leadership. Increased self confidence is just one of the many intangible benefits this program offers. Market Analysis Market Analysis| | 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| 2010| | Potential Customers| Growth| | | | | | CAGR| Public School Students| 6%| 1,947| 2,064| 2,188| 2,319| 2,458| 6. 00%| Private School Students| 9%| 388| 423| 461| 502| 547| 8. 97%| Home School Students| 17%| 107| 125| 146| 171| 200| 16. 93%| Total| 7. 03%| 2,442| 2,612| 2,795| 2,992| 3,205| 7. 03%| Market Analysis (Pie) 2. 2. 1 Market Demographics Market Ge ographics – All4Sports serves the Jackson County area with a total population in excess of 170,000 people. With a majority of participants from Medford, the program also has participation from surrounding communities, ncluding Central Point, Jacksonville, White City, and Ashland. Market Demographics – An estimated 45% of households in this area contain children under the age of 18. Each of these households averages 2. 1 children. Therefore, an estimated 39,000 children under the age of 18 are potential All4Sports participants. This number is determined annually from grade school enrollment within the areas served. Past data indicates that the highest level of participation occurs after Grade 2. Participation begins to drop in the middle school years, with a significant reduction in participation at Grade 9. A total of 59% of the participants are male and 41% female. Boys dominate football and girls dominate volleyball. These percentages constantly change due to trends in choice of sports, other alternatives offered in the market place, and other factors impacting participation and availability of these experiences. Market Psychographics – One of the most typical profiles of families interested in this type of program can be described by the following: * The parent/guardian works full-time in a traditional â€Å"8 to 5† schedule. * They have more than one child living at home. They are relatively active in their child's life, but feel they have limited time. * They value the physical and social experience their child receives more than actual sports and skill-development aspects of the experience. Market Behaviors – All4Sports continues to enjoy a positive perception within the community. Studies report solid support of the concept and purpose of the organization and an awareness of the problems inherent in a program that involves thousands of volunteers. Based on recently conducted research, more than 86% of the population in Jackson County area has some awareness of All4Sports. Most people report they are familiar with All4Sports through knowing a young person who has participated in an All4Sports program. Individual awareness levels are highest among adults in the 25-54 age range, and business owners and managers have a 93% awareness level. More than 82% of this group considers our program to have a positive influence on youth and a potential deterrent to violence and other anti-social behavior. This is one of the primary reasons people continue to support this program. Market Demographics Market Demographics| | | | | | Market Segments| Everyone gets to play! | Dominant Gender| Lead Sport| Multi-Programs| Out-of-Area| Public School Students| Be part of the competition! | Male 51%| Soccer| 0. 12| 0. 05| Private School Students| Join the team! | Male 54%| Basketball| 0. 28| 0. 08| Home School Students| Grade 1-12| Female 52%| Soccer| 0. 54| 0. 14| 2. 2. 2 Market Trends The significant market trends are as follows: * Diminishing financial support at all grade levels form public schools to facilitate sports activities for students. Increasing demands from children and their families to offer sports experiences at early ages, beginning at kindergarten. * Heightened awareness of the positive correlation with involvement in sports and reduced potential for involvement in violent activities. * Increasing interest from corporations to sponsor and support these types of community activities when they receive attribution for this involvement. Market Analysis (Trends) 2. 2. 3 Market Growth The program has experienced an average annual participation growth rate of 6% for the past five years. This is indicative of the growing needs of the market we serve. Based on school attendance projections, we expect to experience increased participation growth between 9% and 11% annually over the next three years. The most dramatic growth is expected in the soccer programs, which have an equal mix of boys and girls, with relatively static participation expected in most other sports. These trends are monitored, and to the degree possible, used to help predict future program demands. Market Analysis (C. A. G. R) 2. 3 The Company All4Sports is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization dedicated to presenting sports opportunities that are an integral part of each participant's learning experience. This is done with the belief that every child should be able to participate in the program of his or her choice regardless of race, religion, creed, gender, ability, or financial status. This spirit is fostered in an environment where everyone has a chance to play and learn, regardless of skill. All4Sports' long-term goal is to give its participants positive life-long memories of their youth sports experience. . 3. 1 Mission All4Sports is dedicated to providing all youth with the highest quality education and team experience through sports participation. Participants are treated with respect through the opportunity to experience growth in the areas of interacting with others, teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play, and skill development. The goal is to create a positive environment that fosters improved self-confidence a nd self-esteem through experiences in sports activities. 