Dutchtown High School Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dutchtown High School - Research Paper Example There are a number of classes that are offered at Dutchtown middle school even though all the students are encouraged to take the entire four major lessons, which are science social studies, math, and English. The school also provides an opportunity to get into an in-state university. The schools motto is to provide an environment of excellence where all students can become lifelong learners and productive citizens. In addition, the school also offers courses in United States history, studio art 2d-design, biology, computer science, art history, calculus Ab & Bc, chemistry, English language and composition , politics, studio art drawing, US government, English literature, world history, European history and physics. The state of Louisiana has an enrollment of 703,309 students while the attendance rate for the year 2010-2011 was 94.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). However, the in-school suspension rate for the year 2010-2011 was 9.6% while the percentage of classes taught by highly qual ified teachers for the same year was 88.8%. The expenditure per student was $10,622. The state ranked in a grade of 91.8 in 2010, which is a 2 star ranking and 93.3 in 2011, which is a grade C ranking (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). ... n.  However, the area where the school is located is vulnerable to hurricanes and the tropical systems since the area is lowly elevated, and has a close location to the coast of southeast Louisiana. The town lies 23 feet above the sea level, which is slightly lower than most areas of United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Geismar in turn is located in Louisiana, a state found in the US, which is found in the southern region. The state of Louisiana is among the most extensive and populous states of the United States. This has contributed greatly in shaping the demographics patterns of Ducthtown High School in that the school boasts of a large population of students and teachers. The average ratio of students to teacher is 25:1, which is actually a moderate ratio. The capitals of Louisiana are found in Baton Rouge whereas the largest city in that state is New Orleans. One interesting political fact is that the state of New Orleans is the only state in the US whereby the three are political subdivisions known as parishes. Dutchtown High School is located in Ascension Parish. These parishes are the equivalents of counties in many other US states (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Ethnically, the state of Louisiana’s urban environments is a multi-cultural environment and multi-lingual surroundings. The states heritage is by far shaped and influenced by the admixture of 18th century,  Native American, African,  and Spanish cultures. Cultures and ethnicity are considered exceptional in the US statistics, which have also played a major role in shaping the schools ethnicity and cultural heritage. This multi cultures were contributed largely by the colonial history of this state whereby the French and the Spanish colonized it way before the British took over colonizing America.

Work Package Essay Example for Free

Work Package Essay What approach would you take to identify the activities needed to complete the work package? A work package is a portion of the WBS that allows project management to define the steps necessary for completing the project. (Ultimate Resource for PM) In my opinion, the activities should be divided into different levels. We should try to pick the most important activities and try to avoid the less-important ones. Put the feasible activities on the list and delete the impractical ones. How would you know that you have identified the right level of detail? To identify the right level of the details, we have to start from the first level. The first level should be a general idea of the activities and the main steps. The second level is the expansion of the first level. So is the third level. Form the top-down structure, the top level is always the conclusion and the basic level is the details. How would you prevent identifying ‘too much’ detail or too many activities that would it very difficult for you to manage? By identifying the details, we should try to take the details that build up the structure and work for the project. It should be a blueprint for the project manager to identify the activities clearly. So we should just keep the main steps on the list and try to avoid the unnecessary activities. Can you give an example of a Work Package or something similar (it can be a real life example) where you decomposed the deliverable (what is needed) into the activities that are needed to complete the deliverable? When I was in the former class, our team was to finish one project called developing new IPhone 5 market. So we tried to develop our WBS and the deliverables. Our team had thought of 3 main deliverables of producing, advertising and customer service. But we found out that actually, we needed to decompose the producing into producing, packing and transportation. Mailing new iPhone to different customers and stores is still a big activity we need to pay attention to.

