The Farming of Bones the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life Essay Example

The Farming of Bones: the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life Paper The Farming of Bones: the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life â€Å"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. † (Norman Cousins) Death comes to us all, for some it marks the end of a life, for others it reveals the road to a new path in which the soul travels. However it leaves behind a trail of darkness regardless for those who have experienced the loss. Through enduring the death and tragedies of those around us, we are tested by our emotions. The character Amabelle experiences the trauma of death and tragedy many times through water in her journey and Danticat shows us how it affects her in the novel. In a time where there was much death and tragedy, Danticat’s depictions gives us insight into just how horrific the events were that took place during the period of the novel. In Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, water is viewed upon as a symbol of death vs. life and is a common theme in the novel especially in reference to the Massacre River. The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat revolves around the true events that occurred in 1937 in the Dominican Republic. The dictator at the time was a man named Rafael Trujillo who ordered his troops to massacre as many as 15,000 Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. We will write a custom essay sample on The Farming of Bones: the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Farming of Bones: the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Farming of Bones: the Symbolic Portrayal of Waters Relation to Death vs. Life specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The killings were brutal and left survivors with psychological trauma after experiencing the massacre. (Hewett 123) In The Farming of Bones, Danticat does an exceptional job with supplying the reader with details of just how horrific this massacre was, giving us an imagery of death by Trujillo’s soldiers and the brutal acts done upon Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. The character Amabelle shares her story and sorrow through her memories and present as she makes her way to the border in hopes of surviving the struggle. The loss of Amabelle’s parents in the Massacre River is the first hint Danticat gives us to support that water has a negative symbolism in the novel. As the narrator in the novel, we as the reader get a more personal in depth understanding of how the Massacre River has brought sorrow and death into her life. Amabelle dwells a great deal on the death of her parents. She has many memories and dreams that are thrown into the story and give us a greater insight to the development of her as a character. Her dreams are recollections of her mother and father drowning in the river that is on the order between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She watches them drown but does not cross the river in which they are taken from her. â€Å"The ongoing trauma of her parents drowning manifests itself in recurring dreams about these events as well as Amabelle’s attitude towards water-rivers, waterfalls, and lakes, which can be understood not just as a symptomatic repetition of loss but also her own desire for a place of safety. † (Heather Hewett) We can see how water here plays a role in the book as a symbol of death through Amabelle’s experiences. Danticat repeats this theme of water being the bringer of death throughout the story. Danticat symbolizes water once again as a means of death when Trujillo’s soldiers have Haitian captures at the edge of a cliff, with jagged rocks and the sea beneath them. The bodies that lay motionless at the bottom of the cliff, scarred and torn with cuts, men and women cried in terror for their lives, for if they did not meet there end at the bottom of the sea, they surely would by the soldiers machetes. The choices that had to be made were far greater than anything most of us could understand, however Danticat gives us verbal imagery of just how horrific it must have been to make such a decision and knowing that one way or another, death was on the way. Dealing with the death of Odette, and taking her life to save her own, Amabelle’s character was forever changed. In some aspects, Amabelle never made it out of the river herself because she is forever changed after the trauma. She takes the life of Odette in order to save her own when crossing the river. There are guards standing with guns on top the river bridge, and this is where the life of Odette along with Tibon and Wilner are taken. Odette begins to choke under the water after Wilner is shot, which in turn is causing her cover to be blown, and in an attempt to save herself from being discovered, Amabelle shoves her head under the water so that the guards would not hear the noise. This scene marked a great change in Amabelle’s character. Taking a life for the first time, and the irony of it taking place in water, drowning the way her parents had drown support the idea of water being a symbol of death and tragedy in the novel. The event causes Amabelle to distance herself even more from the events that take place, and numbs her to the surroundings. When Sebastian does not return to the waterfalls, Amabelle becomes instilled with a sense of reality that her lover is truly gone and water once again is portrayed as a symbol of death and sorrow. Before the massacre takes place, Sebastian and Amabelle fall in love and help one another heal from the earlier tragedy. They become engaged and make love at the site of the falls. The water again here is present and can be symbolized as an element of two people coming together. However when Amabelle returns to the same falls in hopes of meeting Sebastian, she is sadly disappointed. Her hopes of Sebastian surviving the massacre are still embedded deep within her, but the truth is that he had passed and all that was left for Amabelle was the presence she felt when revisiting the memories they had made at the waterfall. â€Å"Water the destroyer, in the form of the river – ironically named Massacre – in which Amabelle’s parents drown, and in which, later, many of the escaping Haitians loser their lives. But there is also the waterfall on the Dominican side, behind which Amabelle and Sebastian make love for the first time. (Divakaruni 1) The waterfall cannot symbolize a happier time because it will be a constant reminder of Sebastian and only feed Amabelle’s pain of loss. The water constitutes as a symbol of death here again in Danticat’s The Farming of Bones. Amabelle has always been one to hold onto her dreams and past beca use she feels it is all she has to remember where she has come from. Amabelle comments â€Å"You may be surprised what we use our dreams to do, how we drape them over our sight and carry them like amulets to protect us from evil spells. (Danticat 265) Amabelle dreams symbolize her way of dealing with death and how she is able to hold onto the past. She continues to dream despite the sorrow and loss of her parent’s and Sebastian’s death. She feels she must do so because it is the only story she holds that is completely hers, and wants to hold onto that for as long as she can. Towards the end of the novel when Amabelle revisits the Massacre River where so many were killed along with her parents. The water here is very symbolic and can be looked upon as a symbol of death vs. ife because of the actions taken by Amabelle. She lays her body in the water as she slips herself into the current. â€Å"I looked to my dreams for softness, for a gentler embrace, for relief from the fear of mudslides and blood bubbling out of the riverbed, where it is said the dead add their tears to the river flow. † (Danticat 310) Amabelle at this point is ready to be reunited with her parents and Sebastian. She is allowing the water to o nce again play its role as a symbol of death and bring her peace after living a life of loss and struggle. She was â€Å"looking for the dawn† (Danticat 310), a new beginning, and would find it only in death. The irony of the novel is that water had taken the lives of so many in the story, and in the conclusion of it all, Danticat allows its heroine Amabelle to pass away in it. â€Å"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. † (Norman Cousins) Amabelle’s character was in constant change throughout the novel, and as the story progressed, we as the reader could make the depictions in her change and how after each loss, she died a little more inside. The death of her parents and Sebastian leaves Amabelle torn, and suggests that she is emotionally removed from everything that is occurring around her. At the end of the story, she gives her life to the Massacre River because she has nothing more to live for. In Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, water is viewed upon as a symbol of death vs. life and is a common theme in the novel especially in reference to the Massacre River. Research Paper on The Farming of Bones: The Symbolic Portrayal of Water’s Relation to Death vs. Life By Habib Agha Literary Perspectives Professor Nevarez April 29th 2010