2. 3. 2 Service Offering The â€Å"All4Sports experience† is designed to offer the following to each participant:. Recreation through participation in organized team sports. * The opportunity to learn and experience a variety of sports. * A means to improve athletic skills. * A means to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, and fair play. * A source of fun and enjoyment to enrich their lives. * An opportunity to enhance their health and fitness. The parents and guardians of the participants also realize benefits. They are able to offer their children a positive, well-supervised experience as they learn the skills described above that does not necessarily require their time. 2. 3. 3 Positioning All4Sports offers a unique experience for children that want to to have an enjoyable sports experience. All youth between the ages of 5 and 18 can participate in one or more sports throughout the year. Their participation is not dependent upon their previous experience, skill level, or athletic ability. Everyone can play. The breadth, depth and overall quality of the sports experience we offer cannot be matched within our market. We work with parents and guardians to add to their child's sports experiences. All4Sports exists to create a cherished childhood memory for each participant. . 3. 4 SWOT Summary The following outlines the most significant strengths and weaknesses internal to All4Sports, and the opportunities and threats that exist in our environment. Our objective is to leverage our strengths to take advantage of the opportunities our market presents, develop those areas that are weaknesses, and devise contingency plans to address threats if those should become a reality. 2. 3. 4. 1 Strengths The following outlines key strengths of the organization: Program Reputation – All4Sports is considered to be the premier choice for youth sports related experiences. There is now a generation of participants that send their children to participate in the program. Donor Base – We have developed a stable and loyal donor base from both private and corporate sources. Facilities Relationships – We depend on access to athletic facilities including gyms, soccer fields, football fields, softball and baseball fields. Close relationships and reciprocal maintenance agreements with public and private schools and church facilities are an invaluable asset to the organization. The Internet – Our website, www. all4sports. om, promises to be a significant technological solution for All4Sports in the area of registration, communication, and information delivery. The website has demonstrated the ability to provide more extensive and current information at reduced costs. We can reduce the need for printed materials, voice mail communication equipment, and staff payroll time. It has also allowed us to reallocate volunteer hours to better serve ou r program. 2. 3. 4. 2 Weaknesses Capital Requirements – All4Sports continues to make impressive improvements in the management of financial resources. Additional funds are needed to maintain the quality of the experiences offered and meet future program demands. The Fundraising Foundation's strategy is to provide significant financial resources for All4Sports. The future depends on these resources in addition to revenues from participants and traditional fundraising events. Facilities – Our need for facilities is growing beyond what is now available. This is one of the most urgent challenges facing All4Sports. This essential component is threatened from several aspects. Increasing program needs, combined with recent restrictions and fees for the use of public school facilities, is an issue. Indoor facilities are virtually at capacity for basketball and volleyball games and tournaments. They are insufficient to support flexible and convenient practice schedules. Outdoor facilities are adequate, but the increasing demands of soccer presents concerns in this area as well. New and innovative alternatives must be explored and implemented to provide additional facilities to support the demands of the program. One alternative is to form â€Å"alliances† with public facilities to take on the management and maintenance of these facilities in exchange for scheduled use. Other potential options may include establishing relationships with private schools, churches and other institutions with available gym space. For example, successful experiences have occurred where All4Sports has taken the lead in the development and maintenance of outdoor fields on property owned by other not-for-profit organizations. Training and Education for Coaches and Officials – Individuals often have their first coaching experience with All4Sports. This presents the need to adequately train these individuals to enable them to better understand All4Sports' philosophy, their responsibilities, potential liability issues, and appropriate behavior with participants. A more positive experience for participants, coaches and officials with an increased awareness of responsibilities are some of the goals. The resource demands of this training effort are tremendous. Staff Challenges and Attrition – The All4Sports' staff experiences tremendous pressure due to workloads, dealing with parents, and addressing the issues of the program. These factors, combined with concerns regarding compensation, have resulted in undesirable turnover in important positions. 2. 3. 4. 