An Over View Of Brand And Brand Image Marketing Essay

An Over View Of Brand And Brand Image Marketing Essay CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 2.1 Primary Research Primary research data is collected directly, detached observation, evaluate of phenomena in the real life, without any exoteric interference (Walliman 2001). There are some primary research methods, such as questionnaire, interview, observations, etc. For the research project choose the suitable methodology is very necessary and effective. In this project will use the one of the primary research method: questionnaire Questionnaire is very direct way to get feedback from responder When create the questionnaire need consider all the questions are related the topic, and all the answers also need to analysis, discussion and so on. In this project will find 60 female students to answer the questions, their ages are from 18-25 years old. All of them are from Hollings Campus of MMU. The researcher should make sure the questionnaire easily to answer, give the responder a comfortable and free environment to answer the questions; and do not make questions verbose and complicated. Thus the researcher can get the maximum feedback. When create the questionnaire need consider all the questions are related the topic, and all the answers also need to analysis, discussion and so on. During the research there will have some limitations, because the number and the age of the respondents are not wide enough, so the results only can reflect a group of consumers thought. 2.2 Company background 2.2.1 HM HM was established in Và ¤sterà ¥s, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. Now have 1,700 stores around the world. The first HM store in the United Kingdom was opened in 1976. 2006 United Kingdom passed Sweden as HMs second largest market. Through the recorded there are 146 stores in UK. It has great steady expansion and growth this year, too (HM website). The Figure shows the top 5 largest shareholders as per 31 March 2008 Name Number of shares % of total shares % of voting rights Stefan Persson med familj 304 872 400* 36,84 69,30 Lottie Tham med familj 44 040 200 5,32 2,59 Alecta Pensionsfà ¶rsà ¤kring 27 735 000 3,35 1,63 Swedbank Robur fonder 24 406 752 2,95 1,43 JP Morgan Chase Bank 21 843 019 2,64 1,28 Figure 2.2.1 (a) Ownership structure Source: HM website The reason choose HM is: it is an international big company and come into the UK market, also has successful business in British market, during this project you will find how the HM operate their brand in the UK market, and get consumers responds known the attractive factors of HM. 2.2.2 Levis From its website (Levis website) can know LSCo. is one of the worlds largest brand-name apparel marketers with sales in more than 100 countries. It is America company, there is no other company with a comparable global presence in jeans and casual pants markets. It is a different type of company with HM, its main products are denim. Because the respondents of this project is young female students, so need compare with the valuable price retailer and get the feedback known how popular of the denim brand and find out what the develop direction if Levis want attract the young female students. 2.2.3 All Saints All Saints is a young fashion chain, has nearly 110 stores in the UK (All Saints Website). Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor, who founded All Saints in 1994 and sold the chain to entrepreneur Kevin Stanford at the end of 2005, have struck a deal with Religions majority owner Darren Collins to roll out retail stores under two fascias, one called Bolongaro Trevor and the other called Religion (Tate 2007). All Saints is part owned by investment firm Baugur. Baugur has a stake of about 35% (Brown 2009). Different with above two brands, All Saints is a UK local brand, and do not has that much stores in overseas market like the HM and Levis. From research questions will get how the market status in young female students, and how to build a strong brand awareness and develop the oversea market like above two. These three brands background and target consumers are different, but can use them to compare what influence in this focus group consumer and then give the suggestions to each of them how to develop their brand image or gain more potential consumers. CHAPTER 3 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 3.1 Logo Recognition Through the research results, the data display all the 60 respondents can recognize the HM and Levis logos; but there are 5 respondents can not recognize the All Saints logo. Figure 3.1 (a): Logo Recognition Status Source: Questionnaire 3.2 Purchase Situation Look at Figure 3.2(a) you can see the data of how many people have bought these three brands. In research the 60 people, there are 59 people have bought HM products and only 1 has not bought before. In the All Saints part, 37 people said they have not bought any All Saints products, rest of 23 respondents have bought before, the distance between Yes and No are smaller. Go to look the Levis part, the gap between Yes and No are smaller than All saints, the 26 respondents have not buy any Levis products, 34 of them have bought before. Figure 3.2(a): Rate of Purchase Situation Source: Questionnaire 3. 3 Most Important Factor The following table and pie charts are showing the occupancy of each factor. You can see it more vivid. The results of most important factor for each brand Brand Factor HM All Saints Levis Price 23 26 8 Quality 11 8 23 Style 25 16 15 Brand 1 10 14 Figure 3.3(a): The number of results of shopping frequency Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (b) HM The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (c) All Saints The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.3 (d) Levis The percentage of each factor occupancy Source: Questionnaire 3.4 Shopping Frequency The following pie charts show the frequency of respondents shop in these stores. Each of them has different situation and these charts give reader clear data. The results of shopping frequency HM All Saints Levis Once a week 4 0 0 Once a month 42 20 23 Several times a month 13 4 7 Not often 0 7 5 Never 0 29 25 Figure 3.4 (a) The results of shopping frequency Source: Questionnaire The percentage of the shopping frequency of each brand Figure 3.4 (b) HM Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.4 (c) All Saints Source: Questionnaire Figure 3.4 (d) Levis Source: Questionnaire 3.5 Average Expenditure Results of how much of the respondents spent on average price brand HM percentage All Saints percentage Levis percentage  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30 43 71.7% 8 13.3% 8 13.3%  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60 17 28.3% 0 0 15 25%  ¿Ã‚ ¡60 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡90 0 0 17 28.3% 17 28.3% above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90 0 0 9 15% 0 0 Never buy 1 0 26 43.3% 20 33.3% Total respondents 60 60 60 Figure 3.5(a) Results of average expenditure Source: Questionnaire CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION From last chapter all the research results are presented, in this part will discussion the results and develop the project. 4.1 Logo Recognition From 3.1 you can know the rate of brand recognition of these three retailers. The first question in questionnaire reflects the consumers impression to a brand. This kind of impression can be considered as brand awareness. Brand awareness reflects the how many customers remember a brand (Glossary 2007). Nowadays, consumers have their own way to judge a brand such as consumers can distinguish the brand with a particular product category because the brand awareness reflects the saliency of a brand and how convenient it brings to consumers (Chernatong McDonald 1998). Brand awareness reflects the brands presence in consumers memory (Hague and Jackson, 1994; Aaker, 2002), and it is the amount of the consumers or potential consumers who have cognition of a brand. Thus, companies will find how many consumers can recognise their brand instinctively and how it differentiation with other competing brands (Crainer 1995). From the results you can know the HM and Levis have very successful brand awareness in peoples mind. This indicated their marketing communications are effectively (Glossary 2007). They always give the people strong impression.In order to consolidate their market status, they have new action continual. For example, HM launch a new flagship on Londons Regent Street in March. This action increases their brand awareness and makes the gain more customers (Brown 2008). The awareness of All Saints are slightly weak than another two brands. So the All Saints need create the strong marketing campaign, or communication to support its brand awareness. Drapers online (2009) reported All Saints has opening several new stores last year, and ramped up international expansion with openings in Paris in October and Antwerp in November. 4.2 Purchase Situation The purchase situation influences the whole income of the company. Income of a company can be divided visible and invisible. The visible income could say sales income, and invisible could say brand equity. Because brand equity is the commercial and financial value of the brand to the organisation which owns and utilises it  ¼Ã‹â€ Crainer 1995; Aaker, 2002 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Riezebos (2003) and Aaker(2002) defined brand equity is the strategic and management advantage, it is can be the fundamental of competitive advantage, also it is a kind of asset and long- term benefit. Brand equity can understanding from multi perspectives and they concluded that brand equity build on by differential features and give added profit to the companys balance sheet. In 3.2 has presented that the consumer purchases these three brands are dissimilar. Certainly also can said the popularity of these three brands are different. HM is the most popular store of these three, nearly 98% respondents expressed they have shopping experiences in here; this is a popular consumption brand. HM is aimed at everyone with an interest in fashion; it supplies extensive range of products, from clothes to accessories, at same time keeps new items come into the stores every day (HM website). The research results show, All Saints and Levis are not as widespread purchased as HM. Most of these respondents know these two brands, but not mean they certainly have bought their products. More than half ( 62% have not) of the respondents have not buy any All Saints products before, only 38% respondents have bought their products. Of course you may say that they have more development space. To make sure the brand equity growth, the brand gives to convince them that it is relevant to consumers needs can gain more attraction and hold consumers. (Chernatong McDonald 1998). Like recently, All Saints has some advantaged actions to attract more consumers. It has relaunched its online store with new imagery and better navigation, it gives customer a fresh appearance and simpler operating system. Stephen Ritchie, chief executive of Drivebusiness, the etail development firm that handled the relaunch, said: All Saints [the website] has grown phenomenally since we launched it in 2005 and its turnover continues to grow and exceed all expectations. All Saints online store is one of its top performing stores and we continue work with the team on improvements such as the recent enhancements to its distribution centre which has increased output by 250 %( Brown 2009). Levis received better results than All Saints, 57% of them have Levis products. It is more widely purchased by this group of people. Their products have more attraction than All Saints. Like the All Saints, Levis also has positive action. From the Drapersonline: Denim brand Levis has changed the licensee for its underwear and lingerie collection as part of a repositioning strategy. The move is intended to reinvigorate the collection ( Drapersonline 2009). This action gives more opportunity to potential and existing consumers to buy their products. This report said this is a part of repositioning strategy; it means they will have more and effective activities in the future and the consumers purchasing volume will increase. 4. 3 Most Important Factor Different retailer gives different impression to the customers. The research results give us direct information about the consumers ideas. At the same time reflects the consumers buying behaviour. Consumer behaviour is the study of the process when individuals or groups choose, buy, use of products, services, ideas or related experiences to satisfy their needs and wishes (Hawkins, Best and Coney 2004). Usually, when consumers purchasing clothing, they have their own way to judge the store, product, price and so on. In 3.3, the display these three different type retailer give the different impression to consumers. From HM part, there are 45% respondents thought the style are most important factor of this retailer. HM supply a broad and wide range product; the collections are created with broad design ideas and satisfy many different tastes of requirements. Their designing group always take the world as inspiration; styles are following the fashion trends. They try their best to create a good balance between fashion, quality and the best price (HM website). Thus, other 38.3% respondents said the price of HM is acceptable. About the quality there are 15% respondents express they are interested in this and only 1.7% respondents think about the brand of HM. It reflects the fashion consumers have their judgements. Many apparel decisions are rationally consider ones evaluative measure and choosing a feasible alternative. Like Solomon (2004) said if the object reaches consumers interest, they evaluate it and then might purchase. From other point view, this also reflects what the brand image in consumers mind. Brand image includes the target markets interpretation of the products attributes, benefits, usage situations, users, and manufacturer features. In a market brand image reflects schematic memory of a brand (Hawkins, Best and Coney 2004) and consumers perception of a brands characteristics (Hague and Jackson, 1994; Chernatony and McDonald 1998). So from 3.3(b) it demonstrated style and price are main points to attract HM consumers. Look at the All Saints part, 43.3% of respondents considered the most important factor of this retailer is price. Compare with other two retailers the price of All Saints are higher; it is why the consumer think this is important factor of it. Following the price the style are another important section, there are 26.7% respondents are interested in this. 16.7% respondents considered brand, 13.3% considered quality. In the Levis part there are 38.3% respondents thought the quality is the first important section, the second important section is the style, in this section 25% respondents. About the brand and price respectively are 23.3% and 13.3%. To this group consumer, when asked about the HM, the style is most considered factor; they thought style is All Saints brand image is: its price is high and, and they thought Levis has good quality products. Brand image like a receiver  ¼Ã‹â€ Jean-Noà «l 1997 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °, the image will be influenced by the performance of the promotions, literature and the message, thus a positive image will accelerate the development for an organisation (Hague and Jackson, 1994). Sproles and Kendall explained (1986, p.268; cited by Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y 2004), a consumers decision-making style is a mental orientation characterizing a consumers approach to making choices. There are some main decision styles (Sproles and Kendall 1986, cited by Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y 2004): Quality conscious Brand conscious Fashion conscious Price conscious These eight styles explain the most basic mental features of a consumers decision making, and have directly relationship with consumer choice behaviour. When consumers buying clothing, often take time to evaluate alternatives of brand, style, design, colour, price and country-of-origin. These choice behaviours are particularly display consumers interest, such as brand conscious, fashion conscious, price conscious and hedonistic orientation (Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y, 2004). From the analysis the feedback of these three retailers, they have their own advantages to attractive the consumer. of course there are some disadvantages influence their development, e.g the higher price of All Saints impede most of consumer buy it. Fashion consumer decision making sometimes is a slightly different with the normal consumer decision. Look this figure; it compares what is the different. Firstly, the fashion consumer would like pay attention about the fashion object; not like the traditional consumers, they are sometimes only focus on the function of the cloth. Secondly, the fashion consumers have their view of the product, the traditional consumers always get the information other source, they do not have particular requirement of the fashion, and just sourcing the cloth in the narrow area or shop in customary shop. Fourth, it shows the fashion decision consumers judge the product in different way, fashion decision always try to evaluate product and not the brand performance. In the fifth step, the traditional decision is last step, but fashion decision has one more step than traditional. You can see the figure, consumers not enjoy the purchase immediately, they think about the products satisfy their demand or not , and then reflects they enjoy it. Figure 4.3 (a): Stages in Fashion and Traditional Decision Making( Solomon and Rabolt, 2004;p. 353) Fashion buying is a strategic decision for the organization and influence the products assortment available to consumers (Hines and Bruce, 2007). 4.4 Shopping Frequency The research results display most (70%) of the respondents shop in HM once a month and another 21.7% go to HM stores several times a month. Normally, the fashion buying cycle is not very long, sometimes the period of buying new goods are every six weeks( Kline and Wagner, 1994; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). When companies have intent on fast fashion, this can happen more quickly, even on every week (Buckley,2006; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). Everyday HM has new item arrive in stores( HM website). The role of fashion buyer can divide by 18 and 25 different actions, including reviewing market knowledge and analysing old sales records to know different levels of demand for different products (Fiorito, 1990; cited by Hines and Bruce 2007). Otherwise, the fashion buyer will analyse and consider other conditions, such as economic situation; trade, business and industry journals. In this way the buyer can buy the best products at the lowest price (Hines and Bruce 2007). The respondents go to All saints and Levis stores time are not as many as go to HM. From the feedback you can know most (48.3%) of the respondents never shop in All Saints stores and there are 41.7% respondents have never shop in Levis. It demonstrate these 60 respondents are not their main target consumers or their products characters are not attractive these respondents enough. Compared with these consumers never shop in these two stores, other major part respondents are shop in these stores once a month, such as 33.3% respondents shop in All Saints stores once a month, and 38.3% respondents shop in Levis stores once a month. This demonstrate these group of consumers still have interested in these two retailers, but some factors reduce their purchase such as higher price level or fixed style, etc. These two brands can do some marketing research, and following the results can slightly change some previous operational technique, and attractive more potential consumers such as make the never part join the not often part, and reduce rate of the not often part, encourage them purchase more than before. 4.5 Average expenditure From the 3.5(a), in the HM section 71.7% of the respondents indicated the  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30 is a very popular price area, they always spent this amount in HM stores. This express the consumers can use this amount money bought their satisfy products in HM. Opposite this, the 43.3% respondents never spent money in All Saints stores. Like mentioned in 3.5(b) the All Saints price level all most from  ¿Ã‚ ¡60, it is a little high for the students. So except never buy part, the ¿Ã‚ ¡60~90 is second popular part (28.3%), only smaller part (15%) of the respondents spent above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90, and rest of 13.3% spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30, no body spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60. Although like this, their sales were  £46.9 million for the year to February 3 2008 All Saints chief executive Stephen Craig said: sales had been consistently well above budget throughout 2008 Christmas trade was also strong, above budget and ahead of market rivals, according to the company. They do not like other high street rivals; All Saints did not give discount in its shops Craig said that unlike some of its high street rivals, All Saints did not discount in its shops pre-Christmas, in this way, maintain margin and consolidate brand positioning (Brown 2009). The Levis situation is similar with All Saints, from the research results known, the figure is better than All Saints, there are 33.3% respondents never spent money in Levis stores, but all the respondents known this brand. In  ¿Ã‚ ¡60 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡90 area Levis has the same result ( 28.3%) with All Saints, this is the acceptable price area. Following this figure the close area is  ¿Ã‚ ¡30 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡60, 25% of them spent this amount. 13.3% spent  ¿Ã‚ ¡0 ~ ¿Ã‚ ¡30, non of them spent above  ¿Ã‚ ¡90. In the Appendix part there are some products prices with photographs of these three brands, In 4.3 has talked about the brand image gives to this focus group. Each of these brands gives the different images to consumers. Feldwick (2003) said improving brand image can help to increase sales; gain the extra income, other author like Hague and Jackson (1994) mentioned: a) a positive image will get more margins and reduce the competitive pressure and easier to sell with lower prices, b) More competitive, a strong brand will be like a barrier to competitors products. Therefore to increase their average expenditure, have a strong brand image is essential. With the strong brand image, their whole sales volume can be increased. CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION In this section will conclude the wider perspective on the findings of the investigation and also provides suggestions for the further research on the subject. Nowadays, brands can not be avoided today, it already infiltrate into peoples daily life. The primary research, which was presented and discussion in Chapter 3 and 4, those information showed that the performance of the retailers in the market, reflects their status. The status of brand logo recognition can reflects the brand awareness of a company, If a company has a wide brand awareness, it means have big amount of consumers can recognize its public logo. At the meanwhile the products of this company can satisfy general consumers demands; it is also can have higher brand awareness. So when the question is ask about the brand logo recognize, it can be described the brand awareness level, the answers demonstrated the awareness level of company. Other theory which related with brand awareness and brand logo is brand equity; it has talked about in 4.2. From 3.4 you know there are some respondents have not buy any products in the All Saints and Levis stores, so increase the brand equity may encourage more purchase actions. The brand equity can increase (or reduce) the value of the organizations products or services. The value of the organization achieved not only from sales income but also from the brand equity, increase the brand equity is a positive method to attract more consumers interests and attentions to the products and then have the opportunity increase the sale. Following these two contents, in 4.3 the brand image and consumers buying behaviours are talked in this section. Consumers have different impression to these three brands; they rely on the characters of and estimate their brand image. in this section has also discussed about the fashion buying behaviour because these four answers of 4.3 reflects the what the main requires of the consumers, so when the a fashion retailer want gain the biggest value they need known their consumers demands and build a strong brand image. The duration of the fashion trend is very short, so the fashion buying cycle is also not very long, in 4.4 has discussed the shopping frequency of the consumers and through the results most of HM consumers can follow the fashion trend, and purchase its products more frequent. Finally, the average spent when consumers shopping these stores, can display how popular of this brand, if the consumers like the products they would like to spend more money, of course in this section has some suggestions of how to make the consumers spend more in future. 5.1 Further research recommendations The research comprehended only a limited sample of consumers, and focused upon three brands, so the results only can reflect a group of consumers thought. I suggest someone else looks into in more wide details about the brand and do some wider research, not only focus on female, also can be another occupation. CHAPTER 6 REFERENCE Aaker, D. A. (2002) Building strong brands New York; London : Free. Aaker, D. A (2002) Brand leadership New York; London : Free. Crainer, S.(1995) The real power of brands: making brands work for competitive advantage London : Pitman. Chernatony, D.L. and McDonald, M. (1998) Creating powerful brands in consumer, service and industrial markets 2nd ed.. Oxford : Butterworth-Heinemann. Easey, M (2002) Fashion marketing 2nd ed. Oxford : Blackwell Science. Feldwick. P (2003) Brand communications in Brand and Branding Hawkins, D. I., Best, R. J., and Coney, K. A. (2004) Consumer behaviour: building marketing strategy 9th ed. Boston, Mass. : McGraw-Hill. Hague, P. and Jackson, P. (1994) The power of industrial brands : an effective route to competitive advantage . London : McGraw-Hill. Jean-Noà «l, K. (1997) Strategic brand management : creating and sustaining brand equity long term 2nd ed. London : Kogan Page. Riezebos, R. (2003) Brand management : a theoretical and practical approach Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall. Solomon, M. R.and Rabolt, N. J. (2004) Consumer behavior : in fashion Upper Saddle River, N.J.; London : Prentice Hall. Walliman, N. (2001) Your research project : a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher London : SAGE. Wang. C.L; Siu. N. Y. M; Hui. A. S. Y (2004) Consumer decision-making styles on domestic and imported brand clothing. Eurropean Journal of Marketing, [online], Vol.38, Iss. 1/2, pp.239-252 6.1 INTERNET SOURCE http://www.allsaints.co.uk/brand/ http://www.hm.com/gb/abouthm__abouthm.nhtml http://www.levistrauss.com/Company/ Pam Tate 2007 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/all-saints-founders-sign-religion-deal/765531.article Jessica Price Brown 2009: http://www.drapersonline.com/news/multiples/all-saints-sales-buck-downturn/5000200.article Glossary (2007) All About Branding, [online], Available at: http://www.allaboutbranding.com/index.lasso?page=11,54,0. [Accessed: 10th December 2008] Jessica Price Brown 2008 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/hm-unveils-its-design-for-dominance/903574.article 10 March, Jessica Price Brown 2009 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/all-saints-brightens-sector-gloom/1967495.article Drapersonline 2009 http://www.drapersonline.com/news/other-sectors/lingerie/new-underwear-licensee-at-levis/5000720.article Appendices

Ligation of EGFP into pET41a(+) vector transformed into E. coli cells :: PCR amplification of extracted DNA plasmid

Ligation of EGFP into pET41a(+) vector transformed into E. coli cells followed by PCR amplification of extracted DNA plasmid for success evaluation along with gel electrophoresis at each step. Introduction Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was originally isolated from a bioluminescent jellyfish called Aequorea victoria. As suggested by the name, this protein fluoresces green when exposed to light in the ultraviolet range. The ultimate goal of the following experiment was to successfully create a pET41a(+)/EGFP recombinant plasmid that was transformed into live E. coli cells. The success of this transformation could be evaluated based on whether EGFP’s fluorescence properties were displayed by the colony in question. The protein’s fluorescence properties â€Å"triggered the widespread and growing use of GFP as a reporter for gene expression and protein localization in a broad variety of organisms† (Ormo, et. al., 1996). Although EGFP and GFP differ for a few amino acids that make EGFP’s fluorescence mildly stronger, the basic principle that such a protein allows for the evaluation of transformation success remains intact. The first step of the experiment was ligation, and the objective was to insert EGFP cDNA into a restriction cut pET41a(+) vector to obtain a recombinant plasmid that would express green fluorescent gene. pET41a(+) was the choice of vector to ligate the EGFP into. Its structural design and genomic sequential properties render it especially well-suited for cloning and high-level expression of peptide sequences. This 5933 bp circular vector contains a built in sequence for Kanamayacin resistance gene. â€Å"Rooting of non-transgenic shoots was completely inhibited in all culture media containing kanamycin† (Montserrat, et. al., 2001). This allowed the growth of recombinant and non-recombinant colonies of E. coli, all of which contained the vector insert. Once the recombinant plasmid was obtained, it was then inserted into E. coli cells through transformation. From a successful transformation, we expected the bacterial cells to translate the inserted EGFP sequence into its protein form. The bacteria cultures were plated on petri dishes containing growth supplement, Luria Broth (LB), an antibiotic: Kanamycin, and IPTG which induced the fluorescence property within successfully transformed bacterial colonies. Different variants of the petri dishes were also included as control and unknown. The miniprep consisted of isolating the DNA plasmid from the bacterial cells. This was used to identify the success of EGFP ligation into pET41a(+) vector upon restriction digest and gel electrophoresis. Additionally, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was run on the isolated DNA plasmids with one of the primers specifically annealing to a part of pET41a(+) sequence and the other annealing to the EGFP gene.

