To what extent did the Cuban intervention shape Angola (1975-1991) Assignment

To what extent did the Cuban intervention shape Angola (1975-1991) - Assignment Example I will also refer to the Library of Congress Country Studies. In section B, I will discuss the first Cuban intervention, global response to the event, Cubas second involvement, and The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. In C, I will evaluate my sources and in D, provide an analysis of evidence. In consequence, to analysis, I will formulate a conclusion to my research in E. The Portuguese colonization of Angola began in the sixteenth century and continued until 1975. In 1974, following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, an extreme right wing Portuguese government was replaced by a moderate democracy (Birmingham 184). At the time, three major revolutionary factions operated in Angola; MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. In January 1975, at a meeting held in Kenya, Portugal recognized the MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA as three independent and equal political movements (LOC). Further meeting in Alvor, Portugal, resulted in the agreement of independence on 11 November 1975 with a transitional government in place until that date (LOC). The transitional government, which was an equal unity between all three movements, was sworn in on 31 January 1975 (Smith 66). Disputes quickly erupted between members of the newly formed government. Pro-western FNLA which was heavily influenced by the United States was at odds with Soviet and Cuban-backed MPLA (LOC). The U.S refused to accept MPLA as a major player in the unity government due to their strong Soviet ties and Marxist inclinations (Smith 69). An arms race began between these two factions leading to the U.S. funding UNITA for the first time (LOC). Fighting which initially began in Luanda spread to the entire country. In July 1975, in response to a request by MPLA leader Antonio Neto to provide support against international imperialism, Cuba set up four centers for military training in Angola (CIA). On 11 August 1975, Cuban Major Raà ºl Diaz Argà ¼elles proposed to Fidel Castro a military

Racism in the Counselling Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism in the Counselling Relationship - Essay Example The essay "Racism in the Counselling Relationship" discusses the racism in regarding the intercultural counseling. The race is a 19th-century pseudo-scientific construction that has been discredited since the human species could not be genetically thus compartmentalized. Though racism is not the same as ethnocentrism. Recognition - that monocultural model of counseling and therapy that prevailed until the mid-20th century to deal with problems presented by today’s racial and ethnic diversity in most nation states was inadequate - led to rethinking in favor of a multicultural approach. Hitherto, counselors and therapists had been trained in the psychodynamic, person-centred, and cognitive behavior therapy models, to name but a salient few. Sue and Sue were the first to propose a theory of multicultural counseling and therapy. The hitherto ’invisible other’ became aggressively visible with the Black Civil Rights Movement and compelled counselors to explore the impa ct of cultural identity and diversity in the counseling relationship. The aim of counseling was no longer to encourage and enforce ‘assimilation’ of the ’other’ into the dominant culture but to empathize and explore the assumptive world of the client from whatever background he/she came from. Integration, rather than assimilation, where individuals belonging to a minority culture could preserve their cultural identity began to be valued. It was soon evident that counselors could no longer ignore their own cultural background.

Medical Bag Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medical Bag - Assignment Example -Research and compare the cost of medical bags and supplies. Analysis -Invited other nurses for a brainstorming session. -Explained to them the reason we needed a medical bag; previously we used medical bags that were not standardized and thus were not sufficient to provide the medical care needed by the detainees during the flight. -They all agreed and at this point we developed a vision, mission and goals of the project. -During the brainstorming session, we found out some of the problems that were realized with the present medical bags: They were inadequate because they lacked some of the important tools that were necessary to provide patients with the medical care they required. The officers who were appointed to go out with the detainees did not have an idea of what was necessary to carry during the flight. -After the brainstorming sessions, we came up with these important proposals that could serve our need; Needed to identify the right team of nurses for the flights. We identified some of the detainees that are mostly moved and the most frequent emergencies that took place during flights. Develop a medical bag that was well equipped to take care of any emergency that could occur during the flight and that could carry all the materials that were required. They determined the effectiveness of the mission statements and the policies they had to work towards achieving, within the time limit given. -Reported on the feasibility study I had done previously to find out which was the most suitable medical bag. -The team identified areas of further study about the medical bags and each one was supposed to study on their own and report their findings during the following meeting. Action plan -Choose the type of bag that was most... -The objective of the project will be to develop a medical emergency bag that is equipped to safely handle the most common potential acute situations that may arise during a flight. The main goal is to develop a standardized safe and cost effective medical bag that can be utilized during a flight to provide medical care to federal detainees. -Explained to them the reason we needed a medical bag; previously we used medical bags that were not standardized and thus were not sufficient to provide the medical care needed by the detainees during the flight. United Nations press release 2007, 29 October: Special rapporteur on torture concludes visit to Srilanka, retrieved on 4th November 2009 from http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/0/F493C88D3AFDCBEC1257383006CD8BBopendocument .

