On The Last Days of My Life Essay

On The Last Days of My Life The Fantasy of My Life On the last days of my life, I want to thank God for everything, for taking care of my family and for my own safety as well. I know every second of our lives are so significant, so I want to make memories be unforgettable. Not every moment I’m here for my beloved family but towards my weaknesses, they still there for me and always encouraging me to stand and never say ‘’no’’. I want to thank them for giving their lots of love and care even sometimes I lose hope, they are diligent enough in explaining that life goes on whatever may happen at least I did my better than best. I also want to spend the last days of my life to those people who are very close to my heart, my gloomy friends. I want to make a big sacrifice for them and that is to see that they are happy and contented enough for what God that has given to them. I want them to be still complete even my entire presence will not be able to be there. And that is what I want for my family to be happen as well. The third is to my special someone who deserves to change and improve my entire life. I want him to be with me on the last day of my life, enjoy the last hour while singing our favorite theme song and experience the last kiss on the last minute if my life. I want him to be happy so on the last second of my life, I’m giving his freedom to love another woman who will be able to continue my love and care to him. And God will be my arms in finding the fantasy of Heaven.. :†) By: Jelin.. 11.08.11

Marketing Planning Process of H&M

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Methodology {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Appendix Acknowledgements I would like to Thank Frances Smith and all the ladies at Invest Northern Ireland for all of their help and support throughout the process of this assignment. Their contribution has been truly appreciated. Introduction In order to understand the Marketing Planning Process it is important to first know what the term, Marketing Planning Process means. Market planning is â€Å"the process by which businesses analyse the environment and their capabilities, decide upon courses of marketing action and implement those decisions. (Jobber, 2006) It is also important to acknowledge the different stages and types of the process and which is best for the company. Methodology Information has been gathered from a wide range of sound and non-biased secondary resources. Statistical information, information on profitability of the company’s marketing environment has been sourced and analysed from sites such as Datamoniter, Mintel Oxygen, key Note and Lexis Nexus. Further Data and information has been sourced from electronic journals such as Emerald, business websites, respected newspapers and The H&M company website, from which this Marketing Planning Process will be based. Business and Marketing theories have been gathered from marketing gurus and scholars such as Jobber, Kotler and Porter. Primary research will also be gathered in the form of studying the local H&M stores. The Marketing Planning Process. Business Mission Marketing Audit SWOT Analysis Marketing Objectives Strategic Thrust Core Strategy Target Markets Marketing Mix Decisions Organisation and Implementation Control (Jobber, 2006) 1. 1- The Importance of the Marketing Planning Process. With business operating in an increasingly competitive environment, â€Å"Having a plan gives managers a focal point for decisions and actions. (Jobber, 2006) The planning process gives the company the capability to run successfully and achieve profitable sales, â€Å"It makes sense to try to bring some order to this chaos by understanding the commercial environment and bringing some strategic sense to the process of marketing products and services. † (Tutor2u, 2009) This is why the marketing planning process is very important to a business; it helps to structure tasks and processes by answering all the relevant ques tions of such as; where are we now? , how did we get there? , and where are we heading? in order to achieve the desired goal. In order to fulfill these appropriately using a method of SOSTAC will help to give a structured analysis as each element relates to an important stage within the planning process. SOSTAC is an Acronym for the 6 basic elements of the Marketing Plan: Situation Where are we now? Objectives Where do we want to get to? Strategy How are we going to get there? – The Big Picture Tactics How are we going to get there? – The Detail Actions Who is going to do what and when? Control How can we control, measure and develop the process? . 2- The Advantages of the Marketing Planning Process. The Marketing Planning Process is a great way â€Å"to provide a well defined path from generating a business mission to implementing and controlling the resultant plans. † (Jobber, 2006) The advantage of a good marketing plan is that is means that the company can h ave a clear picture of what they have achieved and what they need to achieve in order to determine if a process was successful or if a new addition will be. The planning process means no time is wasted and everyone is on the same path. 1. 3- Strategic Planning Strategic planning involves managing the direction of the business in order to maintain â€Å"a fit between the organisations objectives and resources and the evolving market opportunities. † (Mc Daniel et al, 2008) this concerns the overall direction of the company and not only the marketing sector in order to ensure the products and services provide by the company are meeting the overall objectives. This can be characterized by the Strategic triangle as shown below: Figure 1- Strategic Triangle. {draw:frame} (New-paradigm, 2000) 1. 4 Conclusion The marketing planning process puts the company’s marketing strategies into action. There are many factors concerning the process as noted. These will now be evaluated in order to ensure the most appropriate methods of the process are being use when completing the marketing plan which will be based on the company of H&M. Market Research. *2. 1- *Types of Market Research. Secondary research is divided between internal and external sources. Internal sources look at records and statistics, such as accounting records, within the whole company while external sources focus on reports and information from outside the company, such as census reports and periodicals. This gives a good indication of not only how well a product may do within the company but also helps the business to understand the market for this product and give them a competitive edge. Primary information involves getting original data directly about the product and focus groups, and online surveys. This helps to ensure that the information is directly specific to the needs to the business as it is personal to them. 2. 2- Contribution of Market Research to the Marketing Planning Process. 2. 3- Conclusion. It is now evident that market research is imperative to a good marketing plan as it collects the data that businesses need in order to succeed. It is now vital to look at the marketing audit for H&M in order to evaluate the strengths and weakness of the company for a good SWOT analysis. 3. 0- H&M background. Hennes & Mauritz is one of the largest fashion retailers to hit the high street with around 18000 stores worldwide, employing around The 73’000 people. H&M was first established in Vasteras, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Person. The company has grown strong ad now offers a team of 100 in house designers to create their lines of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and made a turnover of SEK 104,041 million in 2008. They also sell their own brand of footwear, accessories and cosmetics. H&M do not own their own factories however; they do buy goods from over 800 independent suppliers round the world, mostly from Asia and Europe. They are also a worldwide store through their online sales and also offer a catalogue of their ranges. H&M’s concept is to offer ‘fashion and quality at the best price. (H&M, 2009) – See appendix 1 For H&M’s Mission Statement. 3. 1- Marketing Audit. The marketing audit considers both internal and external influences within the market when making the decisions arisen. There many marketing tools that a company can use when completing marketing audit such as PESTEL analysis and Porters Five Forces which deal solely on the external environme nt and SWOT analysis which looks at both the internal and external. (Marketing Teacher,2009) H&M are a company whose success is wide spread because of the company’s abilities to perform full research before they make any key decisions. H&M believe â€Å"A strong brand is increasingly important competitive advantage,† (Hennes & Mauritz, 2009). H&M aim to use their methods of communication in order to build the brand both within a long and short term bases. They hope that this enables each customer to have a full understanding of what H&M stands for and to know their way around their H&M store. However there is no mention of their concept of ‘Fashion and quality at the best price’ anywhere within their marketing campaigns. Figure2- The Marketing Environment 3. 2- Macro- Environment. Economic Environment*- The economic environment looks at the PESTEL analysis which consists of: *Figure 3*- *PESTEL* Analysis. â€Å"Before H&M decides to move into a new market, an assessment is made of the markets potential. Factors such as demographic structure, purchasing power, economic growth, infrastructure and political risk are analysed. † (H&M, 2009) Political Companies need to be informed on the polit ical structure of the countries in which they are in distribution with. These include any government policies, taxes, trading tariffs, any war or conflict as well as internal politics of the country. H&M are concerned with political restrictions and therefore analyse the infrastructure and political risks before expanding. They need to be aware of the countries laws and regulations so as not to break them or discriminate in any way, especially with their marketing tools. Things that may need consider would be the VAT reductions, recycling terms, any new laws brought into power, distribution laws and regulation hours of opening, i. e. within Ireland there is set opening hours on a Sunday from 1-6. Economic Before H&M decide on a move into a market they always do a structured analysis to assess the markets potential. Many factors must be researched here in order to determine the correct decision. Factors to consider include the economic growth of the city. They must establish the city’s interest rates as high levels may deter the investment because of costs and analyse inflation as it may provoke higher wage demands. They must also establish the need for employment within that area. This is especially important in the middle of a recession where companies need to be smart about their expansion decisions. Managing Director of H&M, Rolf Erikson states; â€Å"H&M stands strong and we are focusing on the future. The economic situation is creating great opportunities that we are going to take, for example in terms of access to new attractive commercial locations and being in a strong position to negotiate. This year we plan to open a net amount of 225 new stores and recruit 6,000 to 7,000 new employees. †(H&M Profile, 2009) Social The social and demographics of the country of city must be considered before expansion. They must ensure that there is a market for the age that they are targeting and be aware of the attitudes towards fashion and the weather within the demographic area. Lifestyles must be considered here also, with the recession it may not be wise to sell a lot of summer or swimwear within EU with the euro being so bad and less people being able to afford holidays. Also cultural lifestyles must be analysis. For example H&M would have to be careful about expansion within the Far East and how they would market themselves to suit the cultures, i. e. : in larger Muslim cities it would be unwise to sell miniskirts or ‘belly tops’. They also look at the purchasing power within that particular area to study the buying habits of the customer. Technological H&M aim to use all form of technological communication in order to keep up to date with their customer and with today’s market. Their website is their main form of communication and they feel it is what strengthens the brand. The website offers a chance to shop online, visit stores, use their virtual changing room to get an idea of how the garment will look and to establish their business concepts. It also provides information aimed at the public, media, potential employees and financial markets and shareholders. They also have their own Face book page