3 Opportunities All4Sports competes for resources in a community with a high number of not-for-profit organizations per capita. Numerous organizations target personal and corporate dollars to augment other revenue sources. Based on this challenge, All4Sports must continue to demonstrate that it successfully offers a meaningful experience to participants, with short and long-term benefits, in a manner that effectively meets community needs. The following summarizes potential opportunities: Geographic Serving Area Issues – All4Sports continues to be a precedent-setting organization that attracts attention from surrounding communities. Decisions regarding the serving area will impact financial requirements and potentially open new revenue opportunities. This growth strategy must be managed and orchestrated in a manner that will add strength to the program. Soccer Interest – Soccer is the single fastest growing sport in terms of participation. With some participation trade-offs with boy's football, this increasing interest in soccer is the most predominant reason for program growth and has added a more even balance to gender participation. There is an increasing demand for indoor soccer programs. Program Expansion – Program expansion also requires consideration and evaluation. This may include adding sports to the current venue or looking at offering these sports to older age groups, potentially including adult sports programs. Community Education – All4Sports must continue to tell its story to the community it serves. This message is one that reinforces the philosophy and the purpose for its existence. A well-informed community may effectively ensure public facilities are available for use based on reasonable expectations placed on All4Sports. 2. 3. 4. 4 Threats The major challenges All4Sports currently face include the following:. Property Tax Changes – The impact of property tax modifications on the public school systems, their support of sports programs, and their willingness to provide their facilities for use by All4Sports has not been determined. The precise ramifications of this measure may not be known for months, but all potential outcomes must be considered as plans are made for the coming year. Alternative Programs – The increasing impact from other programs, ranging from organization-sponsored to club sports, poses a threat to a segment of All4Sports' market. These organizations target the highly skilled and committed players and coaches and are eroding the depth and breadth of All4Sports' participant and coach resources. Legal and Liability Issues – All4Sports continues to be exposed to liability issues in many aspects of the experience it provides. The potential concerns range from health and safety issues to various forms of verbal or physical abuse. In an increasingly litigious society, there is always potential for legal action. The â€Å"Elite/Advanced† Sports Dilemma – Providing competitive environments for athletes with higher skill levels who seek to be in an intentionally competitive arena is in question. The threat of not offering this option is that these athletes may be drawn away from All4Sports by alternative programs. Some of the most highly trained and experienced coaches can also be attracted to these other programs. This issue challenges some of All4Sports' most basic philosophies. 2. 4 Competition A number of other programs offer youth sports experiences. None of these programs offers the extensive range of experiences or infrastructure of All4Sports. Some programs do, however, offer specific attributes some participants and parents find attractive. This is particularly true for those who seek a higher level of competition and competitive screening of participants. 2. 4. 1 Direct Competition Direct competitors to All4Sports include: * Babe Ruth Baseball/American Legion Baseball Southern Oregon Volleyball * Rogue Valley Athletic Club Volleyball * AAU Basketball * YMCA Basketball * ASA Softball * Oregon Youth Soccer * AYSO Soccer * National Gymnastics Academy Other programs are also available through schools and other organizations. Although some variables are now in place, there are questions regarding the future of indoor soccer organizations. All4Sports possesses a commanding percentage of the total market share. This is based on the estimated number of participants compared to participation levels in other programs, both public and private. This share percentage drops in high school due to increased competition from other organizations as well as in-school programs offered through the public school system. Growth and Share Analysis Growth and Share| | | | | Competitor| Price| Growth Rate| Market Share| All4Sports| $85| 7%| 75%| Babe Ruth Baseball| $120| 3%| 2%| So. Oregon Volleyball| $150| 5%| 3%| AAU Basketball| $90| 4%| 5%| ASA Softball| $95| 2%| 5%| Oregon Youth Soccer| $110| 22%| 4%| AYSO Soccer| $105| 22%| 5%| | | | | Average| $107. 86| 9. 29%| 14. 14%| Total| $755. 00| 65. 00%| 99. 00%| Competitive Analysis Competitive Analysis| | | | | | | | #1| #2| #3| #4| #5| #6| Competitor| Babe Ruth Baseball| So. Ore. Volleyball| AAU Basketball| ASA Softball| Or. Youth Soccer| AYSO Soccer| | | | | | | | Product and/or Service| Babe Ruth Baseball| So. Ore. Volleyball| AAU Basketball| ASA Softball| Or. Youth Soccer| AYSO Soccer| Quality| 6| 7| 6| 5| 8| 8| Selection| 3| 3| 3| 3| 3| 3| Price| 7| 2| 7| 6| 8| 7| Scheduling| 6| 3| 8 | 9| 7| 6| | | | | | | | Location and Physical Appearance| Babe Ruth Baseball| So. Ore. Volleyball| AAU Basketball| ASA Softball| Or. Youth Soccer| AYSO Soccer| Facilities| 8| 4| 5| 6| 8| 4| Equipment| 4| 4| 6| 7| 5| 6| Coaching| 8| 5| 5| 9| 4| 5| Convenience Factors| 6| 6| 7| 8| 2| 8| Other| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| | | | | | | | Added Value Factors| Babe Ruth Baseball| So. Ore. Volleyball| AAU Basketball| ASA Softball| Or. Youth Soccer| AYSO Soccer| Parent/Guardian Communication| 2| 5| 5| 8| 5| 6| Experience| 4| 7| 7| 6| 3| 8| Expertise| 5| 6| 5| 6| 3| 9| Reputation| 6| 8| 7| 9| 5| 9| Image| 6| 6| 6| 9| 6| 6| Stability| 3| 5| 5| 6| 5| 6| Strategic Alliances| 2| 2| 2| 6| 8| 5| Other| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| | | | | | | | Other Marketing Activities| Babe Ruth Baseball| So. Ore. Volleyball| AAU Basketball| ASA Softball| Or. Youth Soccer| AYSO Soccer| Communications| 5| 5| 5| 5| 5| 5| Scholarships| 2| 8| 5| 4| 4| 6| Promotion| 2| 8| 2| 5| 4| 6| Facilitiy Relationships| 9| 5| 6| 9| 9| 5| Loyalty Components| 5| 5| 6| 8| 9| 9| Other| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Total| 99| 104| 108| 134| 111| 127| Competitor by Growth and Share 2. 