Bharti Airtel Outsourcing

* Bharti Airtel aimed to be a low cost provider in the highly capital intensive telecom industry. They needed to keep pace with the rapid growth of their customer base, which was growing at almost 100 percent per year. Their strategy was to acquire new customers and achieve low cost per minute, but it required huge capital investments. * They outsourced everything and concentrated only on marketing, sales and distribution. They redefined the core activities in telecom industry and concentrated all their resources in acquiring and retaining customers. There were two parts to the Outsourcing deal between Bharti and telecom vendors. First was build up, maintenance, and servicing of the telecom network to equipment vendors Nokia, Siemens and Ericson. Then there was the deal with IBM to provide all in all IT solutions. 1) Advantages of Outsourcing their Network management to Ericsson, Nokia, & Siemens: * Keeping pace with network expansion due to faster installations. * Freed the manageme nt of time consuming budgeting, tendering, financing, purchasing and installing process.They could now focus on core competencies of the company. * Shift from short-term agreements with equipment vendors to long term commitments to get better bargains and service. * Bharti will pay for network capacity (erlangs) only when it up and running. No need to pay for unused capacity. This solved the problem of conflict of interest between Bharti and the network suppliers. * Increased flexibility, no need to make huge capital investments will enable transferring of the risk to the network supplier. No Production costs( no capital investments, no labor costs), reduced Transaction costs as no need for new tenders every six months( reduced search & contract costs, reduced enforcement costs because of implementation of relational governance, lower adaptation costs because of pay for use model) * They were able to achieve Predictable Cost Model, no unplanned expenditures. Use the savings in capit al expenditure in focusing on new customer acquisition, building new services etc. Disadvantages of deal with Ericsson, Nokia, & Siemens: The project might be difficult to manage and become increasingly complex because of the involvement of 3 vendors to provide the network management. * There might be resistance from the existing employees to get transferred to vendor companies because of the cultural barriers that may arise. * There is a chance of developing rivalries among the 3 vendors if the margins and competition starts getting stiff. * Wastage of installed capacity. * It will increase their dependence on vendors. After a period of time they may move on the back foot in negotiation meetings with vendors. No previous deals of such outsourcing has happened and hence risk is high Advantages of end to end IT management Outsourcing deal with IBM: * Airtel can now concentrate on their core business activities of marketing and sales. * Revenue sharing agreement thus there was big inc entive for IBM to make the outsourcing deal a success. Reduced opportunism by the vendor. * Solved the scalability issue. * Avoid major increases in capital expenditures in IT. * Gain access to IBM’s rich talent pool, IBM’s expertise in IT. They can work together to create new products and services. (Value added services). * No Production costs ( no capital investments, no labor costs), reduced Transaction costs (reduced search & contract costs, reduced enforcement costs because of implementation of relational governance, lower adaptation costs because of revenue sharing model). Disadvantages of deal with IBM: * Excessive dependence on IBM and if they are not able to provide many innovative solutions, then Airtel won’t be having any option to go with a new vendor. There was a concern that the applications not supported by IBM may become obsolete * Revenue sharing was a new model which Airtel and IBM were trying for payments. As both of them didn’t have an y experience in it, there was a considerable risk because of the unforeseen uncertainties. 2) How would you structure the agreements to address your concerns and capture any advantages you have identified? Structure of Agreement with IBM * There should be some provision of fixed and minimum costs for the revenue share in the agreement. IT applications not supported by IBM should be available to ensure they don’t get obsolete. * The terms and conditions in the contract should be flexible enough to cover the changing environment dynamics over the period of 10 years. * Furthermore not all the details of the partnership can be written in the agreement. So a joint governing body should be formed to manage the arrangement and resolve the issues. * Agreed metrics to measure the quality of IT services provided by IBM. Structure of Agreement with Ericsson, Nokia, & Siemens: Network and Operations Management should be transitioned to the vendors in a phased and planned manner under con stant observation. * To tackle the concern of cultural barriers while working for the vendors, the Airtel employees should be absorbed on the same TnCs as they were working in Airtel. * Further recruitment of new employees should be the responsibility of vendor. * The expectations and duties of all the 3 vendors should be properly outlined and explained to prevent development of unnecessary tensions and unhealthy competition among them. The vendors should be continuously monitoring the networks and provide rapid response once the issue has been identified by them. * To be fair with the vendors if the network capacity remain unused for a major period of time, some part of payment should be done to them or it can be redeployed at other sectors. What measurements, rewards and penalties, and other governance mechanisms would you design for these two different agreements? With IBM * Strategic Alignment Measurements Process Performance Metrics – % of orders not delivered within the promised date, % of inaccurate and incomplete orders, Percentage of escalated cases, Through output. * Metrics to measure innovation – No of innovative ideas provided over a period of time. Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens * Performance Measurement and Quality Metrics – Call drop rate in the peak hours, Call drop rate over a cellular circle, Average Issue Resolve time, amount of time (measured in milliseconds) taken by data to travel from one location to another across a network etc.Penalties on the vendor if the performance of a cellular circle is not good over a period of time due to high call drops. * Customer Experience and Satisfaction Measurements -Network Availability, Call Accessibility measure eg. how many customers fail to make a call in the first attempt , Call Retainability, voice quality etc. * Management of Resources – Utilization of resources, Amount of time taken to meet request or demand, Capacity of the resource etc. Reward and appreciation for the employees who are able to solve the issues in minimum time. * Risk assessment – Security over the network etc.

Urban sprawl essays

Urban sprawl essays Gottdieners article is essentially a look at modern methods of urban studies with an exhortation of modern academia for its glossing over, or outright dismissal, of classical thought and elemental considerations. The author explores the elements of social and urban development while cautioning against the tendencies towards oversimplification and categorization exhibited by many modern urban analysts. Most critically of all Gottdiener discusses the role of space in urban and regional development, giving due consideration to technological advances and their effects on capitalism and the social-spatial perspective. Lefebvre refers to the second circuit of capital by which he means most simplistically land as commodity. This of course translates to all areas affected by commercial real estate- everything from banking to politics- essentially encompassing any area of the economy not devoted to industrial production. The second circle of capital is one of the most prominent features shaping the spatial patterns of development in urban regions as politics and money lie at its roots. Initial urban development follows a set pattern of industrialization and resulting in a core of housing and commercial development located at the site of factories. As growth spreads outward the central city becomes neglected and disenfranchised while industries in suburban areas create smaller centers of centralization leading to urban sprawl. Growth is directed, if one can apply that term, by land developers, bank investors, and political agenda. Since the times of ancient Rome real estate has provided a way for the wealthy elite to consolidate fortunes and expand empires. When Caius Gracchus introduced a land reform bill before the Tribunal and Senate of early Rome he included a provision that forbade the selling of lands given to the poor in order to encourage the return of the small farmer. After Caiuss death the bill ...

Coronary Heart Disease Essay Example

Coronary Heart Disease Essay Example Coronary Heart Disease Paper Coronary Heart Disease Paper Coronary heart disease, just as the name suggests is disease that affects the heart. This condition affects the blood vessels that are responsible of supplying the heart with oxygen known as coronary arteries. Usually this condition is characterized by the accumulation of fats and cholesterol inside the coronary arteries making the process of supply of blood to the heart difficult (Jean, L. 2000). To help us understand how exactly the coronary heart disease occurs it may be important to know how the heart works to ensure that the heart is constantly beating. The heart has four main chambers which are the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left atrium and the left ventricle. The blood from other body parts enters the heart through the right atrium. From this chamber the blood flows to the right ventricle where it is pumped to the lungs in order to be supplied with oxygen. The oxygenated blood returns to the heart through the left atrium where it is then pushed to the left atrium and pumped at great pressure. It is this process that ensures that the heart beats normally (Grace, M. L Allan, G. 2004). The pumping of blood in the left ventricle is very powerful since it is the one that ensures stable flow of blood throughout the body. When a person is born the inner lining of the arteries is smooth and hence there is free and easy flow of blood. However as a person advances in age the level of calcium and cholesterol begins to build up making the inner lining of the arteries thick and hence prevent free flow of blood. This is the genesis of the coronary heart disease begins. It is not always that the inner lining of the arteries become thick as one ages. It by and large depends on a person’s habits. Some habits that cause the levels of calcium and cholesterol to rise include smoking, lack of exercise and feeding in foods that have high levels of calcium and cholesterol. What are The Major Causes of the Coronary Heart Disease? As already mentioned this condition is caused by the accumulation of cholesterol and fatty substances on the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. As a result these vessels are not able to allow free flow of blood and as a result the heart develops a defect. The major causes of this condition include smoking. This includes all tobacco containing substances and not only the smoked tobacco but also the one in chewed form. High Blood pressure is yet another condition that causes this heart and so does hypertension contribute. Lack of exercise and feeding on foods that are rich in cholesterol and fats will eventually lead to this condition although it may take a long time (Jean, L. 2000). It is also important to note that the coronary heart disease is hereditary. This means that it runs through the blood family lineage and one may acquire it from other family members. Other conditions that lead to this heart defect include obesity, stress brought about by emotions and dia betes. Symptoms of Coronary Heart Disease The most devastating yet the most common symptom of coronary heart disease is cardiac arrest which mainly attacks people who have had heart attacks previously. Other common symptoms of this disease include general discomfort by the patient, dizziness, running out of breath especially when involved in a physical exercise however small it maybe. Palpitation is also a common symptom where the patient experiences rapid heart beats which then cease after sometime only for them to return after a while making the patient uncomfortable. A patient is also likely to experience pain on the jaws, at the back and on the left arm. More often patients suffering from this condition experience hearts that are not regular and this leads to lightheadedness and the patient may collapse (Sandeep, G, A. John, C.1999). If a person experiences any one or more of the above mentioned symptoms, it is advisable to seek medical care as soon as is practically possible. This is because as far as this condition goes, time is of essence. Should you delay for too long after experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms then the condition could eventually be fatal. According to a research done by medical practitioners many of those who die because of this condition could have survived if only the condition was diagnosed early enough (Grace, M. L Allan, G. 2004). Tests and Medical Examinations In the hospital medical practitioners do not merely reach to the conclusion that you are suffering from coronary heart disease. They need to actually diagnose you with the disease and therefore they carry out tests to ascertain whether exactly whether you are suffering from the heart disease. To begin with doctors will always carry out screening tests to find out whether there is actually presence of this condition and if so to what extent i.e. its severity. Blood tests are common as they help to ascertain the composition of the blood cells of the patient and to reveal if he patient has been suffering from attacks. Electrocardiogram is yet another test that is carried out and it helps ascertain al defects that the heart may be having. It helps confirm diagnosis of the coronary heart disease. X-ray of the chest helps establish if there any abnormalities of the heart especially as far as the shape and size of the heart are concerned. It also helps to detect if there are any fluids that have built up in the lungs (Jean, L. 2000). Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease Upon being diagnosed with this condition it is of utmost importance to observe instructions of the medical practitioner so as to prevent the condition from deteriorating. To begin with it is important to change one’s lifestyle. As mentioned already some of the causes of this condition include some habits like smoking and eating foods that are rich in fats and cholesterol (Sandeep, G, A. John, C.1999). Hence when one is diagnosed with this condition it would only be wise to refrain from any habit that may make the condition worse. Patients are also advised to observe a healthy diet. By so doing one ensures that the intake of fatty foods is reduced and hence the risk of the condition getting worse is lessened. Patients are also advised that they should ensure that their intake of fat is reduced considerably. As matter of fact the required intake for people suffering from this condition is less than thirty percent of all foods taken on average by a person daily. Regular exercise as part of treatment of the coronary heart disease is also highly recommended. The argument of medical practitioners is that when a patient engages himself or herself in regular exercises the cholesterol and the fats tend to melt hence making one more fit and hence reduces the risk that comes with this disease. Another major step that really works in helping in reducing the risks of this condition is to quit to smoking. This works as a great advantage in reducing the severity of the condition. Medical research shows that upon quitting smoke, within a period of 36 months the risk of a smoker drops considerably to that of a person who suffers the same condition but is a non-smoker. It is therefore of paramount importance to adhere strictly to personal discipline (Jean, L. 2000). If a patient suffering from this condition is in addition suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, one is advised to keep themselves in check all the time to ensure that their sugar levels and blood pressure are stable. By so doing the chances of this condition worsening is reduced considerably. Taking a dose aspirin on a daily basis helps reduce the frequent attacks that one may experience as result of the coronary heart disease. However one must ensure that the dose is low level and not high level. Conclusion Coronary heart disease can be fatal or manageable depending on how early it is diagnosed and how well one restricts themselves to the instructions of the medical practitioners. And as the saying goes prevention far much better than cure. It is therefore important to ensure that you avoid all habits that are likely to cause this condition. Most importantly one needs to strictly observe their diet. By so doing one is almost sure that they are safe from this defect of the heart. Reference: Grace, M. Lindsay, Allan Gaw. (2004). Coronary heart disease prevention: London: Elsevier Health Sciences. Jean, Lequime. (2000). Prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and its complications. New York: University of Michigan. Sandeep, Gupta, A. John, Camm. (1999). Chronic Infection, Chlamydia and Coronary Heart Disease. London: Springer.

