Acne and Its Phychosocial Impacts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Acne and Its Phychosocial Impacts - Essay Example 438). In a society which places high regard for appearance, and a healthy, glowing skin, skin disorders are often associated with uncleanliness, In many cases, people with skin conditions are avoided, because of the perception that all skin problems are contagious. Minor skin conditions can have major psychosocial effects to individuals experiencing it. Such condition affects a person’s self image, as well as how an individual interacts with others. Interpersonal relationships often suffer and affected individuals are traumatized with stares and expression of revulsion that they receive from society. In cases when skin conditions are chronic, affected persons may be branded as social outcasts, hence leading to other psychological issues such as depression or social anxiety. For the purpose of this paper, the author will explore the effects of acne on an individual’s social experience. Acne vulgaris (common name, acne) is a â€Å"disease of the hair follicles of the fac e, chest, and back† (Rockoff & Cole, 2011). It is considered as the most common disease and almost all males and females have experienced it. It usually appears during puberty, peaks at around 14 to 19 and resolves by mid-twenties (Adityan & Thappa, 2009, p. 272). The disease tend to be more persistent in females but the more severe form is more commonly experienced by males. To gauge its severity, lesion counting is often used. Acne typically appears as blackheads or whiteheads (congested pores called comedones) or tender red bumps more commonly known as pimples. In more severe cases, acne takes the form of pustules and cysts. Acne happens when an hair follicles attached to oil glands enlarges. This causes the bump visible on the skin. Sometimes the walls holding the follicle may rupture which then allows skin bacteria to enter the deeper levels. When this happens, inflammation can happen. Pimples are inflammation in the deep levels, but deeper levels produce cysts. Whitehead s are oil which breaks out of the surface of the skin while blackheads are â€Å"black oil†, they are either oxidized oil or they may have accumulated melanin. In a study conducted by F. Ballanger, P.Baudry, J.M. N’guyen, A. Kammari, & B. Dreno (2006) shows that heredity is a prognostic factor for severe acne but in the case of minor to mild conditions, heredity does not matter. Moreover, there is indication that the parents experience is not always the same as that of their children. Choice of food can aggravate acne but there is no real evidence showing that it has a direct impact on the occurrence of the skin disease. Stress is also often cited as a cause of acne, but researches show that its effects are not direct (Rockoff & Cole, 2011). Some factors which may contribute to acne includes increased pressure from helmets, suspenders, etc., use of drugs containing steroids and prednisone, and use of comedogenic (skin clogging) products. While acne is a normal conditio n among adolescents, and will typically resolve on its own, there are instances when it will require treatment. Harald Gollnick, Andrew Finlay, & Neil Shear (2008) presents several indicators when acne should be considered a chronic disease: when its distribution and severity is constantly increasing, when acne treatment becomes necessary for months at a time, and if it affects the individual’s quality of life. The authors believe that acne should be treated as a chronic disease and that effective treatment must be made available through research. Several studies show that people suffering from acne are more â€Å"prone to depression, social withdrawal, anxiety, and anger and are more likely to be

BMW new change program Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BMW new change program - Case Study Example Also we can observe that the management also has redesigned the job of the workers. The hierarchical structure has been diminished and the teams hold more responsibility. Eventually, this will create new challenges for the members of the team. There is also evidence that the jobs of the workers no longer involve monotonous tasks. The jobs of the team members are halved so that they can concentrate on the development of the team. Every fortnight the team members talk for 45 minutes to solve problems and to gather new ideas. The assembly line workers who were previously responsible only in the production levels were now having additional roles in tackling problems and suggesting solutions which has resulted in huge gains for the organization. By making the job more challenging and providing opportunities for achievement, recognition, responsibility and growth, the job itself becomes a source of motivation. b) The management of BMW has taken the approach to maintain the hygiene and motivational factors as suggested by Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. In this theory, Herzberg explains that there are hygiene factors, which are not intrinsic part of the job but the conditions under which a job is performed. These factors do not help in the improvement of efficiency of the organization, but they prevent losses in the performance of the workers. These factors help in maintaining a reasonable level of output from the workers. At BMW the hygiene factors are already well established. Hence, to heave a motivated workforce, the management decided to improve the motivational factors such as increasing the responsibility, achievement and recognition. By dividing the workers into teams and empowering them to solve problems and make decisions, the management has increased the presence of motivational factors in the organization. The jobs of the workers now include a variety of tasks and the formal structures have given way to more people oriented teams. This creates job enrichment. The idea of maintaining the motivational factors hs lead to job rotation, job enrichment and job enlargement, which has benefitted the company to a major extent. By increasing the scope of responsibility and recognition the management has created more value to the job of the assembly line worker. The Herzberg's approach can often motivate the members to achieve new heights which the human resource policies fail to achieve. c) Working in groups benefits both the employees and the organization. For the employees it is very useful by creating a participatory work environment. At BMW, the management also takes part in the production process, hence the environment of participatory work is established. Next, there is improved organizational processes and procedures. The teams are empowered to make decisions, hence the processes and procedures followed become more effective. The worker satisfaction is increased because of the additional roles played by the team members. Working in empower teams helps to establish a positive work environment which gives room for better human relationships. Hence, this helps the workers to reduce stress, increase shares responsibility and trust amount the members of the team thus increasing the quality of the work life. Also, the workers are made to attend workshops and training programs by the management, which gives them opportunity to develop themselves. For the

Ethical and moral issues at Phoenix University Essay Example for Free

