Strategy and its importance for competitive advantage

Strategy and its importance for competitive advantage A companys strategy is organization action plan which is running the business and conducting operations. Especially this can mention as managerial commitment to achieve their goals. Companies target on gaining sales and market share at the expense of competitors and companies which are in strong industry position are more reflect on the strategy what they use (Helfat, 2004). Through the action Plan Company can enter its competitors and can make the goals and strategies to meet their market place. A company should formulate a business strategy which incorporates cost leadership or differentiation to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Michael Porter introduced two basic types of competitive advantages which are cost advantage and differentiation advantage. Cost advantage exits when company can give same benefits as competitor with lower cost. And differentiation advantage exits when the company can make different benefits or the value to the customer from their products. As an Example BP is using combination of Crude oil and natural energy such as solar power to give differentiation to their customers and it is a well successful strategy. Source: http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=2contentId=7065607 (Access on 20th May 2011) There are several technical tools which are used to analysis situations in strategic Management. STEEPLE is one of it shortening the external environment in a business operates and concerned with the political, economic, social factors influential industry change and helps to gain a better understanding for external conditions for growth in a market. Companies or the decision makers can develop effective strategies by using GE Matrix as well (Thomas, ONeal, and Ghertman, 1997). The porters five forces investigation helps to diversity a competitive environment. For example, BP analyzes the market for Quality oil production. Five forces analysis describe five key areas exclusively the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry (Bettis, 2004) Figure1. Porters Generic Strategies (source:http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Porter+five+forces+analysishl=enclient=opera) Competitors for BP Shell, Sharp, Kyocera, Solar, and BP are the current major players in this industry. Price differences are not big among these companies, solar energy is already expensive technology to produce, so its cost of production is very high, but it is environmental friendly. BP has mass production, so it can face to price rivalry happen. Business strategy in BP BP enter of solar market in 1973 and produced BP solar in 2000, it was one of main strategy to face current oil crisis and environment issues. BP solar becomes profitable but it is not prominently spread among the public, so government involvement is important to become popular of solar power. Evaluating BP External Environment BP is one from the world leading Multinational Corporation which produces Consumer energy, and it is UK based organization. BPs SWOT analysis can be mentioned as follows. Strengths World third largest energy company Operation spreads worldwide Strong Brand loyalty Good brand image Financial strength of the company. It has vertical integration operation system. Weaknesses Increase the petrol price in UK Has to paid criminal charges due to spread huge amount of oil in the Alaska Sea in 2006. Reduce in natural gas and crude oil production. Criticism and Controversies Opportunities Has high investment capacity Research to investigate alternative fuel such as Hydrogen, Solar, Wind and natural gas Extension of acquisition of North sea area Increase demand for natural gas in USA and Europe countries. Implement more flexible price polices to face their competitors. Gas and Oil exploration Treats Unsound policies related to Environment after oil and toxic spill in 2006. Explosion of refinery tunnels in occasionally Has big rivals such as Shell and Chevron Sold corporate owned stations. Pipeline corrosion Instability in some oil and gas producing countries and regions Table.1. SWOT analysis of BP By implementing proper marketing policies and practices company will make its market position. BP culture so distinctive because they focus on customer, and believe BP is better than all other Energy produce companies. Source: (http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968contentId=7059787) Effectiveness of Current Business Plans BP business plan has advantage in the Research and investigation area. The crude oil plus the solar power combinations was very successful strategy implemented in recently. Products segmentation, explorations and productions, significantly company restructuring, improve cost efficiency, centralized company departments are their current strategies to compete with rivalry and increase company profits. Task Two Strategic Options Strategic Options is an important facet and it helps to craft companys alternatives and provide safe and keep up the competitive situation. After situation analysis company can create strategic options to devise organizations external atmosphere and can scrutinize the potential. BP has a comprehensible strategy to invest to raise investigation and manufacture advantageously through a mixture of leadership positions in the worlds most productive hydrocarbon basins. BP creates value through the appliance of technology and potential to force performance and operating efficiency. The procedure and technology offers extensive chance for further expansion and improvement. The international requirements for energy for the next 20 years are such that hydrocarbons are still going to have a leading part in meeting that energy demand. BP supports emissions trading mechanisms as a means of putting a value on carbon in order to make appropriate investment decisions. BP spends on growing technology budget on potentially most competitively profitable innovations both in open and new power spaces. It is both a strategic option and an opportunity for BP when comparing with the rivals as BP is strategically positioned themselves in a highly innovative RD processes which is unmatchable by the rivals easily. While facing major challenges of dilapidated supplies and defense of supply in oil and gas, global warming and insist for pure energy in major markets, BPs percentage of expend on novel technologies is growing. BP has a decentralized en route for RD units. It also drives the strategic positioning of BP in competition among rivals. Operational excellence in acquiring right technologies from within and outer the organization and strategically as a winner of chosen new technologies, BP is keeping its innovation leadership in the industry. With an aim of being twice as good as next best competitor BPs innovation schema is far above the ground outline. Hence a low cost strategy is an ideal positioning for BP while serving to a large market segment that prefers a standard product. Corporate Mission of the BP BP mentioned that there goal for next few years to realize the latent impending of their advantage base by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of everything they do. They will dynamically drive cost and capital efficiency whilst at the same time maintaining the first main concern of safe and reliable operations. Objectives of the BP BP has some objectives for their growth in 2015. And all employees are working as a team to achieve company goals. Average 1-2% p.a. volume