Written assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Written assessment - Essay Example In order to have children have their best learning experiences they should be able to see, hear and touch the different aspects of their learning. For this particular lesson, it is important for them to be able to listen to the instrument, see the instrument they are listening to and then hear music that includes these instruments. In this way students will have a richer idea of listening to music. By including a way for them to draw a picture and say what they think of the music on the worksheet, they are provided with an opportunity to understand music at a deeper level. Children in grades 4 and 5 are always busy and doing things. They have to have more than just sitting and listening to music or they get fidgety. By providing several things for them to do at once this becomes more entertaining and keeps their interest longer. By the 4th and 5th grade children are able to work in a group and they function well at certain things. They also can work individually using worksheets and most do well at following directions. Children are also using critical thinking skills and this is one of the reasons why I use the worksheet -- it allows them to use these skills as they listen to the music, decide on a picture and decide how the music makes them feel. This is a good way to help them sort out what they are hearing. Many students listen to music that is discouraging and damaging to them and usually this is music that is popular. By introducing them to more than one type of music, they have more to choose from and explore. It is the hope of the teacher that they will want to find other types of music at the library and then perhaps they will purchase it later. Music is one good way to help children improve their listening skills because they have to really listen to hear the specific instruments. If they are talking or are distracted in some way, they will miss the information. This also makes them learn to tune out

FedEx The Success Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FedEx The Success Story - Essay Example This paper looks at these aspects in detail. The enduring success of FedEx has been in part due to the wisdom, knowledge and information imparted towards the employees in helping them gain a better understanding and applying a number of company principles and policies. The philosophy at FedEx has always been People, Service, Profit. People always come first. A deep understanding of what makes people tick, their inner psychology, motivations, desires and aspirations are key factors that the company strives to take into account when dealing with them. As people everywhere are varied, FedEx accepts their diversity and understands that each individual must be handled differently. The company attempts to find a common ground between itself and the customer where both mutually agree on terms and conditions and are satisfied with the business goals. The second point is service. To maintain long term customer relationship, the company makes sure that its own philosophy, work practices are sound and credible. When its own employees and leaders are comfortable with the system and have understood it fully, they are able to serve the customer better. The service side of the business is always scrutinized and made adaptable to a changing economic environment. FedEx maintains quality control at every level from the handlers to the customer service representatives. The third aspect is profit. Without the first two factors in place and functioning properly, profits may be affected. FedEx uses cutting edge technology and analytical systems to ensure that the company is on the right course. Variations in profit margins are evaluated and set against the backdrop of the bigger competitive economic picture and also internal company practices. If need be, a revision of policies are made. The company might also look into the process of innovation and how it can be improved upon. The underlying pattern in FedEx is constant change and adaptation. FedEx recognizes the changing world and business environment and in order to be a part of the evolution process, they have continually evaluated business models and strategies. The company regularly studies market trends and the competition and attempts to stay one step ahead. As their customer base expands and a diverse range of people have varied number of requirements, customer satisfaction is very important and FedEx has addressed the expectations and desires of its customers. FedEx has also recognized that the present global economy is extremely competitive