allow other customers to view from there. They tweet on the twitter site also with updates and have their own page on You Tube to upload Fashion TV. These are great methods of communication although they do have to be careful to filter what is being written and placed on these sites as they do target to teenagers and children. They also must ensure that internet pages such as Face book do not cheapen the brand especially as they try to promote themselves as a luxury low cost brand with stores in locations such as 5th Avenue. Environmental Legal Further information on Competitive environment and Marketing Environment is available in Appendix 2 *3. – Micro*- Environment Figure 4- {draw:frame} (Learning Marketing, 2008) Micro Environmental Factors- The micro- environment is the internal factors close to the company that have a direct impact on the organisations strategy. These factors include: Customers H&M believe the satisfaction of their customer is very important. This factor is what provides them with the knowledge to target the appropriate audience which helps to maintain customer loyalty. They believe that this is true of the layout of the store in order to attract their customers. H&M Cleverly devise each store differently, making it unique to suit its surrounds. They establish this by analysing â€Å"the customers on the street, the other stores nearby and the traffic flows and relates this to the circumstances of the premises. † (H&M,2009). Although this is a clever use of analysis, it is a wonder if they always get it right and if they always cater for the best target audience available and not just the largest. A use of questionnaires, polls and focus groups would be a great way to establish their best target market rather that a factual analysis. Employees â€Å"Skilled and committed co-workers are one of the main reasons H&M has been able to grow with good profitability for such a long period of time. (H&M, 2009) H&M always strive to employee local employeeswhenever they expand. They use their experienced co- workers to help train new staff when a store first opens, For example, When they expanded into the Japanese market the new employees spent time in both Norway and Hong Kong and during this stressful time employees from othe r stores are brought inn to help launch the brand. (H&M, 2009) Today, H&M has around 73,000 employees in 34 countries. Target growth of the company’s 10-15 percent new stores every year. For 2009 this means that between 6,000 and 7,000 new jobs will be created. Suppliers H&M always strive to offer the latest, high quality garments at the best price. In order to ensue this is the case they buy in large volumes from only independent suppliers so there are only a small percentage of middle men. They demand efficient distribution and test the quality of the produce at every level to ensure it is at its highest, this is why they ensure their team has an extremely high knowledge of design, fashion and textiles. Shareholders â€Å"H&M endeavours to engage in open dialogue with the stock market, the media, customers and other stakeholders. † (H&M, 2009) Figure 5- Current share price: Date- 05/01/2010 Time- 10:43:33  © H & M HENNES & MAURITZ AB 2010 Media Figure 6- {draw:frame} (Daily Mail, 2009) (See appendix 3) The line featured in 1,500 of H&M’s selected stores and of this Rykiel commented, â€Å"The Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie collection is the ideal way to offer the essence of Rykiel to a great number of women around the world, and a beautiful way to close the year. † (Lexis Nexis, 2009) Competitors The fashion industry is highly competitive. H&M faces stiff competition from speciality retailers, department stores, mall-based retailers and e-retailers. The company faces strong competition in northern Europe. The following show some companies that are the major competitors of H & M Hennes & Mauritz – Marks and Spencer Group plc Otto (GmbH & Co KG) Gap, Inc. , The Arcadia Group Limited Fast Retailing This can also be described using Porter’s Five Forces as noted with Appendix 4. â€Å"The Internal Analysis of strengths and weaknesses focuses on internal factors that give an organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of its target market. † (Strategic Plan, 2008) In order for H&M to develop an effective internal analysis they will need to include the growth strategies, target groups and the marketing mix. There are three marketing tools they need to include within the internal analysis in order to best explain this: BCG Analysis ANSOFF Analysis 7 P’s of Marketing Mix BCG Analysis The BCG is a tool which helps the company to rate their products according to the market share and growth rate. The products are then displayed on a two dimensional map showing their position in the market. This is explained below: Figure 7- {draw:frame} (Sweska, 2009) Rising Stars- These are products with a high market share and high growth rate. These are products that use large amounts of cash to produce but are very popular and therefore generate a large amount in return. H&M’s rising stars are their collaboration collections with Designers’ and Celebrities’ such as Madonna. Dogs- These products have a low market share and low growth rates. These products are usually discontinued after a short period. Beware of these and attempt to minimize the number of dogs within the product range. These products are those H&M develop to aim to be ahead of their competitors but go a little too far and produce a product that isn’t commercially appealing. Que*stion Marks- Products with a low market share but high growth rate. These have potential to turn into rising stars in the future if it is developed correctly. These can also be dangerous for the company as they are in high demand for a short period but generate a low returns due to the low market share. These are H&M’s high fashion, seasonal pieces such as this season’s sequined jackets which were popular during Christmas party season but they are the biggest product to adorn the sale rails. ANSOFF â€Å"The ANSOFF Growth matrix is a tool that helps businesses decides their product and market growth strategy. (Tutor2u, 2009) Figure 8- {draw:frame} (Tutor2u, 2009) Market penetration â€Å"Market penetration is the name given to a growth strategy where the business focuses on selling existing products into existing markets. † Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: †¢Market penetration aims to maintain or increase of the market share. In order to do this H&M must continue to look at ways to provide competitive pricing strategies in order to have an advantage over their rivalry, especially as one of the main competitors is Primark LTD. They must provide good advertising to entice their customers. At present they market themselves using their shop window, poster campaigns and the H&M website. They also cleverly market themselves by displaying the prices and any sales promotions on the campaigns however the advertising is usually spread across the whole of Europe and therefore, with their stores basing the stock of each store on their analysis of the cities customer, it is often very difficult for customers to find these items in their store. †¢ â€Å"Knowledge is power. † (Bacon, F, 1597) Market Penetration aims to assist the company in attempts to secure power of growth markets. To do this H&M must have a good knowledge of their market and who their competition is within the market. †¢ H&M use very strong promotional tactics in order to promote the company and product, their main advantage of some of their competitors is the H&M magazine. H&M magazine is used to give the consumer a good message on how the company sees fashion, offering not only clothing from the company but also inspiration for trends within both fashion and lifestyle. This is published four times per year. Market penetration looks at ways for the company to increase their number of existing customers and maintain customer loyalty. H&M give a lot of information on their website which is good for customers to have knowledge in a brand they are investing in. However, H&M could benefit from offering some version of a loyalty scheme like a store card or by providing student discount to keep them ahe ad of their competitors. Market development â€Å"Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. (Tutor2u, 2009) There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: †¢ Expanding into new geographical markets; for example H&M launched themselves into Russia in 2009 and are making plans to enter Israel and South Korea during 2010 †¢ In order for H&M to develop their marketing strategies with their products, they aim to impress their customers with trends straight from the catwalk for a low price. They aim to keep their brand edgy by re-vamping their old red and white image of the website and packaging to a more colourful and fun print. They also provide special carrier bags when they collaborate with a designer or celebrity. †¢ H&M demand efficient distribution and test the quality of the produce at every level to ensure it is at its highest, new ways of fast yet cost effective and eco- friendly distribution is something they should always attempt to find. †¢ When developing the market H&M always look at ways to change their pricing policies to attract new customers and create new market segments. Product development H&M always strive to develop their products within their existing ranges while staying true to their mission statement, â€Å"fashion and quality at the best price. † (H&M, 2009) They are also expanding existing models in Middle East using a franchise route. This may be a risky move as they will not have full control over the franchised stores Diversification In 2009 H&M launched into a new market by introducing a range of interior textiles for the home under the H&M home concept 2009. This new concept increases the company’s strong brand by offering â€Å"additional choice of lifestyle related products to its customers. In addition, this provides an opportunity for the company to cross sell its merchandise to generate incremental revenue. † (Lexis- Nexis, 2009)- See appendix 5. 7 P’s of Marketing Mix. The 7 P’s are developed in order to â€Å"produce mutually satisfying exchanges within a target market. † (Mc Daniel et al, 2008) They are very important tools for H&M to use when developing or introducing new products into the market as good knowledge of which P’s are important or may need more attention is vital in order for a product to succeed. 3. 5 Conclusion From studying the marketing audit for H&M it is apparent that the company display good methods of conducting the marketing audits. However there are changes that could be made in order to increase the brand name and develop their market growth. A SWOT Analysis will now be conducted in order to determine the best course of action for the company to take in the future. 4. 0 SWOT Analysis â€Å"SWOT is an acronym used to describe the particular Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that are strategic factors for a specific company. (My Strategic Plan, 2008) The SWOT analysis is a marketing tool used to audit a company and its environment. The SWOT analysis is always at the first stages of the planning process, once the research has been conducted, as it helps the marketers focus on the key issues that need to be addressed. (Marketing Teacher, 2009) See Appendix 6 for a full SWOT analysis conducted on H&M. 4. 1 Conclusion In order to maintain success and enhance that success H&M must continue to provide a high level of service to their consumer market. They need to ensure that high fashion, high quality lines are being produced while remaining to be aware of their internal and external environments. In 2010 H&M need to introduce massive collaborations with themselves and other designers or celebrities as this is what keeps them ahead of the competition as well as a continued loyalty to customers to give them the confidence t shop, and shop at H&M. This can be expanded be expanded by introducing a loyalty system of perhaps a store card where the customer can but now and pay in monthly installments. H&M must do more research into the products they are producing and the fabrics used, especially in children’s wear, as recalls are not acceptable especially with the economic climate. H&M will continue to expand into new and existing markets and must remember to continue to perform high levels of research and analysis before expanding. They may also need to look at new ways to help make the decision as they cannot afford to get it wrong. The company also needs to keep a firm eye on the competition and consumer buying behavior, enhancing resources in this department to ensure a high level of awareness is maintained.