4. 2 Indirect Competition In a broad sense, All4Sports competes with all other after-school and extracurricular programs that do not involve sports. School theater programs and local arts programs compete for attendance to their programs and funding from parents and other organizations. While All4Sports does not predict a change in popularity of sports and the percentage of students who participate in sports programs in comparison to arts programs, it is a possibility in the future that trends could favor these alternative programs. All4Sports continues to compete with these programs by offering a fun and fulfilling sports experience for everyone involved. Marketing Strategy 3. 0 Marketing Strategy All4Sports strives to be the premier provider of sports experiences for children in the areas served. Programs are in place to simultaneously serve the needs of out-of-district participants in a manner that is positive for these participants and enhances revenue streams for All4Sports with minimal additional costs. The marketing strategy attempts to successfully communicate the unique value the program offers participants. This strategy redirects the focus from the â€Å"cost† issue to the benefits that participants and their guardians experience from involvement in the program. The marketing strategy will continue to identify the needs of the market and communicate with this audience in the most effective and positive manner possible. Ongoing efforts continually attempt to understand how All4Sports can maintain the quality and integrity of the program within the finite financial resources of participants and the community of donors and supporters. This challenge is increasing. As costs continue to increase in a number of areas, the demands and expectations of the participants and their parents do as well. All4Sports is constantly working to improve the program through improvements and changes in its structure and implementation. Quality and efficiency are just two goals of these changes. The growth strategy is based on continued attention to the quality of the experience in conjunction with identifying opportunities to expand the participation of the programs where possible. Recent changes in key areas, such as the facilities used for events, present ominous challenges for all aspects of the program. 3. 1 Value Proposition All4Sports does much more than simply provide access to sports for children, it provides the significant benefits that are associated with children's involvement in sports programs. These benefits include reducing the likelihood of children becoming involved in drugs, crime and other illicit behavior. Research indicates the economic, social and personal value of â€Å"investing† in the lives of children in a positive and constructive manner avoids the social and penal system costs that may later result. To meet this need, All4Sports offers an experience that serves as a personal â€Å"sports reference† for participants throughout their lives. These important benefits continue to validate the All4Sports concept. 3. 2 Critical Issues Our strengths are impressive. Our weaknesses are identified and have potential solutions. All4Sports could be described as in a â€Å"speculative† situation. We are presented with numerous opportunities and also have threats that present a level of risk. However, we have a chance to experience large returns on our efforts if we can continue to capture the largest market share and are not negatively impacted by the alternative programs in our market. We are well positioned in the market. We have the ability to continue to offer the greatest value and we take advantage of our economies of scale. The critical issues include the following: * Continuing to offer programs that are perceived to be positive, enriching, and affordable compared to the alternatives in our area. Attract participants on a return basis throughout their kindergarten through their high-school years. * Be perceived by public, private, and home schooling providers as a valuable resource that complements the academic experiences they offer. 3. 3 Financial Objectives 1. Raise a minimum of $575,000 through non-participation fees from sources including donations, contributions , special events, gifts-in-kind, and grants. 2. Increase corporate donations and contributions to exceed 12% of the total revenues. 3. Accomplish our program goals within the allocated budget of $1,510,000. 3. Marketing Objectives The objective is to provide this valuable experience to as many children as possible in a positive and supportive manner. A positive, constructive and meaningful experience is the sought-after result of the All4Sports experience. This experience may assist individuals to better understand the necessary skills that life demands and empower them to realize the choices and options available to them. 1. Provide a positive experience to 27,500 youth through the current academic year and enable their parent/guardian to appreciate the value of this experience for their child. 