and preserving a status quo would not suffice. In order to grow, the company strives to change constantly. This means being flexible in organizational procedures. Rather than sticking rigidly to company policies, an open more adaptable policy towards change has taken place at FedEx. FedEx's growth depends on successfully meeting and anticipating varying customer's requirements in a competitively differentiated manner. Competitive differentiation works on planning and providing customer value offers that are of better-quality that those offered by the competition and which are considered to be a better investment. In designing customer value propositions, each department and employee is directly or indirectly participates in the development. As people are involved in the innovation process, FedEx employees are expected to believe that

Key Factors of Consumer Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Key Factors of Consumer Behaviour Essay 1. Discuss and explain the key factors influencing consumer behaviour. Why must organisations understand consumer behaviour in order to optimise sales? Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (AMA, 2007). Consumer behaviour is the judgment of final consumers individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler et al., 1999) There are four key factors influencing consumer behaviour. They are social, cultural, personal and psychological factors. Consumer may tends to change their buying behaviour according to these factors. Cultural factors are described as people who react particular way regard to religion reason. Different culture response differently, how people behave with their buying decision. for instance in Myanmar, majority of people do not have a habit of doing sport or using supplement for diet purposes. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, groups of men and women tend to emphasis on sport and taking supplement. As a supplement business prospective, they should not supply their product or sell in Myanmar. Social factors are mainly influenced by family, close friend and personal attitude. They are also known as reference group. Reference group are important as the product are satisfied for their needs, the message with forward to another person which is also known as word of mouth. The communication is powerful because we trust our friends and colleagues opinions. For example, majority of wealthy people do not buy a Primark product, simple because of their status, they should be buying much more expensive product such as Gucci and Chanel. If they do consumer Primark product their friend may talk behind their back which affect the status. After taking cultural and social factors into consideration, the next things people naturally put things into account is personal factors. personal factors can be defined as a belief in which a person think the particular brand is valued to them. Personal factors consists of buyers age, occupation, economic situation and lifestyle. Depending on human life cycle, buyers decision making is changing in different stages. Therefore, marketer often segment the market and target the consumer life stages. As an example, it is an inappropriate for the marketer to sell Samsung latest smart phone to senior citizen, they may only want to use simple keypad phone. In term of occupation, people are concerning about their status and image in their society. The products that they consume are crucial to his or her status. Psychological factors include belief, interest and motivation. Everyone has their own belief in different way. Often majority of people are bias when buying a particular brand. There is no right or wrong answer, in fact, people learnt from past experience whether the brand had met their needs or how they perceived the brand . For example, Iphone 5, more and more people are getting the new Iphone 5, not because it is very special. In fact Samsung s3, has better functionality than Iphone but still people buys it. This shows people value the brand of Apple and how they perceived the brand. Motivation factors are another factor that consumer think before they buy. According to Maslow theory, different people has different needs. So, marketer should know how to segment the market and target the right person to maximise sales. In summary, organisation should consider how consumer behave for certain product by looking at these four factors. furthermore, communicating with consumer are crucial to the market as they sent the message the consumer about the products feature. Therefore, marketer has to be segment the market and target the right consumer to deliver the message across.