Ethical and moral issues at Phoenix University Essay The university students are facing many issues in their lives and some of them include depression, stress, relationship difficulties, academic problems, among others. Some of the students are required to learn and at the same time work, integrating these two is not an easy task for them. Some course notes are very difficult to understand and require much discipline in order to assimilate the content. This has therefore resulted to poor academic performance from the part time students. Even though the time spent in class by these students is normally short, they have little time to read and revise. Furthermore, the university examination is the same for all the students, both part time and full time. Treating all the students to be equal is not morally right since most of the full time students are young and can assimilate the theories and concepts with much ease, while the adult students take time to assimilate. This is because the adult students have many responsibilities regarding their families and their job tasks which are crowding their minds and therefore cannot focus properly in their studies. Most of the young students have few responsibilities thereby giving them more time to concentrate on their studies and this leads to good academic results. The class lessons provided by the university usually takes about two hours and can be scheduled to take place in the daytime or at night depending on when the students are available. But in some cases, this does not apply; the academic counselor can change the class schedule to a different day or night without the students consent. Sometimes the instructors may not be available and this therefore forces the academic counselor to shift the class to another time. The academic counselor will inform the students about the class changes, but he or she does not give them an option to refuse or accept. The fact that the counselor can change the class schedule without the students consent is unethical. The changes made may sometimes require the students to change their work schedules or miss the classes. Changing the work schedule may not be possible sometimes since it depends on the job type, there are some jobs which are not flexible thereby leaving the students with no option but to miss the classes. By not attending the class lesson these students are left behind in notes and catching up is really a hard task since the notes usually pile up as they misses more lessons. This therefore may lead to the students failing the final examination since the examination schedule cannot be changed to accommodate them. The university does not allow adult students to skip some courses they have done in the past and this is not ethical. There are some courses a student may have done and passed well in a different college, but this university does not allow them to continue with their studies unless they do these courses again. To repeat a course requires time and money, therefore the students are forced to pay more and to find extra time to attend the classes. Some students may not have the extra time to attend these classes because their time schedules are full of job tasks, family responsibilities and even other class lessons. In addition, there are those who do not have enough money and because of this requirement they cannot enroll into the university. For these poor students, the opportunity for further studies is therefore taken away by this requirement and is given to rich ones. The university has put in place the Learning Teams to help the online distance learning students. These teams are usually composed of three to six adult students and every week these students meet for about five hours in order to discuss and analyze problems in the researches done, case studies, among others. Their courses are usually designed to integrate group and individual activities with the help of an instructor whose role is to give guidance and advice. These learning teams were developed to promote technical and intellectual knowledge, enhance valuable skills in negotiation and teamwork and even to provide a place where new ideas can be developed and utilized (University of Phoenix, 2009). However, when students enroll into the university, they are not told about the Learning Teams and how they work. Most students enroll into the university without a clue about these Learning Teams. They only learn about them when they are already at the university and this has resulted to some ethical problems. These Learning Teams are only located in the United States of America (U. S. A. ) and their meetings are scheduled at specific times. For distance learning students they have become a burden, since time is not universal it varies depending on the location. Some of their meetings occur during the day while in others at night. This can therefore lead to some students sleeping in their workplace while others are forced to go to work late, yet not considering that the job is paying for the studies. Sleeping in the workplace or going to work late has some regrettable consequences, it may lead to the students losing their jobs and therefore not being able to afford the university fees. Without their work some students will be forced to drop out of the university because of fees problems. Furthermore, if they do not drop out they will have other problems such as lack of bus fare, among others, which will be due to insufficient funds for their personal needs. In addition, to participate in the Learning Teams requires books and some students cannot afford to purchase them because they are expensive. Paying the university fees and buying books can be stressful to some people especially when their wages are low and have families to care for. Learning without the required books can lead to poor academic performance from the students since they cannot do their own further learning and even counter check their course notes. Furthermore, for those who can afford they are sometimes required to pay more for shipping expenses since some books are not available in their locality but are found in U.  S. A. The fact that all the books are not provided by the university in the Learning Teams and yet they expect the students to learn and understand like the full time students makes it unethical. It is the obligation of the university to ensure that all the books required for every course are available and accessible online from the library by all the students regardless of where they are. Otherwise, the course should not be provided if the books available are not enough for all the students. The Learning Teams meetings usually last for four to five hours whether in daytime or at night. Sitting in a meeting for five hours continuously is tiresome especially when someone has been working throughout the day or night. Concentrating for long hours on a topic is not an easy task and the fact that you have no other time to learn makes it worse. There are students who read and understand theories and concepts in a very short time period while others take time to understand them. The fact that the students have no option but to take part in these teams is not ethical. They should be given an opportunity to choose between long hours or subsequent short hours since people learn and understand things differently. In addition, they should be allowed to choose whether to participate in these teams or not and if they do participate they should be given a chance to choose their teammates. This is because the university can make the mistake of putting a student into a group composed of students who are under-qualified. For example, a third year student may be grouped with second year students without knowing, only to understand later that his or her teammates are from a lower grade. This mistake can be costly to the student since it will waste his or her time and money and this cannot be recovered. Furthermore, the long sitting hours do not give students enough time to sleep and we understand getting enough sleep is essential for the body. Working for more than eight hours and then attending the meetings for close to five hours, may lead to stress or depression. In addition, the students are required to do research and case studies before attending the scheduled meetings and this needs time in order to collect the data. In taking part in these meetings and doing research, a student is left with very little time to spend with his family and for other social factors which are important to him such as hanging out with friends, taking your family out for a picnic, and many others. Cases of depression and stress have increased in the university and this can be attributed to the coursework overload experienced by the students. The university has put in place a counseling department which is dealing with the students affairs. Students facing academic and psychological problems are therefore required to get counseling or advice from this department. However, the counselors are facing some ethical difficulties in their department. Majority of the students do not trust them because they do not ensure confidentiality in their services. Maintaining confidentiality is a difficult task for these counselors, especially when the parents, relatives, or even friends are looking for some information about a certain student they care about. This has therefore led to very few students using these services since most of them feel their dignity and privacy is not protected and respected. In addition, the counseling department is not composed of counselors from all the cultures at the university. It is therefore not possible for the department to serve all the students effectively since some of the students might be from cultures which are unique and composed of very few people. These students are therefore locked out from accessing the counseling services when facing problems related to their cultures.