growth to 2015 Underpinned by upward resource base and quality through preference Key sources of growth beyond 2015 will come from: Increasing deepwater Leveraging expertise in gas Managing worlds enormous oilfields Enabled by application of technology Source-: http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=2contentId=7065607 Values and ethics of the BP BP is a compilation of resources and there people working together. To attain business objects they focus on sustaining and encouraging their leaders and staff. And they maintain recruitment stands and developing people skills at every level. BP is a well distinguish organization and wants to do some different in the world. BP is a performance driven company which is competitively booming. Through all this they prefer high ethical stand. Directions and methods of Strategic Options BPs direction is clear and it is the unrelenting pursuit of competitive leadership in respect of cash costs, capital efficiency and margin quality. The Strategy Clock is another suitable way to analyze a companys destructive position in comparison to the contributions of competitors. The Ansoff Growth matrix tool which is helps businesses to decide their product and market growth strategy. Figure 02.Ansoff Market mix (Source-: http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm) Steps to develop Strategic Options at BP To develop strategic options company can use following steps. Access the external context Priorities and gather Develop strategic options Rate the options Follow up Evaluating strategies at BP SOP Matrix is a tool which can use to identify the company relevant strategies through external environmental factors. As an example BP Opportunities and treats as below and by indentifying the external environmental factors can recognize the relevant strategies options. Opportunities Opportunities Strategic Option A Has high investment capacity Invest in HR development and through that develop the skills of the staff members. An same time invest in market opportunities. B RD to investigate alternative fuel such as Hydrogen, Solar, Wind and natural gas By research can find the best alternative and company can give attention to that. C Extension of acquisition of North sea area Can develop deep sea oil well. D Increasing demand for natural gas in USA and European countries. Efficient and effective resource allocation to maximize profit. Implement more flexible price polices to face their competitors. By price reducing can get more customers on their products Gas and Oil searching Will help to increase their market values and can demand them among the competitors Treats Treats Strategic Option Unsound policies related to Environment after oil and toxic spill in 2006. Understand the policies and work with less effect to environment Explosion of factory tunnels in occasionally By keeping the brand image without harm can face the problem Has big rivals such as Shell and Chevron To make company as No1. And more promotional works Sold corporate owned stations. Buy the stations Pipeline decomposition Should check the pipeline back and do the needful changers Insecurity in some oil and gas producing countries and regions Should find some more producers in case to use. BPs existing company strategies are, 1) Safe, obedient and consistent operations 2) Operational and financial force high dividends and cost diminution program Task Three SMART Objectives of BP BP Objectives are prepared according to SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed).That means it should be particular about what we are going to achieve and should calculate about the objectives. There are a several types of objectives like process objectives, outcome objectives, personal objective that all can be done in the SMART format. BPs five year plan objectives are, Increase profitability by 20% Increase production Financial gain by serving to the increasing demand Build brand value that was affected by the oil spills Five year development plan for BP Business plan is a statement about companys future goals and plans to achieve those goals. This can be externally focus or internally focus. BPs Strategies in development can position as, Upstream growth Downstream turnaround Alternative Energy: alert disciplined Corporate overview In the upstream will hub on cost and capital efficiency to distribute profitable growth. In the downstream will drive additional efficiencies and a focus on quality and incorporation. They will maintain their disciplined approach to substitute energy and will carry on unlock corporate efficiency through a culture of uninterrupted enhancement. Five year development plan for BP # Objective Strategy Actions Performance Indicators Time Period 1 Increase profitability by 20% Research and development Hire most qualified researchers Innovative ways of doing things One year 2 Increase production Acquisition of north sea area. Negotiations with governments and agreeing for a joint profit sharing. Coming into an agreement with relevant governments Two years 3 Financial gain by serving to the increasing demand Sales and Marketing approaches to increase market share Recruiting experienced sales and marketing people and objective training Acquiring new market opportunities, increase the market share One year 4 Build brand value that was affected by the oil spills Communication and promotion strategy Using new media opportunities of social media to build brand name again, invest in CSR activities in Go Green. Reduce the black mark 3 years Evaluating and implementing the plan In business strategy, Johnson, Scholes and Whittington shows a model in strategic options are evaluated next to three key success criteria such as Suitability, Feasibility, and Acceptability. Source-: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management # Objectives Time Line 1 year 2 year 3 year 4 year 1 Increase profitability by 20% X 2 Increase production X X 3 Financial gain by serving to the increasing demand X 4 Build brand value that was affected by the oil spills X X X Table.03. Five year BP strategic plan Conclusion When it is mention about the strategic management and the leadership strategic planning is a major part of it. Strategic planning can divide in to three stages as strategic Analysis, Strategic Options and Evaluation and Implementation. The British petroleum Corporation is a well established organization in petroleum industry and here it is mentioned about the strategy and competitive advantages of the BP and the technical tools which could they can use to analysis situations. The porters five forces investigation helps identify the competitive environment BP analysis their market for Quality production. There are so many competitors like Solar, sharp in the market and BP establish with mass production. By doing the SWOT analysis its helping company to identify the internal and external environment of the company. BP is focused on customers and they believe in their productions. They used the oil plus solar power combination and they used product segmentation, improve cost efficiency and some more strategies to increase their profits. They have created value through technology and this is a barrier for their competitors. Company can use strategy clock, Ansoff growth matrix tools to analysis their position in the market. To develop strategic options first it should identify the external context and priorities and clusters. Then it should develop the strategic options. SOP matrix is best tool to identify the strategies of the company.