Reflective Report on Mega Simulation Game

Reflective Report on Mega Simulation Game EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report is about a 12-week critical evaluation about my experience of the Mega Simulation Game that I was to execute with other four group members. The exercise requires identifying the primary reflective theories that will be used for reflective learning. In my case, I used Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT and Gibbs Reflective Model. I used these two models to enumerate on two incidences in the group work experience, which were related to interpersonal dynamics, and personal performance in-group work. The interpersonal dynamics such as personality clashes, different cultural values, and personal interests acted as a hindrance to communication and collaboration. However, the commitment of the team was very high and this kept the team going. The second incidence was on personal performance where the group leveraged on individual strengths and delegated tasks. The delegation of tasks was fruitful but the end product was not due to personal interests overriding the group interests. I learnt t he need for effective communication, the power of leadership and the need to accommodate varied opinions. Introduction Reflection has numerous meaning that includes self-review, self-awareness, self-criticism, self-appraisal, self-assessment, personal cognizance and other terms that are related to these terms. Boyd and Fales (1983) defined reflection learning as the process of externally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perceptive. The definition brings out key important issues in reflective learning: there needs to be an issue that is examined, meaning of the issue must be derived and lastly the meaning should improve the perspective of the individual in a similar situation in the future. In this reflection paper, I will pursue two types of reflection: interpersonal dynamics and performance of the members of the groups. Teamwork is used everywhere from class settings to organizations and even communities to accomplish tasks that require collaboration, brainstorming and synergy. The primary objective of a team is delegation of responsibility and development of a proper plan for the completion of a goal (Hughes and Jones, 2011). The interpersonal dynamics is about how people use nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and body language to complement verbal communication in on-on-one interactions. The reason I decided to discuss interpersonal dynamics is because I saw the group as a cross-functional one rather than a functional one. The reasons I think the group was cross-functional was that all the members in the group were specializing on different careers and also we had never worked together as a team. The simulation game was a onetime project where the group would be dissolved after its completion. Parker (2015) noted that cross functional teams were more susceptible to interpersonal barriers such as cultural biases, work styles, turf wars, conflicts, lack of trust, and differing priorities. Some of these things played out during our game simulation task. The second area that I am going to explore is performance of members in the group. I felt this is an area worthy of exploitation as the different members had a different level of performance towards contributing to the success of the group. It is impossible to separate team performance from individual performance because the former depends on the latter. Individual standards comprise of the performance expectations that each team member expresses as personal pressure to achieve (Larson and LaFasto, 1999). I specifically noted that I put a lot of effort together with another member in the teamwork, which stimulated others to perform better, but sometimes it was not sufficient enough to reach our desired goals. I will employ the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) and Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model (2014) to critically reflect on the two MSG experiences. I used Gibbs reflective model because it is a simple model to use and provides questions that I have to answer in a particular order. Just like the Gibbs model, Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model uses a simple concept of reflection making it easy for the user to apply it. The model uses a bacronym (an acronym devised in reverse to fit a word) on the word REFLECT. I will not be using the Honey and Munfords learning style as it is too simplistic in its steps to allow me to critically reflect on my experiences. Gibbs reflective model is a useful tool in reflection as it provides critical phases of an experience from what one experienced to how they would make changes and respond better in subsequent events. The different phases include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. Below is the Gibbs reflective cycle with the relevant questions that need to be answered for each phase Figure 1 (Gibbs, 1988) Gibbs reflective model directly fits to the happenings of the group. In my reflection, I was first wondering why there was no sense of cohesion in the group when we started. The opinions were so diverse and the commitments were so dissimilar. I was feeling that personal priorities and interest were coming in the way of cooperative approach. Most of the group members, including I felt distraught and disillusioned by the progress of the group in the initial weeks due to the lack of organization and poor ranking. We did not have a leader who would inspire us through the disillusionment. In the Tuckmans stages, the