Effect of Culture in the Formulation of Marketing Strategies

Effect of Culture in the Formulation of Marketing Strategies Introduction As a student of business administration and having experienced the multicultural cosmopolitan life in London, U.K., marketing strategies of various multinational companies have always intrigued me. These marketing strategies are more challenging for small and medium sized enterprises. Hence I am motivated to research on various marketing strategies focussing on Culture to determine how well an organization working under stressful economical conditions can formulate successful marketing strategies. After careful research and study small and medium sized enterprises can focus their marketing by understanding how culture influences consumer psychology. Consumers are influences by various external factors like demographics, age, geographical location and culture is an outside influence on the consumer. According to Professor Lars Perner of Marshall School of Business the study of psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment is important for companies to improve their marketing strategies. (Perner) By understand culture, we can develop and better streamline marketing strategies/campaings to reach the customers more efficiently and aggresively. Aims The aim of the research effort is to better understand consumer behaviour which includes research of the buyers decision making process. It will include understanding the psychology, socio-economic background (from consumers in India) and other factors. There are two distinct influences acting on the consumer during the decision making process namely internal and external influences Internal Influences: These types of influences are caused by the consumer demographics, personal lifestyles, educational qualifications, financial conditions etc. External Influences: The outside factors that act on the consumer are referred as external influences. These are caused by culture and sub-culture, geographical location, gender, ethnicity and social class. As mentioned earlier Culture plays an important role in the consumer decision making process and the aim of this research is to better understand and possibly provide some suggestions so that small and medium sized companies can better formulate their marketing strategies. Objectives I hope to present a clear and definite picture on how various enterprises can attain better financial results by focussing and developing marketing strategies which are inclusive of all cultures, sub cultures and consumer social classes. By explaining consumer behaviour more clearly and making it adaptive to our fast changing economical and financial situation I hope to provide solutions for marketing successfully including possible consumer research methods. I would like to use the survey mentioned in the methodology section to understand consumer behaviour. Due to my inability to reach out to consumer/survey volunteers in U.K. and/or USA I might restrict my findings to India but I would hopefully be able to support my solutions using use cases of already successful marketing strategies. Literature Review Following globalization regional small and medium sized companies in India, USA and the UK are under increased pressure to formulate better marketing strategies. In India dimensions of marketing are fast changing. As literacy rate is increasing there is increased consumer awareness. Therefore industries face new challenges. Retail markets are now flooded with retail chains posing serious threat to traditional businesses. Consumers are now experiencing elevated service level as service sector is adopting market-focussed approach. These fast changing scenario is creating lot of changes are expected to take at a fast pace. In this context, it is important for small and medium sized enterprises for adopt and change rapidly. Changes come at a price and are not easily acceptable. It is my effort to provide struggling firms to follow simple steps to design efficient marketing strategies. Marketing is the key for successful businesses. My knowledge about different marketing strategies and related topics is based on my review of available research papers and books written by economists and philosophers. My research concludes with books and websites on consumer behaviour. I have also researched and understood the role of culture and subculture based on my finding and hope to bring a new perspective in formulating marketing strategies for small and medium sized enterprises. Lars E. Perner and is Professor of Clinical Marketing with University of South Carolina, USA. He motivates me with his research available on the web at http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/. In the introduction to Psychology of Marketing he presents some ideas which I have tried to explain further using additional references based on my research which are duly referenced in bibliography section. His work helped me build the foundation of this thesis. Consumer should be the centre and possibly the only point of focus of any marketing campaign. Perner briefly describes the role of culture and subculture. Though it should be understood from a different perspective for Indian enterprises, some of the thoughts can be applied generally. The idea that subcultures in India have distinct identity and can be identified uniquely from their heterogeneous group forms a major challenge for marketers. In the section Formulating Marketing Strategies, I have described in detail how one can ensure to include different major and minor motives that at acting on the consumer during the decision making process to design good and appealing marketing campaigns. I hope that this succinct attempt will motivate and encourage readers to focus their marketing campaigns using suggested methodologies to include various segments as mentioned in the Consumer Culture and Subculture section. Another primary source of my research and motivation is a book written by Matin Khan. It was published in 2006 and presents a perfect picture about Indian consumers and their influences. After reading this book, I have realized that it is very challenging to completely understand Indian consumers at any point. Yet, the complexity is resolved when they are segmented based on factors like geographical location and dialect. There are more factors which are useful in market segmentation and I have listed them under the section Application of Consumer Behaviour Information of my thesis. In his book Consumer Behaviour and Advertising Management, Khan discusses about consumer behaviour and its importance for companies. He writes in detail about its application and market analysis. In the chapter 2 Psychographic or Lifestyle Segmentation Khan writes in detail about Indias family structure and how marketers can use the familys socio-cultural behaviour in their favour in defining winning marke ting strategies. I am an Indian and Matin Khan helps me explore my heritage and culture by carefully exploring the hidden motives that influence my decision making process when I try to purchase any asset for my family. In his chapter Concept of Culture and Subculture, Khan made an attempt