If You Could Pursue Any Occupation †Creative Writing Essay

If You Could Pursue Any Occupation – Creative Writing Essay Free Online Research Papers If You Could Pursue Any Occupation Creative Writing Essay In my teenage years, on political reasons I refused to become a member of Komsomol (Communist Union of Youth), which by that time was obligatory. The school authorities were enraged by this fact and for quite a while I was a kind of outcast. This was my first lesson in democracy though â€Å"ex adverso†, if I may put it so. I realized the importance of a truly free, democratic society, where people can openly express their views unfraid of any punishment. Already then I started thinking of drastic changes and my ability to impact them. It was the first time I thought of a polititian as a person having maximum leverage to bring about changes. Time went by, and I found new examples and proofs that despite democratic changes, there was something deeply unhealthy with our governmental structures. For instance, regulating all the formalities concerning the newly built Okhotny Ryad Shopping Center with Moscow and federal officials I was nearly swept away by a bureaucratic avalanche, not to mention bribery, intrigues and absurd requirements of truly Kafkian nature. All in all, being in politics I would focus on building and preserving a civil society, fighting corruption and cutting red tape (certainly in reasonable limits) to facilitate the development of the Russian economy. Perhaps I am an idealist, but I do believe it is possible to find an adequate, healthy way of interaction between business and governmental structures, which will exclude the slightest possibilities of corruption or reduce them to minimum. My research at the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics provided some theoretical grounding for my convictions. I am glad that at my present position I can also contribute to Russia’s soonest political and economic integration; still I know that much more should (and could) be done. In the 90-s, one of the most turbulent Russian decades, this acute feeling of responsibly for my country brought me to cooperation with one democratic political party. Unfortunately, the change of political climate coupled with my tight schedule made me leave this activity; never-the-less I did not completely give up an idea to go to politics in the distant future perhaps, when my business comes to the stage when I can invest less time and effort into it. I think, my ability to find common ground with people from most disparate social layers – from scholars to sportsmen, from top-managers to maintenance worker – would help me in my political career. The same refers to my presenting abilities, honed during shareholders’ meetings and international trade shows when I worked at JSC â€Å"Manezhnaya Ploshchad† and polished during my lectures before hundreds of students at the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics. By the way, I am sure that the person able to handle students’ attention will cope with audiences of any size. All in all, I do not want to be a dreamer, but I think this turn of my career quite possible. Everything is up to me. Research Papers on If You Could Pursue Any Occupation - Creative Writing EssayQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andStandardized TestingCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Environmental science question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental science question - Essay Example Additionally, the government must consider that very many people or farmers are opposed to the idea of incentives; thus, it would be proper if for the government to abolish the idea completely. Notably, if the government introduces the incentive plan to farmer, it is lively to fail since many farmers will not join such schemes. 2. Why are people willing to accept the hazards of certain activities (such as smoking) but not of other activities (such as radiation from nuclear testing)? Certain hazards are bearable while others are not. The hazards can be controlled by human being and targeted only to the personals initiating them are considered bearable; hence, for instance, smoking is a single person driven and it cannot affect a vast are or many people at once. On the other hand, hazards related to nuclear testing may be unbearable since the radiation emitted from the same are likely to affect a vast area and may last for quite some period (Chiras, 2013). Therefore, nature oriented ha zards may be out of control of human control; thus, it is always advisable that the same must be avoided at all costs. Moreover, such nature related hazards may affect other thing or natural resources, environment, and human nature as it could have been the original intension. 8.1. Discuss the negative effects of pollutants on crops, forests, and other materials. The effects of pollution vary enormously depending on the source of such population and the area it pollutes. However, plants and crops are affected majorly from air pollution. Dust pollution is usually generated from bear grounds, quarries, and cement works among other industrial activities usually affects crops and other materials from the surface. Other than blocking sun rays, the dust usually blocks stomata thereby hindering their carbon dioxide conductance; hence, interfering with plant or crops’ photosystem II. Pollutant gases like sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen usually interfere with the growth and dev elopment of plants and crops in different ways. For instance, the oxides of both metals usually enter the plants’ leaves through the stomata from which they follow the same diffusion pathway as carbon dioxide (Chiras, 2013). The oxides of nitrogen then dissolves in the cells giving rise to nitrite ions and nitrate ions that interferes with nitrogen metabolism as opposed to if they could have been absorbed through the plants’ roots. Additionally, sulphur di-oxide usually causes stomata closure leading to withering of the plants especially crops. 2. Discuss the attributes of successful recycling programs. Many recycling programs usually fail because of poor recycling or recycling container design. Therefore, effective recycling programs can only be achieved by first specifying the intended material or materials to be recycled before purchasing such materials or containers. Moreover, such containers must be designed properly and must be ergonomically correct. Nonetheless, the recycling containers must also be designed with several but relevant considerations in mind. Other than the recycling container, recycling program will only be successful if the program first consider and understand the type of the material they intend to recycle (Chiras, 2013).

Reattach paper bout (( The different spelling for different Essay - 1

Reattach paper bout (( The different spelling for different pronunciation between British and American english.)) - Essay Example This explains the different pronunciations of the word military. In American English, the word is pronounced as /mÉ ªlÉ™tÉ›ri/, whereas in British English the word is pronounced as /mÉ ªlÉ ªtri/ (Goldstein & Best, 2006). 6 In French loan words, for example, in the RP the first syllable is stressed while in GAE the second syllable is stressed. Words such as buffet, pr ´ecis are examples. In American English word stress there is less application of stress on syllables that end in letters such as /o/u/r/. On the other hand, British English applies a lot of stress on words ending in the same letters (/o/u/r/). This difference contributes to the difference in spellings in both American and British English. A good example of such words includes, color and behavior. In American English, the words are spelt as ‘color’ and ‘behavior’. In British English, the same words are spelt as ‘Colour and behaviour’. This is as a result of the different word stress applied on syllables that end in /o/u/r/ (Trudgill, 1972,). 6 The English language is spoken in a vast area with over 300 million people using it as their first language. English is different in various ways from one region to another and one such a variation is the American English that carries its own identity (Schachtebeck , 2011). The differences in the language are identified in many ways and particularly in the pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. The common recognized differences are the accent used in the two languages: the British and the American. Accent refers to the pronunciation features of different people from different geographical regions, social class, age sex or even the level of education. There are many accents and differences in the spoken English among people from different regions but most common are the differences in the American and British English (Werckmeister, 2012).