Sports Violence Essay Example

Sports Violence Essay Example Sports Violence Essay Sports Violence Essay Violence is a natural part of sports, much like breathing is a natural part of the human body. When people take steps to reduce violence, it actually detracts from the sport and makes it less appealing. Lets face it, watching a man get tackled at full speed or body checked into a Plexiglas wall, is far more entertaining to watch from a fans perspective then watching two people hitting a ball back and forth with a racquet. Human beings crave violence in all things, not Just sports. The need to dominate and oppose ones will is as old as time. We see the same tendencies in all forms of life and its what makes us all human beings. The Greeks and Romans were among the first civilizations to have, what we would consider today as organized sports. The main purpose of these sports was to promote violence and death as entertainment to the people. With no moral quandaries, the people embraced there newly founded blood sports with open arms. The early Mayans had ritual games, which often resulted in death. During medieval times, soldiers would use violent games to train for war and often had arlike consequences. Fans would observe these games from a stadium, while eating, drinking and cheering, much similar to todays sporting events. Violence is just a general term but, there are many forms of violence. Violence is the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction. Aggression is the verbal or physical actions grounded in an intent to dominate, control, or do harm to another person. Intimidation are the words, gestures and actions that threaten violence or aggression. Todays modern sports uch as; football, hockey, rugby, boxing, and MMA all use these forms of violence. Michael Strahan said ITS THE MOST PERFECT feeling in the world to know youVe hit a guy Just right, that youVe maximized the physical pain he can feel . You feel the life Just go out of him. YouVe taken all this mans energy and Just dominated him. This is coming from a hall of fame linebacker, whose sole purpose was to inflict pain on the opposing team. If the NFL keeps enforcing all these new rules to keep players safe, it doesnt allow the great defensive players to play the game the way it should e played. Some of the more violent sports such as Boxing, and MMA dont have a lot of the restrictions that the NFL or NHL have. Violence. IJFC is a form of MMA, and has attracted huge fan bases in a short amount of time. Its popularity has increased so rapidly because it is one of the most violent things you can watch on television. Broken arms, broken legs, concussions, bloodied faces and bodies are Just a few of the outcomes of some of these fights. Its brutal nature attracts people, like moth to a flame. The media portrays sports in a violent appealing manner. Sports Violence By drew26

THE LAW OF PROPERTY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

THE LAW OF PROPERTY - Essay Example Further, he also cannot act independent of the landlord, in any matter connected with the tenancy. All his rights and obligations stem from his contractual agreement with the landlord, which could be terminated by either party, by giving suitable notice as determined by the agreement. There are certain characteristics of licences, which are as follows: 1. Cancellation of the Licence. The cancellation of a licence is always possible, as was seen in the decided case law of Wood v Lead bitter (1845). The facts were that the plaintiff, A, brought a case of alleged assault against the defendant. The plaintiff was in Doncaster Race course with a ticket. He was asked to move out but he did not, and challenged the cancellation of his licence. It was held that â€Å"licence by A to hunt in his park, whether given by deed or by parole, is revocable; it merely renders the act of hunting lawful, which, without the licence, would have been unlawful." 2. The heirs or succeeding parties in the contract of licence would not be bound by the licence: this was seen in the decided case law- King V David Allen & Sons (bill Posting) Ltd. (1916). In this case, the plaintiff, David Allen was under contract with King’s to stick billposters on the walls of the theatre. Later, however, the ownership of King changed hands, and it was held that the right of David Allen, being a ‘personal’ right and not a ‘real’ right, could not be enforced against the succeeding Company. (Property law summary). In another case law, Clore V Theatrical Properties Ltd. (1936), the licensor A, was denied permission to sell drinks in the theatre, formerly run by D. The new owner C, refused to validate the licence given by D to A. Held, the court upheld C’s contention, and the only remedy for A was to seek redressal from D, who had assigned the licence to A.

A Favorite Pet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Favorite Pet - Essay Example I hastily made my way through the dark to get to the light switch. OUCH. I bumped into the hardwood couch. Swearing, I got up and stepped on something unusually soft. I bent to pick up what I thought was a cushion. I felt its feathery softness and then, as if someone on the other end was pulling the cushion, it slithered from my hands. Now terrified, I reached for the light switch. In the pitch black of the room, shiny, wide yellow eyes with extremely dilated pupils stared at me. Horrified as I already was, I screamed. Somebody turned on the lights and I saw, sitting right in front of me, a feathery fur ball; a fusion of grey and white fur with long whiskers and a small adorable face set on which were huge, hypnotizing yellow eyes and an adorable pink nose. The creature stared at me, amazed, and I could only return the amazement. That was my first encounter with our new pet, Dimka. I have had a lot of pets throughout my life. From a chick, when we used to live on a farm, to a horse w ho I wanted for a horse race, my experience with pets has not been quite worth remembering. I never developed the bond that people talk about with any of my pets. The reason, probably being that none of them stayed with me for long or maybe that, they all faced a traumatic fate. Seeing Dimka that night, did not ignite that spark of excitement into me. However, there was something unsettling about her presence which I could not figure out. As I came to know later, that was the beginning of the bond that Dimka and I would soon come to form. Dimka was a cat of the Persian breed which is considered the elite class in the kingdom of cats. She had been born to a lovely cat couple in my Uncle Igor's house. They named her after the exquisite blend of grey and white that her body was. Seeing her now, I knew why they had named her that. Her fur reminded me of the haze that overrides the blue of a sky before a heavy downpour. Uncle Igor was leaving the country for a few months and he could not think of leaving Dimka, only a year old, alone. That is how we got Dimka. I have never been fond of cats. All those horror movies that associate cats with evil magic and witch transformations worked to create a bad image in my mind. The first few days, I did not even look at her. She would patrol the hallways and I would always change my path whenever I caught sight of her. At nights, I would refrain from getting my midnight snack just because I was afraid she might turn into witch. Looking back at those times, I can't help laughing because Dimka turned out to be the total opposite of the cliched bad image. It all happened on one fateful night. I was up till late studying for my high school final which I had the next morning. I decided to take a break. So I plugged in my headphones, closed my eyes and leaned back on my chair. After a few minutes I felt something soft brush past my leg. I opened my eyes to see Dimka sitting beside my chair brushing her fur against me. I freaked out and shifted unsteadily in my chair, unplugging my headphones. And that was when I heard her soft murmur, almost like a whisper. She looked at me with those huge eyes of hers; wide open and her face reminded me of a small, lovely infant trying to get his message across through facial gestures. I could not help patting her and at my touch she playfully brushed herself beneath my hand. She 'meowed' again and I knew what I had to do. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, Dimka trudging along. I gave her some cat food to eat and watched as she devoured the whole bowl. That night, for the first time had I not only

Ethnography of Food Pantry Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnography of Food Pantry - Personal Statement Example It was the 24th of March, and we had an appointment with one of the leading food pantry in our locality. We wanted to observe and research about a number of things which were going on there. Charles mumbled a total of twenty minutes as a given allowance, as he sensed that I was still in bed. In about fifteen minutes, I had already arrived at Angel’s coffee shop where we were all supposed to meet before we officially left for the appointment which was in the next two hours. You could tell from the anxiety on people’s faces that nobody wanted to be late. After a short meeting headed by our group supervisor, Ernest, we headed one of our school vans and in about ten minutes, we had our van parked in front of â€Å"St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry† where we were meant to visit. I loved the color on the billboard; blue my favorite color ever since I was a toddler. I have spent over fifteen years in America, and I have been seeing this building as long as I can remember, but I have never taken my time to find out what really happens at the food pantry organization and how it works. I had a very mutual and exciting feeling as I walked in the organization. An exciting sensation kept tickling down my spine every time the thought of being a volunteer rang in my mind. My eyes fell on a number of benches and on them were several goods. This confirmed my happy feeling. There was a man who later introduced himself to us as Bob, who couldn’t keep his eyes off us. Surprisingly, he was the one who was waiting for us. As we approached, his firm stare turned into a soothing smile which made people’s hearts to feel at ease whenever we were with him. We introduced ourselves and immediately embarked on what we had come to do in the food pantry. It was a good experience seeing so many people young and old working together for the good of all in the working area. An equal amount of different foods were being in plastic bags. At the end of the line, there was a big heap of already packed foods waiting for the clients to come and pick them up. The different types of foods included pasta, tomato sauce, canned corn, vegetables, Mac-and-cheese and chocolates. There was no trace of protein in the packages. As we made our way into different rooms of the pantry foods, we came into the store room where there was a bid heap of donated food. He said that they had stayed there for long, and nobody wanted them. This was really surprising. We were then taken to a room with different sizes of fridges and in it was meat, both white and red. He requested two of us to remain behind so that they could pack the chicken in the polythene bags as it is done when packing food for the food pantry clients. Kevin and Alex volunteered to remain and do the tedious assignment. Kevin later confessed how frozen his hands felt when he was handling the meat. On the further corner was another fridge full of red meat and bread. They had been donated by different donors including organization and had come with different packages. Bob wanted them to have a similar type of package and requested three of us to work on it. I thought this was the place. The group supervisor, Ernest, Charles and I found ourselves working together. We were putting two packs of meat in every plastic bag. It seemed to be very easy to be a volunteer. I must confess that it was a little bit cold but what I was

Elements of Religious Traditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Elements of Religious Traditions - Essay Example For example in the case of Judaism there are two forms of Torah, one is verbal and the other one is written. The Torah that is available in written form has been recognized as Tanakh or even named as the Hebrew Bible. The oral form of Torah has even been found in written form in the shape of Talmud which is a written commentary. On the other hand several religions that are indigenous in nature have not created a written format of their oral teachings. Similarly there are certain religions who do not follow any form of written text or tradition and their religious traditions are found in oral form and have been transferred from one generation to another in that form. The complexity of the verbal traditions is much harder to interpret and understand. Religious Traditions Say The second major issues in the study of religious traditions are to identify what particular teachings or particular stories and texts of a particular religion are trying to teach their members. The issue in identi fying what a particular teaching is trying to convey to its members is whether the teaching is a standard doctrine or a particular teaching is just a myth and have been handed down from one religion to another in verbal manner. What are religious teaching is trying to convey to its followers has certain functions. ... In certain teachings, this has been stated in quite an explicit manner. For example: in the case of religion of Shinto that is practiced in Japan, the birth of Islands in Japan are explained as a divine couple in which Izanagi and Izanami stirred up the floor of the ocean with the assistance of the trident of heaven and the drippings that were an outcome of this activity are recognized as the Islands of Japan (Ashkenazi, 2003, p.173). Their religion further states that the people living in Japan are the descendents of these beings that are semi-divine in nature. Religious Traditions Does The issue of what a particular religious teaching does for its members depends on the themes. One of the themes that religious traditions focus upon is the rituals and behaviors that an individual has to carry out throughout his/her life. These traditions teach their followers about the behaviors they are expected to exhibit as child, adult and as they become seniors. Religious teachings help individ uals throughout different transitions. For example: the vision quest that is a part of the people of Lakota is a story of how Lakota lived as a boy and then as an adult and these teachings inform its members that this is the right way of living their lives and this way will help them experience prosperity. Another major issue related to religious traditions is how these teachings operate to provide its followers with the complete access to what is considered as sacred. For example: In Christianity, winter marks the birth of their God and Christians celebrate this season in shape of Christmas. Religious Traditions Organizes The last issue that a religious tradition sorts to solve is how a particular religion is involved in the process of organizing its leadership. These

Penal policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Penal policy - Essay Example , they are charged for their food, water, bedding and other daily necessities based on a scale in accordance with their social standing which was used instead of their financial capacity (Faucult 1997, p 97). A variety of forms of this system which can be seen as an early and bad example of the user pays principle continued in England until the 1780s, when prisoners began to be sent to Australia (Faucult 1997, p. 98). The financial exploitation of prisoners was regular in France and the United States (US) all through much of the nineteenth century, but was significantly extended in the southern states of the US in response to the severe labor scarcity following the Civil War. In the US, convicts were either forced to work under state supervision on railroad construction, mining, lumbering and other areas where free labor was in short supply, or were subleased by the state to entrepreneurs who used them, fundamentally as slaves, on cotton plantations and in factories. Next to the United States is Australia when it comes to the participation to the era of privatization. The National Party government of Queensland decided to start the operation of the new prison located at Borallon, near Brisbane, controlled by a private company under a management contract. The current Labor government confirmed its decision immediately after coming to power and ever since placed its new remand and reception centre at Wacol, a Brisbane suburb, under private management. New South Wales is the only other Australian State to date to adopt prison privatization. The NSW Liberal Party Government has entered into contract with a private firm for the design, construction and management of a maximum security prison at Junee, which is scheduled to become operational in March 1993 (Logan 1997, p. 112). A private prison is an institution that is managed by a nongovernment entity on behalf of the state. Logan (1997, p. 113) defined it as a place of confinement management by a private company

The Patriots Victory at Saratoga Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Patriots Victory at Saratoga - Research Paper Example The British wanted to suppress the inner rebellions in the country in order to prevent any sort of foreign intervention. Hence, The British advanced to take control over the Hudson River which was of great strategic importance. The first Battle of Saratoga is also known as the battle of freeman’s farm which took place on 19th September, 1777. This is where the British army led by Burgoyne faced part of the General Gates’ army. There was extreme exchange of gun fire and British army was in need of immediate assistance. The distressed British force was able to mark its dominance in the battlefield only when it received military assistance from the German troops. The Americans were able to retreat under the cover of night and hence the British emerged as victors. Despite their victory, the British suffered heavy casualties and more than 600 died in this battle with the Americans still blocking their way to Albany. 1 The British army waited for few days and planned out batt le strategies about the ways they could strike after they receive military aid. While the British army was waiting for the aid, the Patriots were busy in reorganizing and reinforcing their army.

