Healthy College Cafeteria Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthy College Cafeteria - Assignment Example Eating healthy is made more difficult by the lack of available healthier foods in college canteens yet due to the economic restraints and busy lifestyles of students, the college canteen is often the main place that students eat. There is a responsibility from our educational institutions to focus on providing healthy , nutritious , reasonably priced foods that ensure that students have healthy eating options. In the UK, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has become notorious for his scathing attacks on the food served in schools. A ten part TV series released in 2005 based in a school, exposed exactly the type of food that was being served (processed food that is high in sugar and fat) and the negative effects on health. His pioneering work has since continued, urging schools to use natural ingredients, local and organic produce and serve well balanced meals. He has also succeeded in getting councils to sponsor "a ten-year strategic plan and fund a long-term public campaign to get people back on to a proper diet and empower/persuade (and possibly scare, if needed) the public to make better choices." (My Manifesto) Awareness Raising; Any significant change in the food served in the college canteens should also go hand in hand with a college funded awareness raising project. This has taken place in a number of colleges already in the UK and US2 and could provide students with ideas, recipes and information about the nutritional and health values of the food that they eat. Consultation with the students; In making a shift to providing healthier foods for students it is important that they are consulted in order to ascertain what health foods would be popular. By running a consultation information can be gathered to help design the new menus. Skills gap; To provide healthy and nutritious food using natural ingredients can often mean that those working on the cafeteria need proper training in food production. Training should be offered to cafeteria staff and their wages should reflect the potential increase in work hours caused by preparing meals with fresh ingredients. Sourcing Organic Foods; Organic foods can appear to be more expensive but often when they are brought in bulk the price goes down significantly. Maybe joining up with other educational institutions in the area to make joint food orders with or looking for sponsorship for the college's healthy food project could ensure that prices stay affordable yet the quality goes up. Sourcing Local Foods; While the food might not be organic, buying food from local producers assures a number of things. It boosts the local economy, it is often cheaper for the buyer as the 'middle person' ( in this case the food distributor) is cut out. Regular orders and establishing a good relationship mean producers listen to their buyers and could in the future ( for example) reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers Sourcing Fair Trade Products; Fair trade products are often organic and produced by co-operatives therefore ensuring the best price for the farmer. By purchasing these products the college not only supports farmers in the developing world but also indirectly educates students about just and sustainable farming methods and food distribution. Environment; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, As well as looking after our own

Differnent types of document creating software Essay Example for Free

Differnent types of document creating software Essay Layering – when within the same file you place images stacked on top of each other   Template- a standard document with pre-set layouts and formats.   Justification – adding extra spaces to text to align the edges so that the lines begin / end at the same place on a page . You can left / right / centre / fully justified   Orientation – which way the page is orientated – landscape or portrait   Wizard- a user interface which presents the user with a sequence of dialogue boxes which guide the user through the task .    Font style- a set of printable /displayable text character/s in a specific style and size. Footer – an area set aside at the bottom of each page   Mail merge – a word processing feature that allows users to personalise letters with names/addresses from a database   Web-authoring software – a web authoring package that is designed to allow you to create web pages and web sites   Resizing – alter the size of an image   Rotating – moving   Shearing – putting two images together to make an optical illusion Cropping – removing parts you don’t want Editing- changing or correcting 5 features of a PPT that could NOT be used in a written report 1. Audio 2. Images. 3. Sound 4. Colours 5. Animations Spell check is used to highlight incorrect spellings so they can be corrected . Compares words entered with words in a dictionary. After spell check the documents like needs to be proof-read because even if the spellings are right , the sentence may not make sense. 3 features of web authoring software you could use to create a website   Creating headings and subheadings   Inserting links Views – standard (similar to word processor screen) , code view (HTML) , Split view (Both views) Ways to transfer images from a database to a website: Copy and pasting   Importing CAD – stands for Computer aided design . It is the use of technology for designs . It is usually used by architects . Buildings can be designed using it. CAD advantages:   You can be more accurate than hand drawing   You can save/ edit ideas so it’s easier/cheaper to modify   You can edit existing ideas which saves time. Describe 3 features of DTP software that could be used when designing a leaflet: 1. Text- can be styled using fonts and colours 2. Background colours- can be changed for blocks of text/images. 3. Page layout templates- each page can have the same layout. Describe 3 features of a website that enable customers to purchase goods online: There’s a shopping cart where you can add all your items and there’s a total sum   There’s an option to set up an account this is so returning customers do not need to re-enter information   Between the retailers website and the bank the payment is made , the data is encrypted. Describe 5 features of word-processing software you might use to make the information clearer   text wrapping – the text can be arranged an image so it’s easier to read. Bold   Italics   Underlining text   Colours Web 2. 0 is the point at which the Internet became truly interactive, with users becoming the most important component of many sites. This benefits as they are able to get Greater knowledge and better marketing. Applications that use this are RSS and Twitter. Describe how you can use ICT to create and use charts when presenting data from a spreadsheet. You can enter all your information into an excel document with all the headings along the top and the information in rows below. Then you select all the cells containing information and go to â€Å"insert† and then select the chart you want. Once the chart has been added in you can go to â€Å"chart design† and modify the chart . What is the most suitable type of software for each of these task:   Write a letter to customers word processing software   Create a leaflet about tennis lessons- DTP   Create a web page that allows customers to place orders online- Web Authoring Software   Editing digital images – graphics software   Storing student’s details- Data handling software Present information to sales staff – presentation software   Produce a mail-merged series of letters – Database CAM- Computer aided design is a software used by engineers and architects to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. You can create a precise drawing on CAD and then make that 2D design physical by using CAM to make the object. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Communications section.