Text Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Text - Essay Example ork-life balance issues, leisure benefit systems related to conflicts of between leisure and work, and work-family conflicts that would influence turnover intentions. This study explored the perceptions of employees in the hotel industry on issues of balancing work and life activities. In particular, the study sought to assess hotel workers for their views on issues of work-life balance as well as uncovering attributes brought dilemma for the work-life balance. In addition, factors affective general perceptions over balance of work and life were studied and suggestions for improving policies developed. These objectives are of great relevance to the hotel industry and led to an experimental study. The study identified the methodology applied in collecting information as the questionnaire survey method developed through literature review and pilot qualitative research (Wong & Ko, 2009 p197). This was desirable to ensure the research instrument was consistent with the existing literature as well as with the current situation in tourism hotel sector. The pilot research involved 24 detailed interviews classified into three categories: HR managers working in hotels, hotel workers from different levels, and professionals in the industry and government bodies. These interviews would gather rich information for the study and involved throbbing open ended, semi structured questions formulated in Chinese and English languages to cater for the diversity of the sample used (Wong & Ko, 2009 p197). The questions were translated from either English or Chinese and back to ensure no cultural or workplace bias was present. 24 individuals consisting of academia, HR professionals, master students in universities pursuing hospitality management, management staffs in hotels and hotel workers participated in the pilot study conducted in two phases. The diverse sample increased the reliability and appropriateness of the data. The data collected was analyzed using the dendrogram method in

Study And Analysis Of Computer Memory Computer Science Essay

Study And Analysis Of Computer Memory Computer Science Essay Introduction Computer memories are representing to binary code, for example 0 and 1. Besides that, it reflects an important and significant technical difference between memory and mass storage devices, which has been diluted by the historical use of the term primary storage for Random Access Memory (RAM), and secondary storage mass storage device. There have two types of memory in Computer memory. It is volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory is type of memory that can retain information stored even when not receiving power. Examples of non-volatile memories are ROM, the flash memory and most of the mass magnetic storage (Hard disks, floppy disks, and etc.), optical disks (CDs, DVDs, and etc.), among others. The non-volatile memory tasks are generally used in secondary storage. Instead the primary storage memories are volatile as RAM, which means they lose the information when not powered by electricity. Non-volatile memory generally tends to cost more or have worse performances than volatile memory. There are companies working on developing non-volatile memory systems that are comparable in speed and capacity to the volatile RAM. For example, IBM is working on MRAM (Magnetic RAM). The non-volatile data storage can be categorized in to two: electronic routing system and mechanical steering system (hard drives, optical disks, and etc.)., for example, when the computer is shut down, the data stored in them is lost. Volatile memory can be found in computer RAM. Information and instructions loaded into RAM is lost when the computer is shut down and turned back on. Non-volatile memory is the data stored on them is not lost even when power is cut off. For example hard disks, data written is permanent. DRAM (Volatile Memory) Dynamic Random Access Memory, DRAM memory is a type of dynamic random access that is used primarily in the modules of RAM memory and other devices, such as main memory in the system is called dynamic. Since to maintain data storage is required to revise it and reload it, every certain period a refresh cycle. Its main advantage is the ability to build memory with a high density of positions and still operate at high speed, It is now manufactured integrated with millions of positions and access speeds measured in millions of bits per second. It is a volatile memory, for example when no power, memory stores information. Invented in the late sixties, is one of the memory used today. The memory cell is the basic unit of any memory capable of storing a bit in digital systems. The construction of the cell defines the operation of it, in the case of modern DRAM consists of a transistor field effect and a capacitor. The transistor acts as a switch that connects and disconnects the capacitor. This mechanism can be implemented with discrete devices and in fact many previous reports to the era of semiconductors, arrangements were based on transistor capacitor cells. SRAM (Volatile Memory) Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Static random access memory is a type of semiconductor memory based on memory unlike DRAM, is capable of maintaining the data circuit without soda. However, they are volatile memories, which means will lose the information if they cut off the power of computer. An SRAM cell has three different states it can be in standby where the circuit is idle, reading when the data has been requested and writing updating the contents. The SRAM to operate in read mode and write mode should have readeability and write stability respectively. SRAM is more expensive, but faster and significantly less power hungry than DRAM. It is therefore used where either bandwidth or low power, or both, are principal considerations. SDRAM is also easier to control and generally more truly random access than modem types of DRAM. Due to more complex internal structure, SRAM is less dense than DRAM and is therefore not used for high capacity, low cost application such as the main m emory in personal computer. The power consumption of SRAM varies depending on the frequencies with which you access the same, can have a smililar consumption of DRAM when used in high frequency, and some ICs and consume several watts during operation. In addition, the SRAM used with low frequency have a very low consumption of the order of micro watts. ROM (Non-volatile Memory) The read-only memory, also known as ROM is a storage medium used in computers and electronic devices, which allows only reading of information and not your writing, regardless of the presence or not a source of energy. Data stored in ROM can not be changed, or at least not quickly or easily. It is mainly used to contain the firmware or other content vital to the functioning of the device, such as programs that start up the computer and perform diagnostics. The simplest type of ROM in the solid state is as old as technology itself semiconductor. The logic gates, combinational set can be used to index a memory address of n bits in the values of m bits in size. Since the ROM can not be changed, it is only appropriate for storing data that need not be modified during the life of this device. To this end, ROM has been used in many computers to store lookup tables are used for the evaluation of mathematical functions and logical. This was especially efficient when the CPU was slow and ROM was cheap compared to RAM. In fact, one reason people are still using ROM it is because of speed and disallowed read a program that is required to run a disk from the disk itself. Therefore, the BIOS or the system fit the PC boot normally can be found in ROM. Although the relative ration the speeds of the memory RAM and ROM has varied over time, since 2007 the RAM is faster to read than most of the ROM, which is why the ROM content is typically normally pass memory to RAM where it is read as it is used. For the types of ROM that can be modified electrically, the write speed is always much slower than reading speed, and may require exceptionally high voltage, moving jumpers to enable the write mode, and unock special commands. NAND flash memory achieve the highest rate of literacy among all types of reprogrammable ROM, writing large blocks of memory cells simultaneously and reaching 15MB per seconds. Flash Memory (Non Volatile Memory) Flash memory is a non volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and rewritable, that is to say a memory having the characteristics of a memory but the data does not disappear during a shutdown. Thus, the flash memory stores bits of data in memory cells, but the data are stored in memory when power is off. Flash memory is go with very high speed, its lifetime and low power consumption make it very useful for many devices such as digital cameras, cell phones, printers, personal digital assistants, laptops or reading devices and sound recording such as MP3, MP4, and usb flash drives. In additional, this type of memory does not have mechanical parts, which gives it great resistance to shocks. Flash memory provided by electrical impulses, allowing much higher speed operation compared to the primal EEPROM technology, which allowed only act on a single memory cell in each programming operation. There have two types of flash memory which are NOR type flash memory and NAN D flash memory. In type flash memory NOR, is depending on whether the cell is 1 or 0, the electric field of the cell exists or not. So when the cell is read by placing a specific voltage on CG, the electric current flows or not depending on the voltage stored in the cell. NAND flash memory based on logic gates NAND work slightly differently, using tunnel injection for writing and erasing a tunnel of loose. The NAND based memory are also the obvious base in other types of doors a much lower cost about ten times more resistant to the operations but only allow sequential access compared to flash memory based on NOR allowing random access reading. Conclusion As we have seen, the advent of computers electronics is fairly recent, and has had a rapid advance. So much so that today the competition between companies producing computers to rise to the emergence of new models with very short periods of time, which are sometimes of months. Causing an increase in: the speeds of the processors , storage capacity, transfer speed buses, and so on. The above-mentioned to require manufacturers of memory, constant update them, again and again excelling in speed and storage capacity. Currently the market is taking place again, because they have appeared very fast processors, which work at speeds of more than 1 GHz.