Elements of Religious Traditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Elements of Religious Traditions - Essay Example For example in the case of Judaism there are two forms of Torah, one is verbal and the other one is written. The Torah that is available in written form has been recognized as Tanakh or even named as the Hebrew Bible. The oral form of Torah has even been found in written form in the shape of Talmud which is a written commentary. On the other hand several religions that are indigenous in nature have not created a written format of their oral teachings. Similarly there are certain religions who do not follow any form of written text or tradition and their religious traditions are found in oral form and have been transferred from one generation to another in that form. The complexity of the verbal traditions is much harder to interpret and understand. Religious Traditions Say The second major issues in the study of religious traditions are to identify what particular teachings or particular stories and texts of a particular religion are trying to teach their members. The issue in identi fying what a particular teaching is trying to convey to its members is whether the teaching is a standard doctrine or a particular teaching is just a myth and have been handed down from one religion to another in verbal manner. What are religious teaching is trying to convey to its followers has certain functions. ... In certain teachings, this has been stated in quite an explicit manner. For example: in the case of religion of Shinto that is practiced in Japan, the birth of Islands in Japan are explained as a divine couple in which Izanagi and Izanami stirred up the floor of the ocean with the assistance of the trident of heaven and the drippings that were an outcome of this activity are recognized as the Islands of Japan (Ashkenazi, 2003, p.173). Their religion further states that the people living in Japan are the descendents of these beings that are semi-divine in nature. Religious Traditions Does The issue of what a particular religious teaching does for its members depends on the themes. One of the themes that religious traditions focus upon is the rituals and behaviors that an individual has to carry out throughout his/her life. These traditions teach their followers about the behaviors they are expected to exhibit as child, adult and as they become seniors. Religious teachings help individ uals throughout different transitions. For example: the vision quest that is a part of the people of Lakota is a story of how Lakota lived as a boy and then as an adult and these teachings inform its members that this is the right way of living their lives and this way will help them experience prosperity. Another major issue related to religious traditions is how these teachings operate to provide its followers with the complete access to what is considered as sacred. For example: In Christianity, winter marks the birth of their God and Christians celebrate this season in shape of Christmas. Religious Traditions Organizes The last issue that a religious tradition sorts to solve is how a particular religion is involved in the process of organizing its leadership. These

The Patriots Victory at Saratoga Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Patriots Victory at Saratoga - Research Paper Example The British wanted to suppress the inner rebellions in the country in order to prevent any sort of foreign intervention. Hence, The British advanced to take control over the Hudson River which was of great strategic importance. The first Battle of Saratoga is also known as the battle of freeman’s farm which took place on 19th September, 1777. This is where the British army led by Burgoyne faced part of the General Gates’ army. There was extreme exchange of gun fire and British army was in need of immediate assistance. The distressed British force was able to mark its dominance in the battlefield only when it received military assistance from the German troops. The Americans were able to retreat under the cover of night and hence the British emerged as victors. Despite their victory, the British suffered heavy casualties and more than 600 died in this battle with the Americans still blocking their way to Albany. 1 The British army waited for few days and planned out batt le strategies about the ways they could strike after they receive military aid. While the British army was waiting for the aid, the Patriots were busy in reorganizing and reinforcing their army.

Louis Riel Essay (Canadian History) Essay Example for Free

Louis Riel Essay (Canadian History) Essay In my opinion Louis Riel was a hero because he fought for the rights of everyone who lived in the northwest, he was rebelling against a government, not a country and he was against acts of violence and loss of life. Furthermore Louiss acts might be considered crazy by todays standards but in the 1890s it was not uncommon or insane. Louis lived in the Red River settlement and wanted to protect their rights but he also fought for the rights of the white settlers in the area and for the natives. Louis was a patriot, he was proud to be Canadian, he just didnt agree with the government at the time. Louis Riel was a freedom fighter, not a rebel against his country. He was rebelling against the men in government who suppressed his people. The entire process which saw the spread of the Canadian Governments imperialistic authority over the west, ignored the people who were there long before England decided to give it to a new country. Riel was a freedom fighter for the west and should be recognized as such. He faced and fought a central Canadian government, ignorant of the west, long before Preston Manning was born. (Richard Brown, Alberta, July 7th, 1999 http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/quotes/). If Louis hadnt stood up for the Meti people, the government would have let them starve and their culture would be lost. Likewise if any minority was treated like that now, they could only be so fortunate to have someone like Louis Riel to stand up for them. Louis was against violence unless it was absolutely necessary. He only wanted to ensure that the people of the Northwest would retain their rights and traditions after the Canadian government took control of the area. When he and his Mati people used violence it was because they had no other options. John A MacDonald breaks the law of the time by inducing rebellion. (Sir Wilfred Laurier http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/quotes/). Two examples of Riel using non-violent solutions first are when he sent Meti to confront the land surveyors instead of sending them to kill the surveyors. And when he seized fort Garry and its munitions, instead of burning it down or shooting the people inside. His method of not being vicious helped him be victorious in many situations. You can be sure that we would have beaten  them had it not been for Louis Riel who always counseled us not to spill their blood Gabriel Dumont. Today, if someone came up to you and said they were chosen by god to lead their people to freedom would you believe them or laugh and call them insane? Chances are most modern people would do the laughing. But in the 1880s things were different, people were more religious and it was less than impossible to voice your opinions to the government. Riel lived in a time when the country was still being shaped, new provinces were being formed, and he was not out of line to demand that his people be included. Today we have a responsible government, for example when native people in BC felt cheated out of their ancestors land, our government gave some of the land back and took steps to see that that doesnt happen again. Ironically this is the same land the post-confederation government took away! When you look at all the facts and consider the time period, Riel doesnt seem like such a bad guy. He did what any patriotic, freedom loving Canadian would have done in his shoes. Sure some of his beliefs and ideas may have been a little deranged, but when you compare it to all the exemplary things he accomplished, it dosent seam like a big deal. I am more convinced everyday that without a single exception I did right and I have always believed that, as I have acted honestly, the time will come when the people of Canada will see and acknowledge it. (Louis Riel http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/quotes/) Maybe it wouldnt be so bad if some of our modern politicians were a little more like Louis Riel.