to draw a parallel and to find common characteristics amongst different Indian cultures and subcultures. My research however has helped me conclude that culture and subculture are in changing continuously and their likeliness and differences will vary from time to time. Hence, marketing strategies based on common characteristics in subcultures may not be relevant throughout the tenure of the product. In such scenarios, the strategies have to be evaluated time to time and changed accordingly. In order to further understand consumer behaviour I have further researched Ray Wrights book called Consumer Behaviour. Wright writes in detail about buyer behaviour. Examining the study of consumer behaviour is important to demonstrate the roles of customer and the market economy in designing successful marketing campaigns. Firms should compare, evaluate and analyze to relate consumer behaviour and natural and social sciences. It is necessary to individually research all the factors that influence the consumers decision making process. India is now a part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and with Capitalism dominating all the leading economies of the world; it is becoming challenging for Indian firms to adjust to the pricing provided by the Chinese counterparts. However, the idea of swades [1] is becoming more and more relevant to Indias educated classes. Hence, there is an opportunity to design marketing strategies which exploit this consumer behaviour to increase market shar e and product line-up. The societal benefits includes adaptation and reengineering of various industrial equipment imported by India for its growing economy as the rules relating to intellectual property are not yet clearly defined and implemented by Indian legislation. Though this might change (I do not condone), it is worth mentioning how Indian companies have adapted and to sudden changes in customer behaviour following liberalisation of Indian economy. Wright also explains about the consumers central position within the free market system. India is not yet a product driven market[2] and therefore marketing campaigns designed for various countries may not be equally appealing to Indian consumers. After carefully designed marketing strategies are rolled out, it is important to maintain and sustain those efforts. Hence, marketing management small companies will have to look into as well. Robert D. Hisrich is a Garvin Professor of Global Entrepreneurship and writes about the challenges in managing marketing in his book Marketing. He writes in detail about various methods in marketing research, packaging, pricing scenarios, best practices in advertising and distribution. This secondary source is very essential to enhance my understanding of stages of marketing after strategies are rolled out. In various aptly laid out chapters, Hisrich discusses the small and medium sized industries and external marketing environment affecting them. Effective planning is super important. This book provides supporting information for my thoughts in market segmentation. Unfortunately, this book is published in the USA and does not consider Indian market scenario. Therefore, I have used this book a s a secondary reference. My emphasis for market segmentation can is extension of the information provided in Analyzing Markets and Target Marketing. This book has enhanced my understanding of consumer behaviour from business intelligence perspective. It has expanded the role of marketing by focussing only on the behaviour of the consumer. As a reader I am presented with insightful information that makes me wonder if I should keep track of every consumer motive to design better marketing solutions. Hisrich explains in detail about theoretical models in understanding consumer behaviour. This includes Stimulus-Response Model Learning Model. It is based on the sequential placement of the research steps like drive, motivation, stimuli, cu[3]e and response to fulfil consumer needs. In the psychoanalytic model we make an attempt to understand the complex consumer motives. Within one segmented market and for each product there exist different groups who buy the product for satisfying diffe rent needs. Some buy it for functional requirements and some for symbolic concerns. Maslows hierarchy of needs theory also explains how the needs of human beings can be categorized into physical, sociological and the self-actualization. Indian consumers are now starting to think more rationally on the lines of western consumers. They make decisions based on rationally perceived self-interests. They have range of products from Indian and foreign manufacturers and given the limited amount of money for attaining satisfaction by attempting to satisfy only limited number of wants from many needs. Indian firms, therefore, should make efforts to maximize these demands as mentioned in the book as utility maximization. Having understood the influences on the consumer, it is important to understand the Indian market and how it is different from the economies of the west. The biggest contrast is that companies outside India create a demand rather than responding to it. Unlike the west, Indian manufacturers are very quick to get into the market and exit as rapidly as shown by traders and their traditional trading mentality. Foreign companies should have a strong basis for understanding Indian domestic market. It will ensure they are able to best penetrate it. Indians are more welcoming to new ideas and approaches. The consumers are reasonably receptive and reasonably enthusiastic. More comparisons about western and Indian consumers are explained in detail using case studies in Paul Daviess New Business in India. In a guide to marketing in India, Davies has insights of an economist and the discourse of a writer. He writes about the Indian feeling about competition from China which is accounting for st range consumer behaviour. Such behaviour is making domestic Indian firms start thinking about hurdles while entering the Indian market. They are too high and very risky. Yet there is a opportunity to explore. Davies poses questions about Indian market to prospective firms in India, questions to ask yourself (while entering Indian market) are the one of whether you can either complement Indian businesses or offer a competitive position that will enable you to establish your business. Putting this in context of my example of Maruti Suzuki, though Maruti hold the key position since 1984, Hyundai Motors India Limited (HMIL) was successfully able to offer consumers with its Santro model, and has gain prominent market share. As of 2009, HMIL became the second largest automobile manufacturer and largest exporter of automobiles in India[4]. Similarly, scores of life insurance companies are setting up franchises to cater the needs of demanding Indian consumers. Indian manufacturers need to have some competitive edge over their competitors to capture and expand their market share. It is my effort to provide some guidelines and suggestions so that they can adapt accordingly. For traditional Indian businesses it is important to understand their areas of competitive advantages. India has vast amount of natural resources. According to P.N. Mari Bhatt in Indian Demographic Scenario 2025, Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, there will be more than 882 million people in the age group of 15-64 years. The age of retirement in India is 64 years. So the workforce will near one billion Indians. Therefore I conclude that Indians to have superior skills, specialized knowledge, customer orientation, trade relationships and technical expertise. Indias abundant resources are made of extensive coverage, economies of large scales, availability of global financing schemes, and ease of foreign direct investments (FDI). This together with current cost and in tellectual property niche gives Indian manufacturers head start and leading ground. In the fifth edition of Marketing Book, the author Michael Baker makes these subtle rules for start-ups very evident. He includes notes and commentary on increasing focus on channel management, CRM, direct marketing, E-Marketing and communication integration. Indian manufacturers should also understand and develop methods to differentiate their products by providing superior product quality, more functionalities, impeccable after sales service, and wider range as discussed in the section Indian Consumer Characteristics of this thesis. Even for Indian manufacturers understanding the environment is the key to success. Constantly changing political scenario takes constant adjustments within the company to accommodate and comply with changing rules. Formal marketing audits should be carried out for market size and potential, customer behaviour, segmentation and supply channels. They should understand com petitors and should not assume their behaviour. There could be direct competitors, potential competitors, and their strengths and weaknesses. Side by product comparison helps in new design ideas. They should re-evaluate their own products and market position which will enable to compete aggressively. One of the biggest mistakes done by firms is their strategies and priorities are constantly changing and setting clear strategic priorities is necessary for continuous growth. Finally with products comes customer orientation. Baker writes (Companies should) develop customer orientation in all function. Ensure that every function understands that they are there to serve the customer, not their own functional interests. This applies best to all small and medium sized enterprises. They should focus on key indicators for performance and audit those often. Also in the same context it is implied that study of market needs market research. As a supporting document to my knowledge I have reviewed Introducing Market Research written by Paul Baines and Bal Chansarkar of Middlesex University Business School. After reading introduction I am now able to better articulate the marketing research and am able to appreciate the role that marketing research plays. In the chapters ahead, Baines and Chansarkar help me decide what and who should conduct marketing research for small and medium sized enterprises in the Indian market conditions. One common mistake firms in India repeatedly do is not being able to distinguish clearly between marketing research and market research. Market research is the research of the markets. Marketing research deals with analysis of marketing process. After market and marketing research it is time for strategic planning, which uses all the information collected during research. Strategic planning has five important elements; Product Strategy, Offer Strategy, Media Strategy, Distribution Strategy and Creative Strategies. India has Growing number of internet shoppers who necessitate small businesses to adapt these strategies in their favour. Edward L. Nashs Direct Marketing: Strategy, Planning, Execution is a great reference to understand each of these strategies. In its fourth edition, Nash explains how businesses can use internet and global marketing strategies to capture ground in this competitive marketplace. Internet is the newest form of direct marketing. Relying solely on the media can be catastrophic. Following the principles of strategic direct marketing we can create successful campaigns for any product and in any segment of market in India or any other country of the work. But it is very important to have a strategy clea rly defined. Earlier in India there was no co-ordination between product development team and the marketing team. The product development team rarely took information about the end user and the marketing team was responsible for selling it. Today, it is just the reverse. Product development teams are instructed to find products that can be marketed easily. The author takes example of Dell and Apple who allow users to configure the computers they would like to buy. The consumers tell the manufacturers what they want and it is made for them rather than buying preconfigured computers available in the market. This gives them the competitive advantage and greater market share. Something similar needs to happen in India. The author presents small businesses with retailing opportunity using the internet. There are many advantages associated with letting consumers buy products online. The physical store can be smaller but the online store can be vast with products that can be delivered just in time. Unlike traditional businesses where the consumers/end users are restricted, online shopping portals do not have geographical restriction. The online store is open almost all the time. Unlike physical stores, online portals can get a makeover almost instantly appealing to masses. It is very easy to gather consumer information as it is not a hassle when the shopping is being done online. Growing number of companies in India are switching to this model because of high cost of running physical stores. After speaking to business owners in Hyderabad and Kamareddy cities of Andhra Pradesh, India I have realized that businesses are looking for to a clearly and planned guide to marketing plan which is customized for them. Robert E Stevens, PhD is a Professor of Management and Marketing at University of Louisiana at Monroe. Along with his colleague David Loudan, PhD and Bruce Wrenn have collaborated to compose a Marketing Planning Guide. The book lays out step by step, wizard like actions for marketing planning. It introduces plannings importance in any organization and the formal marketing planning process. It has organizational considerations while marketing planning (organizational purpose, objectives and strategies, a look and current organizations structure, and market responsiveness). It introduces Indian businesses to database marketing planning using Hyundai Motor Company as an example. Types of data that we should keep information on and decision making process are well illustr ated. It also has steps one should have in any marketing research project. From the market analysis perspective we have to ensure thorough situational analysis, which has strategic implications of product and market analysis including sales and costs analysis of the product versus its competitor. As mentioned in my analysis, Professor Stevens lays strong emphasis on consumer analysis using market