Do Sentences Have Identity? :: Equiformity Language Composition Papers

Do Sentences Have Identity? We study here equiformity, the standard identity criterion for sentences. This notion was put forward by Lesniewski, mentioned by Tarski and defined explicitly by Presburger. At the practical level this criterion seems workable but if the notion of sentence is taken as a fundamental basis for logic and mathematics, it seems that this principle cannot be maintained without vicious circle. It seems also that equiformity has some semantical features ; maybe this is not so clear for individual signs but sentences are often considered as meaningful combinations of signs. If meaning has to play a role, we are thus maybe in no better position than when dealing with identity criterion for propositions. In formal logic, one speaks rather about well-formed formulas, but closed formulas are called sentences because they are meaningful in the sense that they can be true or false. Formulas look better like mathematical objects than material inscriptions and equiformity does not seem to apply to t hem. Various congruencies can be considered as identities between formulas and in particular "to have the same logical form". One can say that the objects of study of logic are rather logical forms than sentences conceived as material inscriptions. 1. What is equiformity? Some logicians have rejected propositions in favour of sentences, arguing in particular that there is no satisfactory identity criterion for propositions (cf. Quine, 1970). But is there one for sentences? The idea that logic is about sentences rather than propositions and that sentences are nothing more that material inscriptions was already developed by Lesniewski, who also saw immediately the main difficulty of this conception and introduced the notion of equiformity to solve it. His attitude his well described in a footnote of one of Tarski’s famous early papers: As already explained, sentences are here regarded as material objects (inscriptions). (...) It is not always possible to form the implication of two sentences (they may occur in widely separated places). In order to simplify matters we have (...) committed an error; this consists in identifying equiform sentences (as S. Lesniewski calls them). This error can be removed by interpreting S as the set of all types of sentences (and not of sentences) and by modifying in an analogous manner the intuitive sense of other primitve concepts. In this connexion by the type of a sentence x we understand the set of all sentences which are equiform with x.

Respiratory Therapy

The Path of Respiratory Therapy Introduction About a year ago, I came home from work one night and walked into the kitchen to where my mother was standing. There was a feeling of uneasiness and the panic began to clench my stomach. She looked so sad, so stressed; maybe it was the frizzy hair, the bags beneath her eyes, the way her back slouched in a low negative curve, or her eyes. Her eyes looked at me before she turned them away, but in that fragment of a second, it’s almost like I could look inside her narrow eyes and search until I would come upon this thing.This thing has no name, but it scares her. She wouldn’t exactly explain to me what it was but I felt the sudden movements of uncertainty with the way she shifted her body and tilted her gaze away from mine. It’s almost like I started to feel scared too. The expression that was set on her face gave me such a feeling that went straight to my heart. My mother sat down with me that night and explained that he r sickness had become idiopathic, meaning that it was created from an unknown cause. The malfunctions that inhabit her body are respiratory related and deals with her lungs.Every week, she attends respiratory therapy and completes several breathing treatments. The therapists who have taken care of her, year after year, have set a positive influence and have created a better outlook for her. I have been inspired to become a respiratory therapist to help patients, like my mother, who suffer from breathing complications. My overall goal is to give people the opportunity to experience their lives as long as possible. Setting a positive outlook for others will help build a base for patients to be happy once again.Respiratory therapy is extremely popular with the amount of people who are diagnosed with breathing disorders every year. From 2010-2020, employment is expected to grow by 28 percent (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). This is faster than the average growth for all ca reers. Thousands of people are employed as respiratory therapists across the country. In Indiana, the number ranges just over 3,000 people (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). Whether working here or in a different state, hospitals are always in need of medical help.As people become elderly, it is essential for them to breathe to stay alive; that is where the necessity of respiratory therapists comes in. Job Description Respiratory therapists eat, sleep, and work mainly in hospitals. It is common to work in nursing homes or even travel to patients’ homes. From the time babies are born to the adults reaching old age, they assist anyone who has breathing difficulties. Typically, RT’s interview/examine patients, perform diagnostic tests, treat patients, monitor/record the progress of treatment and teach patients how to use treatments (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†).The environment in which they work in is extremely clean to prevent patients from ca tching bugs that can put their health in more danger. Though the salary ranges from state to state, Indiana’s respiratory therapists are able to make around $50,000 a year (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). Depending on the shifts that are worked, therapists can make a bit more by working on holidays and even night shifts since hospitals are always open. Qualifications The more education experienced, the greater chance applicants will successfully obtain the job of a respiratory therapist.At minimum, an associate’s degree is needed. Many colleges and universities, vocational-technical institutes, and the Armed Forces offer training-most programs even award an associate’s or bachelor’s degree (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). Respiratory therapy is particularly science based and requires a certain amount of credits from classes. Important courses taken are human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology , and mathematics (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). In order to receive the license for a respiratory therapist, an exam is to be taken.This exam is important because employers prefer to hire those of who have successfully passed. If therapists are certified, there is a greater chance of obtaining the job. Studying for long hours and keeping steady grades pays off in the end. Opportunities Growth in the middle-aged and elderly population will lead to an increased incidence of respiratory conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, and respiratory disorders that permanently damage the lungs or restrict lung function (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). Knowing this, the demand for respiratory therapy will increase.When medications and treatments improve, so will the need for therapists to help patients. There will always be factors that continue to harm the health of people such as pollution and smoking. There are other types of therapists that come close to the career of one in the respiratory field. Though some require a bachelor’s, master’s or even a doctoral degree, select trainers and therapists still hold the duty of treating patients. From physical to radiation therapy, therapists use different techniques to help treat problems that many people suffer from.Depending on what field of therapy the career is in, the salary can range from $40,000 to around $80,000 (â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook†). Conclusion Since the time that I decided what I wanted to do, I have taken steps in the right direction to obtain the career that I want. Before I started college classes, I saw an advisor and specifically asked for the courses that I needed in order to get into the medical program. General studies for respiratory therapy include classes in which I have to achieve high grades. If my grades are not the best, I may not get accepted for the medical program.As long as that does not happen, the positive o pportunities for this career will lead me to a successful life without the fear of losing this job. As I mentioned before, respiratory therapy will be demanded more as conditions get worse, causing a rise in treatments for patients and a higher demand for therapists.Reference Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Respiratory Therapists, on the Internet at http://www. bls. gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists. htm (visited October 25, 2012).