2. Accomplish our program goals within the allocated budget of $1,510,000. 3. Expand the program to two new schools within our serving area by August, prior to the next academic year. 3. 5 Target Market Strategy The target market for All4Sports continues to be youth between the ages of 5 and 18 who have some interest in participating in competitive sports. This may be their first organized sports experience, and All4Sports strives to make it the most positive and successful experience possible. Another area of the target market focuses on addressing the growing interest and demands for outdoor and indoor soccer. . 6 Messaging The core message of All4Sports is one of value: All4Sports teaches children and families the value of physical fitness, sportsmanship, practice, and teamwork through sports and activities. All4Sports fine-tunes its message depending on the target market while keeping the core message intact. 3. 6. 1 Branding The All4Sports brand communicates our complete commitment to sports and to the children and families that are served by the organization. The brand embodies the values that we believe sports participation instills in children and also communicates to sponsors our communicates to supporting hose values in the community. The All4Sports brand is included on banners at all of our sporting events and on uniforms. This branding is used to remind parents and others at sporting events that the events are funded by All4Sports and that All4Sports is the predominant source for youth sports in the region. Target Market Messaging Target Market Messaging| | | Market Segments| Messaging| Public School Students| More options, more possibilities, more resources| Private School Students| Get out and play! | Home School Students| New friends, new opportunities| 3. 7 Strategy Pyramids All4Sports focuses on achieving success in these four basic areas with the resources available to our program: * Equal opportunity to participate, regardless of skill level. * A wholesome, positive, safe, and value-oriented atmosphere in which participants learn teamwork, sportsmanship and interactive skills. * An acceptable outlet for youthful energy. * A broad variety of sports experiences to further develop self-esteem and personal confidence. STRATEGY #1 Program Expansion Tactic #1-A School expansion * Program 1-A New school campaign * Program 1-B Jacksonville campaign Tactic #1-B â€Å"All4Soccer† * Program 2-A School presentations Program 2-B Free soccer clinics * Program 2-C Participation in high school regional soccer play-offs * Program 2-D Special needs scholarship program STRATEGY #2 Fundraising Tactic #2-A Corporate donor base * Program 1-A â€Å"Taking Care of Donors† Committee * Program 1-B Corporate contact program Tactic #2-B Special Events * Program 2-A Taste of Medford to add Spring event * Program 2-B Grant application program focus Marketing Mix 4. 0 Marketing Mix While All4Sports is a non-profit organization, we must continue to devote a portion of our budget to promotion to continue to ensure broad participation in the sporting programs that we offer. Strong participation ensures that All4Sports can create leagues in every sport so that good and varied competition can be offered. Strong participation also means that All4Sports can offer sporting programs to all skill levels across a broad spectrum of programs, ensuring that anyone who wants to participate can participate. The All4Sports marketing mix consists of a pricing strategy that fosters participation while adequately funding operations and a promotion strategy that ensures continued participation in our programs. 4. 1 Pricing All4Sports strives to minimize costs for all participants to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in sporting programs has an opportunity to do so. 4. 2 Promotion All4Sports' promotion strategy is a three-pronged approach of advertising, public relations and direct marketing. Because All4Sports has a limited marketing budget, All4Sports will take a more grass-routes approach and leverage PR and volunteers to assist with marketing to our target audiences. 4. 2. 1 Advertising All4Sports does not have a large advertising budget and will not be advertising in the TV or radio media. Instead, All4Sports will focus on more highly-targeted campaigns to reach students and parents where they are most: school. All4Sports will print flyers and brochures to be left at all area schools and will also provide them to school Physical Education instructors so that the brochures can be passed on to students. In addition, All4Sports will schedule demonstrations at area schools in cooperation with PE teachers to expose students to sports that they might not have seen before, such as lacrosse. Additional brand awareness and advertising will come in the form of banners at All4Sports' sporting events and logos on our team uniforms. This will ensure that any parents or students watching the events will know where to go to participate. Finally, All4Sports will run limited newspaper campaigns during the sign-up periods at the beginning of each sporting season to attract new participants. Advertising Milestones Milestones| | | | | | | Advertising| Start Date| End Date| Budget| Manager| Department| Brochure Design| 1/4/2006| 1/15/2006| $200| Eric| Design| Newspaper Ad Design| 1/15/2006| 1/30/2006| $200| Eric| Design| Printing| 9/5/2006| 12/1/2006| $2,500| Eric| Design| Newspaper Ad – Spring| 3/1/2006| 3/30/2006| $800| Cindy| Staff| Newspaper Ad – Summer| 5/1/2006| 5/30/2006| $800| Cindy| Staff| Newspaper Ad – Fall| 8/1/2006| 8/30/2006| $800| Cindy| Staff| Other| 12/1/2006| 12/1/2006| $0| N/A| N/A| Total Advertising Budget| | | $5,300| | | 4. 