herody Free Essays on Homers Odyssey - Heroic or Disloyal Men? :: Odyssey essays

The Men of The Odyssey: Heroic or Disloyal? In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles’ shield is described in great depth. On one portion of the shield, there is fashioned a scene with a golden herd of straight-horn cattle. They are being led along a fruitful riverside by a group of four golden shepherds and nine hounds. Two lions approach the herd, and mutilate a mighty bull. The shepherds can do nothing but watch, as they dare not approach the predators. This scene is crucial in understanding the behavior of Odysseus’ men in the sequel to this epic, (The Iliad, p. 227). In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus narrates a portion of the epic concerning his journeys and trials during his long quest home for Ithaca. Throughout these adventures, his men play an important role in determining the fate of the entire crew of his ship. At some points, he portrays them as being heroic, while at others, they seem barbaric in nature and disloyal to their captain. These qualities of his men, and certainly others, are best exemplified through the episodes involving the Cyclopes and the Cattle of the Sun God. Before comparing and contrasting the actions of the men during these two mini-stories, a good understanding of the inhabitants of the two lands is necessary. The Island of the Sun God, Helios, is referred to as "the world’s delight," as it provides habitation for this god’s limitless flocks of cattle. Conversely, the Island of the Cyclopes inhabits primitive one-eyed, half-man, and half-bestial beings, (p. 218). While Helios’ island is described as "noble," almost as golden as the sun itself, the land of the Cyclopes is illustrated as a land filled with wild vegetation, and neglected by its undemocratic and uncivilized people. This depiction of these people being poor gardeners coincides with previous evidence from this epic, and others, that this type of lifestyle being lived by the Cyclopes was looked down upon by the author, and by the gods, in particularly. The other land, therefore, is obviously blessed and considered to be holy to the gods. Soon after landing on the Cyclopes’ Island, Odysseus takes a team of his best men with him to explore the new wilderness. They then discover the cave of Polyphemos, your everyday, average, sheep-herding Cyclopes. Odysseus’ men suggest taking the vision-impaired beast’s cheese and flocks and making a run for it, but the "raider of cities" insists on awaiting his homecoming in an attempt to see the caveman and what he has to offer.