group dwelled so much in the forming stage where the group members were getting to know each other and there was general socializing (Martin, 2006). Lawrence-Wilkes -REFLECT model (2014) comprises of steps that are almost similar to that of Gibbs reflective cycle but it goes to a deeper level to analyze elements such as strengths and weaknesses, reference to external checks, looking at the responsibilities and asking the what if question. The model examines more details that not only assist in reviewing past experiences but also learning from them and integrating new ideas to enable change. The model requires reviewing of experiences from both objective and subjective angles. Below is the REFLECT barconym used in the model. Table 1 (Lawrence-Wilkes and Ashmore, 2014)   Ã‚   Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model of Reflective Practice R 1. Reflect Look back, review and ensure intense experiences are reviewed cold (subjective and objective). E 2. Evaluate What happened? What was important? (Subjective and objective) F 3. Focus Who, what, where, etc. Roles, responsibilities, etc. (Mostly objective) L 4. Learn Question: why, reasons, perspectives, feelings? Refer to external checks. (Subjective and objective) E 5. Evaluate Causes, outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, feelings use metacognition. (Subjective and objective) C 6. Consider Assess options, need/possibilities for change? Development needs? What if? scenarios? Refer to external checks. (Mostly objective) T 7. Trial Integrate new ideas, experiment, take action, and make change. (Repeat cycle: Recall) Incident 1: My group was comprised of five members that are evidently from different cultural backgrounds and also hold diverse views and values. I noticed due to the diversity in the group, there was no effective communication and there were issues when it came to sense of responsibility.   The first incident was our groups inability to operate cohesively due to differences in personality and cultural values. My previous encounter with the topic of diversity is that it (diversity) can lead to team effectiveness and innovation (West, 2012). But on the contrary, the initial weeks of our groups was faced with communication challenges as we worked together. Initially, I thought that the reason for the incongruity was that the exercise was new to everyone and no one had substantive information on how to go about the exercise. Everyone in the group was in constant search of what is expected of the exercise. The disappointment was evident in week 3 due to the poor ranking, which left everyone demotivated. Waller, Gupta and Giambatista (2004) noted that lack of effective communication leads to deviation from attaining team goals. We got confused on what were our desired goals. Despite the miscommunication, the group was able to function as there were elements that were consistent with structuration theory on how groups use rules and resources to form its structure (Frey, Gouran and Poole, 1999). Our group was held together by the weekly meeting that were mandatory and I believe were it not for the rules, the team functioning would have been impaired. I must applaud my group because irrespective of the communication barriers, the group was able to hold on and try to overcome these barriers. The attendance of the meetings was satisfactory as there was minimal absenteeism, which was accompanied by apologies and genuine reasons such as illness or class time. In my assessment, the general theme of the group according to Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was feelers instead if thinkers. Feelers judge situations based on feelings or emotions while thinkers judge situations based on logical analysis (Quenk, 2013). Most of the choices that were made such as marketing for image cars were based on personal emotions, which lead to disregard of facts and information. I must admit despite the personality clash in the group; all the group members were committed to accomplishing the task successfully. The commitment even inspired us on meeting twice a week to try and better our ranking and get a better grip of the whole game simulation concept. Personally, I was not thinking about how to bridge the miscommunication gap or clashing personalities but on the task at hand and this was also the general trend in the group. Even up to the end of the exercise in the 12th week, we communicated but we never did so effectively. The ranking of the group improved over time even though it did not reach the desired goal. Upon critical review at the end of the exercise, I could only make sense of the group performance through the self-organization theory. The theory postulates that order can arise from a disordered system due to interactions of distinct parts of the system. The incidence on interpersonal dynamics, especially the personality clashes and miscommunication between the group members, helped me to develop transferable skills to do with closing ranks when it comes to personality and cultural differences. The group would have attained a better rank if we resolved the disillusionment in the early stages of teaming as this would have gone a long way in working harmoniously (Searle and Swartz, 2015). I also saw the fruits of commitment as the members were able to perform regardless of the cohesion problems. Incident 2 The second incident was related to the individual performances and their contribution to the overall group performance. Personally, I believe am a natural leader who takes the mantle of leadership in any situation. I believe that one does not need to be appointed