SMC229H1 Lecture : SMC229 Readers & Readerships - Lecture 4, Reading in the Renaissance & The Printing Press

64 views4 pages

purpledeer752

15 Feb 2012

School

UTSG

Department

St. Michael's College Courses

Course

SMC229H1

Professor

Jessica Wolfe

For unlimited access to Class Notes, a Class+ subscription is required.

Document Summary

Smc229h1 readers & readerships, january 31 2012. Lecture 4 reading in the renaissance & the printing press. 1470s - humanist printing in venice, and elsewhere venice is stuffed with books. 1490s - many venetian printers go out of business. 1500-5 - aldus manutius prints small scholarly books. 1541 - an english bible required in every church. 1611 - king james bible y first universities in medieval period - oxford, cambridge. More loose than we think of today - scholars might gather in a pub and read what they had been working on and students would drop by as they saw fit. Still cost some money - only available to the rich. Around this time that schedules began and town clocks began popping up. With the advent of schools, the need for books increased dramatically - next to hearing a scholar speak, the next best way to learn is to read their book. y gutenberg - from mainz, germany.

Related Questions

the full case is below. i need help answering "How would you evaluate whether the sample size for the survey was appropriate in this case?" please. Thanks

Mastering Teacher Leadership

>Abstract

This case is about a multistage, communication study of teachers by Wittenberg Universityâs Department of Education to determine the viability of starting a Master of Education program for Ohio-certified teachers working within school districts serving a five-county area. www.wittenberg.edu

>Background

Ohio legislators recently implemented new standards for those wishing to teach within Ohioâs public and private schools. Teachers certified to teach in Ohio in 2002 or later will need to complete a masterâs degree before obtaining their second licensure renewal. New teachers, therefore, will have a five- to seven-year window to complete the masterâs degree after their initial licensure to teach. Historically, teachers have looked to graduate level courses to fulfill their professional development requirements. According to the newly passed Ohio Department of Education Teacher Certification Standards, for the first time all professional development activities must be tied to professional development plans customized by local school district goals. All such plans will be approved and monitored by Local Professional Development Committees. These LPDCs will look favorably on courses that fit local goals, which are increasingly motivated by student performance variances on standardized tests. Wittenberg University is primarily a resident campus of 2,000 students affiliated with the Lutheran Church in America. Located in central Ohio, Wittenberg is a comprehensive liberal arts institution with professional programs in education, business management, pre-med, and pre-law. It has been training teachers for more than 150 years and has earned a reputation for producing exceptional teachers for Kâ12 programs. This high quality, as perceived by local teachers who supervise Wittenberg undergraduate field teaching experiences, is expected to be Wittenbergâs greatest asset in pursuing the development of a masterâs program. Wittenberg, historically, has not offered a graduate degree in education, but it has offered graduate degrees in its nationally recognized music program and, until the mid-1980s, in its theology program. Wittenberg sees the change in Ohio Teacher Certification Standards as an opportunity for its Center for Professional Development (WittCPD), a program of professional development courses designed to fulfill the continuing education requirements of teachers in the area. Central Ohio is rich with high quality universities. Within a 30-minute drive of Wittenbergâs campus, undergraduate teacher education programs can be found at Wright State University (WSU), the University of Dayton (UD), Urbana College, Cedarville College, Wilberforce University, and Central State University. WSU and UD currently offer Master of Arts degrees in teaching. WSU offers continuing education programs that fulfill professional development programs. Increased turnover is also expected to be a motivating factor contributing to increased enrollment in university development programs. Ohioâs schoolteacher turnover is expected to increase due to the aging of the teacher population, incentive buyout programs designed to encourage aging teachers to retire, and the need to hire experienced teachers in the hard-to-fill math and science areas. With an average 15 years teaching experience, Clark County schools have more than 900 certified staff and hire 50â60 new teachers each year. Springfield City schools have more than 800 certified staff and hired 119 teachers in 1997, 99 in 1998, and 118 in 1999.

>Research

The faculty of the education department, in concert with university administrators, conducted a brainstorming session in early fall 1998 to identify university resources that might contribute to a masterâs program in education. This was followed by a retreat with an Ohio Department of Education consultant, who reiterated the advantages of a liberal arts-based program in the ongoing preparation of Kâ12 teachers. To further explore the opportunity for offering a Master of Arts degree in Classroom Leadership, WittCPD conducted three focus groups: two with Springfield City district teachers and one with local school superintendents. Both groups were positive about the likelihood of a program customized to the needs of the various local school districts. Additionally, they provided direction for the desired content and orientation of an effective program. Such a program would need to: â¢ Deal with the diverse cognitive and social needs of students. â¢ Emphasize technological literacy for both teachers and students. â¢ Emphasize both program and classroom assessment by providing a sound research foundation for both curriculum and instruction. â¢ Address classroom management issues of student social skills, moral education, and discipline. â¢ Provide a framework for teachers to learn to collaborate with other teachers and with community professionals. In the spring of 1999, Education faculty associated with the WittCPD drafted a market survey and mailed it to 2,000 practicing teachers in a four-county area. Each of the 1,600 teachers in Clark County, Wittenbergâs home county, received a questionnaire, with the remaining 400 surveys delivered to a systematic sample teaching in the outlying counties of Green, Montgomery, and Champaign. By September 1, 1999, 763 teachers had returned their surveys (31.8 percent response), of which 53.8 percent of respondents had completed or were enrolled in degree programs beyond the bachelorâs level.

>Initial Results

Out of 763 teachers, 21.2 percent said they definitely would enroll, with an additional 57.7 percent who might enroll, citing professional requirements, professional advancement, or keeping their certification as the three primary reasons for enrolling. Those who expressed a lack of interest in a Master of Arts program at Wittenberg claimed as three obstacles the anticipated high cost, their holding a current masterâs degree, or family responsibilities. In order for the Wittenberg Board of Directors to approve offering of the new degree program, the program needs to continue the liberal arts tradition and strengthen the undergraduate teacher education program, as high quality undergraduate education is seen as part of Wittenbergâs primary mission. Additionally, new academic initiatives such as the one proposed are increasingly asked by the board to reach break-even within their first operating year.

Case Study #3

TO WAL-MART OR NOT TO WAL-MART?

Wal-Mart is a $250-billion-a-year retailer. Eighty two percent of U.S. households made a

Wal-Mart purchase in 2002. It is the largest company in the world with a global

workforce of 1.4 million. Where Wal-Mart competes the average grocery prices are 14%

lower. In the past it was General Motors, IBM and other companies that were considered

to be the leaders in industry and the ones to watch. Now it is Wal-Mart that is being

studied in universities around the world.

At Wal-Mart, cost is king. Costs are kept low and this translates into goods being sold

for less. The entire organization is focused on reducing costs and passing those savings

on to the consumer. This allows poor people to buy food and other necessities that they

otherwise might not be able to afford. In the U.S. it dominates sales in a number of

categories : 32% of disposable diapers, 30% of hair products, 26% of toothpaste, 20% of

pet food and 13% of textiles.

Wal-Mart simply has developed the most efficient methods for operating their business.

Their inventory management, through a network of scanners, computers, and at-the-ready

suppliers, makes it the leader in successful turnover of inventory. How can we blame

Wal-Mart for being the efficient cost conscious giant that it is?

The Wal-Mart phenomenon has occurred at the same time that high-paying skilled jobs

are being lost in the manufacturing sector. When these jobs are lost, the alternative often

means being employed at Wal-Mart at a much lower pay scale with reduced benefits

such as medical insurance. Its labor costs are twenty percent less than those at

unionized supermarkets, and sales clerks make less, on average, than the federal poverty

level ($8.50 an hour).

Barbara Ehrenreich* has described the problems faced by the under class, such

as waitresses and Wal-Mart employees. They barely survive on a day-to-day basis, living

from hand to mouth, with no reserves, no safety net, no medical insurance and almost no

prospect of improving their positions in life.

The loss of manufacturing jobs has affected the lifestyles of many people. What they see

is the reality of reduced opportunity with a permanent reduction in wages and standards

of living. They are trapped in a new marketplace, with diminishing expectations and few

alternatives to shopping at Wal-Mart. This is a change in our American culture--the

dreams have now been down-sized.

Is Wal-Mart the hero or the culprit? After all, low prices, competition, and growth have

all been mantras that Americans have been chanting all of our lives. We were

told that if you built a better mouse trap, everyone would come to you. Well, Wal-Mart

has built a better mouse trap. Is there any logic in our looking at Wal-Mart as a

contributor to the loss of some our middle class or is it just jealousy and sour grapes?

For one thing, its hard line on costs has forced many factories to move overseas.

Wal-Mart imported most of the items it sells. Environmental standards

are lower in these countries where these goods are manufactured than they are in the

U.S. This probably results in increased health issues and costs. In addition, shipment of

goods many thousands of miles to their ultimate destinations, involve utilizing the

worldâs limited oil resources. When you add up all this, the cost of the goods may be

greater than if they were produced in this country.

Another issue is that Wal-Mart is a non-union employer paying wages that are below the

poverty level, with minimal health insurance coverage. As many employees cannot

afford the co-payment required for doctors office visits, when a medical crisis occurs they

are forced to use the emergency room facilities of local hospitals. The result is that the

community bears the direct cost of their medical treatment and the indirect, as well as

ancillary costs such as diminished work capacity, child care, etc.

There are other economic ramifications to the Wal-Mart explosion. When Wal-Mart

arrives in a town, âmain streetâ erodes. Neighborhood stores that used to provide goods,

services and paid their workers well, are eliminated, uprooting families and ways of life

in the process. The Wal-Mart decision to saturate Oklahoma City, resulted in the closure

of 30 supermarkets.

If Americans shop with price being the only factor that determines where they

purchase their goods, doesnât this mean the permanent down-sizing of our standard of

living? How can the local retail establishment survive when they canât compete with a

Wal-Mart? Look at what has happened to the local supermarket, bookstore, hardware

and clothing store. The demise of these small business constitutes the loss of a middle

class of society in a community. We need to think: As consumers are we better off

paying a little more to enable the local merchants and their families to survive in order to

preserve the character of our communities and society or should we concern ourselves

with price only?

HERE IS YOUR DILEMMA:

You are the mayor of a small city in the West. You canât worry about the 4,700 workers

at IBM and the other workers at technology companies who lost their jobs. Your problem

is a more local one.

A Wal-Mart representative has approached you about the possibility of building a super-

store within your city limits. The store would serve communities within a twenty-five mile

radius. The land that they intend to build upon would require new zoning. Wal-Mart

would expect a certain amount of property tax and other relief. If your city does not

want a super-store, you are certain that one of the other towns close-by would be happy

to accommodate their needs.

What studies would you require before deciding which way to vote? What ramifications

do you foresee with this new super-store? What would you ask of Wal-Mart before

agreeing to their request? How much input would you seek from the residents of your

city

blushimpala894

On the morning of October 31st, Elaine Black, Chief InformationOfficer at Robatelliâs Pizzeria, was waiting for both Jim Saxton,database administrator, and Peter Greyton, operations manager, tocome to her office for a meeting. While waiting, Elaine wasthinking about the surge of telephone and Internet orders expectedto be received through the companyâs customer order center withinthe next 12 hours. Halloween had always been the most popular dayof the year for people in the greater Pittsburgh area to orderpizza from Robatelliâs. There were 53 restaurant locations to servethese customers, but only one location to receive all of the ordersand forward them to the right restaurant. Elaineâs thoughts wereinterrupted as Jim and Peter entered her office. The followingconversation took place:

ELAINE: Well, guys, itâs here again, our biggest day of theyear. Not only is Halloween a busy day, but we have the upcomingday after Thanks- giving, the week before Christmas, and Super BowlSunday. Can our current computer systemâs infrastructure and peoplekeep pace with the orders we expect?

JIM: I think our systems are all running at peak performance. Weshouldnât have any computer concerns for today or those other busydays.

PETER: Everyone in the customer order center is focused onmaking sure that our customers get their pizzas as ordered. We haveplenty of people scheduled to work tonight, so weâre good togo.

ELAINE: Terrific. But every time we face one of these peak salesdays, I start wondering about the long-term capacity andeffectiveness of our computer systems. Jim, we need to think longterm about our com- puter system. I was just reading an articlethat Iâd like you to take a look at. Itâs about Anheuser-BuschCompanies and their use of data mining.

JIM: I do agree with you, Elaine; we should always be thinkingabout how newer IT systems can help us. Could you e-mail me thelink to the article?

ELAINE: Sure, and I would like you to think about how we mightuse the same approach in our business. Pete, your order centerpeople are doing a great job, but again thereâs something Iâd likeus to think about in the long run. As you know, we now have tomanually enter all customer order center sales and store sales intoour general ledger (GL). I think we could improve a lot of thingsif those sales fed automatically into our GL software. Why donâtyou think about any advantages you see for an automatic interface,and weâll look at the costs compared to those advantages. Howâsthat sound?

PETER: Iâll do that. Iâll give it some thought and work on areport about an automatic interface between our GL software and thepoint of sale systems in our restaurants as well as the phone andInternet sales. How soon do you want to meet again to look at theseissues?

ELAINE: Letâs say, in two weeks at the same time.

Continuing Case: Robatelliâs Pizzeria 33

As Jim and Peter left her office, Elaine continued to thinkabout the features of the companyâs accounting information systemsand whether or not data extracted from these systems couldfacilitate the multiple needs of the company. The focus had alwaysbeen on providing accurate financial accounting information fromthe various locations; however, the companyâs aggressive growthstrategies meant increased emphasis on the systemâs ability toanalyze detailed customer information that could be translated intoincreased sales opportunities.

ability to maintain its competitive advantage. She realized thather department must continually improve the companyâs informationsystems to help it achieve growth strategies. Operatingstate-of-the-art systems was imperative to position the company toexecute those growth plans. However, she was concerned about thepossibility that restrictions of the current information systemscould actu- ally prevent the company from doing what it wanted todo. Allowing restrictive systems to prevent them from achievingbusiness strategies was a risk that Elaine would not tolerate!

BACKGROUND

Robatelliâs Pizzeria is a great American success story. Startedby Dino Robatelli in the 1960s, the business impetus was a familypizza recipe. Introduced to the public at a church festival inPittsburghâs Little Italy, Robatelliâs pizzas are now a recognizedtradition in the Greater Pittsburgh area. A full menu and localexpansion have led to its growing popularity over the years andhave helped it achieve nearly 50 percent of the area market share.Annual sales now exceed $100 million. Following is a timeline ofmilestones in the companyâs history:

1962 Dino and Gloria Robatelli contributed$500 and the family pizza recipe to a partnership that opened thefirst Robatelliâs Pizzeria.

1965 The Robatellis bought out their businesspartners.

1967 The first Robatelliâs franchiseopened.

1971â77 Dozens of new Robatelliâs franchises opened throughoutthe surrounding region.

1983 Home delivery service began.1992 A central, one-number calling system for allrestaurants was launched.2003 Internet ordering began. The first âprototype pizzeriaâ opened.Today Atotal of 53 locations are in operation.

The company has been known for its ability to get ahead ofnational trends. For instance, in the early 1980s, Robatelliâsbegan offering delivery service; however, while the competitorswere merely delivering pizzas, Robatelliâs delivered manyadditional items from its extensive menu. The company was also onthe cutting edge when it launched its one-number telephone orderingsystem whereby a single telephone number was used to service salesorders for the entire region. Additional conveniences becameavailable about ten years later when Robatelliâs introduced onlineordering. Recently, it has expanded its menu offerings and openedprototype restaurants specially designed with new features (such asa full- service bar and a retail counter) that appeal to variouscustomer groups. Each of these advancements has propelledRobatelliâs growth over the past four decades.

Dino Robatelliâs name is also well known for its tradition ofsupporting neighborhood organizations. Robatelliâs promotesschools, amateur athletics, and other community groups.Interestingly, some local student athletes were a tremendous helpto Robatelliâs in 1971 when the business was in trouble. A fire haddestroyed much of the building containing Robatelliâs originalpizzeria and commissary. The commissary made menu ingredients forall of the Robatelliâs pizzerias, so the entire business was injeopardy when this facility became inop- erable. Area students andcoaches helped with the clean-up and rebuilding efforts that madeit possible for the facility to be reopened in a fraction of theanticipated time. Dino Robatelli thanked them by establishing ahall of fame that has become a fixture of Greater Pittsburgh highschool athletics.

Robatelliâs reputation for great Italian food and innovations inboth customer service and community service have contributed to thecompanyâs ability to grow into the most popular pizzeria in theGreater Pittsburgh region. Robatelliâs sales include an average of110,000 pizzas per week. It has managed to stay ahead of thenational competitors, which is an unusual feat. In fact, manypeople in and around Pittsburgh believe that pizza can only beRobatelliâs!

MULTIPLE SYSTEMS, MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS, MULTIPLE USES OFINFORMATION

There are three ways to place an order at Robatelliâs: in-store,via telephone, or online. The order processing systems areillustrated in Figure 1. Hereâs how they work:

In-store orders

In-store orders are taken by restaurant staff serving patronsdining in one of Robatelliâs restaurants or walking in to place anorder. Servers manually complete an order ticket at the tablesideand input the information into the companyâs point of sales systemthrough computer terminals located in the food preparationstations. Walk-in orders are typically entered directly into thesystem by staff using the computer terminal located at thecounter.

Telephone orders

Approximately two-thirds of the companyâs business is processedvia the tele- phone. Robatelliâs phone ordering system is called aone-number system, referring to the convenience of ordering througha single phone number, regardless of the restaurant locationnearest the customer.

Most phone orders are received by an operator, who enters theorder directly into a computer terminal while speaking with thecustomer. Customer phone numbers are used to present the customerwith a choice of the nearest pizzeria for preparation and carry-outor delivery. The software in the system references a streetdatabase to verify that the street address exists. Credit cardnumbers are obtained from customers paying by credit card. Thecustomer service rep- resentative verifies the order and creditcard number before ending the call.