The Best Part Time Jobs for Every Education Level

The Best Part Time Jobs for Every Education Level No matter what field you’re in or what your educational background, sometimes a part-time job will be a necessity. Maybe you need a second job to make ends meet, or you need flexible hours. Whatever the case may be, we’ve got five of the top options for you to consider, based on whether you have a high school diploma, a four-year degree, or a master’s degree or higher. High-School DiplomaIf you’ve got a high-school diploma, you can score a great, high-paying part time job even without a degree.Customer Service RepresentativeIf you’ve ever spent an hour on hold while trying to straighten out some kind of product or service issue, you know how essential it is to have someone good and helpful on the other end of that phone line. Customer service reps can make between $10 and $18 an hour, according to PayScale.What you’ll need: A high school diploma or GED, plus on-the-job training. Strong customer service skills are a must.Yoga InstructorBreathe in, reach toward the sky, and hold it†¦if you can help other people find their zen while maintaining perfect posture, teaching yoga can be a very flexible (okay, pun intended) part-time career path. Depending on experience, yoga instructors can make between $25 and $50 an hour.What you’ll need: Certification as an instructor (typically a course plus about 200 hours of teaching experience)Nanny/Childcare WorkerIf you love kids, being a nanny for a particular family or working in a childcare facility can be a great part-time job. Part teacher, part parent, part entertainer- these caregivers are major multitaskers.What you’ll need: Rock-solid references, and certification in First Aid is helpful as well. Oh, and patience- you’ll need lots of that.Catering Professional  Catering can be a great gig because it can often be done on nights and weekends, on a part-time schedule. And once you have a foot in that door, it can be a lucrative side gig with many more opportunities coming along. Catering workers can often make more than $20 an hour, potentially more depending on the event and tips.What you’ll need: Service skills (including customer management), on-the-job-training.BartenderLike catering, bartending is a real bang-for-your-buck part time gig, because you can basically set your own hours and have the potential to make a lot of money during that time. Whether you’re slinging suds or crafting artisanal cocktails with ingredients most of us have never even heard of, it’s a job with great potential for tips. Bartenders can command anywhere between $10 and $75 per hour, depending on tips.What you’ll need: State certification, depending on your state- check the requirements where you are.Four-Year DegreeIf you’ve already got a bachelor’s degree under your belt, you may want look for part time jobs more specialized to your education and experience.App/Software DeveloperDespite what stereotypes we may have about tech startups, app and software developers work as lone wolves on a part-time, project basis while they have other tech jobs. Developers can earn anywhere from $30-$60 per hour.What you’ll need: A degree in computer science or software engineering, plus excellent coding skills, and knowledge about UI design, programming languages, basic computer backend knowledge.TutorThose who can, do. Those who can, and want to earn money by showing others how to do, teach. Tutors can earn anywhere from $15 to $200 per hour helping students with homework, or teaching supplemental concepts. Tutors may also help with standardized test prep.What you’ll need: Expertise and strong communication/teaching skills. Experience in the field is helpful, especially when it comes to test prep tutoring (for example, being a high scorer yourself will raise your rates).Translator/InterpreterPeople with global skills will continue to be in hot demand. Many companies (especially those w ith international offices) may employ translators directly, or use a third-party agency that matches qualified translators with particular jobs. Translators can earn up to $50 an hour, depending on the complexity of the translations.What you’ll need: fluency in at least one language other than English, with very strong grammar and syntax skills.Grant AnalystIf you have a background in business, accounting, or public administration and are knowledgeable about grants, financial documents, and budgets, this is an area where you can go freelance, and command around $30 per hour.What you’ll need: A strong finance background, as well as education in business administration, accounting, or a similar fieldFreelance EditorIf you live for finding tiny mistakes in written materials, or rewording for style or accuracy, then freelance editing is a strong choice for a part-time gig.What you’ll need: A degree in English, communications or similar, plus superior attention to de tail and written communication skillsMaster’s Degree or HigherIf you have a master’s degree (or higher), there are many highly specialized part time jobs that might be a great option for you.Adjunct ProfessorIf you have a lot of great subject matter experience and expertise, teaching could be a solid part time choice for you. Adjunct professors are basically part-time faculty at a college or university. And with online courses becoming more popular than ever, this is becoming a highly flexible choice for part time teaching.What you’ll need: An advanced degree in your field, or extensive experience working in it. You’ll also need strong communication and teaching skills, as you’ll be working with students of varying abilities.Business ConsultantBusiness consulting is excellent for the MBA who wants a flexible schedule, and the ability to work with many different clients. Consultants with specific expertise can work on a project basis, or may have an ongoing relationship with a particular company. Top consultants can make $150-$300 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience.What you’ll need: An advanced degree in business (typically an MBA or similar), and/or extensive expertise and experience in the field where you want to consult. Self-marketing skills are also key, as you’ll need to find and maintain a client base.Information Technology ConsultantLike with business consulting, IT consulting is a way to channel superb tech skills and a strong education/experience background into a flexible job. IT consultants often work on a project basis, either with a single company or with a range of clients. Highly qualified IT consultants can make $100 an hour, depending on experience and projects.What you’ll need: An advanced degree in computer science or engineering, and/or extensive expertise and experience in the specific IT area of expertise where you want to consult. Self-marketing skills are also key , as you’ll need to find and maintain a client base.TherapistBecause therapists typically work on an appointment basis, it can be a very flexible option for part time work. Therapists can set their own schedule, working with clients for anywhere from $45 to $150 an hour, depending on the client and the specialty (family therapy, life coaching, etc.).What you’ll need: An advanced degree in psychology, as well as a strong patient/customer focus.Physical TherapistPhysical therapists, like other kinds of therapists, typically work on an appointment basis, which makes it a strong part time job candidate alongside other jobs. Physical therapists work with patients to recover from illness or injury, as well as work on basic mobility and daily physical tasks.What you’ll need: A master’s degree in physical therapy, as well as state certification (check your state’s requirements)No matter what your education level, there are lots of great part time opportuni ties out there for you. With a combination of that education, your skills, and your experience, you can find a flexible job that’s right for you.