Examining class differences Essay

(a)Explain briefly what is meant by the term ‘elaborated speech code’ . Elaborate speech code is usually associated with middle-class, well educated people. It uses a wide variety of vocabulary, is more context based, uses grammatically complex sentences, communicates abstract ideas and is mostly context-free. (b)Identify three policies that governments have introduced to compensate for material and cultural disadvantage, apart from Educational Priority Areas. Compensatory education is a policy designed in order to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation, by providing resources to communities as well as schools in deprived areas. An example of a compensatory education programme is Operation Head Start in the United States, which is one of the best known examples of such programmes. Operation Head Start focuses on pre-school ‘planned enrichment’ education in poorer areas, which was introduced in the 1960s. Their aim was to develop children’s learning skills and instil achievement motivation. This included tasks such as: setting up nursery classes, home visits by health visitors and educational psychologists, improving parenting skills and the creation of intensive learning programmes for deprived children. Sesame Street, the popular TV programme, was initially created as part of Head Start, in order to reach young children and reflecting the values and attitudes needed for educational success; such as the importance of general knowledge, literacy and numeracy. In the UK, there have been several compensatory education programmes over the years, such as the Education Priority Areas that were created in the 1960s, Education Action Zones, which were introduced in the 1960s, and more recently, with the launch in 2000, comes Sure Start. Sure Start is a nationwide programme aimed at pre-school children as well as their parents. However, it also has non-educational aims, such as improving children’s health. Sure Start was introduced by the British Government in order to tackle poverty and social exclusion. The centres available provide integrated education, family support, support with parental employment, care and health services. Sure Start’s main aim is to work with parents to promote the physical, intellectual, educational and social development of babies and young children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. (c)Outline some of the ways in which material deprivation may affect educational achievement. Material deprivation is a lack of resources and necessities needed to live a basic lifestyle, such as an adequate diet, housing, clothing, or in some cases, the money to be able to buy these things. Material deprivation can affect educational achievement as the result of the lack of these necessities. Children in education will need financial support from their parents/carers in order to pursue a sufficient education; however disadvantaged families cannot afford educational aids. As well as that, families living in poverty may have limited space in their home. This leads to overcrowding, which means there is nowhere for the child to study. Also, this could lead to illness, depending on the state and cleanliness of the house. For example, dampness can cause a variety of illnesses, which leads to absence at school, therefore, lessening the child’s chance of a successful education. Some parents may force their children to leave school early and pursue a career in order to provide extra income for the family. (d)Using material from Item A (source) and elsewhere, assess the view that working class children under-achieve because they are culturally deprived. The idea that working-class children will most likely under-achieve due to a lack of culture, also known as cultural deprivation, refers to children lacking the norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge that a society would regard as important and necessary. The attributes that these children should know and learn are, in most cases, taught by their parents and are passed to the next generation through socialisation. All children are socialised differently, and the social class of the parent has a huge impact on the child and may affect their achievement in education. According to the cultural deprivation theory, some working-class parents fail to communicate and instil the appropriate norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge needed for educational success. However, there are other factors that can determine how well a child does within education. For example, material deprivation, cultural capital and economic capital can also have an impact on how well some children will attain, therefore cultural deprivation is not the only factor and may not be the most important reason to why working-class children under-achieve.