formally to take the leadership role but can take the steering wheel from any position. I subscribe to the relationship-oriented leadership model where the leader is more focused on the human resources than the task at hand. I would motivate the members of the group by telling them how the assignment was important and how we should all be committed towards improving our ranking. The group needed a small dose of external motivation to keep them going and energized (Beagle, 2012). When I was motivating and inspiring the team, I found the motivator in me, which was essential in keeping myself going and also the group. I noticed that a team produced synergy and a better output than an individual but it is the latter that contributes to the results of the former. Despite the shaky start, we realized that we need to use our individual strengths for team success (Graham et al., 2012). At different points of the assignment, we had to assign and delegate duties and cover ground on the different actions that needed to be taken. We tried to leverage on the strengths of the individual members as much as possible. The use of individual strengths to delegate tasks did not work effectively as I expected as the third phase of Fishers Theory of Decision Emergence was not adhered to. The third phase is the emergence phase where an individual needs to soften on their stance and let the interest of the team prevail over personal interests (Littlejohn, Foss and Oetzel, 2016). In some situations, we had to go with individual opinions instead of consensus, which did not work well for the team. In the future, I would advocate for more compromise and consensus instead of personal opinions as the latter risks being biased and non-inclusive. I learnt that anyone can be a situational leader if they wanted to make a difference amidst uncertainty and anyone can lead from any position (Alizor, 2013).   I saw the importance of delegating duties as it covered more ground but it needs better coordination to achieve a common goal. I believe my strength and individual contribution was leadership and motivation. Conclusion I appreciate the experience as it was an eye-opener especially on different aspects of group tasks. I understood how group dynamics can work against the success of a team and they need to be identified and dealt with at the early stages of an assignment.   For instance, team members need to understand each others values and culture, and accommodate them. Understanding each other is the first step of breaking the communication barrier. I appreciated the importance of effective communication, which our group lacked, eventually leading to poor coordination and cooperation. I must admit that the strength of our group lied in commitment more than anything else. After communication, personal interest was the other weakness. I learnt the need to let other team members speak their mind, brainstorming and softening individual stance for the good of the team. I was a culprit myself of holding strong stances, sometimes unconsciously, on some of the issues. Looking back at the exercise, I acknowledge that for better interpersonal reactions, the parties need self-awareness. Lastly, I appreciated the power of leadership in motivating and inspiring team members towards tasks accomplishment. References      Ã‚   Alizor, J. (2013). Leadership: Understanding Theory, Style, Practice: Things You Need to Know about Leading an Organization. 1st ed. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press. Beagle, M. (2012). The Rock: Motivational Leadership: A Leaders Perspective On Inspiring Others While Finding the Motivator in You. 1st ed. Bloomington: iUniverse, Inc. Boyd, E. and Fales, A. (1983). Reflective Learning: Key to Learning from Experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), pp.99-117. Frey, L., Gouran, D. and Poole, M. (1999). The handbook of group communication theory and research. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. 1st ed. [London]: FEU. Graham, S., Emery, S., Hall, R., Blanchard, K., Huntsman, J., Lennick, D., Kiel, F. and Jordan, K. (2012). Leading Teams with Integrity: Advice from Leadership Experts. 1st ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press. Hughes, R. and Jones, S. (2011). Developing and assessing college student teamwork skills. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(149), pp.53-64. Larson, C. and LaFasto, F. (1999). Teamwork. 1st ed. Newbury Park (Calif.): Sage Publ. Lawrence-Wilkes, L. and Ashmore, L. (2014). The reflective practitioner in professional education. 1st ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Littlejohn, S., Foss, K. and Oetzel, J. (2016). Theories of Human Communication. 11th ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Martin, B. (2006). Outdoor leadership: Theory and Practice. 1st ed. Windsor, ON: Human Kinetics. Parker, G. (2015). Cross- Functional Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies, and Other Strangers. 1st ed. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. Quenk, N. (2013). Essentials of myers-briggs type indicator assessment. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Searle, M. and Swartz, M. (2015). Teacher Teamwork: How do we make it work?. 1st ed. New York: Association for Supervision Curriculum Development. Waller, M., Gupta, N. and Giambatista, R. (2004). Effects of Adaptive Behaviors and Shared Mental Models on Control Crew Performance. Management Science, 50(11), pp.1534-1544. West, M. (2012). Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons. Theories Used 1. Gibbs Reflective Model (1988) 2. Lawrence Wilkes REFLECTION (2014) 3. Tuckman Stages of Group Development (1965) 4. Structuration Theory 5. Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (1956) 6. Self-Organization Theory 7. Relationship-Oriented Leadership Model 8. Situational Leadership Model 9. Fishers Theory of Decision Emergence Appendices Logbook Week No./date of meeting(s) Action point(s) Team member/time of arrival/leave Potentially areas that every member worked on State of team / work in progress Week 2 (3th October 2016) Get all members of group together and sign learning contract Structuring what must be done for next meeting a)George Iashvili -11am b)Claudia Borges-11am c)Carlos Chalhoub-11am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-11am e) Ilya Ignatov-11am (All left same time as class was finished) There was no game simulation this week so no work to be done as a group yet Learning Contract signed and we got all group members now. Week 3-First Meeting on Gaming Simulation (14 October 2016) 1.Speak about steps we needed to take for the game and whether we all watched the video and read the game manual. 2.Start to look at game excel sheet. 3.Making sure all members had put their name in the game simulation. a)George Iashvili-1pm b)Claudia Borges-1pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-1pm e) Ilya Ignatov-1pm -All members that attended looked at each section of the decision sheet together and made decisions as a group. Task completed-all the members looked at the decision document and discussed on WhatsApp what steps to take as well as what we needed to do in the next meeting, which was to figure out a more accurate strategy and approach. At this point we still didnt know how to play the game properly. Some group members still not giving suggestions on the decisions. Some members still not contributing. Week 3-Second Meeting on Gaming Simulation (17 October 2016) 1.Make sure we all knew how to fill in the decision document. 2. Conclude on what car we wanted. 2.Fill in decision document. 3.Submit the decision   document. a)George Iashvili -Didnt Attend, sick on day of meeting. b) Claudia Borges-Didnt Attend, informed group could attend due to having lesson c)Carlos Chalhoub-12:30 d)Cagri Ozecoglu-12:30 e) Ilya Ignatov-did not attend, could not attend due to having lesson too. -Claudia filled in some of the document and sent an email to the rest of the group. The members who attended all worked through the rest of the decision document together. -The group had little to no strategy in mind as we did not know the specifics on how to play the game properly yet. The group tried using common sense and logic as we hadnt known that the information was available on the mega learning website. Feeling disappointed with the result that we got for last week.However,we tried our best for the next decision to be better. Some group members go demotivated. Week 4(20/10/2016) 1.To look over everything and looked at the results of the last simulation game and analyse it. 2.We had the game reset this week 3.Try to make changes to the game in order to get better results. 4.To ensure the use of the information available on the mega learning website and blackboard on the consumer sensitivity and market growth, in order to configure a clear strategy. a)George Iashvili -13:00 b)Claudia Borges-13:00 c)Carlos Chalhoub-13:00 d)Cagri Ozecoglu-13:00 e) Ilya Ignatov-did not attend,but informed the group ahead of non-attendance. -We all looked through the decision document and made decisions on each section together as a group after thoroughly discussing everything. Also, we made sure we used the information available to us on consumer sensitivity, market growth and each decisions effect on budget. -We had a much better idea on how the game simulation works this week and used all the information given to us which made our decisions improve greatly. Also, almost the whole group was at the meeting which was very beneficial for the decision analysis and strategy direction that the group wanted to take. There was a clash in personalities which was affecting some decisions.There was a lot of miscommunication between the group. Week 5(27/10/2016) 1. We planned to keep to our strategy that we used in week 4 as it seemed to work. a)George Iashvili -11am b)Claudia Borges- did not attend c)Carlos Chalhoub-11am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-11am e) Ilya Ignatov-11am -All who attended analysed the decisions together as a group and made more aggressive decisions on many of the consumer behaviour sensitivity and prices of the sectors, which changed our strategy direction. -We couldnt keep to our strategy that we had in the previous week and the decisions made were too aggressive which gave us a low rank on the mega learning simulation. Some results and decisions that we made the week before worked and gave the game a good result so we kept them the same. Week 6 (3/11/2016) 1.Region 2 started this week So, we had to make sure to look at each section of the simulation game and try to increase our capacity of how many cars we can sell on region 1 and get much capacity for region 2.