A Stage Model for Transitioning to Kam Essays

A Stage Model for Transitioning to Kam Essays A Stage Model for Transitioning to Kam Essay A Stage Model for Transitioning to Kam Essay A stage model for transitioning to KAM Iain A. Davies, University of Bath, UK* Lynette J. Ryals, Cran? eld School of Management, UK Abstract This paper investigates the under-researched area of key account management (KAM) implementation through a systematic review of the literature, syndications with a panel of industry exemplars, and a survey investigating how organisations implement KAM. Through this we identify a stage model that identifies not only how companies currently transition to KAM in practice, but also suggests how they could improve their chances of success in transitioning to KAM. We demonstrate the fundamental elements of a KAM programme and the extent to which companies feel KAM has met their pre-implementation expectations. Keywords Key Account Management, Strategic Account Management, Sales management, Industrial marketing, Implementation INTRODUCTION Key Account Management (KAM) has emerged, over the last 30 years, as one of the most significant trends in business-to-business marketing practice (Abratt and Kelly 2002; Homburg et al. 2002). It focuses on adding value to relationships and creating partnerships with a company’s most important and strategic customers (Ewart 1995; McDonald et al. 2000). The emergence of KAM has been driven in companies of all sizes by an increase in large, powerful, global, centralised purchasing customers becoming the norm across multiple industries; KAM provides our current best model for servicing these customers (McDonald et al. 997). Despite the rapid growth in the use of KAM by companies, research into the process of KAM implementation and how companies transition from traditional sales to KAM orientation has been scarce (Kempeners and Hart 1999; Napolitano *Correspondence details and biographies for the authors are located at the end of the article. JOURNAL OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 2009, Vol. 25, No. 9-10, pp. 1027-1048 ISSN0267-257X print /ISSN1472-1376 online  © Westburn Publishers Ltd. doi: 10. 1362/026725709X479354 1028 JMM Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 25 1997; Sengupta et al. 997; Wengler et al. 2006; Zupanic 2008). This is a gap that urgently needs to be filled. Without some agreement about which approaches to KAM implementation work (and which do not work, called for by Zupanic 2008), there is a danger that companies will continue to struggle or even fail to implement KAM appropriately (Homburg et al. 2002; Napolitano 1997). In this paper we use empirical evidence to develop a cross-industry stage model of how companies transition to KAM, including what elements of a KAM programme they implement through this process and the success this has led to. We identify the elements of KAM implementation programmes through an in-depth systematic review of the literature. Using a survey based on this input we investigate 204 companies with explicit, formal KAM programmes and build a model of the key principles important to KAM implementation over time. A syndicate of seven leading companies was also used in isolation of the results of the survey to add context and analytical input. The synergy between the two methods provides a robust and original contribution to both KAM practice and literature. KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT The emergence of relationship marketing in the late 1980s led to a growing interest in getting and keeping customers through relationship management (e. g. Christopher, Payne and Ballantyne 1991; Gronroos 1994, 1997; Sheth and Parvatiyar 1995; Aijo 1996; Gummesson 1997). Relationship marketing was extended and developed during the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in business-to-business markets where formalised programme s of customer management have gained increasing importance including: national account management (Shapiro and Moriarty 1980, 1982, 1984a, 1984b; Stevenson 1980, 981; Tutton 1987; Wotruba 1996; Weilbacker and Weeks 1997; Dishman and Nitze 1998); major account management (Barrett 1986; Colletti and Tubridy 1987); and, more recently, to manage the most strategically important relationships of the business, KAM (Wilson 1993; Pardo, Salle and Spencer 1995; Millman and Wilson 1995, 1996, 1998; McDonald, Millman and Rogers 1997; Abratt and Kelly 2002; Homburg et al. 2002) or even Global Account Management (Yip and Madsen 1996; Millman 1996; Millman and Wilson 1999; Holt 2003). For ease of use we will continue to use the acronym KAM to refer to these related bodies of work. KAM is a systematic process for managing business-to-business relationships that are of strategic importance to a supplier (Millman and Wilson 1995). It first emerged as a response to the pressures placed upon supplier companies by globalisation, increasing customer power, procurement sophistication and the need to find new ways to work with the most important customers (Pardo 1997; Wengler et al. 2006). It involves the adoption of collaborative ways of working with customers rather than traditional transactional and adversarial relationships (McDonald Woodburn 2007). Therefore it represents a fundamental change in the way companies operate their sales and marketing functions, not leading to a tactical shift in operations, but a more broad ranging change management programme (Storbacka et al. 2009). Studies in the early 2000s found a substantial concentration of supplier business into a decreasing number of key accounts, and that the service demands of such key accounts were increasing (Gosman and Kelly 2000, 2002). The ability to extract better service levels and, possibly, lower prices from suppliers meant that the benefits Davies and Ryals A stage model for transitioning to KAM 1029 to the customer of being given preferential treatment are clear and indeed there is evidence that customers may demand or instigate KAM amongst their suppliers for such reasons (Brady 2004; Homburg et al. 2000; Wengler et al. 2006). Therefore close collaborative relationships with suppliers are thought to yield between 10% and 100% more value than less collaborative nes for the customer (Hughes Weiss 2007). The benefits of KAM to the suppliers are less clear-cut, since customers may try to â€Å"bargain away† benefits in the form of lower prices (Kalwani and Narayandas 1995) sometimes resulting in relationships with the largest customers becoming unprofitable for suppliers (e. g. Cooper and Kaplan 1991; Reinartz and Kumar 2002). Napolitano (1997) goes as far as to suggest that the majority KAM programmes a ppear ineffective as a result. This shows that the benefits to suppliers of KAM are not automatic and require careful management. Although evidence exists that long-term relationships with larger customers can pay off for suppliers through higher revenues and faster growth rates (Bolen and Davis 1997), even where power asymmetries are considerable (Narayandas and Rangan 2004), we still lack a clear generalisable view of how companies implement KAM, and the respective levels of success this achieves (Kempeners Hart 1999; Sengupta, Krapfel and Pusateri 1997; Wengler et al. 2006). We therefore explore this in our next section. IMPLEMENTING KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT There is limited research on how KAM is implemented. A few scholars have attempted synthesis of the existing research to form frameworks and surveys for further research on KAM implementation (Homburg, et al. 2002; Wengler et al. 2006; Zupanic 2008) and a similar process has been undertaken for this paper. Table 1 (overleaf) represents a synthesis of the elements that the literature suggest firms implement as part of their formal KAM programmes. Broadly speaking, these elements represent the core components to most KAM implementations, with suppliers doing more or less of certain activities at different stages of the KAM programme’s life cycle. In Zupanic’s (2008) synthesis the elements of KAM are separated into the activities of the individuals within the organisation (Operational KAM) and those at the organisational level (Corporate KAM). Although a neat separation, the activities of the individual in a formal KAM program are likely to be driven from an organisational level decision and as such we have not separated these out in our analysis because we are interested