Putting In the Hours Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Putting In the Hours - Essay Example The reader is likely to be hooked into reading this article because it gives insight into certain things that are often overlooked by many people when they look at the work of the professors. The author is an expert in this field because he vividly describes different types of professors and how they schedule their office hours when they are not delivering lectures in classrooms. The author’s main idea in this particular article is that work schedules for the professors depend on how they wish to spend their office hours in a productive manner. Some prefer to schedule their office hours early in the morning while others like to use their time during the day. Different professors display attitudes that differ from person to person depending on how they wish to conduct their office business. The author’s main purpose of writing is to enlighten the readers about different types of professors found in North America. He wishes to emphasize the point that a work schedule is e ssential when one is to successfully carry out tasks related to teaching and dealing with students during office hours. It may not be possible to simply approach the professor during his office hour since he or she may be somehow committed with other tasks. The author tries to portray a professor in North America as someone operates according to a schedule which ought to be maintained in order for him or her to achieve the desired goals. The author uses descriptive vocabulary in the article and the tone is intended to compel the readers to share the same ideas and opinions with him. For instance, the author describes different types of professors using descriptive terms and these make it quite simple for the reader to imagine what he is trying to say. Lang (207) describes the professor who prefers to use their office hours in consultation with the students as â€Å"Early bird† while those who do not want to be disturbed as â€Å"Door closer.† This type of vocabulary ma kes the reader imagine how this person looks like and the way he or she is likely to behave. Some of the terms used to describe the different types of professors by the author are self explanatory and they are quite simple to understand. For example, the Early bird derives from the adage: â€Å"The early bird catches a fat worm.† This implies that he who performs his work early is likely to achieve the desired goals on time. On the other hand, Lang (208) uses the phrase, â€Å"Door closer† to describe a person who closes the door when he or she does not want to be disturbed. Through this phrase, the reader is compelled to imagine the behaviour of such kind of person and how she or he is likely to impact on the students’ perception about them. The author’s presentation is valid in the sense that he uses information that was derived using the observation method. This method is reliable in that first hand information is obtained when one observes the action of a particular person. Lang (207) says, â€Å"Working our way up and down the halls of one faculty office building, checking out the office hour schedules posted below the nameplates and observing the work and leisure of these specimens...† and this statement reveals that the article is based on real observation of how the professors schedule their work. In presenting his argument, the author tries to convince the reader that this article is

Whole Foods Market Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Whole Foods Market - Case Study Example This case study provides a different look at the situation, wherein the specificity of the supplies is what gives the product and services of WFM its value. Following the turn of the millennium the market for natural and organic food sales shifted from niche to mainstream. Once considered excessive in terms of cost and unimportant in terms of health, WFM pioneered and developed an industry that now accounts for more than 2.5%, or $13.8 billion in US food sales annually. This product line has shown greater growth in sales than traditional grocery offerings for the last several years. Further, studies indicate that this trend will continue into the future as the Baby Boomers reach senior status, their children enter middle age and their grandchildren reach adulthood. Each of these generations has enjoyed a greater degree of disposable income and exposure to higher education; factors which both play a major role in WFM’s market demographic. With that said, at the time this study was written, their organizational objective was to reach $12 billion in revenue and have more than 300 stores in operation (Harasta & Hoffman, n.d.). They w ere able to achieve only half of this objective by reaching 304 store locations domestically and another 12 internationally for a total of 316 current locations (â€Å"Our Stores,† n.d.). Unfortunately, while up 12% from 2009, they fell short of their fiscal goals reaching $9 billion in sales in 2010 (McCann, 2010); however with only half of the 2011 fiscal year gone they have significantly overtaken the half-way mark of 2010 by already producing $5.4 billion in sales (McCann, 2011). WFM face three pivotal issues that are hindering their ability to expand at a faster pace: Increased competition, rigid target market requirements and a limited supply of natural and organic goods.  Currently, they control 47% of organic food sales in the US; however similar vendors and national supermarket chains have taken notice of the profitability of natural products and entered the market with varying degrees of success.