segmentation, lifestyle segmentation and introduces Market Grid Analysis to the small and medium enterprises. He also writes in detail about competitive analysis for establishing competitive advantage which is also discussed by Michael Baker. With increasing power to spend, Indias market is constantly increasing which gives every company an opportunity to succeed. An opportunity analysis should be carefully conducted identifying potential problems and opportunities. There exist internal and other risk factors that need to be considered. Companies should used data from situation analysis to set clear objectives for marketing. Companies should develop a strategy and also evaluate alternate marketing strategies. They should also evaluate other factors influencing the selected strategy. For manufacturers who offer variety of products, different product related decisions should also be made during marketing mix. Different product positioning strategies and quality based marketing should be initiated. Service strategy should be implemented and evaluated often. Improving customer service is the key to changing customers perception about the company. If the existing products need a makeover or change, relevant product line decisions should be taken. Distribution channels should be carefully selected and promotion decisions should be made only on the basis of target audience. Media and promotional media decisions should not be made without proper cause. For companies competing with Chinese manufacturers pricing also plays an important role in changing customers perspective about the company. Professor Stevens writes about penetration pricing and skimming pricing for making pricing decisions for new products. In designing successful marketing systems, companies should focus on the following four subsystems (departments) within the organization Organizational System: The super system which binds all other systems together and coordinates the interaction of all other systems. Marketing Planning System: This department identifies opportunities for marketing and should create consumer oriented plans. Marketing Control System: This system will monitor and audit performance of marketing plans to ensure marketing objectives are being met. Marketing Information System: This provides decision making information and data to all other departments of the company. Richard L. Sandhusen explains the importance of these systems in his book Marketing and explains why organization system harmonizes marketing efforts. It is because the organization system has infrastructure in which marketing analysis, marketing planning, implementation and controls can be efficiently coordinated. These can be customized for small and medium sized industries we have can more one or group of persons performing multiple tasks. These tasks should be divided once the company starts to grow. This books also talks about product design. The main consideration in product design is consumer preference. Companies should design what consumers want. Indian consumers are now expecting world class safety features in the cars they buy. Almost every car manufacturer now offers cars with air bags, and side impact bar. All those who were reluctant to offer have dealt serious loses. The main criterion for product competitiveness and profitability is pricing. Cost of labour and materia ls should be carefully used in the price of the product. Products should also be designed for compatibility as well. India is a large country with varied geographical and environmental constraints. There are different climates, and different measurements systems which should be considered during product design. The study of Indian marketing environment can never be adequate due to constantly changing dimensions. There are the forces that marketing managers should use to create and plan organization objectives. For Indian companies, microenvironment [Sandhusen, 2000][6] is the force that affects the ability of the company to serve its customers better than its competitors. The macroenvironment [Sandhusen, 2000][6] influence the microenvironment due to politics, economy, and changing culture and subculture. Finally, the game changing role is played by considering distribution systems. Unlike USA and UK, roadway and railway infrastructure is not very well maintained. Companies should make use of channel systems. In India, logistics are becoming the biggest deterrent to appealing marketing campaigns. Logistics requires material management and product distribution (packaging, transportation, storage, and inventory management) for bring products to the end users. These functions are interrelated. Indian companies should adopt structuring logistics into material management and product distribution for efficient logistics. If possible separate department should be created with greater communication between them. Sandhusen writes about the importance of logistics in marketing planning, and mentions marketing planning can be measured by a number of costly concerns: transportation, storage costs, number of (intermediate) channels in logistics, costs, etc. Methodology The primary aim of this research is to emphasize the impact of culture on marketing strategies for small and medium sized enterprises. Unlike large sized companies, small and medium enterprises face increased competition due to inadequate resources including capital, human resources and strategic assets. To better communicate with their target customer group the small and medium sized enterprises use various techniques in exploring existing or newer markets. I would like to limit my focus to the efforts in understanding the cultural impact on those marketing strategies and, to provide better solutions I would like to refer to the following ways of collecting information. The primary source of my research is books, magazines, historical articles and, other information available in hard copy. All references will be duly mentioned in the bibliography section. Information available on internet and white papers. While most of the information and statistics available on the web cannot be collaborated with strong facts, it secondary source of information which will act as supporting data for the information I would collect by preliminary research using books, journals and government provided economic data. Also, I would like to survey the existing marketing campaigns to find similarities and differences between different small sized enterprises. As the emphasis is on culture, I cannot limit my research to UK alone and would like to extend my survey to other countries including USA and India. The research poll will include a short questionnaire which can be an online survey and or a hand written copy. I would like to provide a parallel between the current trends in marketing strategies and the general opinion from the research poll. Though it is possible that there might be a difference in them, it is still valid as this effort is to better understand and streamline marketing. A sample questionnaire is enclosed for reference. Sample questions from research survey: 1. What is your age group? Answer choices: a. Between 18-24 b. Between 25-34 c. Between 