Advance Diploma of Marketing

The strategic directions of TESCO can be categorised in different sections. The starting point of the organization is the market where it serves the large number of the customers. It is observed that the UK market is the most successful market where TESCO serves most of its customers. As per the current report, the UK market represents more than two-thirds of the overall sales of the organization. The main focus of the organization is on service, range and availability. The core business of the organization is based on the effective service. However, the organization is lagging behind in implementing this in the recent time. In addition, over the past few years, the organization has significantly increased the number of products in its range. Nevertheless, this has put certain pressure on the store challenges of the company. From the strategic direction of the organization, it has also been observed that Tesco needs to protect as well as strengthen its financial position. Thus, the organization could maintain the flexibility to invest more on better shopping trip for the customers. Moreover, the organization is committed to stronger financial disciplines across the capital spending. The organization relies on the trust customers, suppliers and the communities. Furthermore, it is also observed that the business model of Tesco consists of products, customers and channels. The aim of the organization is to assure everything in the business that is built in the most efficient way to generate value for customers (McDonald 2013). Strategic analysis- According to the recent report, in the year 2013, Tesco has achieved revenues that is around  £ 35, 557 million, which indicates an increase of 19.7% against the previous years (Lowe, George and Alexy 2012). In the current year, in the UK market, the organization Tesco has extended its operations. As mentioned by Soosay, Fearne and Dent (2012), the organization has also built up 20 superstores and achieved a tremendous growth in the business. Mostly importantly, it is identified that the overall sales in UK market of Tesco is greater than the total sales in Asian market. The organization has increased the market share. Similarly, the brand value of the organization has also increased due to the current operations. However, the structural change in UK market could spark a price way in the coming years (Dowling and Moran 2012).   Further, the returns from the overseas could fail. This could create obstacles for the organization. Nevertheless, it is also identified that Tesco currently holds 13% share of the retail market of UK. The company has a multi-format capability which indicates that Tesco may continue to increase the share in food, whereas maximizing the space contribution from the hypermarket that is allowing the organization to deal with higher share in non-food (Lowe, George and Alexy 2012). Further, it is observed that the international business segment of Tesco is dramatically increasing. It is assumed to contribute a quarter of group profits over the coming years. As put forward by Singh and Sahay (2012), if the geographical spread continues to increase, it may ensure Tesco’s persistent regional growth. Brand value of the organization is gradually increasing as the profits for the operations done by Tesco in UK, Asia and Ireland increased by 79% at the time of fiscal year. Moreover, the organization has strong image and it is associated with the good quality of products and services. As m entioned by Frow et al. (2014), the trustworthy products may represent the excellent brand value. Tesco uses innovative ways of enhancing the customer shopping experience. The organization also put a large amount of efforts in branching out into the finance as well as insurance. Scoping the marketing opportunities- The organization could pay attention to the non-food retail. The implementation of this approach may provide further marketing opportunities. The new customers could come; thus, the organization may increase the customer base. In addition, the organization could also focus on health and beauty. In order to apply this opportunity, the organization may have to develop the health and beauty products. Lastly, the organization may extend the business to internal platform. For example, it could extend the business in other country where marketers have optimal opportunities for retail business. Reviewing the current performance of the organization The current performance of the organization indicate that Tesco has developed a significant multi-format strategy that in turn provides certain benefits to the organization. For example, in the recent time, it has been observed that the overall sales of Tesco has now increased 70% bigger than the increment of overall sales of Sainsbury in UK’s market. As per the competition Commission report, it is difficult for the competitors of Tesco to throw challenge to Tesco. As opined by Mukerjee (2013), the chance of stealing UK leadership by Wal-Mart is less; thus, Tesco is significantly in a strong position in the domestic market. There have been certain risks associated with the operations of each organization. More specifically, it can be added that the organization in its own industry might have to deal with some common risks elements. The appropriate risk response could be different from organization to organization based on how the management considers the risks in respect with magnitude. There have been certain steps involved with the risk management strategy that can be applied to deal with the common risks. The initial step of executing the risk management is to identify the potential risks that are inherent to the business as well as the operation of the organization. For instance, the organization could implement self-assessment process and conduct the survey to learn the facilitated risks. There are certain advantages associated with this particular mechanism. The major advantages of this technique is the capability to have workshop for multiple level of responsibility. For example, the governance level of could have a different view of magnitude of risk than frontline employee. As mentioned by Galician (2013), the decentralized risk ownership may require risk evaluation. The second step is to assess the risk on two dimension namely the likelihood of occurrence as well as the impact of occurrence. While developing the risk management strategies, it is necessary to assess the risks. By assessing the risks, the Tesco could find out further solutions. Hence, Tesco might have to deal with the external risks such as competitor strategies and changes in the market demands. At the end of this step, the risks are identified, measured as well as assessed as to the extent of severity. The resulting information from these steps can be considered as the risk profile. As mentioned by Shani and Chalasani (2013), a risk analysis technique could help to capture information from the first steps with the help of facilitated risks. The organization Tesco should determine how the exposure can be stated in different terms like the financial challenge, the challenge of damage to business reputation or the challenge of inefficiency in the techniques used. This particular step is about determining the risks in hand. This steps determines the appropriate response that can be effectively managed. In addition, for each identified risk, the particular risk can easily be articulated. It is assumed that if the severity of the risk is comparatively high, there be strong risk response. In addition, it can also be mentioned that each organization may have its own risk threshold. For instance, if the risk response is to accept the potential risks, this could become the part organization’s risk threshold. This step is about assigning the responsibility to a certain position. Each of the risk should be assigned to a particular position within the workplace of the organization. The person responsible for the positions need to assure that the risk response is properly translated on a regular basis. The responsible person needs to develop the required solutions for the risk identified. For example, if the customers have issues regarding the sales or the services, the sales manager needs to identify the issues. Based on the identification certain solutions can be developed. After implementing the risk responses and management techniques, the managers need to take the responsibility of monitoring the significant activities to assure that the identified risks remain within an acceptable threshold (Mitchell and Greatorex 2013). In such case, the organization may adopt the centralized risk management groups to monitor. This group would take the responsibility of determining the extent of risks. The executive management may require the information to be reported that could further allow them. The managers of the organization need to determine the form of reporting to positively inform the core body of the organization. The information gained from the reports can be further utilized to manage the annual updates of the risk analysis. In addition, the management of the organization needs to adhere to control the usual techniques of marketing. Identification and analysis of marketing opportunities: Nowadays, the retail industry has been experiencing the robust growth in the global market. The retail industry is in a growing phase and it facilitates to strengthen the economic development of the country (Ryan 2014). The changing lifestyle and its rapid development have facilitated the organizations to enhance the business opportunity in an effective manner. Tesco is one of the supermarket giants experiencing rapid growth in the global platform.   It is the third biggest retailer in the world having outlets in 14 different nations (Solomon 2014). Although the organization has established its business in the UK in an effective manner, Tesco needs to focus on their international business for experiencing the profitable outcome. By analysing the positive aspects of the business process management, it can be assessed that the organization has been focusing on enhancing the business in the large demographic areas (Green, Whitten and Inman 2012). Business Viability depends on several factors including competitive advantage model along with target segment analysis. Moreover, it consists of product growth directions, BCG matrix analysis. Although the organization has been facing difficulties for enhancing business areas in the market, the company operates its business in Asia, including Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan (Gabrielsson, Gabrielsson and Seppà ¤là ¤ 2012). The CEO of the organization has stated that they are looking forward to implementing several strategies for gaining competitive advantages in an efficient manner. External factors including social, economic, political, cultural and technological factors influence the organization to execute the business process management in an effective manner. In this context, Tesco has been experiencing enhanced business growth worldwide through utilizing its effective marketing opportunities. Tesco considers the several political factors for executing the business in the global environment. On the other hand, the organization has analyzed each political issue in a detailed manner, which facilitates them in identifying the key development area in the business (Devi Juwaheer et al. 2012). Most of the business analysts have accepted the fact that political and legislative conditions have been influencing the business of Tesco in an efficient manner. Economic factors are the most important concerns of the business, as it is responsible for influencing the demand, costs, prices and profits. High unemployment level indicates the most influential factors, as it decreases the effective demand for many goods (Gabrielsson, Gabrielsson and Seppà ¤là ¤ 2012). On the contrary, it affects the demand for producing the same product line. By analyzing different marketing factors, it can be assessed that the organization focuses on cost, benefits, risks and opportunities for the execution of business in an efficient manner. There are several beneficial aspects of the business enhancing the opportunity for profit maximization. By discussing the benefits of Tesco, several business processes can be identified such as economies of scale, diversification, minimum standards, large employers and flexible hours (Solomon 2014). The strong financial assets of Tesco indicate its capability for implementing diversification into the product category. In this context, Tesco has facilitated in increasing the competition in the global market. On the other hand, the large size of the business facilitates the organization for obtaining benefits from the economies of scales including transportation, distribution, marketing and technology (Ryan 2014). Costs of Tesco depend on several factors including consumer’s choice, size and market power, profit margins, and accessibility time (Solomon 2014). The CEO of the organization believes that the company needs to have a wide range of products for providing high choice to the consumers. On the other hand, profit margins play an important role in the business, as it facilitates the organization to obtain success in an efficient manner (Gabrielsson, Gabrielsson and Seppà ¤là ¤ 2012). Cost analysis includes the accessible time for business. Tesco operates its business 24 hours for providing enhanced facilities to the customers.  Ã‚   Although the organization has adequate brand values in the international market, it faces several risks in the business. The prime threat to the organization is that the UK structural change could spark a price war (Ryan 2014). On the other hand, most business analysts have discussed that the overseas returns could fall at any point in time. The organization faces threats from its competitors including Walmart and Asda. However, the management team at Tesco has implemented several unique strategies for diminishing the marketing challenges in an appropriate manner (Solomon 2014). In recent years, the organization has been trying to expand the business on the global platform. By discussing the opportunities of the business, it can be assessed that Tesco can enter into the health and beauty segment for the enhancement of business. Moreover, the organization needs to focus on further international growth. Tesco has conducted a customer feedback where the organization has accumulated suggestion on developing non-food retail section (Green, Whitten and Inman 2012). Hence, it can be assessed that the organization has several opportunities for the business enhancement in the global platform. The prime goal of the organization is to maximize the profitability of the business within a short timeline. Tesco is one of the giant organizations in the supermarket industry. The size and economic status of the organization have facilitated them to retain an enhanced brand value in the global market (Ryan 2014). With the involvement of the effective strategic implementation, the organization could achieve the organizational objectives in an efficient manner. On the other hand, the organization recognizes its customers for the enhancement of the business in the large demographic areas (Solomon 2014). The increasing market share of the organization has facilitated the company to achieve goals and objectives of the business in an appropriate manner. There are three prime opportunities for the organization including entering into the non-food retail, health and beauty and further international growth. Hence, it can be assessed that different opportunities of the business facilitate th e organization in obtaining the profitable outcome in an efficient manner. Evaluating each opportunity to determinate its impact on the current business: Tesco has numerous opportunities for enhancing the business in the global platform. Tesco may include new ideas for the enhancement of the business in an efficient manner. These new business opportunities involve non-food retail, health, beauty, and further international growth. With the engagement of the new business involvement, the particular organization could enhance its assets in the business (Green, Whitten and Inman 2012). The core strength of the business is to increasing market share to develop the business opportunities. By entering into the non-food industry, Tesco could be able to enhance the business profitability in an efficient manner (Solomon 2014). On the other hand, the enhanced brand value of the company would facilitate them to obtain success in the new business ventures. Hence, it can be assessed that the new business engagement would be the best possible solution for the profit maximization. The organization needs to focus on clear as well as definite plan outlined by retailer to tap the market. The organization needs to develop plans to establish a long-term relationship with the customers. In addition, the Tesco needs to focus on Asian market or the organization could extend the business in other Asian countries. In the recent time, the Asian economy is boosting the market. Thus, the organization may find effective marketing opportunities. In addition, the organization needs to focus on the products and customer services. Therefore, they could develop some new products based on the needs and demands of the market. There are certain key performance indicators that could help to develop organizational performance. The featured marketing plan for Tesco is suggesting the changes for the larger organization. It is to be indicated that the structure of the marketing plan for a larger organization may ensure several potential risks. Hence, it is required to formulate the relevant risks management strategy to mitigate the possibilities of emerging risks. Since, the marketing plan has been formulated for a larger organization, the establishment of the effective training and development session for the managers would be beneficial. In considering such process, the assistant director will be the major responsible person to provide training to the other managers in a hierarchal structure. The training process will be associated with the collaboration of different managers of diversified departments. The senior manager will assess the overall risks to the managers in such training period. Each of the segments will be discussed and the managers can even consult with other while undertaking any organizatio nal decision. The marketing plan is structured by keeping the focus on the marketing objectives that has been set previously. The structured process of the marketing plan determines the frequent way of conducting the business. The marketing activities are listed further: Reviewing the documents is necessary in considering the frequent improvisation of the process. The marketing plan will thus be well structured and well contented. On the completion of the report, it can be mentioned that effective marketing plan could provide certain marketing opportunities. It can be mentioned that if the marketing plan fails, the organization could go on enhancement of the market rather than penetrating the market. The organization needs to develop new strategy for the development of the market. In addition, the current operation of Tesco indicate that organization has a stronger position in the UK market. Tesco needs to pay attention to its customer service; if the organization provides an effective service to the customers, the company may increase sales and achieve an effective financial position. Devi Juwaheer, T., Pudaruth, S. and Monique Emmanuelle Noyaux, M., 2012. Analysing the impact of green marketing strategies on consumer purchasing patterns in Mauritius.  World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development,  8(1), pp.36-59. Dowling, G. and Moran, P., 2012. Corporate reputations. California Management Review, 54(2), pp.25-42. Frow, P., McColl-Kennedy, J.R., Hilton, T., Davidson, A., Payne, A. and Brozovic, D., 2014. Value propositions A service ecosystems perspective. Marketing Theory, p.1470593114534346. Gabrielsson, P., Gabrielsson, M. and Seppà ¤là ¤, T., 2012. Marketing strategies for foreign expansion of companies originating in small and open economies: the consequences of strategic fit and performance.  Journal of International Marketing,  20(2), pp.25-48. Galician, M.L., 2013. Handbook of product placement in the mass media: New strategies in marketing theory, practice, trends, and ethics. Routledge. Green, K.W., Whitten, D. and Inman, R.A., 2012. Aligning marketing strategies throughout the supply chain to enhance performance.  Industrial Marketing Management,  41(6), pp.1008-1018. Lowe, M., George, G. and Alexy, O., 2012. Organizational identity and capability development in internationalization: transference, splicing and enhanced imitation in Tesco’s US market entry. Journal of Economic Geography, p.lbs016. McDonald, M.H., 2013. Ten barriers to marketing planning. Journal of Product & Brand Management. Mitchell, V.W. and Greatorex, M., 2013. Risk reducing strategies used in the purchase of wine in the UK. International Journal of Wine Marketing. Mukerjee, K., 2013. Customer-oriented organizations: a framework for innovation. Journal of Business Strategy, 34(3), pp.49-56. Ryan, D., 2014.  Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Kogan Page Publishers. Sah, S. and Fughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Berman, A., 2013. Physicians under the influence: social psychology and industry marketing strategies. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(3), pp.665-672. Shani, D. and Chalasani, S., 2013. Exploiting niches using relationship marketing. Journal of Services Marketing. Singh, H. and Sahay, V., 2012. Determinants of shopping experience: Exploring the mall shoppers of national capital region (NCR) of India. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 40(3), pp.235-248. Solomon, M.R., 2014.  Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: prentice Hall. Soosay, C., Fearne, A. and Dent, B., 2012. Sustainable value chain analysis-A case study of Oxford Landing from â€Å"vine to dine†. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 17(1), pp.68-77.