in what the organisation is attempting to implement. Furthermore, we have not differentiated the elements of KAM based on the A-R-A model (Activities – Resources – Actors) as undertaken in the seminal work by Homburg et al. (2002), because we are interested in the elements of KAM that companies are implementing, rather than the artefacts or interested parties which result from implementation. This is a fundamental difference in how we look at KAM in this paper compared to both Homburg et al. (2002) and Zupanic (2008). We are investigating KAM as an ongoing transitioning process rather than the pre-existing, fully implemented programme assumed in these previous works. For instance, of the eight typologies which result from the Homburg, et al. (2002) synthesis and survey, only two types of KAM [1] Top management KAM and 4) Cross-functional dominant KAM] represent effective KAM programmes and there is little explanation of what these KAM programmes are like or how the organisations achieved them. 1030 JMM Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 25 TABLE 1 Elements of KAM implementation in the literature Elements of KAM Implementation Senior manager buy-in Papers Brady 2004; Homburg et al. 002; Montgomery et al. 1998; Napolitano 1997 Napolitano 1997; Workman et al. 2003; Yip and Madsen 1996 McDonald et al. 2000 Description Manger buy in is necessary for success Increased overall knowledge of KAM improves A pioneer often pushes KAM through the organisation Company wide knowledge of KAM A KAM Champion Active involvement of top management in KAM An organisational culture that supports KAM Napolitano 1997; Millman and Manger buy in and active Wilson 1999 ; Workman et al. involvement is necessary for 2003 success Homburg et al. 002; Millman and Wilson 1999; Pardo 1999; Workman et al. 2003 Culture is one of the three biggest influences on KAM implementation in MW and HWJ discuss espirit de corps Espirit de corps Everyone in the organisation understanding KAM Defined key account selection criteria Homburg et al. 2002; Brady 2004; Reisel et al. , 2005; Workman et al. , 2003; Yip and Madsen, 1996 Gosselin and Bauwen 2006; McDonald et al. 2000; Ojasalo 2001; Spencer 1999; Wong 1998 Gosselin and Bauwen 2006; McDonald et al. 2000; Ojasalo, 2001 Customer portfolio matrix Clearly identified key accounts Individual key account plans Identify those accounts that are growth attractive McDonald et al. 2000; Ojasalo, Each account should be 2001; Ryals and Rodgers, planned separately to ensure 2007 appropriate service Evaluation procedure in KAM is lacking Social exchanges such as KAM can provide competitive benefits Strategic relationship can lead to mutual investment Look at the lifetime value of customers Evaluation procedure in KAM is lacking Cont’d A well developed Napolitano 1997 feedback process with key customers Joint activities with key accounts Joint investment with key accounts A business case for KAM Targets for key accounts Koka and Prescott 2002; Workman et al. , 2003 Koka and Prescott 2002; Ojasalo, 2001 Reinartz and Kumar 2000, 2002 Napolitano 1997 Davies and Ryals A stage model for transitioning to KAM 1031 Elements of KAM Implementation Benchmarking against other organisations for KAM Measurement of the performance of the KAM programme Appointed Key Account Managers Fully trained Key Account Managers Papers Napolitano 1997 Description Evaluation procedure in KAM is lacking Evaluation procedure in KAM is lacking Skill sets for KAMs are different to those in sales Montgomery et al. 1998; Napolitano 1997; Ojasalo, 2001 McDonald et al. 1997; Weeks and Stevens 1997 McDonald et al. 1997; Ojasalo Skill sets for KAMs are different to those in sales 2001; Shetcliffe 2004; Weeks and Stevens 1997; Yip and Madsen 1996 Alonzo 1996; Guenzi and Pardo 2007; Arnett et al. 005 Clear move since the mid1990’s towards teams of sales and account managers Account managers are usually rewarded with higher salary and less bonus KAM organisations should be differently structured to Sales organisations formalised arrangements for accounts lead to improved co-ordination Key accounts are better served and therefore the managers need influence over gaining the necessary service levels Key account should get higher service levels Key account should get higher service levels KAM teams Specific motivation and Ryals and Rodgers 2006a; reward schemes for Weilbaker 1999 Key Account Managers Changes in organisational structure to accommodate KAM Coletti and Tubrity 1987; McDonald et al. 1997; Millman and Wilson 1996; Pardo 1999 Established policies Gosselin and Bauwen 2006; and procedures for McDonald et al. 2000; Senn handling key accounts 1999 Key Account Managers having good access to internal resources Ojasalo 2001, 2002; Workman et al. 003; Ryals and Humphries 2007 Differentiated and higher service levels for key accounts IT support for KAM Workman et al. 2003; Ivens and Pardo 2007 Brady 2004; Ojasalo 2001; Workman et al. 2003 The other six typologies [2) Middle management KAM; 3) Operating level KAM; 5) Unstructured KAM; 6) Isolated KAM; 7) Country Club KAM; 8) No KAM] represent either highly inefficient KAM (typologies 2, 3, 5 and 6) or are not a formal KAM programme (Typologies 7 and 8). This may be an artefact of the sampling method because only 9% of the respondents were actually Key Account Managers (Kams), but this still leaves us with little understanding of how companies could implement KAM better, or move from one of these inefficient models to a better performing, more robust model. Wengler et al. (2006) provide us with a detailed exploration of some of the 1032 JMM Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 25 rationales for companies implementing KAM, as well as a limited exploration of what the programmes can look like. Indeed Wengler et al. (2006) indicate this same tendency to view KAM implementation as a long transitioning process when they suggest â€Å"Implementing Key Account Management thus requires a lot of coordination effort and intensity (Moon and Gupta 1997) and often seems to be a long-lasting, laborious process† [p. 108]. They are also able to identify that companies are utilising customer prioritisation processes, changing the role of Kams in the organisation and defining different levels of responsibility for the KAM programme. However their low respondent numbers (only 49 respondent companies had actually implemented KAM) and limited exploration of the different elements of KAM still leave us with few generalisable indicators of how companies transition from sales-led to KAMled organisations. This considerable gap in the previous research is explored in this paper RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHOD To meet our exploratory research objective of understanding how companies transition to KAM we developed a 7-point Likert scale survey applicable across industries based on the literature summarised in Table 1. We specifically targeted companies with existing formal KAM programmes and sought information around three research questions: Why they implemented KAM; to what extent the elements of a KAM programme were implemented; and, how successful their KAM programme had been. The aim was to gain broad insight across multiple industries. For a field of research in its third decade it is surprising that the KAM literature has still produced few generalisable empirical insights. The majority of the extant literature is conceptual (Cheverton 2008; Ojasalo 2001, 2002; Pardo et al. 2006; Piercy and Lane 2006a+b; Ryals and Holt, 2007 etc. ), with the majority of empirical work preferring case studies (Helander and Moller 2008; Natti et al. 2006; Rogers and Ryals 2007; Ryals and Humphries 2007; Spencer 1999) or interviews (McDonald, Millman and Rogers 1997; Pardo 1997; Zupancic 2008), which, although useful for building rich context and new insights, offer little in the way of generalisability. Much of the existing quantitative research, as summarised in Table 2, suffers in terms of generality due to small sample sizes (most too small to use with ANOVA, MANOVA, SEM or LCM packages effectively without data augmentation through bootstrapping), and surprisingly few studies actually investigate key account managers (Kams), preferring to focus on customers or colleagues to gain insights. Both of these could be explained through the difficulty in identifying Kams within organisations because: they rarely have KAM in their title, are few in number compared