2. 2 Public Relations Leveraging local public relations resources is key to All4Sports' promotion strategy. All4Sports will alert local TV networks and newspapers to championship games and all-star athletes in the programs in the hopes of generating local coverage and student profiles. In addition, press releases will be issued announcing new programs and exceptional achievements by local athletes involved in All4Sports programs. PR Milestones Milestones| | | | | | | PR| Start Date| End Date| Budget| Manager| Department| New Programs Press Release| 3/15/2006| 1/15/2006| $80| Jan| Marketing| Winter Season Highlights Pitch| 3/1/2006| 3/30/2006| $0| Jan| Marketing| Other| 1/1/2006| 1/15/2006| $0| ABC| Department| Total PR Budget| | | $80| | | 4. 2. 3 Direct Marketing As new families move to the area, it is important that All4Sports establish contact so that parents and students are aware of the offerings available. To reach these families, All4Sports will use a direct marketing strategy of leaving leaflets and flyers in mailboxes and recruit volunteers to call families to describe the programs offered. Direct Marketing Milestones Milestones| | | | | | Direct Marketing| Start Date| End Date| Budget| Department| New Family Contact Program| 1/1/2006| 9/30/2006| $0| Marketing| Other| 1/1/2006| 1/15/2006| $0| Department| Total Direct Marketing Budget| | | $0| | 4. 3 Web Plan The All4Sports website will be an information hub and reduce the logistics required to sign-up students for programs during each season. While the investment to get the site up and running will be significant from a time perspective, it will pay off by reducing the number of phone calls to the All4Sports administrative office and it will reduce overall administrative costs by automating portions of the sign-up process. 4. 3. 1 Website Goals The All4Sports website has two goals: 1. To serve as an information hub for participants in the various programs. The site will be used to communicate practice times, game times and locations, and scores and other highlights from games. In addition, site users will be able to sign up for the All4Sports email newsletter to receive weekly updates of scores, program updates and general All4Sports announcements. 2. To reduce administrative costs by automating portions of the program sign-up process. The All4Sports web site will allow students and parents to sign-up for various programs. By collecting this information electronically, All4Sports will reduce the amount of double-data-entry and facilitate the process of managing a large number of applications. 4. 3. 2 Website Marketing Strategy All4Sports will communicate the existance of the web site in all printed material and on the automated phone system at the All4Sports office. 4. 3. 3 Development Requirements The All4Sports web site will be custom designed and developed to manage the unique needs of the organization. Some development time will be donated from a local web site design and development company in exchange for some marketing on the web site itself. Web development will be in two phases that correspond with the website goals: 1. Basic communication platform. This phase of web development will build the informational portion of the web site that will allow for easy posting of team schedules and game results. 2. Application submission platform. This second phase will develop the database and submission process that will allow participants to join sporting programs online and allow for the program coordinators to access those applications and process them. 4. 4 Implementation Schedule The following chart and table identify the key marketing programs. Dates and budgets are specified, and the â€Å"Chairpeople† are informed of the programs. We will track plan-vs. actual results for each of these programs and evaluate them at our quarterly Board of Directors meetings. If necessary, the programs will be revised if we discover they are not accomplishing the intended goal. Milestones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4. 5 Funding Plan Outside funding is critical to All4Sports' future success. All4Sports will focus on corporate sponsors, local fundraising with parents, and government grants. All4Sports aims to raise 30% of funding from corporate sponsors, 30% from grants, and 40% from individuals in the community. 4. 5. 1 Funding Strategy Corporate fundraising and grant writing will be handled by All4Sports staff internally. All4Sports will target corporate sponsors and offer them individual sport sponsorship that could involve anything from purchasing uniforms and equipment to cash sponsorship for more general use within the All4Sports organization. Fundraising from individuals will be coordinated by internal stuff, but will rely heavily on volunteers to run fundraising events. Fundraising events will include standards such as bake sales and car washes. All4Sports will also directly solicit additional donations from parents in addition to basic membership fees. 4. 5. 2 Funding Process Corporate funding and grant writing meetings will occur once a month to review status, possible funding in the pipeline, and status of grant applications. Potential funding sources will be identified using the local chamber of commerce directory. We will contact them directly to seek sponsorship and will present to them the branding opportunities as well as the benefits that All4Sports provides to the community. Follow up calls will be scheduled 1 week and again 1 month after the initial meetings. Internally, we will schedule regular fund raising events for the community. These will usually occur at the beginning of each sports season and special events will be held to raise money for individual trips and events. Funding Account Plan | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Funding Pipeline | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Financials 5. 