Portfolio Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Portfolio Reflection Paper - Assignment Example Etiology is a process that goes hand in hand with pathophysiology because it involves the evaluation and study of causative agents or factors behind an ailment. Pathogenesis entails the mechanism(s) through which a causative agent leads to the development of a disease in an individual or organism. It also refers to the development and origin of an ailment along with its mode of transmittance and propagation. All the above-mentioned processes are used in the medical professional to map out the development and manifestation of diseases in organisms. Through these processes, medical professionals are able to develop interventionist, preventive and curative manoeuvres to combat disease causing agents and factors. Individuals have various manifestations and reactions to diseases, these reactions provide valuable indicators as to the nature and seriousness of an ailment. Physiological responses to illnesses are the first indicators that are sought by medical professionals to act as sign po sts of the nature of an ailment. They can be typically observed and measured quantitatively like fever or qualitatively like the amount of virus or pathogen present in an individual’s system. ... Pathophysiology enables medical personnel ascertain the level of severity of a disease condition and determine appropriate measures to eradicate or curb its spread. Through proper and competent analysis of various predisposing factors, medical personnel are placed in position that enables them to identify the most effective and efficient intervention to treat an illness. NUR515: Advanced Pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine concerned with the study of the body’s reaction with compounds introduced in the body for the purposes of combating disease causing agents. According to Hamric, Spross & Hanson (2008), pharmacokinetics is concerned investigating and evaluating the path taken by compounds introduced into the body in an effort to combat disease-causing agents. The biochemical and physiological reaction and interaction of compounds introduced into the body to act as a drug against pathogens are called pharmacodynamics. Proficiency in pharmacology enables an indivi dual to administer drug regimens to individuals with regard to their diverse predisposition culturally, traditionally and spiritually. This is because there are multiple treatment or curative measures for a single disease, but with different requirements and side effects that should be put into consideration when prescribing drugs. Pharmacological competence enables a medical practitioner to prescribe treatment regimens that are in line with the medical requirements for the disease. It also enables prescriptions to be based on economic, cultural and spiritual consideration of the patient. Pharmacological competence ensures that the health of patients is assured in terms of guaranteed prescription of drugs that maximize their ability to combat pathogens

