Looking Out The Window Essays - Eugne Christophe,

Looking Out The Window Looking out the window, a sign on the side of the road reads, ?speed limit 25?. I think it should be much higher, but I suppose residents of the road want to get out of their driveways without being smashed by a speeding car. I look down at the dashboard, which is covered with beer cans (there's no bottles because they always end up finding their way out the window and onto signs and other objects), various coins, and assortments of waste products. Directing my gaze away from the hideous sight of the trash, my eyes wander away and focus in on my speedometer. The pretty little numbers that encircle it go from 0 to 100. As my eyes wander, so does my mind. I think to myself, ?Why do speedometers go up to 100 if the highest speed limits are 55 But I suppose that I put mine to use quite frequently, at the moment its pushing 85. Raising my eyes to look back at the road, I see a sharp right turn coming up very soon. As I come upon this drastic bend in the road, I stomp on the brakes while s wiftly spinning the wheel clockwise. The tires squeal as the rear of the car slides into the opposite lane. I bring the back of the car to join in the lane that they both should be in. I continue down the long slab of asphalt that lies ahead of me. People on the side of the road point and stare as I thunder past them in my chariot. Quite a distance ahead, the traffic light at an intersection turns yellow; signaling to me to slow my automobile so that I will be able to stop once the light turns red. Bringing the auto to a complete halt, I admire the scenery around me. A blue Taurus, a green Jeep Cherokee, and an ugly 1975 Buick LaSabre are just a few of my fellow travelers of the road. The light flashes from red to green. I gently depress the gas pedal at first, but quick as a bolt of lighting, impatience gnaws at my sanity. After I've had about all I could take of this slow speed travel, I thrust my foot into the pedal, pushing it in as far as it will allow itself to be pushed. Crui sing at a leisurely pace of 60 mph, and still accelerating, I peep the rear view mirror. Much to my dismay, I spy a white car with a row of red and blue lights atop of the roof. Behind the wheel is a large man in a blue uniform, with a cheap badge. Checking my speed once again, I come to the sudden realization that I'm traveling at about 70 mph on a 30 mph street with a pig (otherwise known as an officer of the law) behind my speeding car. Casually I try to lower my speed in the hopes that the pig hadn't noticed I was going 40 miles above the speed limit. The chirp of sirens and the flash of colorful lights beckon me to the side of the road. I gently drift to the side of the road and come to a complete stop. The pig fiddles with himself in the car for a bit and then finally opens the door, actually he just cracks the door open a bit. He finally opens the door completely, and steps out. As he does this I take my good friend, mr. .45, and place him behind my back. Just in case officer dunkin mocha wants to cause trouble. After he closes his door, he pulls up his pant and adjusts his belt. He begins the walk to my car at the speed of a rolling donut, as if he were chasing after a Boston cr?me that had fallen from his clumsy hand. Looking into my mirror, I realize that there was a morning snack he was chasing, but it was cruller. The cruller had toppled onto its side right beside my door, and as the pig arrived next to my window, he bent down to pick it up. Thankfully he was facing me when he

Reproductive Medicine essays

Reproductive Medicine essays Reproductive Medicine on the Ethical Frontier I love kids and I always wanted to have them. They said theyd tried it in sheep and it worked. Stacie McBain was recently diagnosed with cancer at the age of 20. Doctors told her that the treatment she would undergo will ultimately leave her infertile. In light of this devastating news was an experimental procedure that had given Stacie the chance to become a mother. Her wish was no longer in the hands of God, but in the technology discovered by a doctor. Such experimental operations have occurred across the globe for over a decade, placing fertility procedures in the eye of an ethical storm (Meyer 94). The question remains are doctors playing God, or just giving infertile patients their wish to become parents? The advances in science and medicine have led to the increase in ethical disputes. For many couples desperate to have children, fertility procedures are a momentous opportunity, which come with a high price. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, in 1994, the fertility industry cost the US Health-care system between $60,000 and $110,000 for each successful pregnancy. Not only are these operations expensive, but also tantalizing and to some immoral. We often get ahead of ourselves in technologically...And the ethics; were still wrestling with those kinds of questions (Silverman). In-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and fertility drugs are all available prospects for the infertile couple, today. The Ethics Committee of the American Fertility Society states [ Artificial insemination by donor ] may be the best solution to overcome the infertile couples inability to have their own...child. In-vitro fertilization, otherwise known as test-tube babies, is a process in which doctors remove ovaries and prepare them in a petri dish along with the males sperm ...