100 Basic English Key Words for ESL Students

100 Basic English Key Words for ESL Students This list provides a starting point for a basic understanding and fluency in the English language. The list of 850 words that was developed by Charles K. Ogden, and released in 1930 with the book: Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar. For more information about this list, you can visit Odgens Basic English page. This list is an excellent starting point for building up a vocabulary which allows you to converse fluently in English. While this list is helpful for a strong beginning, more advanced vocabulary building will help you quickly improve your English. ​These vocabulary books will further help you build your vocabulary, especially at advanced levels. Teachers can use this list as a starting point for developing an essential vocabulary to their lessons. Teachers can also use this list along with other ideas on how to teach vocabulary on this site. Basic Verbs, Prepositions, Articles, Pronouns, etc. 1. come2. get3. give4. go5. keep6. let7. make8. put9. seem10. take 11. be12. do13. have14. say15. see16. send17. may18. will19. about20. across 21. after22. against23. among24. at25. before26. between27. by28. down29. from30. in 31. off32. on33. over34. through35. to36. under37. up38. with39. as40. for 41. of42. till43. than44. a45. the46. all47. any48. every49. no50. other 51. some52. such53. that54. this55. i56. he57. you58. who59. and60. because 61. but62. or63. if64. though65. while66. how67. when68. where69. why70. again 71. ever72. far73. forward74. here75. near76. now77. out78. still79. then80. there 81. together82. well83. almost84. enough85. even86. little87. much88. not89. only90. quite 91. so92. very93. tomorrow94. yesterday95. north96. south97. east98. west99. please100. yes

Free Essays on Piercing

The Healing time for the Nipple Piercing varies greatly from person to person but is usually around 3-6 months. Make sure your piercer gives you detailed "Aftercare" instructions on how exactly to care for your new piercings. Jewellery that is appropriate for the Nipple piercing includes Bead rings, Continuous rings, Barbells or Circular Barbells. Bead rings are a popular choice of jewellery for the initial piercing as they are cheaper and make it much easier to clean the piercing. Labrets are used for labret and lip piercings as well as some ear piercings Vassel Rings are a creative and versatile piece of jewelry often warn in place of a barbell or a captive bead ring. For example, put the barbell through your tongue, or put the ring through your nipple letting the barbell dangle. Earlets & Plugs are more often used in the ears but can be warn in a variety of large gauge holes. General Piercing Care Information 1. NEVER handle a new piercing with dirty hands! Wash hands and fingertips well. 2. Avoid any introduction of foreign bodily fluid to the area (sweat, blood, saliva, etc.). 3. Do not harass the piercing's healing process by wearing constrictive clothing or allowing repeated bumping and knocking around the jewelry. 4. Use caution when swimming during healing; poor water quality and high bacteria presence will infect your new piercing. Some people will run Vaseline or Neosporin liberally through the hole prior to a swim in order to seal off the exposed tissue temporarily. In this case, soak well with salt water and clean immediately afterwards. 5. Listen to your body's reactions to various products. Some ingredients commonly found in skincare products can irritate the vulnerable tissue in new piercings. Eliminating variables in product exposure will often solve occasional irritation. 6. ALL new piercings will secrete a gooey, sticky fluid called lymph. This will dry up and form a ring of crust... Free Essays on Piercing Free Essays on Piercing The Healing time for the Nipple Piercing varies greatly from person to person but is usually around 3-6 months. Make sure your piercer gives you detailed "Aftercare" instructions on how exactly to care for your new piercings. Jewellery that is appropriate for the Nipple piercing includes Bead rings, Continuous rings, Barbells or Circular Barbells. Bead rings are a popular choice of jewellery for the initial piercing as they are cheaper and make it much easier to clean the piercing. Labrets are used for labret and lip piercings as well as some ear piercings Vassel Rings are a creative and versatile piece of jewelry often warn in place of a barbell or a captive bead ring. For example, put the barbell through your tongue, or put the ring through your nipple letting the barbell dangle. Earlets & Plugs are more often used in the ears but can be warn in a variety of large gauge holes. General Piercing Care Information 1. NEVER handle a new piercing with dirty hands! Wash hands and fingertips well. 2. Avoid any introduction of foreign bodily fluid to the area (sweat, blood, saliva, etc.). 3. Do not harass the piercing's healing process by wearing constrictive clothing or allowing repeated bumping and knocking around the jewelry. 4. Use caution when swimming during healing; poor water quality and high bacteria presence will infect your new piercing. Some people will run Vaseline or Neosporin liberally through the hole prior to a swim in order to seal off the exposed tissue temporarily. In this case, soak well with salt water and clean immediately afterwards. 5. Listen to your body's reactions to various products. Some ingredients commonly found in skincare products can irritate the vulnerable tissue in new piercings. Eliminating variables in product exposure will often solve occasional irritation. 6. ALL new piercings will secrete a gooey, sticky fluid called lymph. This will dry up and form a ring of crust...