Social Media Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Media Companies - Essay Example Everything is two sided, Facebook is no different. It has its pros as well as its cons. This proposal will comprehensively present how Facebook is negatively impacting the Saudi society. â€Å"Facebook is taking over the world, and that’s no exaggeration. Everyone from eager-to-fit-in tweens to educated business people to intrigued grandparents has joined the phenomenon, and unsurprisingly many teenagers have also caught Facebook fever.† (Facebook Addiction) The people in Saudi Arabia are very hard-working but they have been distracted by Facebook, their valuable time is being squandered browsing through Facebook. This is hampering their growth and this is also hampering the overall growth of the country. The younger generation is completely hooked on to Facebook and they use slang language which is again bad for them. Using slang language is affecting their language skills and making them incompetent. Facebook has had its share of problems; thieves use Facebook to know when certain people are going on vacation so that they can rob their house. Credit card numbers have been stolen using Facebook; a woman in Australia was murdered when she went and met her friend who she had met through Facebook. All these instances show that people in Saudi Arabia are losing their privacy and are openly flirting with danger. â€Å"Facebook and its co-founder Mark Zuckerberg are being sued for more than $1billion over a page that was on the social networking site that called for violence against Jews.† (Facebook Sued) This is just one of many evidences which clearly show that this social networking website can cause religious havoc and this is why the people in Saudi Arabia should never get carried away with what they see on this website. It has already caused political havoc in the middle-east which has led to several economical problems; it has also led to vandalism. The same may happen all over again and it is high time to stop this from happening. Saudi Arabia is a very conservative country; the majority of people residing in the country are Muslims. Islam is openly discussed on the website and people with very little or absolutely no knowledge about Islam have been spreading propaganda which could again lead to damage beyond repair. Facebook is also considered a rich source of news by the Saudi people who use it on a daily basis, there is a possibility that other people may try and spread false news which may impact the nation. To conclude it is very fair to say that Facebook addiction is nothing but a waste of time, money and effort. It is high time to spread this message and to ensure that the productive time of people does not get wasted on Facebook. Companies can certainly profit from these websites but they should stay away from controversy as much as plausible. Works Cited Facebook Addiction. Facebook Addiction Disorder. n.p., Web. Retrieved from: Facebook Sued. Daily Mail. n.p., Web. Retri

Food & Beverage Operations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Food & Beverage Operations - Case Study Example Organising helps to keep things running smoothly and saves time and unnecessary work. There should be a system in performing the tasks and responsibilities. "Food Expo 2006" was the event that the Food and Beverage course students participated in. The expo fell under the category of Function and Event Catering. This category consists of weddings, dinner dances, social functions, business functions, working lunches, meetings, and conferences. Function catering is found in the commercial and non-commercial sectors of the catering industry. One month of planning involved working with the budget, marketing, labour utilization, etc. As the planning was being done, it was also important that there was flexibility in the planning as changes usually occur in catering events. Posters were created and displayed on the notice board as part of the marketing plan. A small contribution was collected in order to estimate the number of people who would attend and to insure that the message of the event was being circulated. A total of eighteen students met three times during that month. The students were divided into four groups with different tasks. The planning involved one of the key factors and that was to plan the menu. The most important part of the event is the meal and the meal experience is an event that starts the moment guests arrive. The menu consisted of Devilled Lamb Curry with Chopped Strawberries, Chicken Chablis, Mix Steamed Vegetables with Gravy, Thai Green Fish Curry, Boiled Rice, and Side Salad. In order to make the meal experience and the event go smoothly, much had to be done behind the scene. Since the food would be prepared in one area and the dining would take place in another area, it was important that students learned that the flow of materials (food, chairs, equipment, etc.) should be as direct as possible. If there are too many cross flows of traffic and back-tracking, then the risk of hazards increases and time is also wasted. This also affects the cost of labour (in the real business world). Carts, trolleys, and other mechanical aids that are available and/or can be accessed should be used in alleviating the human handling of materials. This should be concerned in the planning process. What is needed is determined by the types of events and the budget. The traditional method of food production was how the meal was prepared as the food was purchased raw and little dependency was placed on convenience foods. Fresh fish, lamb, and other ingredients were purchased at a nearby shop. At ten o' clock on the day of the event, everyone met at the basketball ground on the top floor. The food would be prepared in a nearby classroom and it had been cleared for that specific reason. Two gas burners, aprons, and caps were provided. Students were given instructions on how to proceed with the food preparation and cooking. Various instructions were given to each group. I.e., one group's instructions included setting the table as the food would be served at one o' clock that afternoon. Another group would prepare the Chicken Chablis. The lecturer started the camcorder in order to record the day's events and all that was taking place. The lecturer interviewed the groups

IT Business Alignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

IT Business Alignment - Coursework Example This essay aims at reviewing how IT should be greater aligned with the business requirements and strategic goals in order to avoid falling into the misalignment trap. This goal could be achieved by realizing that IT has become a critical tool -or even a driver- for the achievement of business strategic goals. The essay defines "IT business alignment" and "IT governance" and the relationship between them in the first place. Then, it gives an idea about the importance of IT business alignment, IT business alignment current state in order to realize the gap between IT and business strategic goals and the increasing awareness and need for alignment. First of all to realize exactly what is meant by IT business alignment concept, the essay will define the "IT business alignment" concept talking into consideration that "the history of theory-building around the concept of alignment is still young and has only been going on approximately 15 years" Ekstedt, Mathias et al (2005). Tapia, Roberto Santana (2006) gives a simple definition for IT Business alignment as "the problem of matching services offered by IT with the requirements of the business". Also, Kavin W. Moody (2003) mentioned, "the term IT alignment is generally used in reference to the alignment of an organization's IT resources with the objectives of its business units". Neil Macehiter and Neil Macehiter and Neil Ward-Dutton (2005), define IT-business alignment as "the process through which businesspeople and IT delivery organizations collaborate to create an environment in which investment in IT and delivery of IT services reflect business priorities, whether IT services are sourced internally or externally; and in which business priorities are influenced by understanding of IT capabilities and limitations." Figure (1): IT-business alignment Source: Neil Macehiter, Neil Ward-Dutton (2005), On IT-Business Alignment So, according to this definition, there are three important elements in IT-business alignment: (1) investment, (2) service delivery, and (3) collaboration in change management. The relationship between the alignment and IT governance is shown in Figure (1). Steven De Haes and Wim Van Grembergen (2004) concluded that IT business alignment is the key element in IT governance so, it can be achieved by acknowledging IT governance as a part of enterprise governance and by setting up an IT governance framework with best practices". They define IT governance as "the leadership and organizational structures, processes and relational mechanisms that ensure that an organization IT sustain and extends its strategy and objectives". However, Ortiz, Aurora Sanchez (2003) defines IT governance as "specifying the decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the use of IT" After defining IT business alignment giving its elements and its relationship with IT governance, the essay will discuss the transformation of the role of IT in business in order to realize the importance and the need for IT business alignment. Rathnam, R. G. (2004) mentioned that "during the last 30 years, information technology (IT) has become an increasingly integral part of business operations, at the beginning, the use of

Equations of Motion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Equations of Motion - Essay Example In absence of sliding the motion of rolling is normally called pure rolling (Walker, 2010). This means that for a rolling object the mass centre moves by the translational motion, where as the other parts of the object, rotate around the centre mass. In practical experiments, the small deformations on the area of contact results into sliding. The resistance in rolling is lower than the friction due to sliding, hence rolling objects need minimal energy to be shifted than the sliding objects. In this respect, such objects move in an easier manner, whenever they go through some force due to a component along the surface (Adams, 2008). For example the existence of gravity on a surface that is tilted. Different from symmetrical objects, a cone’s rolling motion, happens in a manner such that during rolling, on a surface that is flat, the centre of gravity goes through a circular motion instead of a linear motion. The objects that roll may not only be axially symmetrical. The princip le of rolling objects has been applied in the bearings of rolling elements like ball bearings in devices that are rotating. These objects are normally made of smooth metal substances, and the elements that roll encased in between the two rotating rings. In many processes, the ring in the inner part is normally linked to the stationery shaft. In this respect, as the inner ring remains stationery the outer ring remains free to allow movements having very minimal friction. This principle has been applied in motors. In many cases, the quantity of friction is depended on the parts mechanisms, ball bearings quality, and the amount of lubricants within the mechanism (Adams. 2008). Additionally, rolling objects are mostly used as transportation tools. One key way is through keeping the object on a number of rollers that are lined-up. The wheel objects are normally moved along a straight line, especially when the wheels are replaced continuously to the front.. For a rolling object, the parti cle velocity is normally given by; Velocity = r x w....................