0 Financials All4Sports is committed to balancing its operating budget and operating on a solid financial foundation. These efforts are based on a mixture of fundraising, charitable gifting, tournaments, and fees. Just as revenues are tracked, internal expenses are closely monitored. The goal of All4Sports is to continue to provide a quality youth sports experience at an affordable cost. This is a tremendous challenge, due to the size of the program, unpredictable costs in areas such as facilities, and uncertainties in participant revenues. All4Sports is intentionally emphasizing the need to reduce reliance on fee-based revenues and look toward contributions from other sources, particularly businesses, to support the program. This approach will enable the program to realize the objective of keeping fees affordable while continuing to offer a quality program for all participants. All4Sports has an independent auditor's report conducted annually that includes financial statements and additional information. The following information is based on the prior two Independent Auditor's Reports. The following summarizes key facts regarding the financial status of All4Sports and its results from last year: * Revenues last year totaled $1,732,658. * A total of 65% of those revenues are from Participation Fees, Donations and Contributions, Special Events, and Gifts-in-Kind. * – Supervision Grants account for a combined 34%. * Expenses for last year were $366 over revenues. * â€Å"People-related† expenditures represent 47% of expenditures. * Non-program operations account for 9% of the total expenditures. . 1 Break-even Analysis Our break-even analysis is based on the ongoing overhead costs we incur to keep the doors of All4Sports open. Fixed costs including the building lease, payroll, utilities, and marketing costs are an estimated $10,250. This number level is due to our dependence on volunteers to run our program. Our assumptions on the average unit revenue are based on the aver age participant fee. The result of this analysis offers general insight regarding the number of average participants we must have involved in the program each month. Break-even Analysis . 2 Funding Forecast Monthly revenues for this calendar year will fluctuate based on the seasonality of the sports offered and the projected level of participation in each sport. The forecasted revenues range from a dramatic low of $16,535 in September as schools are getting started, to a high of $115,360 in November with the Fall Soccer, Tackle Football, and Volleyball seasons overlapping. Donor Drive – The Donor Drive effort depends on the commitment of key volunteers to raise funds through corporate and individual contributors throughout the area. This includes leveraging the resources of corporate sponsors and initiating an Adopt-A-School Scholarship Fund Sponsors program where businesses are partnered with specific schools. Sponsors and Donors are recognized in numerous ways for the valuable role they play in the organization. A Taste of Medford – All4Sports has created a culinary tradition with the fundraising event â€Å"A Taste of Medford. † Restaurants from throughout the area come together to offer a taste of their menu, and businesses and individuals pay admission to sample their cuisine throughout the evening. Since its inception, this highly publicized event has become an annual highlight and a financial success for more than a decade. This is due to continued public appeal, corporate sponsorships, and experienced volunteer leadership. Value Checks – Since 1993, All4Sports T-ball, baseball, and softball participants have sold these sought-after coupon books. The relationship with and support of numerous businesses throughout the area also provide an effective promotional medium for marketing efforts. Grants – All4Sports continues to identify grants on a national and local basis that complement the goals and efforts of the program. Grant sources have included the U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Recreational Activities Valuing Education and Sports (RAVES), and the Willard Family Foundation. Work continues to expand the impact of the All4Sports Foundation. The recent adoption of by-laws further recognizes and empowers this entity. The Foundation will establish relationships with key individuals and organizations that desire to provide significant financial support to All4Sports on an ongoing basis. The long-term objective is to provide financial stability to support program quality and expansion and reduce dependence on program fees. Costs associated with facilities are just one example of the need for these resources in addition to the other revenue sources for the program. 5. 2. 1 Funding by Participant Fees The following summarizes the projected revenue from participant fees on a monthly basis for the upcoming year. Note the variance based on sports season and overlapping sports. Funding Breakdown by Participant Fees Monthly 5. 2. 2 Funding by Fundraising Events Our fundraising events are a critical component to our revenue base, particularly in relation to the â€Å"Taste of Oregon† and â€Å"Value checks† efforts. Funding Breakdown by Fundraising Events Monthly . 2. 3 Funding by Donations Donations from private and corporate sources are one of the most stable and predictable sources of income. Our objective is to increase corporate contributions. Gifts-in-kind offset program costs, such as when sports equipment is donated, and goods are also supplied for the various auction events held. Funding Breakdown by Donations Monthly 5. 