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum The discipline-based art education program relies on several different curriculum theories. At times, the theories overlap and contradict each other, which is a reason why the DBAE has endured much criticism, as well as praise since its inception. The focus of this paper is to connect the theories to the four disciplines of DBAE by using the readings from EDU-707, Curriculum Theory, and Research. Introduction The aims of the discipline-based art education are to provide art educators with a curriculum that is equal in vigor as the core curriculum subjects. Noddings (2003) would conclude that the DBAE curriculum, which parallels with core subjects, is rationalized through planned objectives and goals. Constructing a school curriculum, or a set of courses, must begin with a purpose or at least knowing the answer to why is this important to teach and learn? Eisner (1967) states, if one is to build curriculum in a rational way, the clarity of premise, end or starting point, would appear paramount (p. 250). In the early 1900s, school curriculum was questioned and mainly because of the changes that were taking place in society. There was a tremendous growth in popular journalism, the rapid advancement of railroads, and the migration of people from a predominately rural base moving into more urban locations (Kliebard, 2004). The industrial revolution was replacing the farm-based way of life and students needed a different type of education to help society in the future. The purpose of education is summed up neatly by Bobbitt who states, [Education is] the function of training every citizen, man or woman, not for knowledge about citizenship, but for proficiency in citizenship (Flinders Thornton, 2004a, p. 11). Additionally, Eisner (2001), DBAE founder and Stanford University Professor of Education and Art, offers, the function of schooling is not to enable students to do better in school. The function of schooling is to enable students to do better in life (p. 369). The DBAE curriculum is shaped by connecting different and at times conflicting beliefs. Few can argue that the main purpose of DBAE is to offer teachers a theoretical framework for learning and teaching the arts (Patchen, 1996). However, the foundations of DBAE have been under constant scrutiny since its inception. The criticism focused around being too prescriptive, eliminating individual creativity, and not representing all cultures. The differing analysis from academic experts is likely because the arts require a novel or creative response. Therefore, developing the particular behaviors needed for students to be successful it is hard to identify (Eisner). Another factor in the construction of the DBAE is how the world viewed art education in the 1960s. During prior decades art was influenced by national and political issues reflecting on post-war thinking. The approach was a belief of independence and democratic personality, which shaped art activities (Freedman, 1987). Therefore, the DBAE creators found a necessity for a disciplined approach. By definition, the term discipline means a field of study, as well as gaining control by enforcing the order. Both descriptions of discipline imply a set of parameters. Setting restrictions on instruction is designed to help teachers uniformly teach art education, which includes a responsibility of providing foundational knowledge. Art teaching in DBAE focuses on four disciplines: art production, art history, art criticism, and art aesthetics. Art Production Art production is students learning skills and techniques to produce personal, original artwork. This change signifies a different model from one of creative self-expression which had controlled art education throughout the previous decades and one in which Greene (1995) would contend that to be yourself is to be in process of creating a self, an identity (p. 20). Greene is certainly an advocate for individualism, creativity, and an awareness of oneself. However, the creators of the DBAE saw creativity through the lens of an essentialist. The orientation of an essentialist classroom should revolve around the teacher. The teacher should also be the model to which students should try to emulate. If the teacher is the focus of an essentialist classroom, Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) believes that they should take the next step and reach for the power and help construct the curriculum. The DBAE founders value the art product by using known exemplary works of art and treat art as a p rocess moving from the outside inward. The founders contend that students view aspects of the exemplary as a process of discovery about responding, understanding, and thus creating. There is a flaw in this methodology because which of the many different societies have excellent pieces of art for students to follow? Kliebard (2004) suggests that what a society values and incorporates it into the curriculum is tough because it cannot take into account the different segments of society and what they feel is worthy of study. The emphasis of DBAE art production is for students to create art physically. The problem for teachers lies with assessing students levels of achievement in their art creation. Eisner (2001) proposes that creating standards and the measures of performance help teachers and school administrators to be accountable. Dweck (2000) offers that there are two different types of goals to assess; one is a performance goal or how well students completed the assignment and the second is a learning goal, which assesses what the student learned while creating. In an ideal setting, educators should strive to evaluate both performance and learning goals. An assessable performance goal in a DBAE classroom is the students demonstration of proper techniques used in the exemplary pieces to create a new work of art. Because art instruction uses exemplary work, teachers can assess the performance of a student who is developing intuition and reasoning behind why a piece is considered exemplary. Assessing a learning goal is more difficult because of individual experiences. Sumara and Davis (1999) suggest learning is an act of (re) cognition, meaning that people who see things for the first time helps them make meaning to what they already know. Conversely, Greene (1995) offers that students have to develop their imagination for learning to take place. Depending on a students previous experiences, an art teacher using the DBAE approach would need to create individualized rubrics to assess learning. Furthermore, a student self-reflection would be of great benefit to the assessment process. Art History Art history is studying the artistic accomplishments based on culture and history. Students educated through DBAE instruction begin with observing exemplars. The choices of exemplars have received the most criticisms because of the lack of representation in different societies, gender, and minorities. The section of curriculum devoted to art history has roots with Perennialism qualities. From a Perennialist perspective the exemplars are mainly chosen from Western European artists; predominately individuals who are white and male. The program meritoriously excluded other genres and narrowed students ability to think critically by telling them the exemplars were the only necessary or worthy pieces of work to study. Taliaferro Basziles (2008) statement regarding the lack of diversity is powerful as she writes, Cartesian rationality, which à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡attens out the role ones racial history plays in considering a rational line of thought (p. 381). What she is offering is without diver sity and representation of multiple the points of view, the consumer is knowledge is incomplete, and they forced to take the perspective provided. In effect the lack of representation oppresses, even eliminates many cultures and genders from history. bell hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reminds us of the importance of hearing each others voices, individual thoughts, and sometimes associating these voices with personal experience makes