Crisis Prevention and Intervention in Healthcare Essay - 1

Crisis Prevention and Intervention in Healthcare - Essay Example   The healthcare administration together with the employees engages in a safety plan. The plan involves appointing teams of healthcare workers, employers, committees and representatives of the safety plans. The healthcare professionals who are experts in crisis management should be involved. The representation should be fair in terms of department and shifts. Tasks should be allocated to the different stakeholders who may include: employer’s representative, healthcare professionals, security representatives, and administrators. Healthcare professionals able to deal with head injury, substance abuse, psychiatry, and dementia should be advised to assist in case there is the need. A working structure and applicable policies can be designed. The policies should represent diverse needs of the departments and provide procedures to be used in case of crisis. The safety plan should take into consideration the physical, psychological and emotional safety and health of the healthcare professionals. A balance between the safety and health needs of the healthcare professional, patient or visitor should be recommended. Representatives, experts, committees, and teams have given tasks or responsibility should inquire and understand their responsibility. After getting understanding, they can be authorized and be given resources that will enable them to provide administration and support. Representatives, experts, committees, and teams should demonstrate accountability. In the case of assault and crisis, the involved parties can be given counseling and treatment. Those who have undergone assault can share their experience. All the stakeholders can give their support in the enactment of the recommended policies. The healthcare professionals ought to be committed to comply with the policies and give feedback.  

Business the Richard Branson Way Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business the Richard Branson Way - Assignment Example The paper tells that Branson delegates the duty to his management staff and inspires innovation and meaningful change in the Virgin Group. The leader is approachable and accords time to everyone in the group despite being the head of many ventures. Branson influences and motivates the workforce in his group through the power of personality. The leader spurs others into action and raises the morale of the Virgin Group. Transformational leaders create an environment for others to apply the innovative skills in solving problems and developing competitive products and services. The motivated workforce and the innovative ideas have facilitated the expansion of the Virgin Group to take a strong position in the marketplace. Branson works in consultation with the management team, especially during the formative stages of a new venture. After the venture peaks, Richard Branson gives the management and the subordinate workforce the space to implement viable ideas to run the enterprise. Branson does not practice the hierarchical organizational structure. Transformational leadership style believes in the distinct set of skills that every member of workforce possesses can drive organizations to achieve success. In essence, Branson promotes teamwork. Transformational leadership style holds that leaders in the organization should realize that leadership does not imply to the positions or titles. Rather, leadership entails an interactive process between the leaders and the followers. The character is a strong foundation of the leadership, and Richard Branson has maintained charismatic attributes since the foundation of the Virgin Group. The transformational leaders should motivate and inspire their followers through assisting them to achieve the best results in different tasks within the organizations.