to their sales or marketing equivalents, and are sometime not well known within their own organisation as distinct from either of these two groups. Problems of this sort affected earlier pilots of this study and to overcome this we targeted Kams specifically through executive education programmes, as did Guenzi et al. (2007, 2009), McDonald et al. 1997), Montgomery et al. (1998), Ryals and Rogers (2007) and Wengler et al. (2006). The survey sample comprised attendees at a series of KAM-specific executive educational programmes, making it a highly purposive sampling method. To gain a large enough sample size the data took 3 years to collect; analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests between the years of collection suggested no significant differences Davies and Ryals A stage model for transitioning to KAM 1033 TABLE 2 Summar y of quantitative studies in KAM Authors Guenzi, Georges Pardo Ivens Pardo Ivens Pardo Ryals Rogers Guenzi, Pardo Georges Gosselin Bauwen Wengler, Ehret Saab Reisel, Chia, Maloles Arnett, Macy Wilcox Homburg, Workman Jr. , Jensen Georges, Laurent; Eggert, Andreas Workman, Homburg Jensen Abratt Kelly Homburg, Workman Jr. , Jensen Montgomery, Yip Villalonga Sengupta Krapfel Sharma Year Survey’s target Sample Size 127 297 297 37 127 115 91** 353 60 385 102 385 190 385 191 176 109 % of Which KAMs 100% 0% 0% 43% 100% 100%* 1 8. % 0% 50% 9%†  0% 9%†  48% 9%†  0%†¡ 100% 0% 2009 KAMs 2008 Purchasers 2007 Purchasers 2007 International companies + customers 2007 KAMs 2006 Account Managers 2006 Sales Engineers 2005 Operations 2005 Selling teams 2002 Head of Sales Organisation 2003 Purchasers 2003 Head of Sales Organisation 2002 KAMs and Customers 2000 Head of Sales Organisation 1998 Senior International Execs. 1997 NAMA members 1997 Purchasers 100% is assumed as the actual figures are unreported, the evidence shown elsewhere however may suggest this assumption is in error ** Only 54% actually had a KAM programme †  49% of the sample were Sales and Marketing VPs indicating a responsibility for KAM, however 171 (45% of the sample) had no formalised KAM Programme according to the results of the Homburg et al. , 2000 paper. †¡ GAM survey with only 136 reported using GAM between collection years. Over the 3 years a total of 286 delegates attended these events and 212 surveys were returned, eight of these indicated they did not yet have a formal KAM programme leaving 204 usable surveys (71. 3% response rate). Surveys were handed out before the commencement of the course to be completed during registration and collected as the course began, to minimise the impact of the course on the responses (Table 3, overleaf, shows descriptive statistics for the respondents). 1034 JMM Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 25 TABLE 3 Descriptive statistics on respondents Number Region of companies UK North America Northern Europe Southern Europe Middle East and North Africa Australasia Industry Service Professional Financial Service Industrial Complex Manufacture Manufacture Unknown Years in Sales/KAM 1-5yrs 6-10yrs 10-15yrs 15-20yrs 20-25yrs 25-30yrs Years of KAM Programme 6 48 48 41 49 18 204 49 63 40 36 12 4 204 77 46 53 28 204 113 22 38 18 9 4 204 DATA TESTING AND ANALYSIS A second method was used to add greater depth and clarity to our definitions and understanding of transitioning to KAM through a year-long syndication with senior representative of seven mixed-industry companies with a strong track record of KAM (although not identified in this research for reasons of commercial sensitivity, some of these companies have previously been used as exemplars in other scholars work, including Yip and Bink 2007; Ryals and McDonald 2008 and Eccles et al. 2009). All were companies with established KAM programmes and they cooperated with the principle aim of identifying a process for implementing KAM that could be transferable across industries. They provided a 5-phase model of implementation running through Scoping KAM (Yr 1), Introducing KAM (Yr 2), Embedding KAM Davies and Ryals A stage model for transitioning to KAM 1035 (Yrs 2-4), Optimising KAM (Yrs 4-6), and Best Practice / Continuous Improvement (Yrs 6 and over). They were adamant that, across all their industries, it takes at least this long to have a properly-established KAM rogramme and that, especially in the later years, re-engineering KAM was always needed. They did however admit that the Scoping KAM period is a theoretical â€Å"ought to happen† stage as, in reality, it happens in parallel with, or even after, implementation. We therefore merge Scoping and Introducing KAM phases and show them as one initial 2 year Introducing KAM phase. These insights were used to segmen t data for analysis purposes and provide structure for demonstrating the process of transitioning to KAM. Analysis was conducted using mean comparison tests to identify differences between groups within the data. ANOVA assumes normality of data, which rarely occurs with Likert scales. Kolmogorow-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk normality tests demonstrated that 18 of the 25 elements of KAM distributions were probably not normal, mostly cause by -/+ kurtosis. However, visual inspection of the Normal QQ diagrams suggest that 20 of the elements appeared evenly distributed and 16 of the items passed the Levene test, again suggesting fairly even distribution. Bearing all these in mind we conducted and compared both Kruskal-Wallis H nonparametric and Games-Howell Post-Hoc ANOVAs as they both have reduced distribution assumptions. We found almost unilateral agreement between the two tests so report the more powerful and more easily interpreted Games-Howell Post-Hoc ANOVA. RESULTS The first important result from the data was the lack of significant differences based on industry. We found the only major area of difference amongst the four industry groups was in relation to how successful the respondents thought their companies were at KAM, with the professional and financial services companies rating themselves significantly higher and manufacturers significantly lower than the other groups. This suggests that at least the elements of KAM are similar across industries. The main area of difference however emerged when we segmented the data based on the timescales suggested by our transitioning syndicate, breaking the data into four groups based on the age of their programme (Table 4 shows the Games-Howell results for the elements of the KAM programme and Table 5 shows the success measures). We discovered that, as the syndicate had indicated, there was a general progression of gearing up and implementing, rejuvenating and expanding the KAM programme which provide a statistically significant ifference between groups in the different stages of transitioning to KAM. On the vast majority of scales the companies were implementing elements of KAM at a noticeably increasing rate over the life span of the programme. This indicates that, firstly, the programme takes many years to put in place and, secondly, that there is a progression through the different elements the organisation focuses on in each stage. Figure 1 synthesises what the syndicate said and what the data represent about the transition to KAM. Figure 1 (overleaf) shows KAM to be relatively slow to take off when introduced but then builds up rapidly during the Embedding and Optimising stage before slowing into a process of Continual Improvement. We also see this pattern replicated in Table 4 (overleaf) where the extent to which companies are implementing different elements of KAM is limited all the way up to the end of year two, but then begins to rise rapidly, before slowing after six years. The best example of this is Senior manager 1036 JMM Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 25 FIGURE 1 Transitioning to KAM summary High Revise program to new knowledge Restructure org. and processes Involve top Mgt. Redefine program Become customer centric Rejuvenate program Become more selective Expand knowledge in org. Continuous Improvement Capability Gear up Locate Champion Build the case Appoint KAMs Define KA’s Introducing KAM 1 2 Embedding KAM 3 4 Time (yrs) 5 6†¦ Train specialist KAMs Indiv customer plans . Targets and Measurement Optimising KAM Low buy-in (4th from bottom) where the average extent of buy-in within Introducing KAM companies is relatively low, before a significant (at the

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