34-44 d. Between 45-54 e. Between 55-54 f. Over 65 2. What is your gender? Answer choices: 3. Answer choices: a. UK b. U.S.A c. India 4a. For respondents in U.K. Do you feel London is an example of cross cultural metropolitan? Answer choices: a. Yes b. No 4b. If the answer is â€Å"yes† to question number 4a. Have you ever felt any commercial is particularly offensive to your culture/background? Answer choices: a. Yes b. No 5. If the answer is â€Å"no† to question number 4b. Will you be interested in purchasing a product of Company A if its marketing commercials portrays your culture/background in a positive way? Answer choices: a. Yes b. No 6. Have you recently been motivated to buy any product because its advertisement if inclusive and portrays your culture positively? Answer choices: a. Yes b. No 6b. If the answer is â€Å"yes† to the question number 6. Please mention the company name, product name and category if applicable. Answer choices: a. b. c. 1 What is your age group? a. Between 18-24 b. Between 25-34> c. Between 34-44 d. Between 45-54 e. Between 55-54 f. Over 65 2. What is your gender? a. Male b. Female 3. What is your primary country of residence? a. UK b. U.S.A c. India 4.a. For respondents in U.K.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do you feel London is an example of cross cultural metropolitan? a. Yes b. No 4.b. If the answer is â€Å"yes† to question number 4a.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever felt any commercial is particularly offensive to your culture/background? a. Yes b. No 5. If the answer is â€Å"no† to ques

ford motor company :: essays research papers

FORD and e-STEEL Enter Into Multi-Year e-Commerce Agreement Automotive Leader to Use Leading Online Steel Exchange to e-Enable Major Web-based, Global Value Chain Purchasing Initiative Dearborn, Mich., and New York, NY — Business Wire — May 17, 2000 — Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), and e-STEEL Corporation, the leading negotiation-based e-Commerce exchange for the global steel industry, today announced an initiative to e-enable complex procurement programs with the automaker's global Tier 1 suppliers. This relationship includes an equity incentive program that will earn the carmaker a minority equity stake in e-STEEL. Ford selected e-STEEL (www.e-steel.com) to provide the steel-specific knowledge and functionality required to rapidly launch a steel e-Commerce procurement system to maximize efficiency and operational savings. Approximately 4-5 million tons of steel and steel-related products will be purchased via e-STEEL for metal stamping suppliers over the course of this contract. The scope of the alliance covers the automaker's steel order fulfillment processing, claims, financial controls, and audit reporting throughout its global manufacturing and assembly operations. "Ford Motor Company has confidence in e-STEEL's ability to deliver this Internet-based solution across its entire Tier 1 steel and metal stamping value chain, both in North America and Europe, within the next few months," said Andrew Hinkly, Director, Raw Material Purchasing, Ford Motor Company. "We selected e-STEEL as our partner due to their expertise in steel procurement systems, their efficient e-business tools such as STEELDIRECTâ„ ¢, and their existing broad coverage of our steel supply base," added Hinkly. "These inherent strengths, and their results-driven management team, will lead to a successful implementation of this program." "The mutual focus of the Ford/e-STEEL alliance is that value is job 1, " said e-STEEL Founder, Chairman, and CEO Michael S. Levin. "Our ValueTrackâ„ ¢ process and speed-to-solutions approach will accelerate Ford and its suppliers' ability to realize substantial operational savings from this program. We are thrilled that Ford Motor Company, which is one of the most innovative global companies, selected e-STEEL for this important initiative." TOP The automaker expects the members of its steel supply chain to realize cost benefits from efficiencies gained by participating in this program. Ford anticipates the volumes of steel transacted through the program to grow significantly during the next 12 months. At present, the Ford/e-STEEL alliance is limited in scope to this program for Ford's purchases, and the millions of tons of steel products a year. In addition to this alliance, e-STEEL recently announced that it also secured strong strategic alliances with three of Ford's major steel suppliers, and recent Ford World Excellence Award winners, U.

In order for the customers to purchase the Nokia 6600 from the retailer, :: Business Management Studies

In order for the customers to purchase the Nokia 6600 from the retailer, Sales and customer service Task 1 Introduction A sales promotion may be defined as on attempt to create interest in and stimulate sales of a product or service by a non-standard activity in a limited period of time, or with a controlled amount of product (while stocks last) In many ways, a sales promotion is a link between advertising and direct selling. It gives the advertiser an extra benefit to draw to the consumers attention, persuading them to go to the shops, and it allows the manufacturer’s sales person to revitalize the interest of the retailer by having something new to discuss or offer. There are two types of promotion: * Trade promotions- manufacturers promoting to retailers and wholesalers. * Consumer promotions- manufacturers or retailers promoting to the final consumer. I will promote mobile phone Nokia 6600. It is important to understand that sales promotion includes more than just money off voucher on the pocket of a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) In order for the customers to purchase the Nokia 6600 from the retailer, the latter has had to be persuaded to stock the product in the first place. For this to be achieved, I will have to educate its sales- force on the distinctive selling features of the product, which is Nokia 6600 in order to help it persuade the retailer to stock it. This is picture of Nokia 6600 Components of a sales promotion Firms often refer to promotion above the line and below the line. Above the line promotion is through independent media, such as television or newspapers. These allow firms to reach a wide audience easily. Most advertising is carried out above the line. Some advertising, however, is carried out by methods over which a firm has direct control, such as direct mailing. These and other direct methods of promotion (known as below the line promotion) Below the line promotion allows a firm to aim its marketing at consumers it knows are interested in the product. Above the line advertising in newspaper means that the promotion is seen by most of the readers, even though some will not be interested. With below the line promotions, firms are usually aiming their message at consumers who are either known to them or who have been chosen in advance. For example, direct mail advertisers will pick exactly which consumers they wish to send their mail to, rather than going for blanket coverage. Nokia 6600 sales promotion objectives are: * Increase awareness and interest * Achieve a switch in buying behavior from competitor brands * Incentive consumers of make a purchase of my brand Nokia 6600

Unit 208 Support Children and Young Persons Health and Safety

Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Unit 208 Support children and young people’s health and safety Written Questions 1. 1 Give examples of how current health and safety legislation, policies and procedures are implemented in your school The Health & Safety Act 1974 – Under this act individuals in any organisation are required to ensure that they report any hazards, follow the schools safety policy, make sure their actions do not harm themselves or others and use any safety equipment that is provided. There are posters that explain the employers and employees responsibilities throughout Longford Park Primary School to remind everyone how to comply with the act. My school complies with the act by ensuring any hazards are reported to Mr Provaker, the caretaker. By having cleaners coming in daily to ensure all areas of the school are clean and tidy. All equipment is stored in a locked cupboard. Fire evacuation procedures are displayed throughout the school in each classroom. Safety equipment is used by staff, for example staf on playground duty wear high visability vests and carry first aid kits. Food Hygiene Legislation 2006 – Covers the safe preparation and storage of food. All of the cooks, kitchen and serving staff at Longford Park Primary School comply with this by holding an up to date food hygiene certificate and having annual re-tests. There are posters in the kitchen reminding staff of good practice – i. e which colour chopping board to use for which food and how to store food in the fridge correctly. Risk Assesment – This is to identify potential hazards to staff and children, the risks are evaluated and steps to minimize the possibility of the situation arising are set out, Theses are done for day to day activities in all areas of the school and for new activities such as school trips. My school complies with this by carrying out risk assessment for activites during lesson planning and recently when all the children at Longford Park Primary School went to the local theatre to watch a pantomime, a through risk assessment was done before hand. COSHH 2 Regulations 2002 – Longford Park Primary School complies with this by keeping all COSHH items in a locked cupboard by the staff toilets. Data Sheets for all the chemicals are displayed on the wall in the cupboard. Al items are stored out of reach of the children and in its original packaging. Protective clothing such as gloves, masks and goggles are provided when nessecary. The key for the cupboard is kept with the caretaker, Mr Provaker. Every Child Matters – This has 5 outcomes: 1 – Be Healthy 2 – Be Safe 3 – Enjoy 4- Postive 5 – Economic Longford Park Primary school promotes these outcomes by promoting healthy eating; the children had a piece of fruit during their morning break, by teaching children how to keep themselves safe from accidents and harm i. e – An assemble to inform about the dangers of fireworks, no running in corridors, how to safely carry scissors. They children do an exercise video called Activate first thing in the morning whilst the register is being taken and a cycling proficiency course is offered to all children in year five. Fire Procedures – Longford Park Primary School has procedures tor evacuationg all areas of the school during a fire, the escape route and assembly points is displayed on an Action Plan in all classrooms, corridors and other areas of the school. The schools fire alarm system is checked weekly and a fire drill is carried out every term, the fire drill is recorded and then evaluated to detertime if it could be done better. Emergency exits are clearly marked, in my classroom the fire exit is the door that leads directly out to the play ground. Health and Safety (First Aid) 1981 – Longford Park Primary School complies with this by keeping well stocked first aid boxes on the teachers desk in each classroom and are carried by playground supervisors. Designated first aiders are appointed and suitably trained with a list of all first aiders on display in the staff room so that all staff know who to refeer to if a child has an accident, all accidents are recorded in the accident book. 1. 1 continued ————————————————- 1. 2 How is health and safety monitored and maintained in your school? (Describe) The Health and Safety representative, Mrs Walker carries out regular checks by walking around the school and outside areas * Weekly staff meetings are used to address and health and safety concerns * Equipment, material and the environment are checked and any hazards are identified and removed * Lunchtime supervisors m onitor health and safety in the dining hall and in the playground looking out for risks and removing or minimising them or reporting them. * Hand washing facilities are available outside every classroom and children wash their hands after being outside. Boxes of tissues on each table help to the the spreading of germs when coughing and sneezing. * All electrical and fire extinguishers are checked annually by a qualified person and a label is stuck on the checked equipment with the date it was tested. Only equipment that has been checked and has a label should be used. * Food hygiene procedures are in place for cooks, kitchen and serving staff. 1. 3 How people in my school are made aware of risks & hazards and encouraged to work safely (Describe) ————————————————- 1. Identify the lines of responsibility and reporting for health and safety in your school. Head Teacher, Mandy Walker or Deputy Head Mina Provarker has ultimate responsibility for Health and Safety in school. The Health and safety officer at Longford Park Primary School is Mr Provarker and is responsible for monitoring Health and Safety by carrying out routine inspections or equipment and premisis and for ensuring everyone is aware of the procedures for reporting and recording hazards. The Caretaker; Mr Provarker is responsible to dealing with and removing any hazards. All staff and students are responsible for reporting health and safety issues such as hazards and accidents. Students would report issues to a suitable member of staff according to the nature of the issue. 3. 1 Outline the importance of taking a balanced approach to risk management Children should learn to be able to take some risks and most activities will carry some element of danger but they should be given the opportunity to assess risks for themselves by exploring and by challenging themselves and by discussing risks and safety. Childrens safety is important but we need to be careful not to be over protective or they may be prevented from assessing risks, exploring and learning, discovering the world around them or recognising their own limitations. If childrens experiences are limited due to an adults anxieties they are more likely to find it difficult to asses and manage risks as they develop and may not feel confident when trying new things. Think of 2 examples of activities in your placement where there is an element of measured risk. How does the risk involved balance with the learning experience? Example 1 Example 2