Upon confirmation of an order, the order is sent directly to therestaurant, where it is processed through the companyâs transactionprocessing system and printed at the appropriate food preparationstation(s). Credit card numbers are included in the transmission,and all credit card transactions are processed at the restaurantsat the time the order is received.

There are several advantages of handling phone orders through acustomer order center rather than at individual restaurantlocations. Above all, the reduc- tion in background noise improvesthe accuracy of the order-taking process. In addition, thecustomerâs wait time is greatly reduced. Before Robatelliâsimplemented its one-number system, customersâ wait time at peakcould be up to 15 minutes. The order centerâs average wait timegoal is now one minute or less.

Internet orders

To place an online order, a customer must be registered.Registration is a sim- ple process that can occur anytime duringbusiness hours. Customers are asked to provide identifyinginformation that will be retained in the system. Repeat customerswill not have to go through the registration process again.

Web-based ordering is tied to the companyâs one-number system.When a customer enters an order online, customer information ispulled from the one- number system. Identifying data such as phonenumber and address do not have to be entered. Menu offerings arepresented on the screen in various drop-down boxes so that anycombination of items can be ordered with many different choices oftoppings or accompaniments. A customer must answer a series ofquestions regarding the order, similar to the questions that wouldbe asked if the customer had been speaking with a telephoneoperator.

Online orders also require confirmation of the menu items andrestaurant location before the call is ended. Credit cardinformation may be entered online, and the transaction will beprocessed at the restaurant filling the order (as is done fortelephone orders). Two firewalls protect the security of customerinfor- mation submitted online.

Customer Service

Up to 135 customer service representatives may be on hand at thecustomer order center to process orders coming in to the businessat peak times. In addition, Robatelliâs employs approximately tenhome-based agents to handle incoming orders. Home-based agents mayperform any of the customer service functions from a computerterminal located within their homes.

All operators are required to undergo a one-week trainingprogram before they begin serving customers. After the trainingprogram, operators are subject to one week of supervised on-the-jobtraining, followed by ongoing perform- ance evaluations.Supervisors at the customer order center perform order scanning,whereby orders are randomly reviewed for reasonableness. Orderscanning is performed more frequently for orders taken by newoperators. Supervisors also follow up on errors and customercomplaints, and may listen in on calls to review the operatorâsperformance.

If customers are in need of customer service, they may call ore-mail the com- pany. Supervisors handle these types of calls ande-mail messages, and will respond either via telephone or replye-mail. Restaurant managers can also print customer complaints attheir respective locations.

Accounting functions

Robatelliâs ordering systems and transaction processing systemsare the source of all sales information sent to the accountingdepartment. Restaurant managers prepare daily sales summaries andsubmit them to the companyâs administra- tive offices on thefollowing day. These summaries are transmitted electronically viathe intranet and are received in the accounting department.Accounting staff prepare general ledger entries based upon thesesales summaries and key the information into the companyâsaccounting software. The transaction processing system providessales by restaurant for call-in and Internet orders, which arereconciled to the restaurant summaries on a daily basis. Once theaccounting system is updated and the daily reconciliations areperformed, the data are stored in an on-site server.

Although a lot of accounting information comes from manydifferent loca- tions, the capacity of the system is nearly 25times its current load.

Information Technology

The information technology staff at Robatelliâs is continuouslyengaged in sys- tem maintenance activities. Because the businesschanges so frequently, systems maintenance is an ongoing process.Every time a new coupon is offered, a price is changed, or a newmenu item becomes available, the related information must beintegrated into the transaction processing system.

Each menu addition has its own level of complexity, and many ofthe items include options to customize to individual tastes in aplethora of combinations. This poses a challenge in ordering;however, the menu presentation continues to be improved toeliminate chances of an incomplete or incorrect order. The optionsare available online and to customer service representatives viadrop- down boxes on their computer screens. Most screens require anentry, even if it is ânone,â in order to ensure that no part of theorder is forgotten.

Notice that only a couple of years prior to the case time frame,the management of Robatelliâs had begun an Internet order system.As management of Robatelliâs considered the advantages of theInternet order system, it should also have considered the inherentrisks of conducting business via the Internet.

Required:

1. Describe the new risks of Internet orders that Robatelliâsmanagement should have considered. The risks you describe should bespecific to the Internet order system.

plumalligator920

SMC229H1 Lecture : SMC229 Readers & Readerships - Lecture 4, Reading in the Renaissance & The Printing Press

Document Summary

Get access

Related Questions