Barriers to Implementing an E-Learning System

Barriers to Implementing an E-Learning System General Introduction/Background In todays world of globalization, knowledge and learning is considered the most vital element for acquiring competitive advantage (Longworth and Davies, 1996). For gaining competitive advantage firms and institutions are becoming more knowledge intensive, therefore they concentrate more on managing and sharing knowledge to gain significant advantage of this knowledge (Hertog and Sluijs, 1995).Traditional education style has remained consistent without any changes been made to the system. This has enabled a large number of creative thinkers to ponder other possible educational approaches that could benefit the system (GÃÆ'Â ¼nes, 2008). On the other hand, technology is necessary in order to conquer, but it is also a necessity to remain in competition. All the sectors, whether it is primary, manufacturing or tertiary, all of them have been forced to accept technology to become innovative and efficient (GÃÆ'Â ¼nes, 2008). Technology has not only radically changed the ways and methods of our works but is now beginning to transform the education system (Webster and Murphy, 2008).With the use of internet technologies, firms and institutions have outstanding opportunities to deliver education and different training techniques through strategic use of internet technologies (Lee, 2006; Kaohsiung; Taiwan, 2006). The use of Internet technologies combined with suitable learning strategies assists to provide an open, flexible and dynamic learning environment. As a result many corporations, government agencies and academic institutions worldwide have increased the use of internet and educational technologies to deliver instructions and provide training. This innovative approach of delivering information and education is known as E-learning (Khan, 2008). E-learning can be simply defined as the way of learning which delivers its contents through World Wide Web (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). Sharifabadi defined E-lear ning as the term used to describe teaching and learning resources or experiences that is, in some way, delivered electronically. (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Sharifabadi, 2006, p.391). E-learning is a way of interaction through electronic mediums, mainly computers, by using videos, photos, texts and sounds for different educational purposes (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). E-learning system creates a learning opportunity for the convenience of those who do not have the opportunity to be physically available, due to various reasons (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Werry, 2002). Hence, during the late 1990s and early 2000 many online universities were established and more universities were offering online courses, but mixed results of the E-learning systems were encountered (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). Different researches have pointed out many barriers in E-learnings implementation, which lead to its failure. For example technological infrastructure, course content quality, financial support, learners computing skills, staff training, management support and organizations culture resistance (Romiszowski, 2003, Childs et al, 2005, Muilenburg and Berge, 2005). Organizations cultural resistance is considered as the most influential barrier in E-learnings implementation process. The cultures resistance or resistance from the potential users negatively affects the implementation process. Unwillingness of the employees can create major problems for the managers and can lead to the system failure (Shields and Young, 1989, p. 22). Employees resistance and avoiding of the use of required procedures and rules could lead the system to failure even if it has been developed perfectly and is ready to use (Malmi, 1997, p. 475). In this instant the managers cannot gain full benefits of the new system unless they can create a change in the employees attitude (Yates, 1997, p. 164). Cultural differences among peers could create many problems in implementation of E-learning system. Therefore, if the cultural issues are overlooked during implementation, their ignorance could act as a vital barrier in E-learnings success (AL-Hunaiyyan et al, 2008; Gujar and S onone, 2004). Problem statement There are different articles and books available in the market which mentioned about the usefulness and advantages of E-learning. Web-based learning is a new medium of information technology; researchers have mentioned many different factors which act as barriers towards implementing E-learning system (Ngai et al., 2007). There are different factors cited by various authors which exist in their research papers that can help us to identify critical barriers. In addition, we are interested in finding out, to which extent an organization is dependent on the role of its culture, and how culture can lead to success or failure of the E-learning system. It should be noted that culture has a great impact in organizations and are important when decision making is involved in IT management. In this regard, an organization is said to be confronted with stiff resistance, consequently making IT management a difficult task (Childs et al, 2005). To overcome the barriers for implementing E- learning , an organization should try and manage these barriers accordingly because they are critical to any organizations general business model and can equally affect the organizations decision making process. Research question What are the critical barriers of implementing E-learning system and what is the role of organizational culture in successful implementation of E-learning system? Objectives and Purpose of the Research The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze the critical factors which may affect the implementation of E-learning system. Investigating the barriers of implementing E-learning system would help to lower down the barriers in future implementation. Moreover by examining the cultural influence of an organization towards E-learning systems implementation process, it will be easier to identify a complete outline for organizations to implement E-Learning system and to make the system work efficiently and successfully. Thesis design The structure of the thesis is principally focused on six chapters which include Chapter 1: Introduction/Background The Introduction gives brief overview of the research topic, including the purpose and objectives, problems and research question. Chapter 2: Research Design/Methods This chapter deals with the choice of topic, research process which indicates how these datas will be analyzed, data collection, validity and reliability, and method critique. Chapter 3: Framework of reference This chapter discusses relevant theories to give the reader an understanding of the barriers which come across E-learning systems implementation processes cited by different authors. Chapter 4: Findings This chapter provides frequencies of different barriers for implementing E-learning system described by different authors. Chapter 5 Analysis This chapter will describe the analysis based on the findings. Chapter 6: Conclusions This section finally concludes the lessons drawn from the findings Research Design/Methods This chapter deals with the choice of topic, research process which indicates how these datas will be analyzed, data collection, validity and reliability, and method critique. Choice of Topic Fisher (2007, p.31-33) suggested that authors should choose research area according to their interests, so they remain motivated and committed to complete the project. The authors belong to Pakistan, where E-learning system is not much in practiced in organizations. While, E-learning system is already in use in Sweden, we found out that E-learning system is a proficient tool in learning process. Therefore, it was quite intriguing for us to explore this topic. In addition, we were interested in finding out the barriers for implementation of E-learning system and to investigate the role of organizations culture for successful implementation of E-learning system. Fisher (2007, p.31-33) urges that chosen topic should be accessible and it is necessary to make sure that quite literature is available for making detail analysis. We are certain that our topic is enough interesting, significant and demanding for all researchers, businesses managers and Information Technology Management student s. Research Process There are various methodological approaches to carry out research i.e. Realist research, exploratory research, critical realism, standpoint research, action research and phenomenology etc, Fisher (2007, p.15). In addition, Fisher (2007, p.153-155) mentioned two kinds of discoveries e.g. Explorers and Surveyors. A kind of research where an open approach is used with conceptual framework but the authors are not sure about outcomes and results of the work they do, is called exploratory research. On the other hand surveyors discovery approach is pre-structured where surveyors are already inform of the results and out come of their work. According to these concepts our research is exploratory as we are dependent on secondary data. Data Collection and source Fisher (2007, p.45) states that data could be collected from existing databases, through questionnaires, conducting fieldwork or performing case studies as it depends on the kind of research. In this research entire data has been collected from available databases as the research is entirely based on secondary data collection method. Secondary source has been used in this research. The data was extracted from articles, books and websites, magazines, journals and articles with focus on critical barriers to E-learning implementation. Fisher stated that (2007, P.158-161) data could be qualitative or quantitative depending on the method of research study. A quantitative approach has been used here in this research. No statistics has been used in this research and as all research has been analyzed by words not figures. Access of information Secondary data has extracted from different sources. The required literature has been acquired by searching MÃÆ'Â ¤lardalen Universitys library. Furthermore, we have used online library (ebrary) as well as other librarys database such as Elin, Emerald, Eric and EBSCO for articles and journals, which have helped us to answer our research query. Going through a wide-ranging literature review, twenty five articles were identified that give answer to the research question from distinct angles. To identify the barriers to Implementation of E-learning system, keyword search criteria based on title contained; ÃÆ'ËÅ" Barriers of E-learning system implementation, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Implications of E-learning system in organizations, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Implementation of E-learning system in large organization, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Challenges of E-learning Implementation, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Limitations of E-learning System, To describe and analyze the role of organizations culture for successful implementation of E-learning system in organization, keyword search criteria contained; ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural issues of E-leaning system, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural Influence on online Learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural influence on student learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Analyzing cultural Influences on E-learning Transactional Issue, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural difference and influence on E-learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Social and cultural impact on E-learning Effectiveness, ÃÆ'ËÅ" A cultural Analysis of relearning for developed and developing countries, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cross and Multicultural issues for E-learning success, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Influence of organizational cultural in E-learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Organizational resistance towards implementing E-learning system. Data Analysis According to Miles and Huberman (1994, p.10) data analysis consists of three parallel flows of activity: (1) Data reduction, (2) Data display, and (3) Conclusion drawing/verification. Furthermore they suggested that data analysis components could be successfully integrated during data analysis, as it is an iterative and continuous process (Miles and Huberman 1994). They have stated three components of activities that describe analysis which are; First is data reduction that is focused on selection, simplification and transformation of data (Miles and Huberman 1994). This process is applied in qualitative data. The objective of this is data is to help drawing final conclusion and verification. In this study data is taken from the studies where authors cited barriers to implement E-learning with focus on cultural resistance in an organization. Second is data display i.e. data reduced in data reduction needs to be organized that help to draw conclusion easily. In table mentioned below, different factors related to critical barriers to implementation of E-learning system and the role of organizations culture is given below along with the frequency of each factor. Third is the conclusion based on drawing/verifying; describes the possible explanations, causal flows and propositions to be made. Therefore based on the findings and discussed analysis, conclusions would be drawn to signify the influential role of organizations culture towards the implementation process. Validity and Reliability Validity is defined as the degree which researchers have measured what they have set out to measure (Kumar, 2005) whereas reliability means the extent to which another researcher can reach the same conclusion by following the same research process (Taylor et al., 2006). Several articles have been used to identify the barriers of implementing E-learning system and to analyze the role of organizational culture. Besides, frequencies of more influential barriers have been generated to validate the barriers and cultural role in implementation process. Method Critique Due to the time limitation, a limited number of articles have been used to formulate the frequency to identify the critical barriers. It could be better to use more articles to strengthen our research as a number of studies have already been done in this area. However this study will describe and analyze the critical barriers for the implementation of E-learning system related literature and to gain a theoretical background. It was also discovered during analysis of this study that most of the authors mentioned the critical factors with mere repetition with diverse definitions. Framework of Reference This chapter discusses relevant theories to give the reader an understanding of the barriers which come across E-learning systems implementation processes cited by different authors. E-learning What is E-learning? E-learning can be defined as learning and communication exercises across computers and networks or electronic sources. (Wong, 2007 ; Schank, 2002; Roffe, 2002 Tsai Machado, 2002; Sambrook, 2003; Fry; Wild, Grggs and Downing, 2002) have defined E-learning as delivery of training and education via networked interactivity and distribution technologies.According to Khan (2008), the word E-learning is used for an open, flexible, and diverse E-learning environment. E-learning can be analyzed as an inventive approach for delivering learner-centered, well designed, interactive, and facilitated learning environment to anyplace, anyone, anytime by utilizing the features and resources of different digital technologies along with other forms of learning materials suited for open, distributed, and flexible learning environment (Khan, 2008). In E-learning system Students are able to interact anytime from anywhere with different instructional material (text, sound, pictures, video and so on) through Internet. Furthermore, learners can even communicate with teachers and classmates both individually and as a group discussion with the use of message boards, instant message exchanges and video conferencing. (Al-Ammari and Hamad, 2008; Andersson, 2009; Zhang and Zhou, 2003). (Lee, 2006) Therefore, E-learning has been defined variously, learning system using different carrying technologies and techniques like Computer Based Training (CBT), Internet-based training (IBT), Web-based instruction (WBI), distributed learning (DL), advanced distributed learning (ADL), distance learning, online learning (OL), mobile learning (or m-learning) or remote learning and learning management systems (LMS) (Khan, 2008). For managing learning environment like, registration of learners, scheduling learning resources, controlling and guidance of learning processes and analyzing learners performance are all accomplish in Learning Management System (LMS) (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Brown, 2006). In 1970s and 1980s distance learning started becoming popular and sued to conduct through postal mail but in 1990s the rise of World Wide Web changed the nature distance learning. With the use of this technology learners can get a number of resources from their teachers like discussion forums, multimedia, chat, video conferencing and electronic black boards. These changes which have been brought in distance education are an attempt to provide easier access to students who live very far from universities, who are working or have other reasons for not being able to attend in person. In the US in the academic year 2001-2, five million people took at least one course online, and three million were enrolled in online degree programs (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Kazmer Haythornthwaite, 2005, p.7). It can be seen in these figures that distance education online has become a popular alternative to face-to-face instruction. Implementation of E-learning One of the following three approaches is necessary for the implementation of the E-learning system: To strengthen the traditional face-to-face courses with support of new communication technology, enhancement of experience with in traditional courses by integration of online activities and delivery of entirely online courses. In this implementation the readiness of some influential factors like budgeting, infrastructure planning, human resource development (experience, skills, knowledge and attitude of the end users) are most common. Uhomoibhi (2006) stated that E-learning initiators, institutions must use and prepare strategies for adoption, diffusion and implementation. For a successful implementation of online environment where learners can actively learn and get support from well-organized approach is mandatory. Processes of planning, designing, development and evaluation are all parts of a successful implementation that could help to lower down the barriers of implementation (Uhomoibhi, 2006). An E-learning system can only be successful if it is significant to all stakeholders e.g. instructors, learners; support services staff and the institutions itself. In order for learners to become quickly accustomed to E-learning, it must be made sure that it is easily accessible, efficient, well designed course, affordable, and has a facilitated learning environment. Instructors must feel a sense of accomplishment when learners meet the goals and objectives of the course in a successful way. Technical support staff should feel happy when learners receive reliable services without interruptions. One of the most important factors for institutions is the profit they earn as well as the satisfaction of the learner and a low rate of dropouts (Khan, 2005). A strong foundation is required in order to have an effective implementation of E-learning. Aligning and communication are two important factors in implementation of E-learning system. It is necessary to make sure the communication is in order. Involvement of key stakeholders at the decision making stage or any other early process is very important(Khan, 2005). Communication is also important for those who are directly responsible for the implementation; and professionals also suggest a horizontal leadership style so that everyone is responsible for their actions. This includes individuals who are critical to the implementations success which include line, functional and divisional leaders. There should be consistent scheduled meetings with these individuals to discuss the newly arising issues in the project to come up with a solution (Khan, 2005). Most of the pitfalls of E-learning are tied to technological issues so it is important to involve IT leadership throughout the project to mitigate the problems in implementation process. Creation of helpdesk for reporting of IT related issues is more important. While selecting the vendors it is important to make sure that the vendors have an outstanding and proven record. Strong communication and feedback from vendors is a necessary step for a successful implementation (Khan, 2005). An overview of the critical issues in E-learning implementation Worldwide, E-learning arises as a new paradigm of advance education with a growing rate of 36.5 percent in the market, but still failures exist (Sun et al., 2008). As many companies are moving very fast to the adoption of E-learning in order to reap its benefits but they are facing significant barriers in its implementation and adoption, which leads them to implementation failure (Mungania, 2003). Hence, to mitigate this failure we have to investigate key factors that encompass different dimensions of an open, flexible and advanced distributed learning environment for diverse learners (Khan, 2005). Literature has mentioned a wide range of factors that can influence the successful implementation of E-learning e.g. some talks about pedagogical issues, faculty issues and organizational issues while some may have discussed about personal issues, cultural issues and some other issues. A broad range of factors that can influence the success of E-learning environments has been mentioned in the literature. However, there is no organized work to characterize collective group of most influential issues or factors, which could be seen as barriers Wong (2007). Distinct authors consider different barriers as most influential in implementation of E-learning Wong (2007). Wong (2007) has categorized E-learning limitations in three main areas; technological limitations, personal issues and other limitations. The lack of hardware, limited Internet coverage and low bandwidth are all consider as technological barriers in implementation of E- learning (Hiltz, 1997; Kathawala, Abdou, Elmulti, 2002; Wong, 2007). Kember et al., 2001; Dearnley, 2003) stated that personal issues are mostly related to learners and teachers. Teachers should give a complete guidance to the learners about this new and non-traditional system to prepare new learners psychologically (Wong, 2007 ; Kember et al., 2001; Dearnley, 2003). For learners the use of new technologies could be a disadvantage or barrier in E- learning. So the lack information, communication and technological skills might be barriers to E-learning because learners could get frustrated from this unconventional learning environment. (Wong, 2007 ; Carr, 1999; Hamid, 2002; Angelina, 2002a, p.12) The freedom provided by E-learning could be a disadvantage for the learners as internal motivation and self discipline is required at its maximum which learners may find hard to achieve in order to complete their studies or assignments in time. As (Wong, 2007 ; Kearsley, 2000) Schott et al., 2003; Rivera and Rice, 2002; Abouchedid and Eid, 2004).In E-learning environment students are usually supposed to communicate in a text based environment so learners poor writing ÂÂ ¨skills might be a disadvantage in E- learning. Therefore, the inability of communicating efficiently of learners could create misunderstandings (Wong, 2007; Smith Rupp, 2004). Others limitations: E-learning provides 247 access. This infinite work might be a disadvantage for learners and particularly for teachers. This unlimited work could over stress teachers, resulting in a low quality services from instructors. (Abdou Elmulti, 2002;. Dringus, 2003; Newton, 2003; Kathawala, Schifter, 2004).Poor course design could appear a major barrier in implementation of E-learning as it could frustrate the learners and teachers. (Young and Bal, 2003; Smulders, 2003; Howell, Williams Lindsay 2003; Gordon, Young Bal, 2003; Svensson, 2004; Ivergard Hunt, 2005 ;). Cronje (2009) sees some influential barriers such as student barriers are related to lack of financial support from their families and cooperation among peers and from teachers (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997). Faculty barriers the lack of funds is the most important one. Institutes attitude towards the lecturers that some time seems less prominent among their peers is considered another important barrier in successful E-learning (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997). Organizational barriers poor funding for three major costs areas are considered more crucial barriers e.g. Initial costs of the implementation process, maintenance and up gradation. Course barriers course design is regarded as most important one. Poor course design is one of reasons of inferiority of Distance learning. Conversion of teaching context in to electronic shape could not add any value to E-learning (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997) Boondao et al. (2008) mentioned, It is not possible, in the view of some scholars, to create a model of the good teacher without taking issues of culture and context into account. The influence of culture cannot be ignored in successful implementation of E-learning. Considering learners from different culture e.g. east and west, learners from both cultures have particular approaches and styles of learning. Therefore, lack of consideration of cultural issues during designing could prove as a barrier in successful implementation of E-learning (Boondao et al, 2008). Discussing the different critical barriers Nowadays an escalating amount of companies are implementing E-learning System (Mungania, 2003). But as these companies try to take advantages of E-learning to gain strategic and competitive advantages in absolute urgency, there are significant number of barriers to the implementation of E-learning come across to halt them (Simmons, 2002, p.19 and Mungania, (2003). As E-learning barriers are diverse and can be classified as personal, organizational, situational, instructional and technological. (Mungania, 2003) Moreover Khans E-learning framework provides details on critical issues which may come across E-learning implementation process. Khans E-learning framework composed of eight dimensions: institutional, management, pedagogical, technological, interface design, ethical, evaluation, and resource support. Institutional Issues Institutions need to build a complete plan for the successful implementation of E learning system (Khan 2005, p.23). Moreover Childs et al (2005) stated that institution should focus on cultural aspects for the implementation process of E learning system which have a significant effect upon the success of E-learning process (Cronje, 2009).E-learning needs to be integrated to all departments of the institution therefore a strong commitment is needed from the institution and the trainers Childs et al (2005). Moreover, E-learning implementation plan must be fully aligned with the institutions ambitions and strategic plans (Galusha, 1997; Belanger and Jordan, 2000). Therefore E-learning implementation process is paradigm shift for the institution as a whole which includes learners, instructors, administrators, technical and other support services staff (Romiszowski, 2004). To support institutions in strategic planning, change management and process development which are necessary to highlight their embedding process and issues which may occur in their organization (Childs et al (2005) and Khan 2005,p.23). Khan has divided institution issue into three parts administrative affairs, academic affairs and student services (Khan 2005, p. 24). Administrative affairs which includes organization and change (implementation of E-learning system), budgeting and return on investment, course information catalog, financial aid, course schedule, tuition fees, registration and payment, information technology services, instructional design, whereas academic affairs issues such as policies, instructional quality, faculty and staff support, intellectual property rights and so on (Khan 2005, p. 24 ). Moreover Student services deals with student support services for E-learning effectiveness. Management issues Magalhaes (2008) stated that lack of management support is number one barrier towards successful implementation of E-learning system in institution. Management issues of E-learning in organization refers to various phases of administration such as scheduling, design, construction, assessment, delivery, and maintenance (Romiszowski 2003 and Parkham et al, 2004). Managing issues in organizations depend upon various elements including content delivery, and technology Trentin (2003). Khan (2005) also stated that for the success of E learning system institution must focus on three key areas people, process, and products involved in E-learning projects which depends upon integrated team approach (Jung, 2003).Critical management factors categorized by Khan (2005) are mentioned below: Technological Issues Technological limitations are among the major barriers for the success of E-learning system (Wong, 2007).Technological limitations of E-learning system relates to computer hardware, software and relevant resources (Wong, 2007).Connectivity problems, lack of training, navigation issues, limitations of 24/7 technical support, loss of data and incapability to save or transfer data are the most common technological limitations (Mungania, 2003). Usually small and medium enterprises fail to implement E-learning system due to lack of support in hardware and software (Sambrook, 2003;Wong, 2007).The technological issues can be divided into three parts infrastructure planning, hardware, and software (Kearsley, 2000; Rumble, 2000). Success of E learming system in organizations depends upon infrastructure planning which includes a well documented strategy, focusing on infrastructure. (McGraw, 2001; Romiszowski, 2004).As E-learning environment depends on digital infrastructure, there for institutions should have consistent and well-organized networks to support E-learning (khan 2005, p.154). Moreover institutions should develop policies and guidelines to cater various issues of hardware, software, and networks as institutions involved in implementation of E-learning may suffer. (Wong, 2007, Romiszowski, 2004) Learners require basic hardware for E-learning such as desktop or notebook computers and printers (Kathawala, Abdou, Elmulti, 2002;Hiltz, 1997, Wong, 2007). Therefore, one of the major technological limitations of E-learning is the availability of computer hardware (wong,2007). Major hardware limitations of E-learning system is the necessity of relevant resources which includes servers, modems, microphones, wireless devices, printers, scanners, computers, networking devices, cameras storage devices and other equipments. (Wong, 2007, Khan 2005, p.159) Institution experience similar problems such as software costs as well as software support cost, particularly for software licenses which acts as a significant barrier (khan 2005, p.159). Software includes word processors, databases, e-mail, presentation programs, reader software, browsers and plug-ins, spreadsheets, learning management systems (LMS), authoring tools and enterprise software and so on (LytasPauloudi,2001 and Khan 2005, p.159-160) Pedagogical Issues Success of E-learning systems implementation depends on the adherence to underlay pedagogical principles that are entrenched in the E-learning (Uhomoibhi, 2006). Pedagogical issues in E-learning are major challenges in distance education therefore a strong need of resources for development of the course material arises Barriers to Implementing an E-Learning System Barriers to Implementing an E-Learning System General Introduction/Background In todays world of globalization, knowledge and learning is considered the most vital element for acquiring competitive advantage (Longworth and Davies, 1996). For gaining competitive advantage firms and institutions are becoming more knowledge intensive, therefore they concentrate more on managing and sharing knowledge to gain significant advantage of this knowledge (Hertog and Sluijs, 1995).Traditional education style has remained consistent without any changes been made to the system. This has enabled a large number of creative thinkers to ponder other possible educational approaches that could benefit the system (GÃÆ'Â ¼nes, 2008). On the other hand, technology is necessary in order to conquer, but it is also a necessity to remain in competition. All the sectors, whether it is primary, manufacturing or tertiary, all of them have been forced to accept technology to become innovative and efficient (GÃÆ'Â ¼nes, 2008). Technology has not only radically changed the ways and methods of our works but is now beginning to transform the education system (Webster and Murphy, 2008).With the use of internet technologies, firms and institutions have outstanding opportunities to deliver education and different training techniques through strategic use of internet technologies (Lee, 2006; Kaohsiung; Taiwan, 2006). The use of Internet technologies combined with suitable learning strategies assists to provide an open, flexible and dynamic learning environment. As a result many corporations, government agencies and academic institutions worldwide have increased the use of internet and educational technologies to deliver instructions and provide training. This innovative approach of delivering information and education is known as E-learning (Khan, 2008). E-learning can be simply defined as the way of learning which delivers its contents through World Wide Web (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). Sharifabadi defined E-lear ning as the term used to describe teaching and learning resources or experiences that is, in some way, delivered electronically. (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Sharifabadi, 2006, p.391). E-learning is a way of interaction through electronic mediums, mainly computers, by using videos, photos, texts and sounds for different educational purposes (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). E-learning system creates a learning opportunity for the convenience of those who do not have the opportunity to be physically available, due to various reasons (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Werry, 2002). Hence, during the late 1990s and early 2000 many online universities were established and more universities were offering online courses, but mixed results of the E-learning systems were encountered (Gulatee and Combes, 2007). Different researches have pointed out many barriers in E-learnings implementation, which lead to its failure. For example technological infrastructure, course content quality, financial support, learners computing skills, staff training, management support and organizations culture resistance (Romiszowski, 2003, Childs et al, 2005, Muilenburg and Berge, 2005). Organizations cultural resistance is considered as the most influential barrier in E-learnings implementation process. The cultures resistance or resistance from the potential users negatively affects the implementation process. Unwillingness of the employees can create major problems for the managers and can lead to the system failure (Shields and Young, 1989, p. 22). Employees resistance and avoiding of the use of required procedures and rules could lead the system to failure even if it has been developed perfectly and is ready to use (Malmi, 1997, p. 475). In this instant the managers cannot gain full benefits of the new system unless they can create a change in the employees attitude (Yates, 1997, p. 164). Cultural differences among peers could create many problems in implementation of E-learning system. Therefore, if the cultural issues are overlooked during implementation, their ignorance could act as a vital barrier in E-learnings success (AL-Hunaiyyan et al, 2008; Gujar and S onone, 2004). Problem statement There are different articles and books available in the market which mentioned about the usefulness and advantages of E-learning. Web-based learning is a new medium of information technology; researchers have mentioned many different factors which act as barriers towards implementing E-learning system (Ngai et al., 2007). There are different factors cited by various authors which exist in their research papers that can help us to identify critical barriers. In addition, we are interested in finding out, to which extent an organization is dependent on the role of its culture, and how culture can lead to success or failure of the E-learning system. It should be noted that culture has a great impact in organizations and are important when decision making is involved in IT management. In this regard, an organization is said to be confronted with stiff resistance, consequently making IT management a difficult task (Childs et al, 2005). To overcome the barriers for implementing E- learning , an organization should try and manage these barriers accordingly because they are critical to any organizations general business model and can equally affect the organizations decision making process. Research question What are the critical barriers of implementing E-learning system and what is the role of organizational culture in successful implementation of E-learning system? Objectives and Purpose of the Research The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze the critical factors which may affect the implementation of E-learning system. Investigating the barriers of implementing E-learning system would help to lower down the barriers in future implementation. Moreover by examining the cultural influence of an organization towards E-learning systems implementation process, it will be easier to identify a complete outline for organizations to implement E-Learning system and to make the system work efficiently and successfully. Thesis design The structure of the thesis is principally focused on six chapters which include Chapter 1: Introduction/Background The Introduction gives brief overview of the research topic, including the purpose and objectives, problems and research question. Chapter 2: Research Design/Methods This chapter deals with the choice of topic, research process which indicates how these datas will be analyzed, data collection, validity and reliability, and method critique. Chapter 3: Framework of reference This chapter discusses relevant theories to give the reader an understanding of the barriers which come across E-learning systems implementation processes cited by different authors. Chapter 4: Findings This chapter provides frequencies of different barriers for implementing E-learning system described by different authors. Chapter 5 Analysis This chapter will describe the analysis based on the findings. Chapter 6: Conclusions This section finally concludes the lessons drawn from the findings Research Design/Methods This chapter deals with the choice of topic, research process which indicates how these datas will be analyzed, data collection, validity and reliability, and method critique. Choice of Topic Fisher (2007, p.31-33) suggested that authors should choose research area according to their interests, so they remain motivated and committed to complete the project. The authors belong to Pakistan, where E-learning system is not much in practiced in organizations. While, E-learning system is already in use in Sweden, we found out that E-learning system is a proficient tool in learning process. Therefore, it was quite intriguing for us to explore this topic. In addition, we were interested in finding out the barriers for implementation of E-learning system and to investigate the role of organizations culture for successful implementation of E-learning system. Fisher (2007, p.31-33) urges that chosen topic should be accessible and it is necessary to make sure that quite literature is available for making detail analysis. We are certain that our topic is enough interesting, significant and demanding for all researchers, businesses managers and Information Technology Management student s. Research Process There are various methodological approaches to carry out research i.e. Realist research, exploratory research, critical realism, standpoint research, action research and phenomenology etc, Fisher (2007, p.15). In addition, Fisher (2007, p.153-155) mentioned two kinds of discoveries e.g. Explorers and Surveyors. A kind of research where an open approach is used with conceptual framework but the authors are not sure about outcomes and results of the work they do, is called exploratory research. On the other hand surveyors discovery approach is pre-structured where surveyors are already inform of the results and out come of their work. According to these concepts our research is exploratory as we are dependent on secondary data. Data Collection and source Fisher (2007, p.45) states that data could be collected from existing databases, through questionnaires, conducting fieldwork or performing case studies as it depends on the kind of research. In this research entire data has been collected from available databases as the research is entirely based on secondary data collection method. Secondary source has been used in this research. The data was extracted from articles, books and websites, magazines, journals and articles with focus on critical barriers to E-learning implementation. Fisher stated that (2007, P.158-161) data could be qualitative or quantitative depending on the method of research study. A quantitative approach has been used here in this research. No statistics has been used in this research and as all research has been analyzed by words not figures. Access of information Secondary data has extracted from different sources. The required literature has been acquired by searching MÃÆ'Â ¤lardalen Universitys library. Furthermore, we have used online library (ebrary) as well as other librarys database such as Elin, Emerald, Eric and EBSCO for articles and journals, which have helped us to answer our research query. Going through a wide-ranging literature review, twenty five articles were identified that give answer to the research question from distinct angles. To identify the barriers to Implementation of E-learning system, keyword search criteria based on title contained; ÃÆ'ËÅ" Barriers of E-learning system