us more acutely aware of each other (p.138). Unfortunately, the designers of the DBAE rely heavily on the great works specifically within Western European art history, in essence taking the status quo route of it was good for previous generations, so it must be good for the next generation. The Perennialist teacher is supposed to focus on personal development, but it appears that the art history framers of the DBAE approach are interested in developing one point of view, one level of emotion, and providing one genre of great work. Wang (2008) would argue this narrow focus further perpetuates the social hierarchy that exists in a predominantly privileged white society. She would advocate for a teacher to use caution, but to introduce other great works by minorities, females, and other marginalized individuals to provide students with a broader intellect. Additionally, if we look at Freires idea of an educational banking system, the DBAE is in full compliance. Freire (2003) describes the banking concept as education that regards men as adaptable, manageable beings (p.73). The use of exemplars, solely based on one society, provides students with the knowledge they may or may not need or use. The teacher deposits the notion that exemplary x IS a piece of great work and the student accepts and memorizes it and later regurgitates it back to the teacher. There is a complete lack of variety and opinions given toward the exemplars. Freire (2003) believes the students have to work at storing the deposits delivered to them not to d evelop an awareness which may result in transforming the opinion. Certainly, the teacher engages students in a dialogue, but the conversation revolves around what the teacher believes is important and offers no other alternatives. The criticism of the art history strand using the DBAE approach is justified. The lack of women, people of color, and modern artists exemplars gives students a disproportionate view of art history. The heteronormative thinking of art history in DBAE, as Sumara and Davis (1999) remind us, does not broaden a viewers perception or increase their understanding of what makes a piece of work worthy of being an exemplary. Students need to be able to develop various frameworks; this could occur through the study of designated, restricted art examples. Maybe even more than the advancement of multiple lenses, students need the capability to be instinctive regarding artistic choices and develop relations among those choices to help shape his or her reality. Art Criticism The goal of art criticism is to be able to interpret and evaluate for the purpose of understanding and appreciating works of art. To be able to interpret and assess art, students must be able to experience and process the art; additionally, teachers need to place a high level of importance on student perception and decision making. Therefore, art criticism relies on Existentialist and Constructionist theories. An existentialist teacher encourages student responses and desires student self-awareness, and hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reflects these traits when she describes her classroom as a place where everyone has a voice and students continually practice self-awareness to reinforce their position on a topic. Baszile (2008) offers that literature suggests reflection is a racially neutral practice. However, she would strongly disagree because of her experiences while attending a predominately White campus for preservice teachers. Her reflection experiences demonstrate a d ismissal of race and background, which left a void in her growth process. As a DBAE teacher, it is imperative that their voice and reflection be neutral to encourage honest and open dialogue between the students. The more students review and discuss art the more they build their knowledge base to think critically about art. Largely based on interest and critical thinking, it is the DBAE teachers responsibility to foster an environment where students can question ideas and have the flexibility ability to develop competencies in areas that interest them. Doll (1993) uses the term recursion to describe developing competence through reflective practices and building upon previous knowledge, in essence, he is suggesting that students are critically thinking. Dewey is an advocate for building on prior learning which involves experiential, hands-on learning. He would appreciate students in a DBAE classroom would have ample opportunities to connect art to other subjects during their experimentation and analysis. Dewey offers that school departmentalizes subjects and nothing could be worse for students as they quickly pass from one subject to the next, often with no conscious isolation. For students t o effectively interpret and analyze art, they have to be able to draw from many experiences. The experiences must repeatedly occur, because the childs present experience is in no way self-explanatory. It is not final, but transitional (Dewey, p. 279). Greene (1995) calls the experiences bringing the unknown to consciousness, which can provide pure enjoyment for students. Students who revel in the learning process are far more likely to find success with Blooms upper levels of critical thinking skills of creating, analyzing, and evaluating art. Art Aesthetics Art aesthetics is defining, making judgments, and exploring the relationships between art and ideology and morality. The existential properties of students working toward finding personal meaning and value in art is a basic foundation of art aesthetics. Students are responsible for determining if the art is beautiful or ugly and if the art is an accurate or poor example of the period it was intended to represent. Doll (1993) proposes that thoughts on thoughts is the way we make meaning. He continues by suggesting for one to have a sense of self they must interact with the environment, with others, and with culture. Addams (Flinders Thornton, 2004b) defines culture as things that are passed through generations and have value and meaning. For a student to appreciate and be able to provide an appropriate aesthetic point of view they have to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their culture. Students who have not developed the skills can often base their opinions on preconcep tions and biases when they are engaging in objective criticism of art. According to hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009), biases shape the way knowledge is given and received. An incorrect belief on a piece of art does not help a student achieve an understanding of a culture or how that culture fits within the world. Furthermore, ideas based on falsehoods often transfer to next generations that further perpetuate the bias and the need for future correction. The preservation of untruths can be dangerous because as Baszile (2008) offers the false self-system works from within and often convinces people that it is normal or fact. In the world of art, DBAE teachers have a responsibility to their students to help them understand falsehoods and how to break the cycle of biases and ignorance. In essence, DBAE teachers are Social Reconstructionists in that they are contributing to reshaping society by providing students with necessary skills to make qualified judgments and finding relationships between the art world and real world. Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) states that if teachers could locate the courage, intelligence, and vision, they could become societal change-makers. At the very least, teachers touch the future each day and have the ability to help students view culture and society in different ways. Counts is adamant about teachers making a stand, making a difference. His statement, If the schools are to be really effective, they must become centers for the building, and not merely for the contemplation (Flinders Thornton, p. 32) should resonate with DBAE teachers. As their students find new relat ionships between art and society, and art and their thinking, they are also building a capacity for intellect and appreciation of different cultures. Freire (2003) saw teaching and learning as a method of examination in which the child conceives and reinvents the world. Furthermore, he stresses education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information (p. 79), which is precisely what DBAE art aesthetics strand aims to achieve. Conclusion Viewing discipline-based art education from the perspective of different curriculum theories offers the reader a chance to make connections to what and why the founding writers of the DBAE saw to be important. The origins of the DBAE stem from previous decades of art instruction being a break for regular classroom teachers, and an arts and craft slice of the students educational day. By creating an art curriculum that includes rigorous standards, art education benefits art instructors by focusing their efforts, and more importantly all students because of the critical thinking. While there are still flaws within the DBAE approach, the successes require schools to provide the necessary, valuable time for art instruction and learning in mainstream education. References Baszile, D. T. (2008). The oppressor within: A counterstory of race, repression, and teacher reflection. Urban Rev, 40, 371-385. doi:10.1007/s11256-008-0090-1 Darder, A., Baltodano, M., Torres, R. (2009). 7 Confronting Class in the Classroom. In The critical pedagogy reader bell hooks (2nd ed.). New York and London: Routledge. Dewey, J. (1976). The Middle Works, 1899-1924. In The child and the curriculum. London and Amsterdam: Southern Illinois University Press. Doll, W. E. (1993). A post-modern perspective on curriculum. New York and London: Teachers College, Columbia University. Dweck, C. S. (2000). 3 Achievement Goals: Looking Smart Versus Learning. In Self-theories and goals: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. New York and London: Psychology Press. Eisner, E. W. (1967). Help or hindrance? The School Review, 75(3), 250-260. Eisner, E. W. (2001). What does it mean to say a school is doing well? The Phi Delta Kappan, 82(5), 367-372. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004a). 1 Scientific Method in Curriculum-Making by Franklin Bobbitt. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004b). 3 The Public School and the Child Immigrant by Jane Addams. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004c). 4 Dare the School Build a New Social Order by George S. Counts. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Freedman, K. (1987). Art education and changing political agendas: An analysis of curriculum concerns of the 1940s and 1950s. Studies in Art Education, 29(1), 17-29. Freire, P. (2003). 2. In Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th Anniversary ed.). New York and London: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. Greene, M. (1995). 2 Imagination, Breakthroughs, and the Unexpected. In Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kliebard, H. M. (2004). 1 Curriculum Ferment in the 1890s. In The struggle for the American curriculum, 1893-1958 (3rd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Noddings, N. (2003). 4 The Aims of Education. In Happiness and education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Patchen, J. (1996). Overview of discipline based music education. Music Educators Journal, 83(2), 19-27. Sumara, D., Davis, B. (1999). Interrupting heteronormativity: Toward a queer curriculum theory. Curriculum Theory, 29(2), 191-208. Wang, H. (2008). Red eyes: Engaging emotions in multicultural education. Multicultural Perspectives, 10(1), 10-16. doi:10.1080/15210960701869330

Truth Revealed in As I Lay Dying :: As I Lay Dying Essays

Truth Revealed in As I Lay Dying       Addie Bundren conjures up the central darkness derived from her death and directly or indirectly causes actions in which each Bundren character takes advantage of Addie. With the character's actions revolving around her death, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying reveals the truth about the people who surround a person may take advantage of him or her.   The death of Addie Bundren shapes all of the character's actions in life including Addie's final request before her death.   Addie takes advantage of her death by using it for revenge and inflicting final pains upon some characters, while the other characters use her to get what they want for their personal needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Addie causes all the painful actions around her family either directly or indirectly.   Addie is foremost the prominent abuser of her upcoming death in As I Lay Dying.   She predetermines her time to die, and she makes sure that the people in her family whom she dislikes must experience her wrath before she moves on to the next life.   "Addie is the one who is dying, but she makes revenges run throughout the family and extend beyond" (Wadlington 35). Inflicting pain mostly on Anse, Addie enjoys herself. Anse, a lazy man, is forced by his wife to take her to Jefferson to be buried as her final request.  Ã‚   Addie's revenge on Anse was payback for all the times when he just sat around while Addie, her children, and sometimes neighbors do all the hard work for him.   Also "Addie reacts to Anse's arid conventionality by having a clandestine affair with minister Whitfield" (Wadlington 31). Addie also indirectly hurts one of her favor ite sons, Cash.   Cash is hurt indirectly when he helps ! his kinfolk carry his mother's coffin to Jefferson, where along the path, he breaks his leg while crossing a flooded river.   Although Cash is one of Addie's favorites besides Jewel, Addie's cruel revenge carries over to Cash's broken leg, which later becomes infected.   Besides her indirect action on Cash's leg, Cash is the most favorite of Addie. As Wadlington states, "He is very much his mother's son in expressing his feelings through physical action rather than through words by building a coffin for the mother he loves" (Wadlington 41). Jewel, Addie's second favorite next to Cash, seems to be cursed by his callous mother.

Triumph Launching Event

Executive Summary3 Introduction4 Customer Profile6 Demographic6 Behavioural6 Environmental scan7 SWOT Analysis7 PEST Analysis9 Store observations10 In-store10 Shoppers Behavior11 Online shop12 Ideas / Amendments for functional and creative online services12 Brand Awareness Survey14 Motorcycle range14 Clothing and accessories17 Conclusion and Recommendations21 Range evaluation21 Triumph dealers’ range21 Executive Summary Firstly, we shall present a little information about the company. The company was formed as a bicycle manufacturing company by Siegfried Bettmann in Coventry in 1887.In 1967, the production of the motorbike peaked at 47,000 units in this year. Unfortunately the business went into liquidation because lack of government backing. But in that year, John Bloor, a businessman who is the current owner of the company, bought the land where the factory located and therefore have the rights to the name of Triumph and assembles a team to develop a new range. In 2008, the company could break the record of its peak production. They were able to produced more than 50,000 units in this year. Triumph now has five factories and all are 100 percent owned by the company.Two of these factories are based in Hickley, UK and the other three factories are in Chonburi, Thailand. The clothing and accessories are made in China. For Triumph motorcycle, there are six range which can be classifies as the following; Supersport, Adventure, Touring, Classics, Cruisers and Roadsters. The age ranges for each range are different from each other. The younger target market is more attracted to the Supersport, adventure and roadster range whereas touring and cruisers range attracts more of 45-60 years old. The range that is the most popular and has the biggest volume sold is the classic.Whereas the roadsters range has the most competitors. There are 54 dealerships in United Kingdom and Ireland. Sixteen of these are multi- franchise dealers and 38 are solus dealers. All of thes e dealerships are franchised. All dealers must follow brand standard such as colour the store blue with wooden floor. Fifty percent of the stores will have PCA specialist. There are 16 