When the Standard Deviation Is Equal to Zero

When the Standard Deviation Is Equal to Zero The sample standard deviation is a descriptive statistic that measures the spread of a quantitative data set. This number can be any non-negative real number. Since zero is a nonnegative real number, it seems worthwhile to ask, â€Å"When will the sample standard deviation be equal to zero?† This occurs in the very special and highly unusual case when all of our data values are exactly the same. We will explore the reasons why. Description of the Standard Deviation Two important questions that we typically want to answer about a data set include: What is the center of the dataset?How spread out is the set of data? There are different measurements, called descriptive statistics that answer these questions. For example, the center of the data, also known as the average, can be described in terms of the mean, median or mode. Other statistics, which are less well-known, can be used such as the midhinge or the trimean. For the spread of our data, we could use the range, the interquartile range or the standard deviation. The standard deviation is paired with the mean to quantify the spread of our data. We can then use this number to compare multiple data sets. The greater our standard deviation is, then the greater the spread is. Intuition So let’s consider from this description what it would mean to have a standard deviation of zero. This would indicate that there is no spread at all in our data set. All of the individual data values would be clumped together at a single value. Since there would only be one value that our data could have, this value would constitute the mean of our sample. In this situation, when all of our data values are the same, there would be no variation whatsoever. Intuitively it makes sense that the standard deviation of such a data set would be zero. Mathematical Proof The sample standard deviation is defined by a formula. So any statement such as the one above should be proved by using this formula. We begin with a data set that fits the description above: all values are identical, and there are n values equal to x. We calculate the mean of this data set and see that it is   x (x x . . . x)/n nx/n x. Now when we calculate the individual deviations from the mean, we see that all of these deviations are zero. Consequently, the variance and also the standard deviation are both equal to zero too. Necessary and Sufficient We see that if the data set displays no variation, then its standard deviation is zero. We may ask if the converse of this statement is also true. To see if it is, we will use the formula for standard deviation again. This time, however, we will set the standard deviation equal to zero. We will make no assumptions about our data set, but will see what setting s 0 implies Suppose that the standard deviation of a data set is equal to zero. This would imply that the sample variance s2 is also equal to zero. The result is the equation: 0 (1/(n - 1)) ∑ (xi - x )2 We multiply both sides of the equation by n - 1 and see that the sum of the squared deviations is equal to zero. Since we are working with real numbers, the only way for this to occur is for every one of the squared deviations to be equal to zero. This means that for every i, the term (xi - x )2 0. We now take the square root of the above equation and see that every deviation from the mean must be equal to zero. Since for all i, xi - x 0 This means that every data value is equal to the mean. This result along with the one above allows us to say that the sample standard deviation of a data set is zero if and only if all of its values are identical.

Community development in social work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Community development in social work - Essay Example These processes include the organization or establishment of services, e.g. for social welfare, health protection, education, improvement of agriculture, development of small scale industries† (cited in UNESCO Working Paper for ACC Working Group on Community Development, 1956, 1). The word social work is made up two words, ‘social’ and ‘work’, and has different meanings when observed from the social perspective of different regions in the world. Thus, social work in India would be different from the social work being carried out in Iraq or Afghanistan, which would again differ in America, or UK, or Australia. Social work concept changes from country to country, varying according to the social and cultural environment, and political culture in the country, where one is conducting the social work. Broadly, social work, which is based on the principles of justice for all and human rights, aims to bring about social changes, develop good human relationship s, and to empower people for their own well being and liberation. Community Development, however, does not stop at just being a part of social work. There are many more implications to the word, and it is extremely broad in its scope. While CD does imply social work, today in the modern era of globalization, it also broadly implies the activities of the various political leaders, various civic activists, and the actions of other responsible and aware citizens, who all get involved in the various works done for the betterment of lives in local communities. So it is much more than just social service. CD means empowering the citizens as individuals, or in groups, so that they can learn the skills (often required to create political power to bring about social consciousness on some common agenda) which can be implemented to bring about positive changes. Thus, one may redefine CD as â€Å"Community development is a set of values embodied in an occupation.   It