3 Expense Forecast Our expense budget is based on maximizing the return from our marketing and promotion efforts. We must closely monitor this return to determine what events are generating the most revenue based on the actual dollar investment. Another resource we consider is the number of volunteer hours required, based on a â€Å"ceiling† of hours, that we have access to each year from our volunteer base. 5. 3. 1 Expense by Program Program expenses are contained due to volunteer hours. It is clear that All4Sports is a volunteer-driven organization. The work of volunteers is an integral part of All4Sports. For example, last year's programs consisted of 2,045 teams with an estimated 4,230 head and assistant coaches volunteering an estimated 300,000 hours. Based on a recent study by Anderson Research, All4Sports enjoys a positive perception among the coaches involved in the rogram. The number of teams and coaches is greater for next year and the perceptions are anticipated to be as positive. All4Sports could not survive without this invaluable and committed resource. Annual recognition programs, awards, and events are designed to acknowledge the irreplaceable roles these volunteers play. Expense Breakdown by Program M onthly 5. 3. 2 Expense by Administrative Administrative expenses are based on supporting our staff, along with temporary employees that are brought on to meet seasonal demands. Expense Breakdown by Administrative Monthly 5. 3. 3 Expense by Fundraising Fundraising expenses relate to costs incurred to identify, communicate, and receive donations from private and corporate donors. Expense Breakdown by Fundraising Monthly 5. 4 Contribution Margin Based on past performance, our fundraising efforts are realistic. We enjoyed a $20,000 surplus last year and hope to have a similar experience in the year ahead. The challenges will be to develop greater revenue streams from corporate sponsors and to become proportionately less dependent on participation fees. This is expected to offer a more stable source of revenue for the future and reduce the efforts to secure these funds. We expect our special-event fundraising activities and individual contributions to remain relatively constant as a percent of total revenues. The involvement of the Board of Directors and the formation of the foundation committee will be critical to our success in this area. Controls 6. 0 Controls The purpose of the All4Sports marketing plan is to serve as a guide to the staff, the Board of Directors, and the volunteers to continue to improve the organization and its ability to serve the youth of Jackson County. We must take action to accomplish our goals. Failing to implement even one of the programs could be devastating to our success. . 1 Implementation All4Sports will have weekly Milestones Meetings to review current milestone status, funding status, and status of the actual programs. For All4Sports, it's critical that there is a consistent focus on implementation in order to not only maintain strong programs, but to maintain strong relationships with funding sources. The followi ng Funding Source Lifetime Value table shows the long-term value of our average corporate funding sources which is testament to the need for focus on implementation of both funding milestones and program quality. . 2 Keys to Success * Expand into new areas within Jackson County that desire access to All4Sports activities. * Leverage the growth offered by the increasing interest in soccer in the Fall and Spring programs. * Identify additional facilities to support future growth and offer greater flexibility in scheduling. * Continue to develop the donor base and corporate contributions that add to the financial resources of the participant fees. 6. 3 Contingency Planning The following lists, in order of probability beginning with the highest potential for change that will impact this marketing plan, the future of All4Sports: * Major philosophy shift regarding the use of public and/or private school facilities. * The rapid growth of one of the alternative programs that significantly reduces our market share and our ability to operate one or more of our programs. * Legal action due to injury or negligence that causes severe financial damage to the organization. 6. 4 Market Research All4Sports will continue to monitor public school funding and private school ttendance to determine how to refocus promotion activities if necessary. From a funding perspective, All4Sports will monitor government grant availability and apply for new grants as they become available. 6. 5 CRM Plans In the case of All4Sports, there are two primary customers: program participants and funding sources. It is important to have a good CRM system in place to track these two groups. A ll4Sports will use the CRM system to track continued participation in programs and to contact students whose participation changes. For funding sources, the CRM system will be used to track the stages of donors in the funding process and ensure that donors are contacted on a regular basis and kept up-to-date with All4Sports programs. 6. 6 Marketing Organization All4Sports fundraising is run by Doug Johnston. Doug has 15 years of fundraising experience for nonprofit groups and has written numerous successful grants. Doug has two staff assistants who help manage the fundraising process. Marketing and promotion is run by June Gibbons. June is responsible for maintaining participation in All4Sports' programs and promoting the programs to new students and families.