subsidiary markets and 36 countries nationwide. Introduction The aim of this project is to propose an effective launching event of Triumph clothing range to dealers around UK using the range evaluation that we have researched.Having an effective launching event can help the company to maximize and maintain relationships with the dealers in order to secure orders. This project also hoping to improve with the order management process which can reduce cost and time benefits both the company and dealers. We have been given the opportunity to evaluate and improve the sell at the launching event for the Autumn/Winter 2011 Triumph clothing collection. Triumph is a motorcycle company whom also sell biker’s clothing and accessories range. Their objective is to promote and be more emphasize with this ran ge where they see potential opportunity.This project aims to gain knowledge about how to expand Triumph’s clothing collection to non-biker customers. We are appointed to evaluate and suggests a new lunching event(s) to dealers around UK. The problem that they are having now is that their clothing and accessories range are only known among bikers. It is our mission to come up with strategy to maximize their profit by expanding their customer base. We are here to think of ways that can attract those who are non-bikers. For clothing and accessories, they will launch collections twice a year, which consists of Spring/Summer collection and Autumn/Winter collection. The collection is made up of core and seasonal items. Core items are the items regarding to the season and the dealers can reorder any time because the stock is at Headquarter. For seasonal items, they focus on the climate during that particular time of the year and only available via forward order. Forward orders are c rucial for both dealers and Triumph. This is the way dealers can secure products for the season and allows Triumph to understand the market and best seller.For the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection that we are appointed, Triumph has coordinate together with Barbour. Barbour is a UK owned clothing store broadening out from its countrywear roots. Todays the company produces clothing that is designed for a full country lifestyle. The collection is to be launch during February and March 2011. The launching event usually taken place at the factory where dealers visit the pop up store for viewing the new collection and this is to be joined by appointment only. Information, product demonstration and order making are taken place on the event day.Sometimes the person visiting the event may not have the authority to make the purchase, therefore the company is given them a 3 week launching event so that decisions can be made within this 3 weeks. During this 3 weeks, larger dealers have their indiv idual bringing of 1-3 staffs whereas 2-4 small dealers are grouped together. The main goal of this collection is to start expanding the market to those who are non-bikers. But the problem being that they have not been considering about putting their products into any other department stores because they want to give priority to their existing dealers for stocking Triumph products.There is no budget limit for the launching event and sounded like the previous events made at the factory has been quite low. Their main competitor is BMW (for motorcycle department). If there were any stock left at the end of the season, participated dealers will pay extra to get their names printed on the sale adverts, which is usually published in the motor publishing. Customer Profile Demographic Supersport: Customer is male, in the mid 20s, single, and lives in the city. Adventure: Customer is male, in the 30s, married, lives in an upscale neighborhood.Touring: Customer is male/female, in the 30s, marr ied, moves around a lot with no permanent resident. Cruiser: Customer is male, 50-60 years old, married, living in rural area. Classic: Customer is male/female, in the 50s, married, and does not live in big cities. Roadster: Customer is male, 25-40 years old, single, and lives in the big cities. Behavioural Supersport: People who like racing, and look for a motor technically outstanding with high specification. Adventure: People who like adventure, and look for versatile motor accompanying them in different environment.Touring : People who like sport and travel, they look for a powerful motor having grater practicality in touring or sports touring. Cruiser: People who like cruisers look and embrace attitude of the hotted up motorcycles of the  60s. Classic : People who like vintage style and look for a motor presenting modern interpretation of a timeless classic. Roadster: People who take speed and agility seriously and look for a middleweight streetfighter. Environmental scan SWO T Analysis Triumph was formed as a bicycle manufacturing company by Siegfried Bettmann in Coventry in 1887.The first motorcycle was built in 1902. Triumph now has five factories around the world. They have 750 dealers in 35 countries and 54 of them are in UK. The clothing range started in 1994 with collaboration with Frank Thomas. Strengths * Branding – A United Kingdom’s brand born in 1887. The brand is not only well known in the UK but throughout the world. * Worldwide presences – Triumph truly has an international presence with factories in UK and Thailand for the motorcycle sector and for clothing sector in China. Also there are 750 dealers around the world.Countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, USA and Venezuela. * Collaboration – The company successfully collaborates with the well known British clothing brand â€Å"Barbour† for their 2011 Spring and Summer clothing collection. This is an opportunity for Triumph to extend their brand awareness to non-bikers sector. * Customization – There is an option â€Å"create my Triumph† on the website where you can build your very own Triumph motorcycle.Weaknesses * Undifferentiated products/service – Unlike their rival, BMW, they don’t only make motorcycles, they produce cars as well. This is why BMW is a much better known company because their target market is relatively larger. * Because Triumph refuses to expand their stores into a more commercial environment such as a department store, the chance of attracting larger non-biker audience is lower. * The company is lacking marketing expertise. This weakened the brand to expand to its potential customers. Opportunities * The virtual world is becoming an essential part of our lives, Internet is a powerful tool.Having a Triumph site where customers can order online is beneficial. * Joint venture with Barbour will give opportunity to Triumph for expanding the brand name and brand awareness. * Moving into a new market segment with the clothing collection will generates more interests in the brand itself and also generates more profit. Threats * The continuing Global recession – The economic decline result in the demand of consumers. Especially with the increase in oil price, a motorcycle is considered as a ‘want’ not ‘need’. * Intense competition – There are many competitors in this market.Many of the competitors offer marketing incentives and reduce in product price. This action will have a negative effect on Triumph pricing and market share. * Global warming – The issue of global warming will effect in Triumph motorcycle sales. People are becoming more conscious of fuel consumption. PEST Analysis Political: The government has di scouraged bike usage by increasing taxes for all bike riders. Since 2009, there has been an increase in Bike Road Tax as well as Bike Parking Tax. Vehicle Excise Duty for Motorcycles has increased for the 2009-2010 period.With the increase in oil prices, it has become far more costly to ride a motorbike today. Even so, traffic congestion and overcrowded public transport favors motorcycle use as a means of commuting. Economic: Inflation rates in the UK are increasing as well as the exchange rate, while the interest rate remains low. Due to this situation, the production of motorcycles depend more on imports and labor cost have increased as a result. At the same time the increase in global trade has created severe competition in the industry due to the emerging foreign markets.However it is easier to escape this recession on a two-wheeler rather than a car. Social: More people in the UK now own motorbikes despite the increases in cost. It is more socially acceptable to own a bike, and there are a lot more female motorcycle owners. A lot of older individuals who used to ride bikes when they were young are now starting to purchase bikes once again (returner bikers). The number of motorcycle use has increased over the years as opposed to cars, as they serve as a status symbol and are more efficient and practical in traffic.Technological: Technological advances have added many safety features to motorbikes to make riders more comfortable. The demand of motorcycles has led to the emergence of larger capacity engines (around 500cc). These changes make motorbikes more attractive as a means of transport as well as a leisure activity. Store observations In-store North city Triumph North city Triumph opened this brand new store just a month ago and the shop outlook really inspires customers, even though you are not rider. Big Triumph flags outside and a fresh, clean environment welcomes you inside.The store is located in a busy suburban area, half an hour from London city , in a good marketplace if you are coming by car or by bike. The store is a Triumph Solus dealer and they have a PCA Specialist who is in charge of clothing and accessory parts. The Triumph brand is very well presented in the North city store: Wooden floors, bright and high spaces display their bike range and latest clothing collection range in a stunning way. The shop offers personal assistants for customers and all staff is most helpful and willing to serve clients to meet all their needs.The Triumph collection is still very monotonous and dark leather jackets and trousers make everything look like same. Unfortunately no product really stands out and even labels such as â€Å"new model† failed to make you more interested to buy. North city Triumph’s ideal customer is a man in his mid 40s, who buys products mainly for his needs rather than his wants. Metropolis Vauxhall Metropolis Vauxhall is located south of London city center, close to all transport connections. The shop is a Triumph multi- franchise dealer, so it also offers its competitors products.Here Triumph’s image as a brand is less highlighted and the collection range is narrower. The store visit is less inspiring than at the Solus store and Triumph’s products get lost among competing brands. Yet, a broad supply of competing products and brands attract a larger number of customers and this generates increased impulse sales for the more generic Triumph products, such as their leisure clothing line. The Triumph collection range remains vague and limited space availability makes displaying products, and brand imaging, challenging.Metropolis Vauxhall Triumph? s ideal customer is a man aged between 35 and 55 and they also might pop in store just for clothing, not just because of biking. Shoppers’ Characteristics †¢ Triumph clothes’ ideal customer is a man between 35 and 55 †¢ The ideal, and also potential customers, are males returning to their youth: t hey like to wear something classical, stylish and keep their individual style rather then run after the latest trends †¢ They like to shop in store †¢ They shop mainly for needs more than wants Triumph’s customers respect personal assistants and prefer visiting the same local store †¢ Customer respects practical clothes and a personal look †¢ Triumph’s brand is an important factor for customer ( SWOT,PETS, Dealers feedback) Online shop Online shopping has exploded during last decade and today it is normal to do a virtual shopping trip that satisfies the customer’s needs. This year e- retail sales are on course to a record 16% growth in the UK and as retailers start offering more and more e-services online shops will become faster and more functional.Also, using IMRG ( Interactive media in retail group) research report, clothing is one of the fastest growing online shopping sectors. Online shopping advantages are remarkable. Lower costs (expe nses) to retailers and customers, user friendliness, fast delivery and independence of shopping hours are factors that every company should take advantage of as much as possible. Though Triumph’s image is built on customer service, this would be a further advantage that increases their competitiveness. Also, as no other competitor has a truly outstanding online store, small quality improvements could result in a decent increase of customers.Triumph world website and dealers’ websites are overall very professional compared to other motorcycle brands, but dealers’ own online clothing shops /services differ largely in their visual outlook, ranges and operating systems in general. Outstanding and interesting dealers stand out straight away. Carl Rosner and A1 Moto are good examples of online shops that are simple to use and harmonized/balanced within Triumph’s brand image and product range. Almost exceptional, Solus dealers stand out with a positive Triumph b rand image and visitors get a feeling that the dealer is standing behind and believing in their brand 100%.However, surprisingly many dealers have a complicated order system and their product ranges are presented in a dull way, without a professional feel. The pictures are small and especially the light coloured casual clothes drown into the white background. At the moment some dealer’s pages don’t inspire to shop and their complicated order-system does not encourage online buying. Based on the research results and the feedback we got from consumers that are targeting Triumph’s target group, it is recommend that dealers’ webpages and online services would be similar and linked together with the Triumph brand nationally.Triumph’s target group and potential buyers mainly consists of men who usually appreciate user friendliness, and a straight forward clothing line, that can be bought with just a couple of clicks on the mouse Ideas / Amendments for fu nctional and creative online services †¢ Dealers online services/ shop harmonized to Triumph official sites and brand image. †¢ Product info and pictures to have same the outlook as is used in the Triumph catalog and their official pages. †¢ Creating seasonal online campaigns that are targeted to inspire loyal customers and new potential bikers. Charity campains. †¢ â€Å" â€Å"Goes with† – boxes†.Website would automatically suggest clothes or accessories that would go well with previously purchased items. †¢ Making online shopping easier and more fluent. Product ranges displayed with uniform background image and a picture size that allows you to properly view the chosen product. * Clothing pictures with real people, using professional photographer †¢ Promoting of casual wear line should be more directed towards the target customer group, men that have spending power, but little time for shopping. †¢ Create competition â€Å" design your own jacket or t-shirt†. Winner’s design would be launched with limited number.Brand Awareness Survey We have set up a survey analyzing Triumph brand awareness amongst Fashion students aged between 21 to 35 years old and other category was people with no age limit. At the moment, out of 38 respondents, only 14 have heard of the brand ‘Triumph’. Whereas the main competitors such as Yamaha, Ducati and BMW have 35, 32 and 30 respondents respectively. There are many factors that can be the reasons why Triumph is not as well known as the competitors. * Locations of the stores * Sponsorships * Product variety * Brand reputation * Brand marketing * Brand accessibilityAnother point that we can observes is that out of 38 respondents, only 1 respondent wrote Triumph as the brand that comes first in their mind. Whereas Harley Davidson has 15 respondents and Ducati has 8 respondents. For improvements of the brand awareness, we can study how Harley Davidson presents itself to the audience. After this observation, we would like to focus the brand emphasizing its British heritage with the Classic look. We can see that Harley Davidson and Vespa also have the Vintage Classic look and we think if Triumph brings out the Heritage theme it can become better known as well.Also, taking considerations consumers, we see that most potential new customers are middle age people, who have interest to start new, youngish hobby or finally carry out their dreams. These people, mostly men, have also money to spend for bike and naturally for street wise/ credible clothing. Analysis of Product offers Motorcycle range Triumph’s 2011 motorcycle product contains the following ranges. Pictures of products are listed in appendix. Roadster range Triumph Roadsters range is for the street. It stresses attitude, style, performance and agility.This range has Street Triple and Speed Triple. The Street Triple’s specification includes Triumph’s trad emark twin headlights and high level silencers, meaty dual brake discs up front and a comprehensive instrument suite that even includes a lap timer and adjustable gear change indicator. The Speed Triple’s specification includes four-piston Brembo brakes for eye-popping stopping power, fat alloy handlebars, fully-adjustable 43mm upside down forks for maximum control and a comprehensive instrumentation that includes lap timer and programmable gear shift light. Supersports rangeTriumph Supersports range is for the racetrack to compete with the best in the supersport class. This range has Daytona 675. With the lightest and narrowest chassis in the class, the Daytona 675 delivers outstandingly agile and intuitive handling. Fully adjustable suspension front and rear, with separate adjustment for high and low speed compression damping, gives the Daytona 675 superb composure on all surfaces, while top-of-the-range monobloc radial brake calipers up front deliver eye popping stopping p ower. Adventure range This range is designed for people who are looking for adventure and it has Tiger 1050.The Tiger 1050 is equally at home in the urban jungle as it is prowling on the open road. The Tiger 1050 with its commanding riding position, its muscular 1,050cc triple engine, powerful brakes and high specification sporty chassis making for real fun on the twisties and composure in the traffic. Tiger 1050 is a superbly competent bike and does scratch, tour and commute all. Touring range This range satisfied sport and touring at the same time and it has Sprint. (Sprint ST and Sprint GT) Equally capable of crossing continents or taking on a track day, the Sprint is one of those rare contradictions.The new Sprint ST has been given a number of improvements to ensure it remains one of the world’s favourite sports-tourers. Updates include new reflector-style triple headlight unit; re-designed cockpit; the same stunning 1050cc inline triple engine, but with latest spec ECU f or ultra-smooth throttle response. Sportier than the GT, the Sprint ST is set to become even more attractive due to its new ultra-competitive price. The New Sprint GT is greater practicality and more emphasis on the ‘touring' aspect of ‘sports touring'. It offers a unique proposition of performance, practicality and price.Performance from the uprated 1050cc triple with 130PS on hand. Practicality – the GT's byword – with 117 litres of lugguage, ABS brakes,   u-lock, built in rack and grab handle, and a  200 mile fuel range. Classics range This range is designed for classic motorcycle style. It has Scrambler, Bonneville, and Thruxton. Scrambler is inspired by the 60s Triumph off-road sports motorcycles that were stripped down for racing and has a unique look and feel all of its own. It has styling details including gaiters, white seat piping and high swept chromed side pipes.Bonneville is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the definitive ‘proper ’ motorcycle, this iconic symbol of rebellion and independence is even more accessible thanks to its low and narrow seat, clean and efficient fuel-injected engine and lightweight 17 inch alloy wheels for even sharper handling. Thruxton is named after the famous racetrack where Triumph ruled the roost and is inspired by the Ton Up Boys of the 1960s. The Thruxton is Triumph’s sportiest Modern Classic, and authentic cafe racer delivering a unique Triumph experience. Cruisers rangeThis range presents classic cruiser looks and has America, Speedmaster, Thunderbird, and Rocket III. For the classic cruiser look, the America comes with shrouded front forks with polished lowers, chromed single headlamp and chromed engine covers, machined cast wheels, chromed detailing and twin reverse cone pipes. The Speedmaster is a tough looking, no-nonsense sports cruiser that’s dripping with attitude. With blacked out engine cases, slash cut pipes and cast black wheels with polished rims, the Speedmaster embraces the attitude of the hotted up motorcycles of the  60s.The Thunderbird oozes cruise from every angle with its strong, muscular lines. Powered by the all-new 1600cc T-16 parallel-twin engine, the Thunderbird delivers class leading power, torque and economy figures, with a refinement previously unheard of in the mainstream cruiser class. Rocket III Touring is a true mile eating custom tourer blessed with unique character and that memorable 2. 3 litre motor. The iconic engine has been retuned for effortless low down torque. Rocket III Roadster has Classic streetfighter looks and delivers the tree-pulling levels of torque. Clothing and accessoriesTriumph’s 2011 spring and summer garment and accessories product contains the following ranges. Pictures of products are listed in appendix. Roadster range Performance products with attitude, developed for the street and the city. Roadster garments are targeted at the riders of Speed and Street Triple and range from subtle to heavy branded products. Added comfort and features make these products more usable for everyday or occasional riding. This range has items in jackets, pants and jeans. Supersport range Performance supersport products follow the ethos of bikes like the Daytona 675.They are technically advanced with high specification, delivering a product range that is aimed at the track and sports riding. Visually strong, these pieces are heavily branded with a bold and distinctively triumph design. This range has items in one piece suit, jacket, and jeans. Touring range Touring series is a very functional range of products. Waterproof, windproof and breathable, this collection has been developed to allow consumers to enjoy long rides, providing the wearer with the essential protection from the elements. This range has items in jacket, pans, and jeans.Adventure range Inspired by the spirit of adventure, this collection of products has a more rugged, enduro style. Packed full of features, these functional garments will deal with the requirement of both road and off-road riding. This range has items in jacket and pants. Heritage range Classic looking products make up this range, inspired by motorcycle garments of the past. This collection is designed for the exacting requirements of a modern day motorcyclist, whist also maintaining that true authentic heritage. This range only has items in jackets. Modern retro rangeWhere modern meets retro, a range of products inspired by the classic racing garments of the 60’s and 70’s. The use of racing stripes, graphics and colors are combined with classic style leathers and modern construction technologies to deliver a performance riding product. This range has items in jackets and jeans. Legend range The Triumph legends range includes a series of products that pays homepage to the icons of music and screen that had a close relationship with Triumph. Legend collection contains two special editions which Ma re- James Dean special edition Jacket and Mcqueen special edition Jacket.Cruiser range This range have taken the classic image of the cruiser and given it a Brit Rocker attitude. The Cruiser range take their influence from the British Rocker culture of the 1960’s and 70’s and combined these looks with modern technology. This range has items in jackets and jeans. Triumph union range The triumph union range has a fashion influence with products that cross over between categories and can be comfortably worn on any bike or worn off-bike. These products have