Requirements for the Front-Desk Services in JW Marriott Hotel Essay

Requirements for the Front-Desk Services in JW Marriott Hotel - Essay Example The report intends to understand the service design procedure along with service design specification for the new technology. Service design is based on developing services for visitors, which is simple to use. It covers the activities, decisions, and responsibilities of employees. Service design is also concerned with providing value to the visitors and to guaranty that they obtain satisfactory experiences with the desired outcomes. In this research, the service design procedure has been used in order to develop the front-desk service of JW Marriott. Furthermore, the idea of introducing electronic pad for better guest services has also been described in the research based on the vision that the introduction of new technology can assist in customizing the specific requirements of visitors. Thus, it will help the front-desk employees to conduct various activities effectively such as reserving a table in proper time or delivering cleaning services as well as managing check-ins and chec kouts of guests among others in a time-efficient and error-free manner. Furthermore, the new technology is also aimed to attract guests to observe the facilities of JW Marriott. In order to make the report, the qualitative method has been followed. To be noted in this regard, the reason for using qualitative method is to gain complex understanding about service element required for JW Marriott when integrating the electronic pad system to enhance error-free and time efficient communication system of its various departments with the front-desk service providers. Furthermore, the qualitative method can also be stated as most suitable for the report, as the information regarding JIT cannot be obtained well through quantitative techniques. Secondary sources have been used accordingly, in order to collect information through desk research. The secondary data provided rich sources of information for understanding the subject requirements and thereby, ensuring quality and validity of the r esearch findings. Data from various organizations involved in the implementation of the JIT system has also been used for collecting information in this study. Furthermore, in order to make the report reliable, only journals, books, academic sources and other credible sources have been used. Evidently, such sources have provided valuable information about service improvement through JIT.

Air Pollution In Trinidad And Tobago Environmental Sciences Essay

Air Pollution In Trinidad And Tobago Environmental Sciences Essay The contamination of the atmosphere by any toxic or radioactive gases and particulate matter as a result of human activity defines air pollution. (EMA State of the Environment Report 2000) Over the years Trinidad and Tobago has focus on industrialization developing several industrial estates but greater focus was made to the energy sectors. They current have three major energy based industrial sites. The Point Lisas industrial estate, Point a Pierre petroleum refinery and Liquefied Natural Gas plant (LNG) located in Point Fortin. Trinidad and Tobago is considered to be one of the most industrialized countries in the Commonwealth Caribbean region. We have been blessed with a vast array of natural resources ranging from oil, natural gas and asphalt to manufactured petrochemicals. Despite the fact that oil production and refining is one of our main industry, petrochemicals and to a lesser extent steel plays great importance in the company economic growth. Trinidad Tobago is worlds leading exporter of both methanol and ammonia, currently they supply the largest source of LNG is exported to the United States. Early views and realization of Air Pollution To the general public air pollution was considered to be chemical emissions and that suspension and secondary pollutants will just dissipate with the aid of the wind and rain. As the country moves into a second wave of industrialization with several proposed plans of building the next economic hotspot in the Caribbean (Invest in TT Downstream Energy), concerns has been made toward the quality of air what we live and breathe. It was only years later when technology began to play an important part in analyzing pollutants and air quality that it was realized that air pollution was just as important as water pollution. The industrial sector in Trinidad Tobago is one of the most dynamitic in the Caribbean and this is reflected in the diverse nature of its pollutants. Table 1 illustrates the numerous industry classes, commodities produced, production process and resulting in air pollutants. Map 1: Existing Proposed Energy Base Industrial Estates in Trinidad Table 1: Industry in Trinidad Tobago and air emission they emit INDUSTRY PRODUCTS SOURCES AIR POLLUTANT Petrochemical Menthol, ammonia, urea, ethanol, liquefied natural gas Fossil fuel processing, industrial processes Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, Carbon Monoxide Manufacturing Metals, cements, consumer products Manufacturing and extraction process, stock piling of raw materials, fossil fuel burning Carbon Dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter PM (soot, dust, asbestos fibers, pesticides and metals). Volatile Organic Carbon (VOC) Transportation vehicles Incomplete combustion Carbon Monoxide, particulate matter Petroleum Refineries Refined oil, oil base products and sulfur /acids production Fossil fuel burning, extraction process, transportation process, storage process, Carbon Dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, methane, particulate matter (soot, dust, asbestos fibers, pesticides and metals) Agriculture Animal waste, plant waste Animal waste disposal/processing, rice paddies and wetlands, plant metabolism, land clearing Methane, Carbon monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, particulate matter (dust), VOC Electrical Power generation Electricity Fossil fuel burning, Particulate matters, Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, VOC Mining Quarrying Aggregate Blasting, mining, washing, extraction process Suspended Particulates Matters (SPM); Total suspended particles (TSP); Particulate matters. Wholesale and Retail All consumer products Service station operations, truck filling stations VOC Locations of Main Industrial Sectors With industrialization comes a need for people to benefit with the high level of employment in these areas. The demographic transition cycle in Trinidad and Tobago is fairly predictive with many of the populated areas following the same paths along the industrialized map. (Map 2)In the initial stages of industrial development focus was made on establishing industries in sparsely populated areas. The intention was also to take advantage of the favorable wind direction which would direct most of the air pollutant west ward over (for the most part) approximately 5 miles of uninhabited land space and then to the Gulf, with the intension that the vegetation would be affected in a minor way during the dry season and would be assisted by run off during the rainy season. This idea inadvertently leads to another pollution problem. This proved to be a short term imitative, as these areas soon became an attractive alternative to the long commute thus encouraging the establishment of make- shift villages and shanty towns. This was also fueled by the fact that the southern and eastern main road were in close proximity to these estates. Over time these villages soon became establish resistances acquiring basic utilities and official mailing addresses. The industries were now faced with a new obstacle. They now had to focus their attention to both the environment and the neighboring population. Table 2 identifies the main industrial pollutants found in Trinidad and Tobago and its effects on both the environment and humans. Map 2: Industries and major roadways Table 2: Main Industrial Pollutants and their Adverse Health and Environment Effects POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON HUMANS EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT Carbon Monoxide- CO It is absorbed through the lungs reducing the bloods capacity to transport available oxygen to the tissues. Depending on the exposure level it produces flu like symptoms usually not recognized and may results in death There is minimum effect on the environment. Sulphur Dioxides SO2 Depending on the exposure level it can cause: cause wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, respiratory illness, alterations in the lungs, it aggravates existing cardiovascular disease. When SO2 combines with water, it forms sulfuric acid, which is the main component of acid rain. When acid rain falls it can cause deforestation, acidify waterways to the detriment of aquatic life. It also corrodes building materials. Acid rain changes the physical appearance of vegetation plants metabolism impaired Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)/Oxides of Nitrogen NOx At low levels it has minimum or no effects on human health. However high levels NO2 can cause respiratory problem, increase a persons susceptibility to, and severity of infections and asthma. It can also affect the sensory system. It is harmful to vegetation, can fade and discolor fabrics, reduce visibility. Vegetation exposure to high levels of NOx can be identified by damage to foliage, decreased growth or reduced crop yield. Volatile Organic Carbon -VOC There are no general health effects of VOC because other gases make up VOCs however some gases may be toxic and/or carcinogen. Levels of exposure and time exposed can cause damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system. It is known to cause cancer in animals. Suspended Particulates Matters (SPM); Total suspended particles (TSP); Particulate matters. Health effects on SPM in humans depend on the particle size and concentration can cause long term exposure increases the rates of respiratory illness and symptoms. Particulates can accelerate deterioration of surface and material. It has the potential to cause modification of the climate and contributes to acid deposition. Control Strategies Physical, Managerial and Legislative to Air Pollution The visionaries of the early industries focus little on health safety and the environment and this was reflected in the level of controls initiated by the industries. Controls were mainly one dimensional and fail to focus on the holistic views of health safety and environment. Public opinion and outburst resulting from the increasing number of medical complaints and the decrease quality of agriculture produce with allegations pointing towards the emission from these industries, prompted management to use technology to assist in the establishment of more stringent controls. This technology was also instrumental in pinpointing the actual adverse effects as a result of these emissions. Physical Controls The physical control represents the processes responsible for acquisition of raw material, storage, manufacturing and distribution processes. Use of Suppression Techniques The numerous pollutants that emit daily, through smokestacks petrochemical and petroleum industries together with major health effects, force industries to reduce the pollutant at the source. One of the proven ways of reducing these pollutants is installing scrubbers and in other cases bagging houses in the emission system. The use of end -of- pipe technology is being adapted by some industries, it is used to remove already formed contaminants in the air however it is proven to be very expensive and many industries internationally would rather pay the fines for higher emission levels than use this technique. In other words it is regarded as the less of two evils. These techniques force industries to adopt generic prevention strategies and solutions, only resorting to the more expensive techniques when face with dire consequences. Environmental Friendly Process With increasing pressure from environmental activists calling for industries to be more sensitive towards the environment, many industries have restructured their processes whereby recycling waste material as a new raw material to produce a second product. This process has been adapted by Methanol Holding Trinidad Limited (MHTL) were they have constructed an AUM plant. This plant is the first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago being the most environmental friendly of the MHTL family. This plant comprises a diversified petrochemical complex to manufacture Urea Ammonia Nitrate (UAN) and Melamine using feedstock from integrated urea and ammonia plants. (MHTL) The local cement factory adopted several controls strategies to deal with the air pollution problem within its manufacturing process. A change from blasting to stripping of the main raw material (limestone) aided in the reduction of dust emissions that was affecting the neighboring community at their quarrying central Trinidad. The transportation of the limestone was also change from dry to wet thus also reducing the potential dust particles entering the atmosphere during transportation from quarrying to the process plant. At the out skirts of the processing plant itself major landscaping was done to create hills around the factory adorned by buffer trees with sole intension is to reduce the level of dust exposure to the neighboring community. Managerial Controls Self Regulation These controls consist of policies, systems and standards that govern and manage the organization. The establishments of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) help management keep focus in order to sustain established targets. Company policies and procedures acts as guidelines to maintain order and structure within the organization. The introduction of ISO standards advertises the companys procedures to the industrial world thus ensuring that whatever measures initially introduced are sustained by the certification audits conducted annually by an international process auditors. Legislative Controls Currently in TT there is no legislation that refers directly to controlling of air pollutant emitted by industries. This is merely due to the fact that early monitoring system generally focus on water and land pollution the understanding of air pollution did not produce tangible evident because of technological short falls. The existing legislation addresses non specific air pollutants like the Petroleum Act (rev. 1980) section 29 (1) (j) prevention of air pollution and the Public health ordinance (1950), section 70 (1) (m) prohibits blacks smoke from chimneys. Even though the EMA was establish and is the countrys sole environmental body responsible for managing, regulating and coordinating environmental matters. The EMA has only managed to draft the Air Pollution Rules 2001 however to date 2010 these rules have not been made law. Trinidad and Tobago being a member of the Commonwealth and the United Nations has benefited from the research and technological advancement from these more developed countries (MDC). Initiatives such as the Montreal Protocol (1989 the control of CFCs) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997 the reduction of Greenhouse Gases) assisted the legislative process of TT by association. The only way legislative was establish was by piggy backing on the achievement of the more developed countries it seems that this was the only way the law maker could have had any impact on defaulters of air pollution in Trinidad. Only when legislation is pass the country can benefit from some effective control measures where polluters are prosecuted and emission limits are set for all industries. Conclusion Trinidad and Tobago historically is a nation of followers there have been very few instances where we were not promoted or assisted in some way or the other in achieving established goals and the topic of pollution is no exception. Have we ever wonder why the one establish air pollution laws stems from a diplomatic relations within the commonwealth and the United Nations or why we had to wait until the advent of OSHA to enforce existing safety laws in our country. The answer is simple we are still waiting to follow no wonder legislation spear headed by locals are treated with scan courtesy. Had these laws been establish in some first world convention they would have been rooted in the seams of our judicial system years ago? Many of the existing pollution laws governing the more develop countries were mainly as a result of international pressure, sadly Trinidad and Tobago is not view as a major polluting nation because of its geographical location and size. Evidence of pollution aware ness is mainly seen in the new establish manufacturing countries whose parent companies originate overseas. It is only amongst of fellow less develops countries and Caribbean members that Trinidad and Tobago is recognize as a polluting nation sadly these countries have little impact on global view. Despite our shortcomings, internally there has been an intensified effort to effectively monitor record, control and enforce pollution reducing systems and strategies. Internationally the over site of Trinidad and Tobago (a country that can easily fit into the Orinoco River with a population that barely exceeds large town in the United States) has not deterred local efforts to manage the levels of air emissions.