New York Times Annotated Bibliography Essay Example for Free

New York Times Annotated Bibliography Essay 6 September, 2008. â€Å"U. S. Jobless Rate Rises Past 6%, Highest Since ‘03. † Uchitelle, Louis. New York Times. This article informs about the fact that the unemployment rate reached its highest level since 2003; causing workers to worry about the fact that many of them will be jobless and also centers on the high unemployment rate became one of the centers of the presidential debates. This article relates to our course since it suggests how unemployment can affect the economy as a whole and how inflation impacts the job status of a society. The article is also relevant to our course because it also gives the opinion of both McCain and Obama on the unemployment escalation and gives a glimpse of what both candidates would do about it. 9 September, 2008. â€Å"Who Else Can Pile on for a Federal Rescue? † Schwartz, Nelson D. New York Times. This article informs about the federal rescue of the companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The article also informs about the automakers worries and the bailout plans that Washington D. C. has proposed to help automakers out of the same financial crunch. It further opens a debate of whether or not we should allow companies to fail or if we should bail them out as has been proposed by some. This article relates to our course since it suggests that in our market economy we should be realistic enough to realize that at times companies do fail and that economic bail out plans are good as a quick fix but they fall short in the long term. Often we like to think that big business is above the common failings, but as we see from the recent events, big business is no longer an elite thing. It is just what it has always been, businesses that have been built over years with the hard work of the owners. Big business is no different then the small company and in this tough economic times this is spelled out clearly. 13 September, 2008. â€Å"Off the Charts: The Return of the Misery Index. † Norris, Floyd. New York Times. This article informs about the â€Å"misery index†. The misery index is the sum of the inflation rate and the unemployment rate over the preceding 12 months. The misery rate hasn’t been seen since the Carter administration, but yet in this year both rates have seen to be rising. The article also looks at how the misery index has risen in the past during the past presidencies. This article relates to our course since it suggests unless something is done, we are likely to not see an improvement in either the inflation rate or the unemployment rate. The article also is relevant to the course since it suggests by looking at this index we can have a very good gauge of how our economic atmosphere will fare in the coming months. 15 September, 2008. â€Å"A Video Contest To Illustrate Democracy. † Cohen, Noam. New York Times. This article informs about the International Democracy Day and the video contest that was created in conjunction with this day. The video contest offers students and people around the world the chance to say what democracy means to them. This article relates to our course since it talks about the importance of democracy on the global and business stage. Democracy is not just an American concept but one that transcends our country. The article also talks about the companies that are helping with this contest. The companies include NBC and YouTube. The partnership between these companies act as a hallmark for all of us because they are showing that everyone from all walks of life cars about democracy and through democracy we can work together. 18 September, 2008. â€Å"As Fears Grow, Wall St. Titans See Shares Fall. † White, Ben and Dash, Eric. Contributed reporting by Sorokin, Andrew R. New York Times. This article informs about the failing of Wall Street titans like Morgan Stanely and Goldman Sachs. The fear that other company could face the same fate as these giants has spread through Wall Street in the last few months. It is estimated that globally there are losses in the 100 billions as far as stocks are concerned. This article relates to our course since it suggests that the failure of investment firms such as Morgan Stanley affects not only the market here in the United States but also has an impact on the global market as well. We tend to forget when we think about our own economic bad times, that other countries the world over are also experiencing the same economic crunch. 23 September, 2008. â€Å"With Politics in the Air, a Freedom Free-for-All Comes to Town. † Cotter, Holland. New York Times. This article informs about an art exhibit that was going on at the Park Avenue Armory during the middle of September. This exhibit is a tongue-in-cheek look at the political system and demonstrates the true meaning of democracy: the right for people to express their views, no matter how differently they do it, and to show other people a different side to every subject. The art exhibit used speeches, music and silly hats to give people another side to the political elections. This article relates to our course since it suggests that elections and democracy can be talked about in a completely non-partisan, non-electoral but still intensely political way. People who went to the exhibit also got a first hand look at how the freedoms of our country allow for people to express themselves in the ways that they want to, which is what democracy is all about. 25 September, 2008. â€Å"Criticizing Capitalism From the Pulpit. † Pfanner, Eric. New York Times. This article informs about how even religious leaders have joined the crusade in criticizing America’s rogue style of capitalism. World religious leaders have taken the fall of Wall Street icons and used that as a means for criticizing the cowboy style of economics that America has been globally portrayed to utilize. This article relates to our course since it suggests that even a pulpit is a place where economics and business standards can be discussed from. Religion is as far from economics as one can get yet this article clearly shows that the global economics pictures is something that is on everyone’s mind, no matter where they live or what they do. We tend to forget that all things are connected and this article clearly shows us that everything in life is connected and has a more far reaching affect then we first may think. 1 October, 2008. â€Å"Brother, Can You Spare a Loan? † Tarquino, J. Alex. New York Times. This article informs about the credit crisis that the small business and individuals have faced in the last few months. The article also talks about the speculation of many in the business world that the escalation towards the credit crisis will only get worse and will eventually be the death of the small businessman. The article ends by saying that the saddest day for America will be the day that small business does die in this country. This article relates to our course since it suggests that in these frightening economic times we could see the end of the small business. American was founded on the ideals that anyone could make their dreams come true and if the credit crisis totally obliterates the small business it will be a sad day indeed for America. 3 October, 2008. â€Å"As Economy Weakens, Federal Reserve Officials Consider Lowering Rates. † Andrews, Edmund L. New York Times. This article informs about the Federal Reserve’s feelings on the Bush administrations economic bailout plan. According to the Fed, even if the bail out is approved it is too little to late and will do hardly nothing to stop the economic slow down from happening. The reason, in the Fed’s eyes, is that financial institutions are fearful of lending out cash and making bad investments. This article relates to our course since it suggests that the economic slow down affects everyone in our economic atmosphere. It also allows people to see how the Federal Reserve is interpreting what is happening so that the average citizen can gauge what they should do in this economic turmoil. 4 October, 2008. â€Å"End of an Era on Wall Street: Goodbye to All That. † Arango, Tim and Creswell, Julie. New York Times. This article informs about theft of a bronze bust of a saloon owner on Hanover Street. The saloon was a frequent favorite of Wall Street execs and the theft happened just as Wall Street was swept up in the financial whirlwind of economic troubles. This article isn’t about a theft of a statue, but more indicative of the times that we are living in when someone would take a well loved art piece, bound with tradition, to perhaps make a quick buck. This article relates to our course since it suggests that the traditions and ideals of Wall Street are slowly falling by the wayside as the economic crunch gets tighter. Wall Street has always been steeped in economic traction, but the theft of this well loved art piece shows that even tradition can be trampled in the hopes of making some money to pay your bills. 12 October, 2008. â€Å"Finance Students Keep Their Job Hopes Alive. † Leland, John. Contributed Reporting by Fairbanks, Amanda M. ; Koppel, Niko; and Zezima, Katie. New York Times. This article informs about the current job outlook for those who are thinking of making finance a possible career. The article talks about how for many business majors law school seems a viable option now more then ever. Others look at the current economic situation as just something they shouldn’t worry about since they have already figured that they will change jobs five or six times in their careers. This article relates to our course since as people who have made business our major (or for those who this is a first class and they haven’t made up their minds on this as a major) it is important to take a look at the job outlook that we will have to look forward to in the coming years. 14 October, 2008. â€Å"Commodity Prices Tumble. † Krauss, Clifford. New York Times. This article informs about how the global financial panic and economic slowdown has lead an end to the commodity bull market that we have seen in the last seven years. This ending of the commodity market has sent prices on the raw ingredients (such as oil) of the world economy tumbling to an all time low. This article relates to our course since it suggests that we don’t just have economic worries here in the United States, but that other countries are also worried about the current state of the economic situation. The United States is part of a broader wide sweeping world economy and the economic slowdown is not just affecting things here at home but also globally. This article clearly gives the reader a better idea of how the United States fits into the broader global economy. In our own economic hard times we tend forget that we are not alone, but are facing the same issues that other countries are. 19 October, 2008. â€Å"The Guys From ‘Government Sachs’. † Creswell, Julie and White, Ben. New York Times. This article informs about how Treasury secretary Paulson used his former firm of Goldman Sachs as a means to investigate what was happening on Wall Street prior to the financial difficulties. It also raises eyebrows and speculates about the amount of participation Goldman Sachs is being perceived to have in the Treasury Department. This article relates to our course since it speculates on corporate interference in a governmental department. In the world economics, such speculation is something that we have to watch carefully so that the economic system is not stained in anyway. When companies interfere with the running of government departments, it makes all actions that have sprung out of that suspect. By bringing Goldman Sachs into the Treasury, Paulson has created a suspicious circumstance that we all should learn from. That above all else is what should be learned from this article. 22 October, 2008. â€Å"China, an Engine of Growth, Faces a Global Slump. † Yardley, Jim and Bradsher, Keith. New York Times. This article informs about the slump in economic level of China. Always seen as the world’s workshop, the threat of global recession has many wondering if the prevailing Communist Party has the wherewithal to stop the further economic decline of China. The article makes a nice point in saying that China is the world economy gauge for how the economic slowdown will eventually affect everyone. This article relates to our course since it informs on how one country is dealing with the long reaching effects of the global financial slowdown. It is interesting to see how one country is going to deal with this global issue because then other countries have a blueprint by which to also take action. 28 October, 2008. â€Å"Denmark Is Rethinking It’s Spurning of the Euro. † Dougherty, Carter. New York Times. This article informs about looking closely at one country and the effect that the global financial situation has on it. Denmark, a country formerly against the euro, now is rethinking things because of the ice cold credit situations of the banks of Denmark. As it stands now a bare majority of Danes do back the adoption of the Euro. This article relates to our course since it suggests that countries that were previously opposed to a financial idea may now have to rethink their opposition as the global economy faces this slowdown. Every country has to figure out ways in which they are going to deal with the global financial crunch. It also relates to this class because it shows us how as a global economy we are all in the same boat. 29 October, 2008. â€Å"Paterson Sees a Budget Gap $47 Billion. † Hakim, Danny and Peters, Jeremy W. New York Times. This article informs about the deficit that the state of New York is facing and the loss of job in the 100,000 in the private sector. The article also suggests the ways in which the state plans on fixing the deficit. Deficits are something that we as a society have to watch carefully especially in these economically unstable times. This article relates to our course since it suggests that everyone, from the state level to the private sector, is affected by the financial crunch that is being seen globally as well as here at home. We tend to forget when we look at big businesses that the private sector is just as affected and this article gives us a glimpse into this fact. We all tend to forget that big business is run by people and people do make mistakes. 31 October, 2008. â€Å"Economy Shrinks With Consumers Leading the Way. † Goodman, Peter S. ; contributing reporting by Norris, Floyd and Zeleny, Jeff. New York Times. This article informs about how the drop in the economy is a bad precursor to the coming holiday seasons. Consumers who are being laid off and having their hours cut have less to spend this holiday season and this is being reflected in the economy more then ever. This especially hits home as we think about the upcoming holiday season, a time when consumer spending is at a high point. This article relates to our course since it shows how the economy is really a circular relationship. The consumer has to work to make money, but no job or less working hours leads to zero money to be spent. This article is important because everything in the world of business and life are interconnected and this article is a very good example of that idea. 4 November, 2008. â€Å"Wall Street’s Extreme Sport: In Modeling Risk, the Human Factor Was Left Out. † Lohr, Steve. New York Times. This article informs about how the risk models that have been used on Wall Street for years have failed due to not being applied, managed, or even understood. Technology that has been made use of on Wall Street has gotten ahead of our ability to act responsible. Often, we forget that technology is only as good as the people that run it, and as such has the capacity for many risks. This article relates to our course since it suggests that risk factors that are associated with the economic downturn come from every sector and that they have a more far reaching concern then we first thought. Risk factors are important to look at since by seeing where the risks have been in a situation, we can hopefully in the future prevent the same economic situation from happening again. 8 November, 2008. â€Å"Colleges Rich and Poor Strain to Respond in Tough Times. † Lewin, Tamar. New York Times. This article informs about how colleges are more then ever struggling to meet the financial needs of students. In the past, the majority of college students were able to fund their education through scholarships that the colleges and universities offered. In this tough economic time, that no longer looks like it will be an option. Students will have to rely more on grants (which may be just as limited), loans and paying out of pocket. This article relates to our course since it hits close to home about how the financial crisis that we are seeing everywhere even affects those of us in college. Previously, being in college meant all you had to do was study hard for finals. Now, though, even college students are feeling the economic burden. 9 November, 2008. â€Å"Remember That Capitalism is More Then a Spectator Sport. † Blinder, Alan S. New York Times. This article informs about the daunting tasks that are ahead for president elect Obama. Among these tasks are to restore a sense of fairness in and faith to our economic system. This article relates to our course since it gives a nice overview of how President-elect Obama needs to go about restoring the faith of he American people in the tattered economic system that has failed us time and again. In watching the elections, President-elect Obama made a lot of nice speeches about what he plans to do, and this article gives us a first glimpse of rather he will be successful or not. I think it is also a nice all inclusive article that sums up the ideals that we have been studying in this course.

Memories of my childhood days Essay Example for Free

Memories of my childhood days Essay Memories of my Childhood Days My first recollection of my childhood is the day I down the stairs when I was three years old. I was so happy that time I cried and cried for nearly an hour in spite of my parents attempts at comforting me. Finally, I quietened down when I was given ice- cream and chocolates. Luckily, I was not hurt because the stairs is not to steep. My days were happy ones before I started going to school, as I had good neighbours to play with me. I was playing from morning till evening. We played games outdoors like Batu Seremban,Police entry and Lumba Lari. There were also other games to occupy our time until my mother bring a rattan to call me back.. At the age of five years, I had to attend kindergarten and this turned out to be quite an ordeal for me. To begin with, I felt very sad having to leave my mother and go off each morning to be amongst strangers. I cried and wanted my mother around, much to my teachers displeasure. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in class and found company. I became happy again and actually looked forward to leaving the house each morning. I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends going around the neighbourhood on my bike. Another fond memory is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Princess in the play, Princess and Gunung Ledang, and I became a celebrity overnight receiving lots of compliments for my performance. I now realise what a wonderful childhood I have had and at times wish I could relive those days.