character and a style of their own. This range has items in jackets and blousons.Function range The function range of products comprises of waterproof oversuits and protector including protect vase, back pro-tech and pro-tech jacket. Men’s casual range This range presents casual look and has items in shirt, layer tops, leggings, jackets, T-shirts, shorts, polo, hoodies, and denims. These products can go with othe r Triumph products. Ladies range The ladies collection offers a focused number of styles and options to appeal to both rides and pillions alike. All styles are designed independently, conceived to appeal to women.This range has items in jackets, jeans, gloves, and boots. Ladies casual wear range This range presents casual look and has items in shirts, T-shirt, vests, and jeans. Junior range The junior range is fun and colorful, and is ideal gifts for younger Triumph enthusiast. This range has items in shirts, T-shirts, bike models, model kits, and Triumph Teddy. Personal accessories range Personal accessories range has items in following categories: – personal luggage (helmet bags, bum bags, laptop bags, and hold all) – gifts(magnets, cybertool, water bottle, and cards set) team hinckley(door mat, buff, beer mat, and bike mat) – headwear and buffs (hat, buff, and neck tube) – collectors scale models – wallets and pens – watches and wall cloc k – belts and buckles – key fobs and pin badges – mugs and glassware -patches and stickers Conclusion and Recommendations Range evaluation Triumph’s clothing line is strongly linked to their motorcycle collection. They offer a wide range of riding gear, of high technical quality, designed specifically for each motorcycle model.They renew their clothing line twice a year to suit their customer’s changing needs throughout the year, allowing them to adjust for different weather and climates. Triumph is proud of its roots and history. This becomes clear after only a brief glance through their webpages. Their clothes are designed and manufactured with utmost respect towards its image and heritage. This way they guarantee customer satisfaction and a first class biker look, suitable for riding and leisure. Their vast clothing line serves both the customers and the dealer’s needs.An ideal riding suit or just a jacket has been designed to every motor cycle type and this helps the dealers in designing their collection and building their order. Triumph pricing range is ideal and comparing biggest competitors BMW and Ducati, we see that their products offer best value for money. If the clothing range, especially in casual wears would be bit more mature and classical, we would even suggest higher prices for some products. Every dealer should offer best-selling products for all motorcycle range and also build up perfect combination for casual wears that goes together in style with modern motorcycle clothes.The climate and location are naturally also important factors, but it is more important in our view that the supply for their target group and demand of motorcycles are in balance. Collections offer great suits for driving and in that field Triumph are reaching their goals (touring, supersports, adventure). However problem is that most of these products aren’t something you buy every season, not even every year, so Triumph c lothing should be stand out more through modern motorcycle clothes, casual wears, that goes as well as biking clothes (modern retro, legend, heritage, casual). Triumph dealers’ rangeBased on our store-visits, customer feedback and material that we received from the Triumph company, it seems like Solus and multi-dealers have certain problems defining an ideal clothing range. Solus dealers normally have a large range of products but the typical customer normally comes in to see motorcycles and if they buy clothes it is usually mainly for driving. The casual wear line is presented well but since the competition in this field is fierce, people tend to prefer buying clothes elsewhere. Multi-franchise dealers have other brands presented as well, so Triumph clothes are not standing out too well.However, these shops are visited by a larger number of new potential customers, so if the range matches the customers’ needs, this will affects sales positively. To be able to find a p erfect balance for the range that is being ordered, dealers must target their potential customers and then build the perfect match of driving clothes, casual wears and personal accessories around it. The Triumph company must also be able to build a brand image that is identical with the products that are being offered. Every successful clothing brand has to focus on a certain look.Triumph’s history and success in motorcycles is defined by their individual yet stylish look and this should also be the brand message going forward. Appendix: http://www. triumphmotorcycles. co. uk/clothing, Triumph company materials, ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. triumph. co. uk, http://www. a1moto. com, http://www. carlrosner. co. uk, http://www. metropolismotorcycles. com [ 2 ]. http://www. harley-davidson. com/en_US/Content/Pages/MotorClothes_Merchandise/pink-label. html [ 3 ]. http://e u. levi. com/en_GB/shop/index. html, http://www. asos. com [ 4 ]. http://www. streetshirts. co. uk

Whats the Difference Between Being Laid Off and Getting Fired

Whats the Difference Between Being Laid Off and Getting Fired Were you laid off or were you fired? Think it makes no difference? Think again. â€Å"Fired† tends to have a much more negative connotation than â€Å"laid off.† Though it’s possible to be a good employee and be fired, you should still be aware of the associations future employers might have to the terms you use. Which is Which?Being laid off is usually considered the fault of your employer. It’s usually either due to budget cuts or corporate strategy/reorganization, and often after mergers. Sometimes even the best employees are laid off- such as when cuts are imposed across the board. It could even be that an entire regional office was closed.Being fired is a little different. There is usually a cause and that cause is usually an employee’s poor performance. This will be tricky to explain to future employers. There are plenty of reasons you could be fired that actually don’t reflect on you at all. And many states in which employees work â₠¬Å"at will†- meaning they can be fired at any time, for any cause, or even no cause. The main reason you could be fired illegally would be for reasons of discrimination, but those situations are tricky and require an employment lawyer.Why Does it Matter?First of all, if you’ve been laid off, you might be eligible for unemployment benefits. Or even severance pay or other exit benefits. If you were fired, you won’t. If you were fired, you’ll also have to start honing the story you’ll tell future employers about why you were fired- and doing so without trashing the company or your supervisor. Find a way to explain your termination that doesn’t cast you in too negative a light, but also doesn’t throw anyone else under the bus either.What Should You Do?If you are eligible for unemployment, check in with your state unemployment office for details of how to proceed. Educate yourself about the rights of unemployed workers in your area. And sta rt looking for a new job as soon as you can!If you are eligible for severance, inquire with your employer as to their policies. This is not required by law. You are also entitled to any unused vacation days or deferred compensation in the form of stocks.No matter what, you should inquire as to your company’s COBRA benefits, to continue your health coverage. Most companies have to provide 18 months after separation. The monthly premiums will be expensive, but paying it is better than the alternative.Bottom LineIf you’re not sure, it’s best to ask your supervisor. If you live in an â€Å"at will† employment state, they are under no legal obligation to tell you why they fired you. But you are allowed to ask how they will refer to the termination if used as a reference. Better to know whether you were laid off or fired than to lose a future job because you made an incorrect assumption.