Example of a Small Business Performing a SWOT Analysis Essay

Learn more about performing a SWOT analysis before reading the case study. Background The three members of the leadership team at a small marketing consulting firm were interested in expanding their offerings to their clients. Currently the firm has 20 employees (including the three members of the leadership team) many of whom are consultants with the balance being administrative and marketing staff. The last time the company had done a SWOT analysis was when they were first starting up in business and were working on their business plan. The SWOT session enabled them to develop their business plan by having them think through their business goals and objectives for viability and feasibility. At the time, the three of them, plus a few members of their Advisory Council participated in the SWOT analysis. The goal of this SWOT session would be to: * Determine ways to better position the company in marketplace. * Determine new products and services to offer clients to better compete in a crowded marketplace. Preparing for the SWOT session The leadership team wanted to set aside 3 hours for the SWOT session. Given that the business was small, the leadership team felt that everyone should participate. The following decisions were made: * All 20 employees would participate in the SWOT session * A Friday morning in mid-summer would be set aside for the session (and†¦as a â€Å"thank you† for participating – employees would be given the balance of the day off to spend with family and friends) * The focus of the SWOT session would be toward determining products and services to offer to clients and that information would be provided to participants beforehand so they can begin to think about it * A professional facilitator would be brought in to lead the session since this SWOT exercise was essential to the company’s continued growth and success Additionally, the leadership team was going to provide all participants with a copy of the SWOT analysis done at the very beginning – before the business venture began. While it had a different purpose, it would be valuable for the SWOT session participants to view it and, from the leadership perspective, it would be interesting to compare then to now. The SWOT session Brainstorming was used during the SWOT session to gather data for the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The facilitator led the group – starting with strengths and working through to threats. An hour was allocated for this task. Each participant spent time writing on sticky notes their thoughts, ideas, opinions, beliefs and known truths regarding the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. When done, all of the information was posted on the walls under the appropriate heading (e.g. Strengths, etc.) Prioritizing the information The next hour and a half was spent reviewing the data with an eye toward: * Looking for themes/commonalities – combining similar sticky notes under themes (e.g., Customer Service) * Prioritizing based on: * Significant information/data provided by large numbers of participants (e.g, ineffective use of social media was mentioned 15 times!) * What could be â€Å"quick hits† for the company to start to effectively compete against the competition * Products and service ideas that can be created within a year’s time frame The table below is a small sampling of the data gathered during the brainstorming session. This particular data is selected as when they prioritized their efforts these were the areas of focus. STRENGTHS| WEAKNESSES| OPPORTUNITIES| THREATS| * Long-term employees committed to the company * Customers love the work done by the company * Customer retention is high * Well-known brand in the local area * Company has made a profit every year in business * Client base was growing| * No blog on the website * Ineffective use of social media * No global customers * The business hasn’t expanded in the last few years and seems stagnant. * No presence at trade shows or industry events/ conferences * No â€Å"new blood† bringing in fresh ideas * Client base not growing as quickly as in past| * Ask current customers to refer business * Use social media and blogging to build brand name and gain new customers * Expand business nationally * Target smaller start-ups who needed strong marketing to get their business off the ground * Provide sales support services for clients * Offer dashboards for tracking marketing| * Competition was increasing * A number of local competitors were already blogging and utilizing social media * Current customers wanted social media consulting and it was difficult to do so when the company doesn’t do social media themselves * Lots of individuals and other new small businesses â€Å"popping† up who do marketing consulting| Based on the information gathered during the brainstorming sessions and what the participants believed could be accomplished in a one to two year timeframe to have a significant impact on the business, the following was decided to meet the objectives: Objective: Better position the company for success in the marketplace | Objective: New products and services| * Develop a blog * Assign responsibilities for social media accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook * Ask current customers to refer business * Expand business nationally| * Develop and offer dashboards for customers to manage marketing initiatives * Provide services to start-ups who need a strong marketing initiative * Provide social media services and support| Next steps The company’s next steps were to take the projects they decided to accomplish toward achieving their goals and: * Assign responsibility for that project * Develop a project plan including a timeframe and budget needs * Prioritize the projects further * Begin work! A survey done of all participants after the SWOT session showed that they were excited about the process and the path they had developed to help meet company goals. By getting all employees involved, the leadership team showed that they valued all employees and wanted their contributions to help make the company a success. Once a month the leadership team would meet with each project lead to check on project status. It was decided that on an annual basis employees would participate in SWOT sessions to work on strategy for the upcoming year. As the company grew, employees would have the opportunity to participate on a rotating basis.