Environmental economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental economic - Essay Example The propriety of using the adjusted net savings is evaluated. The paper sets off by stating the need for sustainability measurement and identifying the three most popular sustainability indicators. Thereafter, the discussion focused on its characteristics together with criticisms of the indicator. In the end, a brief discussion with reference to Solo’s and Beckerman’s criticism is included for verification of the indicator’s fitness as the sustainability measuring tool. Before moving further, it will be quite beneficial to first examine the need for such measurement. Current trend on national and global issues places environmental sustainability at the very core (Ollivier & Giruad, 2008). In equating sustainability with wealth and looking at the former from the capitalist’s approach, measurement guides policy maker into the future by being forward-looking (Atkinson). Major decisions are made from intelligent evaluation of trends and gathered statistics. It is important therefore that factors affecting any national or global issues be available in numerical form or visual trends such that decision makers need not labor more to understand the available information. To measure performance or verify the current standing, indicators are used by interested institutions and policy makers. Numerous environment and sustainability indicators were conceived depending on the interest group that conceptualized the measurement tool or data collection method. For sustainability measurement, three aggregate indicators are prominent, The Ecological Footprint (EF) of World-wide Fund (WWF) for Nature International, Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) supported by the World Economic Forum while the Adjusted Net Savings (ANS) also known as Genuine Savings was developed and published by the World Bank (Ollivier & Giruad, 2008). The latter being a product of World Bank is receiving considerable interest and is the subject of this evaluation. The Adjus ted Net Savings is an attempt of the World Bank to measure true savings rate of an economy after factoring in investments from human capital, depletion of natural resources, and damage to the environment as a result from pollution. This indicator is not wholly dependent on environmental indicators but infuses some macroeconomic and social indicator as can be seen in the current equation (Bolt, et al, 2002): ANS = (GNS - Dh + CSE - ? Rn,i - CD) / GNI, where: ANS = Adjusted Net Savings Rate GNS = Gross National Saving Dh = Depreciation of produced capital CSE = Current (non-fixed-capital) expenditure on education Rn,i = Rent from depletion of natural capitali CD = Damages from carbon dioxide emissions GNI = Gross National Income at Market Prices. The above model suggests that sustainable economy is indicated by a positive or at the very least 0 ANS rating. For that to happen, the sum of gross national savings and expenditure on education must exceed the total amount of depreciation an d depletion and damages combined. All these factors are highly dependent on policies supported by an economy. It is highly important therefore to refer to ANS in evaluating or assessing the policies maintained with respect to sustainability as they indicate performance or direction to which an economy must thread on. As previously mentioned, it is advantageous to use ANS because of measurability.

Discipleship Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discipleship Program - Essay Example 1. One on One Mentoring. A friend of mine who spent some years of College inside the seminary told us of a system, where a senior seminarian is assigned to guide a neophyte through the process of adjustment; from a life of ease to a more restricted one. The senior seminarian is referred to as the Angel; while the new comer, Tobias. This system provides room for one on one coaching and counseling. In the process, camaraderie is strengthened as the neophyte gains confidence and develops to become an 'angel' himself in about a year's time. "Personal instruction from someone who is well experienced and versed was the best way to learn and develop ministry skills, and it still is," according to Dr. Richard J. Krejcir.ii In other churches, this takes the form of house visitation by an elder to a new or prospective member. This method is particularly effective due to its personalized approach, although it may tend to exhaust resources in terms of manpower, and time. 2. Small Group Sessions. Bible studies are usually conducted in small groups to facilitate a more cohesive sharing of experiences, and generate a lot more insights; so does a Sunday school session separately conducted for children, teens, and adults.