implementation, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Implications of E-learning system in organizations, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Implementation of E-learning system in large organization, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Challenges of E-learning Implementation, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Limitations of E-learning System, To describe and analyze the role of organizations culture for successful implementation of E-learning system in organization, keyword search criteria contained; ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural issues of E-leaning system, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural Influence on online Learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural influence on student learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Analyzing cultural Influences on E-learning Transactional Issue, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cultural difference and influence on E-learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Social and cultural impact on E-learning Effectiveness, ÃÆ'ËÅ" A cultural Analysis of relearning for developed and developing countries, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Cross and Multicultural issues for E-learning success, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Influence of organizational cultural in E-learning, ÃÆ'ËÅ" Organizational resistance towards implementing E-learning system. Data Analysis According to Miles and Huberman (1994, p.10) data analysis consists of three parallel flows of activity: (1) Data reduction, (2) Data display, and (3) Conclusion drawing/verification. Furthermore they suggested that data analysis components could be successfully integrated during data analysis, as it is an iterative and continuous process (Miles and Huberman 1994). They have stated three components of activities that describe analysis which are; First is data reduction that is focused on selection, simplification and transformation of data (Miles and Huberman 1994). This process is applied in qualitative data. The objective of this is data is to help drawing final conclusion and verification. In this study data is taken from the studies where authors cited barriers to implement E-learning with focus on cultural resistance in an organization. Second is data display i.e. data reduced in data reduction needs to be organized that help to draw conclusion easily. In table mentioned below, different factors related to critical barriers to implementation of E-learning system and the role of organizations culture is given below along with the frequency of each factor. Third is the conclusion based on drawing/verifying; describes the possible explanations, causal flows and propositions to be made. Therefore based on the findings and discussed analysis, conclusions would be drawn to signify the influential role of organizations culture towards the implementation process. Validity and Reliability Validity is defined as the degree which researchers have measured what they have set out to measure (Kumar, 2005) whereas reliability means the extent to which another researcher can reach the same conclusion by following the same research process (Taylor et al., 2006). Several articles have been used to identify the barriers of implementing E-learning system and to analyze the role of organizational culture. Besides, frequencies of more influential barriers have been generated to validate the barriers and cultural role in implementation process. Method Critique Due to the time limitation, a limited number of articles have been used to formulate the frequency to identify the critical barriers. It could be better to use more articles to strengthen our research as a number of studies have already been done in this area. However this study will describe and analyze the critical barriers for the implementation of E-learning system related literature and to gain a theoretical background. It was also discovered during analysis of this study that most of the authors mentioned the critical factors with mere repetition with diverse definitions. Framework of Reference This chapter discusses relevant theories to give the reader an understanding of the barriers which come across E-learning systems implementation processes cited by different authors. E-learning What is E-learning? E-learning can be defined as learning and communication exercises across computers and networks or electronic sources. (Wong, 2007 ; Schank, 2002; Roffe, 2002 Tsai Machado, 2002; Sambrook, 2003; Fry; Wild, Grggs and Downing, 2002) have defined E-learning as delivery of training and education via networked interactivity and distribution technologies.According to Khan (2008), the word E-learning is used for an open, flexible, and diverse E-learning environment. E-learning can be analyzed as an inventive approach for delivering learner-centered, well designed, interactive, and facilitated learning environment to anyplace, anyone, anytime by utilizing the features and resources of different digital technologies along with other forms of learning materials suited for open, distributed, and flexible learning environment (Khan, 2008). In E-learning system Students are able to interact anytime from anywhere with different instructional material (text, sound, pictures, video and so on) through Internet. Furthermore, learners can even communicate with teachers and classmates both individually and as a group discussion with the use of message boards, instant message exchanges and video conferencing. (Al-Ammari and Hamad, 2008; Andersson, 2009; Zhang and Zhou, 2003). (Lee, 2006) Therefore, E-learning has been defined variously, learning system using different carrying technologies and techniques like Computer Based Training (CBT), Internet-based training (IBT), Web-based instruction (WBI), distributed learning (DL), advanced distributed learning (ADL), distance learning, online learning (OL), mobile learning (or m-learning) or remote learning and learning management systems (LMS) (Khan, 2008). For managing learning environment like, registration of learners, scheduling learning resources, controlling and guidance of learning processes and analyzing learners performance are all accomplish in Learning Management System (LMS) (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Brown, 2006). In 1970s and 1980s distance learning started becoming popular and sued to conduct through postal mail but in 1990s the rise of World Wide Web changed the nature distance learning. With the use of this technology learners can get a number of resources from their teachers like discussion forums, multimedia, chat, video conferencing and electronic black boards. These changes which have been brought in distance education are an attempt to provide easier access to students who live very far from universities, who are working or have other reasons for not being able to attend in person. In the US in the academic year 2001-2, five million people took at least one course online, and three million were enrolled in online degree programs (Gulatee and Combes, 2007; Kazmer Haythornthwaite, 2005, p.7). It can be seen in these figures that distance education online has become a popular alternative to face-to-face instruction. Implementation of E-learning One of the following three approaches is necessary for the implementation of the E-learning system: To strengthen the traditional face-to-face courses with support of new communication technology, enhancement of experience with in traditional courses by integration of online activities and delivery of entirely online courses. In this implementation the readiness of some influential factors like budgeting, infrastructure planning, human resource development (experience, skills, knowledge and attitude of the end users) are most common. Uhomoibhi (2006) stated that E-learning initiators, institutions must use and prepare strategies for adoption, diffusion and implementation. For a successful implementation of online environment where learners can actively learn and get support from well-organized approach is mandatory. Processes of planning, designing, development and evaluation are all parts of a successful implementation that could help to lower down the barriers of implementation (Uhomoibhi, 2006). An E-learning system can only be successful if it is significant to all stakeholders e.g. instructors, learners; support services staff and the institutions itself. In order for learners to become quickly accustomed to E-learning, it must be made sure that it is easily accessible, efficient, well designed course, affordable, and has a facilitated learning environment. Instructors must feel a sense of accomplishment when learners meet the goals and objectives of the course in a successful way. Technical support staff should feel happy when learners receive reliable services without interruptions. One of the most important factors for institutions is the profit they earn as well as the satisfaction of the learner and a low rate of dropouts (Khan, 2005). A strong foundation is required in order to have an effective implementation of E-learning. Aligning and communication are two important factors in implementation of E-learning system. It is necessary to make sure the communication is in order. Involvement of key stakeholders at the decision making stage or any other early process is very important(Khan, 2005). Communication is also important for those who are directly responsible for the implementation; and professionals also suggest a horizontal leadership style so that everyone is responsible for their actions. This includes individuals who are critical to the implementations success which include line, functional and divisional leaders. There should be consistent scheduled meetings with these individuals to discuss the newly arising issues in the project to come up with a solution (Khan, 2005). Most of the pitfalls of E-learning are tied to technological issues so it is important to involve IT leadership throughout the project to mitigate the problems in implementation process. Creation of helpdesk for reporting of IT related issues is more important. While selecting the vendors it is important to make sure that the vendors have an outstanding and proven record. Strong communication and feedback from vendors is a necessary step for a successful implementation (Khan, 2005). An overview of the critical issues in E-learning implementation Worldwide, E-learning arises as a new paradigm of advance education with a growing rate of 36.5 percent in the market, but still failures exist (Sun et al., 2008). As many companies are moving very fast to the adoption of E-learning in order to reap its benefits but they are facing significant barriers in its implementation and adoption, which leads them to implementation failure (Mungania, 2003). Hence, to mitigate this failure we have to investigate key factors that encompass different dimensions of an open, flexible and advanced distributed learning environment for diverse learners (Khan, 2005). Literature has mentioned a wide range of factors that can influence the successful implementation of E-learning e.g. some talks about pedagogical issues, faculty issues and organizational issues while some may have discussed about personal issues, cultural issues and some other issues. A broad range of factors that can influence the success of E-learning environments has been mentioned in the literature. However, there is no organized work to characterize collective group of most influential issues or factors, which could be seen as barriers Wong (2007). Distinct authors consider different barriers as most influential in implementation of E-learning Wong (2007). Wong (2007) has categorized E-learning limitations in three main areas; technological limitations, personal issues and other limitations. The lack of hardware, limited Internet coverage and low bandwidth are all consider as technological barriers in implementation of E- learning (Hiltz, 1997; Kathawala, Abdou, Elmulti, 2002; Wong, 2007). Kember et al., 2001; Dearnley, 2003) stated that personal issues are mostly related to learners and teachers. Teachers should give a complete guidance to the learners about this new and non-traditional system to prepare new learners psychologically (Wong, 2007 ; Kember et al., 2001; Dearnley, 2003). For learners the use of new technologies could be a disadvantage or barrier in E- learning. So the lack information, communication and technological skills might be barriers to E-learning because learners could get frustrated from this unconventional learning environment. (Wong, 2007 ; Carr, 1999; Hamid, 2002; Angelina, 2002a, p.12) The freedom provided by E-learning could be a disadvantage for the learners as internal motivation and self discipline is required at its maximum which learners may find hard to achieve in order to complete their studies or assignments in time. As (Wong, 2007 ; Kearsley, 2000) Schott et al., 2003; Rivera and Rice, 2002; Abouchedid and Eid, 2004).In E-learning environment students are usually supposed to communicate in a text based environment so learners poor writing ÂÂ ¨skills might be a disadvantage in E- learning. Therefore, the inability of communicating efficiently of learners could create misunderstandings (Wong, 2007; Smith Rupp, 2004). Others limitations: E-learning provides 247 access. This infinite work might be a disadvantage for learners and particularly for teachers. This unlimited work could over stress teachers, resulting in a low quality services from instructors. (Abdou Elmulti, 2002;. Dringus, 2003; Newton, 2003; Kathawala, Schifter, 2004).Poor course design could appear a major barrier in implementation of E-learning as it could frustrate the learners and teachers. (Young and Bal, 2003; Smulders, 2003; Howell, Williams Lindsay 2003; Gordon, Young Bal, 2003; Svensson, 2004; Ivergard Hunt, 2005 ;). Cronje (2009) sees some influential barriers such as student barriers are related to lack of financial support from their families and cooperation among peers and from teachers (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997). Faculty barriers the lack of funds is the most important one. Institutes attitude towards the lecturers that some time seems less prominent among their peers is considered another important barrier in successful E-learning (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997). Organizational barriers poor funding for three major costs areas are considered more crucial barriers e.g. Initial costs of the implementation process, maintenance and up gradation. Course barriers course design is regarded as most important one. Poor course design is one of reasons of inferiority of Distance learning. Conversion of teaching context in to electronic shape could not add any value to E-learning (Cronje, 2009; Galusha, 1997) Boondao et al. (2008) mentioned, It is not possible, in the view of some scholars, to create a model of the good teacher without taking issues of culture and context into account. The influence of culture cannot be ignored in successful implementation of E-learning. Considering learners from different culture e.g. east and west, learners from both cultures have particular approaches and styles of learning. Therefore, lack of consideration of cultural issues during designing could prove as a barrier in successful implementation of E-learning (Boondao et al, 2008). Discussing the different critical barriers Nowadays an escalating amount of companies are implementing E-learning System (Mungania, 2003). But as these companies try to take advantages of E-learning to gain strategic and competitive advantages in absolute urgency, there are significant number of barriers to the implementation of E-learning come across to halt them (Simmons, 2002, p.19 and Mungania, (2003). As E-learning barriers are diverse and can be classified as personal, organizational, situational, instructional and technological. (Mungania, 2003) Moreover Khans E-learning framework provides details on critical issues which may come across E-learning implementation process. Khans E-learning framework composed of eight dimensions: institutional, management, pedagogical, technological, interface design, ethical, evaluation, and resource support. Institutional Issues Institutions need to build a complete plan for the successful implementation of E learning system (Khan 2005, p.23). Moreover Childs et al (2005) stated that institution should focus on cultural aspects for the implementation process of E learning system which have a significant effect upon the success of E-learning process (Cronje, 2009).E-learning needs to be integrated to all departments of the institution therefore a strong commitment is needed from the institution and the trainers Childs et al (2005). Moreover, E-learning implementation plan must be fully aligned with the institutions ambitions and strategic plans (Galusha, 1997; Belanger and Jordan, 2000). Therefore E-learning implementation process is paradigm shift for the institution as a whole which includes learners, instructors, administrators, technical and other support services staff (Romiszowski, 2004). To support institutions in strategic planning, change management and process development which are necessary to highlight their embedding process and issues which may occur in their organization (Childs et al (2005) and Khan 2005,p.23). Khan has divided institution issue into three parts administrative affairs, academic affairs and student services (Khan 2005, p. 24). Administrative affairs which includes organization and change (implementation of E-learning system), budgeting and return on investment, course information catalog, financial aid, course schedule, tuition fees, registration and payment, information technology services, instructional design, whereas academic affairs issues such as policies, instructional quality, faculty and staff support, intellectual property rights and so on (Khan 2005, p. 24 ). Moreover Student services deals with student support services for E-learning effectiveness. Management issues Magalhaes (2008) stated that lack of management support is number one barrier towards successful implementation of E-learning system in institution. Management issues of E-learning in organization refers to various phases of administration such as scheduling, design, construction, assessment, delivery, and maintenance (Romiszowski 2003 and Parkham et al, 2004). Managing issues in organizations depend upon various elements including content delivery, and technology Trentin (2003). Khan (2005) also stated that for the success of E learning system institution must focus on three key areas people, process, and products involved in E-learning projects which depends upon integrated team approach (Jung, 2003).Critical management factors categorized by Khan (2005) are mentioned below: Technological Issues Technological limitations are among the major barriers for the success of E-learning system (Wong, 2007).Technological limitations of E-learning system relates to computer hardware, software and relevant resources (Wong, 2007).Connectivity problems, lack of training, navigation issues, limitations of 24/7 technical support, loss of data and incapability to save or transfer data are the most common technological limitations (Mungania, 2003). Usually small and medium enterprises fail to implement E-learning system due to lack of support in hardware and software (Sambrook, 2003;Wong, 2007).The technological issues can be divided into three parts infrastructure planning, hardware, and software (Kearsley, 2000; Rumble, 2000). Success of E learming system in organizations depends upon infrastructure planning which includes a well documented strategy, focusing on infrastructure. (McGraw, 2001; Romiszowski, 2004).As E-learning environment depends on digital infrastructure, there for institutions should have consistent and well-organized networks to support E-learning (khan 2005, p.154). Moreover institutions should develop policies and guidelines to cater various issues of hardware, software, and networks as institutions involved in implementation of E-learning may suffer. (Wong, 2007, Romiszowski, 2004) Learners require basic hardware for E-learning such as desktop or notebook computers and printers (Kathawala, Abdou, Elmulti, 2002;Hiltz, 1997, Wong, 2007). Therefore, one of the major technological limitations of E-learning is the availability of computer hardware (wong,2007). Major hardware limitations of E-learning system is the necessity of relevant resources which includes servers, modems, microphones, wireless devices, printers, scanners, computers, networking devices, cameras storage devices and other equipments. (Wong, 2007, Khan 2005, p.159) Institution experience similar problems such as software costs as well as software support cost, particularly for software licenses which acts as a significant barrier (khan 2005, p.159). Software includes word processors, databases, e-mail, presentation programs, reader software, browsers and plug-ins, spreadsheets, learning management systems (LMS), authoring tools and enterprise software and so on (LytasPauloudi,2001 and Khan 2005, p.159-160) Pedagogical Issues Success of E-learning systems implementation depends on the adherence to underlay pedagogical principles that are entrenched in the E-learning (Uhomoibhi, 2006). Pedagogical issues in E-learning are major challenges in distance education therefore a strong need of resources for development of the course material arises