-Try to look at Eco-friendly cars and lower product appeal from the previous week because it was too high. 3.Look at marketing appeal for image cars higher and try focus on low cost and eco-friendly cars because the market growth is increasing in both these two sectors. a)George Iashvili -12:30am b)Claudia Borges-12:30am c)Carlos Chalhoub-12:30am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-12:30am e) Ilya Ignatov-12:30am -Claudia looked at filling how many models in range for each category, how many new parts needed and looking at price for the cars. -the rest of the group tried to focus on the action points so making sure that look at product appeal and which areas need the most product appeal, like eco-friendly was too high the previous week so to decrease that and -Focus on trying to get the EBIT down and capacity up and at the same time to make the best decisions for the simulations game based on last weeks results. -We now had a better understanding of how the game was worked and we starting to get better rankings now. Now we had a better understanding we   could do better for region 2. Week 7(8/11/2016) 1.Try to meet more as a group, have at least two meetings a week. 2.Try make sure we discuss the previous weeks results 3.Try to focus on eco-friendly and image sectors due to this these two sectors being the ones we are doing weak at the moment. 4.Try to look get product appeal up and again look at capacity for eco-friendly and image sector. Also, look at image cars due to sales revenue being so low in that sector and see what is happening and what is affecting for cars not to be selling. 5.Decrease low cost unit cost and family unit cost too. -Focus on region 1 as region 2 sales are good, however the sales for region 1 have gone down from last week. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm As a group, we tried to resolve our action points such as meeting more often, so timetables were sent of each of the members timetable so we could see which day would be the best to meet. Secondly, we looked at resolving our problem with image cars and why we were not selling as much cars as we could and found out this was due to capacity was low and tried to increase this for the next weeks decision. Thirdly, try to decrease the unit cost for low cost due to being too high and also for family the unit cost was too high as well so we decreased this too. Look over previous weeks results and compare to current week to see what is happening and what is going wrong in the eco-friendly and image sectors and why our capacity is not increasing. Achieved a good ranking for region 1, however region 2 ranking went down. Week 8(17/11/2016) 1.Focus on family cars sector because our sales have gone down a lot from previous weeks 2.Focus on image sector too because our capacity for region 1 is still low and for region 2 is too low and we need to try and increase this. 3.Discuss our results from previous week and what decisions need to be changed based on teachers feedback and our online results. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm -As a group we focused on looking at the capacity for the eco-friendly and image cars because it was really low and also tried to increase low cost cars capacity due to selling a lot of low cost cars each week, however not using all capacity. -Making sure that we kept some decisions the same such as low cost and family car unit prices. Week 9(24/11/2016) 1.Looking at previous weeks decisions as it was good result and there was a lot of increase for capacity for all regions 1 and 2 and sales revenue increased. So look at what decisions were made that got as to have such a good result. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm -As a team we made sure we went through each region 1 and 2 and made sure we looked at the engineering, how much we were investing in capacity and also HR and also looking at unit prices for each sector such as low cost and family prices. These two sector prices were too high and causing us to lose customers. Capacity was also a problem for our region 2 because we had less capacity for low cost cars and family and we tried our best to increase this and tried to keep our costs down. However, at the same time trying to fix our problem with eco-friendly and image cars due to the fact that no cars were being sold in that sector. -Making sure that we make investments into region 2 -Try to look at unit prices whether too high or low. Week 10(1/12/2016) 1.Make investments in region 2 2. Look at facilities for each car section and for each region 1 and 2 3.Look at prices for each section 4.Again try to increase capacity in each section. a)George Iashvili -Could not attend b)Claudia Borges-Could not attend c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-Could not attend e) Ilya Ignatov- Could not attend -Carlos looked at each section and saw what we could do to firstly increase the capacity. The sectors we tried to increase our capacity were low costs cars and family cars in region 1 and 2, and eco-friendly cars and image cars in region 2 due to the fact that the capacity was 0. Then Carlos sent a copy of the file by e-mail to everyone in the group to have a look at before we submitted. -We also made some investments in HR and capacity for region 2 -Increase Capacity -Look at eco-friendly and image cars sectors for regions two Week 11(8/12/2016) 1.Look at region 2 image cars and eco-friendly and see why no sales being made. 2.Again increase capacity for region 1 low cost and family cars and try to use all capacity available. a)George Iashvili -1pm b)Claudia Borges-1pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-1pm e) Ilya Ignatov-1pm -As a group we discussed why we were having the problem in region 2 in the eco-friendly and image car sector. Due to the fact that for the last few weeks of decisions we have put invested in the HR department and also made others investments but despite this these two sectors did not make any sales. -We made a decision to sell off eco-friendly and image cars in region 2 and use the money to invest in region -Decision to sell off region 2 eco-friendly