The Shifting Marketing Communications Model Marketing Essay

The Shifting Marketing Communications Model Marketing Essay Integrated marketing communication is a conceptual tool which aim for a marketing campaign, by a carefully coordinated apply to various communication disciplines. The combination of theses disciplines provide a clear, consistent and compelling message for the organisation and its product. Integration has always been an important successful attempt for the early organisation to bring a consistent message of all executable promotional tools during mid 20th century. The change in marketing communication landscape may result IMC become more and more difficult to achieve, owing to the various change in consumers, marketing strategies and communication technology. In this digital and wireless age, consumers are better informed and communicated ; The marketers realized the dramatic shifting from mass marketing to segmented marketing. The new program are developed for a closer customer relationship; New innovative technology gives more media channels that companies interact with the target audience. Meanwhile, customers are better in control of messages that they choose to send or receive. Over the past decades, the development of information technology has facilitated how people communicate. And the internet has played an important role in social media communication. Based on research, theres an increasing number of internet users. About 569million online users of 9.1% of the world population (2012). The number has increased to 2.27 billion by 2012, which is 33% of the world population. The expenditures rates over performance is under expectation compare to the past. Marketers are mostly challenged by the new digital media. They have to design a better strategy to build a marketing communicators with stronger effectiveness and higher efficiency. More narrowcasting is necessary to achieve the interactive IMC, which allows them keep track on their current and future customers for use of long- term interactive relationships. The internet environment joint the connection between consumer and the media. For instance, specialty magazines, cable television channels, video ga mes, e-mail and social internet. A study stated theres an increasing time spent (63%) on mobile websites and mobile devices compare to 2011. In addition, 43 % of people get access to the social media by smartphones, 16% of people interact using tablet. Among all the promotional profile from traditional advertising, mass media, direct marketing, internet marketing, social media to mobile marketing. thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an increasing marketing trend towards à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“more electronic and digitalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Traditional media possibilities for billabong: Television, explores the brand image through vision, sound and motion. It has a wide coverage over mass-marketing. Television commercial is relatively low cost per exposure but high in absolute cost. It also limits audience selectivity. Billabong is a worldwide brand and it keep expanding the business into other country. Television commercial will be an efficient and effective strategy of market penetration where a company has low client base but strong financial base. Newspapers and magazines are practically flexible; timeliness; good local market coverage; brand credibility; costless. While it is limited by its short life; poor reproduction quality. Its still concern as an effective media for Billabong, as the company keep innovating new products to the market. Posted on a printed media is a cheaper way to deliver their product information to the customer regularly. Outdoor medium such as billboard and poster are advanced in its flexibility; repeatable exposure will help billabong to deliver a strong brand image; wide range of positional selectivity. But it also limited the creativity. Emergent media possibilities for billabong. emergent media is refers to Email, podcasts , digital audio/ media player, mobile communication device (e.g., smart phone) ,instant messaging, interactive web pages , and blogs. By research, the brand Billabong has its majority target audience aged from 12 to 35 years old. And it is a fact that this aging groups are spending more of their leisure time on internet surfing over interacting with traditional media. Hence theres more opportunities that the new media transmit the company image to its potential consumer. At the same time, company has more channels to collect their customer information or feedback instead of only relying on Public Relations Agency. A large company with several brands like Billabong could position itself after analyzing the data. And generate a more suitable promotional strategy to beat the competitors. Billabongs Facebook page was set up with assistance of maintaining a closer relationship with their royalty customer. Billabong get their free advertising spread through the social media at each time their post get linked. Youtube is a possible platform for Billabong to post their video or insert it as an ad to other video. The strate gy is costless and have a efficient spread. Statistics is calculated by Youtube for each individual video for further analysis. Billabongs website is also a profitable platform for advertising, it helps to engage with their email subscribers, so as to build a profitable relationship. Which has proven by a sales of $1.67 billion profit from its website in 2008-2009. Marketers need to ensure the advertising is highly relevant and targeted to their consumer. As people has different attitudes toward social ads. Recent surveyed found 33% people get annoyed when seeing ad on social media if there is no relevant to them, may concern as a waste of time. While 26% of people will have a positive attitude to see the ads posted by friends. Generally, a positive attitude(26%) will follow by an action of share at 15% and product purchasing at 14%. In consequence, advertising is generally aiming for inform, persuade and remind. Both traditional media and emergent media have possibilities for Billabongs advertising. The proper mix using of media would have a higher opportunities in success compare to single focused media. Markers still need to re-examine the media mix regularly as it appears to be shifting. For instance, mass-media costs are rising, audiences are shrinking due to the new electronic media appear. The best solution for them is to supplement the broadcasting traditional media with narrowcasting emergent media. In this case, Billabong will not only introduce their company world-wide, but also engage consumers more fully. Image corporation is important to a companys branding and identity. To achieve the brand uniqueness, company need to be carefully treat on its visual image, product consistency in market place and its identity in social media. Importance of visual image After the completely acquisition of Swedish brand Volvo by Chinese unknown brand Geely (2010). Volvo still keep the production line in Sweden and its original brand logo to maintain the image of Swedish made. They concern the brand image as core value of its company. Maintaining the image also hold the companys labor relations in this scenario. Coca- cola works hard to keep its corporate identity consistent. Its not only about keeping red logo and bottle form but also controlling its product quality at a consistent level. This works in many mind that the drink is from coca-cola not an individual brand product even it is labeling in a foreign language. In April 2009, Telstra launched a 3Rs social-media policy, in regard to Responsibility, Respect and Representation. Telstras employees are encouraged to use the social media as a part of work. They are also required to represent themselves as Telstra employees when introducing new service or products on their personal blog site. The strategy helps the company to achieve direct interaction with its current or future clients. Telstra is building up a brand image that they are well communicated to support the brand profile of leading global communication company.

La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre :: Our Lady of Charity South Florida

La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre One of the primary unifying forces of the Cuban community in South Florida is La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, or Our Lady of Charity. In 1898, after Cuba won its independence from Spain, she became the official patroness of the island. The Cuban soldiers credited their victory to the Virgin's intervention in their crusade for independence. The Virgin is seen as a religious tradition that strongly unites Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits. In South Florida, Cubans throughout the United States gather each year to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Charity on September the eighth. Alongside the traditional Catholic service, many within the exile congregation offer their hopes and prayers, to the Virgin, for a Cuba free from communism. Though Cuba is where the celebration of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre originated, each year, her statue, which was smuggled out of Cuba in 1961, is ferried by boat to Miami Marine Stadium. The reason for smuggling the statue, a scant two years after Fidel's revolution, was because the Catholic religion was not allowed to be openly practiced within Cuba. In recent years, a mass has been celebrated to honor La Virgen at the Hialeah racetrack. Taking all these South Florida celebrations into account, one could say that the Virgin plays an important role in the lives of many Cuban men and women who make the journey from Cuba to the free shores of the Florida coastline. They rely on her for protection and guidance while journeying across the Caribbean Sea. La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre as well as La Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre, the church that was constructed in her honor, have both become important Cuban cultural landmarks. Built along a stretch of Biscayne Bay, her shrine was completed with the donations of newly arrived Cuban exiles. The $420,000 raised helped pay for the construction costs. La Ermita can be seen as a unifying force for the Cuban population in South Florida; with the entire community contributing to the construction and maintenance of this site, she belongs to everyone.

Technology vs Organic Essay -- Agricultural Research

Humanity’s timeline illustrates the past, present and future of human beings; commencing nearly 200,000 years ago when Homo sapiens first diverged from its ancestors (Evans,1998). For the next 188,000 years humans were content to forge and live within the constructs of a hunter-gatherer societal organization. Approximately 12,000 years ago agricultural systems began appearing in various places around the world. An astonishingly short period of time later the Agricultural Revolution transformed human ecology, social organization, demography, culture, and religion (Fagan: 2007). Man wholeheartedly embraced the sweeping changes bought on by agriculture and domestication, which definitely proved key to the long run success of agriculture and domestication as a primary method of procuring sustenance. Despite a rapidly changing world, basic and primal human nature and desire remain utterly unchanged. The most fundamental of these challenges is the establishment of an adequate supply of food. The modern food infrastructure employed by contemporary society is rooted in the creation and innovation of food production. Its effective utilization decreases the level of societal labor contribution required and discourages food shortage trepidation amongst individuals. It is hard to fathom given the current status of our society massive agricultural-industrial complex that the hunter-gatherer organization of society dominated for more than 99 percent of our existence (Fagan: 2007). The hunter-gatherer population was characterized by their primary subsistence method, which involved the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild. The primary methods employed were foraging and hunting, which were conducted without any sig... ...y 22.New challenges in food preservation. (2011): 121-126. ScienceDirect. Web. 4 May 2012. Paarlberg, Robert. "The Ethics Of Modern Agriculture." Society 46.1 (2009): 4. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 4 May 2012. Evans, L. T. (1998). Feeding the Ten Billion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Fagan, Brian M. June 2007 World Prehistory: A Brief Introduction. Chapter 5: The Origins of Food Production. Prentice Hall. University of California: Santa Barbara. Pg 126, 129, 132, 132-133, 133, 133-134, 136-137, 137-138, 138 Pringle, Heather November 1998 Science Neolithic Agriculture: The Slow Birth of Agriculture. Vol. 282. No. 539: Pg. 1446 Porter, J., & Rasmussen, J. (2009). Agriculture and Technology. En B. J. Olsen, S. A. Pedersen, & V. Hendricks, A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology (pà ¡gs. 285-289). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell