Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Vocational training

Relive the sound of Summer 2012 with the official tracklist from Flaix FM.

1. Sak Noel – Where? (I Lost My Underwear)
2. Nicki Minaj – Starships (Radio Edit)
3. DJ Antoine feat. The Beat Shakers – Ma Chérie (DJ Antoine vs. Mad Mark 2k12 Radio Edit)
4. Pitbull & Chris Brown – International Love (Album Edit)
5. Bob Sinclar feat. Gilbere Forte, Dragonfly & Fatman Scoop – Rock The Boat
6. Alexandra Stan feat. Carlprit & Jason Ray - 1.000.000
7. Havana Brown – We Run the Night
8. Deniz Koyu – Tung!
9. Victor Magan & Aritz feat. Lessus – Give (Radio Edit)
10. Ian Carey & Rosette feat. Timbaland & Brasco – Amnesia
11. Basto – Again And Again
12. Elena – Your Captain Tonight
13. Tom Hangs & Shermanology – Blessed (Avicii Radio Edit)
14. Mike T feat. Rawanne

Causative Have Practice Exercises

• They had arranged for their house to be cleaned by the end of the week. Now it is clean. What had they done? (They had had their house cleaned.)
• The grass has grown too much. What should they have done? (They should have had the grass cut.)
• His tooth was filled yesterday. What happened to him? (He had his tooth filled yesterday.)
• No one has informed them of the meeting. What should he have done for them? (He should have had them informed of the meeting.)

Examples of Daily Tasks and Changes

• We are having the furniture rearranged (furniture/rearrange). We got tired of having it in the same place for so long.
• That’s a good idea. We are going to have our furniture replaced (our furniture/replace) next week. I’m sick

Twisted Pair Cable Subclassifications

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)

• They do not have a conducting screen.
• Advantage: Very flexible.
• Disadvantage: Very sensitive to interference.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

• Each pair is surrounded by a protective mesh.
• Disadvantage: Less flexible.
• Advantage: Improved immunity to noise, reducing interference.

Shielded/Foiled Twisted Pair (S/FTP)

• An overall screen is added to all cables.
• Advantage: Enhanced noise immunity (even better than STP).

Foiled Twisted Pair (FTP)

• They have an overall conducting screen in the form of a braid.
• Advantage: Reduces interference.
• Disadvantage: More expensive than STP.

Analog vs. Digital Signals

• Analog signals represent continuous functions and can take any value within a range.
• Digital signals

Core Competencies

Core competencies focus on product design, development, and marketing. A core competency has three characteristics:

• Competitive Advantage: It is a source of advantage and makes a significant contribution to perceived customer benefits.
• Market Versatility: It has applications in a wide variety of markets.
• Defensibility: It is difficult for competitors to imitate.

Business realignment may be necessary to maximize core competencies. It involves three steps:

1. (Re)defining the business concept or “big idea.”
2. (Re)shaping the business scope.
3. (Re)positioning the company’s brand identity.

Holistic Marketing and Customer Value

Holistic marketing integrates value exploration, value creation, and value delivery activities to build long-term,... Continue reading "Core Competencies and Strategic Marketing Frameworks" »

What is Marketing?

Marketing is fundamentally about identifying and profitably meeting human and social needs. It encompasses the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that hold value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Defining Marketing & Management

Marketing management is both an art and a science. It involves choosing target markets and then attracting, retaining, and expanding customer relationships by creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value.

Marketing vs. Selling: A Key Distinction

Managers sometimes mistakenly view marketing as solely “the art of selling products.” However, many are surprised to learn that selling is... Continue reading "Understanding Marketing: Core Concepts & Applications" »

Passive Voice

This shirt needs to be ironed

This shirt needs ironing

The house needs to be painted

The house needs painting

Both sentences are correct

Both sentences have the same meaning

Instances of Passive Voice

• When the agent is unknown
• When the agent is irrelevant
• When the agent is obvious from the context

Uses of 'Have Something Done'

• A service provided: I had my house painted
• Describe something unpleasant: John had his passport stolen
• Future statements (promises): I will have my homework done for tomorrow

Conditional Sentences

I went to the optician yesterday and I tested my eyesight because you do not test yourself, the optician does it.

Zero Conditional

Also called real factual, is used for general truths

IF + PRES SIMPLE + PRES SIMPLE

First Conditional

Also... Continue reading "English Grammar: Passive Voice and Conditional Sentences" »

Understanding Competences and Skills

Defining Competences

What are competences or skills?

• They are what make people competent: the prerequisites for effective action.
• They should take into account all general and specific knowledge, skills, and motivations needed for effective action.

Action Categories for Graduates

According to Allen, Ramaekers, and van der Velden (2005), higher education graduates may find themselves in nine primary action categories:

• Directing productive tasks
• Directing the work of others
• Planning
• Coordination
• Control
• Innovation
• Information management
• Maintaining relations with personnel
• Maintaining relations with clients

Types of Competences: General and Specific

General Competences Explained

General competences can be applied across a range... Continue reading "Defining Competences: Skills for Career Success" »

Marketing Innovation

Innovation in marketing is critical. Imaginative ideas on strategy exist in many places within a company.

Senior management should identify and encourage fresh ideas from three underrepresented groups: employees with youthful or diverse perspectives, employees far removed from company headquarters, and employees new to the industry. Each group can challenge company orthodoxy and stimulate new ideas.

Scenario analysis: Develop different ideas. “What will we do if it happens?”

Dimensions of Business Innovation

• Offerings (WHAT): Develop innovative new products or services.
• Platform: Use common components or building blocks to create derivative offerings.
• Solutions: Create integrated and customized offerings that solve end-to-

Enhancing Innovation: Beyond Per Capita Income

Innovation is much more than just increasing per capita income.

The role of Entrepreneurial Firms is to promote change and progress in the structure of business and society, thereby promoting innovation.

What Innovation Leads To

• New products
• Stimulating market interest

Economic Effects of Innovation

Supply Side Effect

The new capital created expands the capacity for growth.

Demand Side Effect

An increase in demand for new output.

The Product-Evolution Process

The product-evolution process describes how innovation develops and commercializes through entrepreneurial activity, which consequently stimulates economic growth. It starts with foundational knowledge in the base technology and ends with products or... Continue reading "Innovation Commercialization: Pathways, Types, and Economic Impact" »

Defining Competitive Territory and Boundaries in Mission Statements

• **Industry:** Companies may operate in one or multiple industries, including industrial goods, consumer goods, or services.
• **Products and Applications:** Firms define the range of products and applications they will offer.
• **Competence:** Companies identify their core competencies and leverage them.
• **Market Segment:** The type of market or customers a company targets.
• **Vertical:** The number of channel levels in which a company participates, from raw materials to distribution.
• **Geographical:** The regions, countries, or country groups in which a company operates.

Establishing Strategic Business Units (SBUs)

Companies can define themselves in terms of products or customer-satisfying... Continue reading "Defining Business Scope and Strategic Units" »