Wednesday, October 30, 2019
How the content of this web page relates to the materials presented in Assignment
How the content of this web page relates to the materials presented in Chapters 11, 12 and 13 - Assignment Example Wal-Mart’s service delivery and commitment to satisfying their customers is expressed on this web page by saying that their energy, passion and respect for individuals are some of their core values in service delivery. This web page also shows Wal-Mart’s commitment to the community sense of belonging whereby they have sites that show their commitment to protecting the environment, helping others especially the less fortunate, community investment and supporting people. This web page basically advertises careers for people looking for employment, also how Walmart as a whole has different sections all under one roof. This is covered under job enrichment. This explains how variety, identity and significance contribute to motivating a worker through the job itself. This self-motivation is evidently brought out on Walmart’s web page when they say that their entrepreneurial spirits drive them to grow and innovate daily. This is covered under recruitment strategy and policy. This involves recruiting skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employees. Walmart’s page shows this recruitment policy by advertising jobs online and the jobs are offered in different locations for different people and it can be easily accessed online. This is covered under a collective bargaining power of unions. Since Walmart has different employees from different places all over the country, they always try to give them a collective voice to help them air their views and complaints to the management, and this is clearly seen under Walmart’s core values which include treating employees equally and respecting them too. This is well covered under open communication. Walmart web page offers an open kind of communication in that job application can be done through online and when they also say that they walk the talk to mean that whatever they say they act on it or put it into action. This can be discussed
Monday, October 28, 2019
Identifying Biased Media Essay Example for Free
Identifying Biased Media Essay Many now believe that media is biased; but the context of what bias is may vary depending on the preferences of the readers. Bias affects news reporting in a variety of ways. It may be reflected on the preferences of the editor/owner of the publication or broadcast institution, maximizing profits, and/or politics or entertainment (Baron 1).            Media institutions acquire income from advertisements and this practice affects how the media chooses what kind of news it should report. Media sensationalism is also an end result as people are attracted to read news that are sensationalized, this in turn increases readership and consequently, increase in profit from advertisements.            The issue whether media can still produce and present objective news is still subject to debate. It may be true that some institutions can present objective and unbiased news, but many forms of media are now inclined to side with a group because of preferences or to maximize profit.            In politics, horse-race journalism, which focuses on various election data instead of emphasizing the candidates plan of action, is being given too much attention. This results in news items that are all about the election proceedings. During these times, media institutions all report election-related news and forget about other similarly or more important issues that need to be reported.            The findings of some researchers suggest that the media (1) are neither objective nor honest, (2) employ framing devices, (3) deliberately manipulate news, (4) are controlled and influenced by government and business interest, (5) may choose unreliable sources, (6) accept the â€Å"faulty premise†that the government has good intentions, (7) through the use of the word â€Å"we†implies acknowledgment of government policies, (8) do not use historical context, (9) fail to follow up on the stories and (10) does not encourage the maintenance of a critical perspective for the readers (Nelson).            Bias results in skepticism on the side of the readers which results in a reduction in the demand for news. However, biases are being tolerated when it means that a journalist can be hired for a lower salary (Baron 23). Journalists may have incentives to write biased news stories, but it can be cushioned by an attitude of professionalism and a media institution that does not tolerate bias.            On the other hand, investigative journalism has been known as the most controversial form of journalism and over time, it has changed and adapted to the current setting (Hawks) but this kind of reporting involves a lot of risk and violation of human rights.            Sometimes, investigative journalists go beyond the borders and invade the privacy of others just to get the report that they need. Exposure is the theme of the current investigative reporting process as it creates excitement and uproar and draws a lot of attention from the public. It is also believed that scandals draw more attention from the public which would result in more generated profit for the media institution.            Journalists follow their targets as if they are bounty hunters armed with their cameras to catch any footage of misdeed. Some journalists also resort to wiretapping of phone lines and other means to gain access to personal and classified documents. This methodology of investigation, although has good intentions, is unethical in a sense that it invades the private life of people. In some instances, due to this practice, journalists receive threats when they are investigating anomalous people or dealings.            The media is being invaded by personal preferences and is gravely affected by commercialization. Perhaps the media is only considering its survival because without income, the media cannot operate. Works Cited Baron, David. Persistent Media Bias. August 2004 www.wallis.rochester.edu Media Bias Baybars-Hawks, Banu, The Impact of Investigative Journalism on Public Opinion and Policymaking.            www.hichumanities.org/AHproceedings/Banu%20Baybars-Hawks1.pdf Nelson, Richard Alan. Tracking Propaganda to the Source: Tools for Analyzing Media Bias. 2003.    http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/fa03/gmj-fa03-nelson.htm
Saturday, October 26, 2019
The Effects of the Influenza Virus Essay example -- Biology Medical Fl
Influenza: The Virus and its Effects Abstract The flu, properly called influenza, is an amazingly widespread and widely known disease. There are many variations of the influenza virus, differing in severity, but not significantly different in function. The influenza virus infects epithelial cells in the respiratory tract, taking over the cell’s production mechanisms so more viruses are produced, eventually causing the host cells to burst. The body’s immune system tries to combat the infection from succeeding. This internal battle produces many outward symptoms including a fever and dry cough, among others. Influenza is not usually a fatal disease, but its high mutation rate insures its continuing import by allowing it to return in a different form every year. The flu. Everyone from the oldest grandparent to the youngest child has heard of it. But what is the flu actually? First of all, what is behind its name? â€Å"Flu†isn’t actually the disease’s correct name. It’s true name, Influenza, is Italian for â€Å"influence†. Flu is an abbreviation of this. People used to believe that influenza was caused by an unhealthy influence from the heavens, hence the name (WHO). The influenza virus is divided into three types, A, B and C. Influenza A is the most serious of the three. Influenza B is not as serious and less common, while influenza C is rarely noticed and only causes mild symptoms. Influenza A viruses are specified by their host of origin, geographic location of the first isolation, strain number and year of isolation. E.g. A/Swine/Iowa/15/30 (Wilschut 29). Influenza A viruses also have a classification determined by their type of Haemagglutinin and Neuraminidase. Haemagglutinin is necessary for entrance int... ...v/gi/Archive/2005/Oct/24-394830.html>. WHO. â€Å"WHO Report on Global Surveillance of Epidemic-prone Infectious Diseases, Chapter 7†World Health Organization. 2001. July 27 2007. WI Gov. â€Å"Influenza -- General Information†Wisconsin Government Department of Health & Family Services. January 31 2007. July 23 2007 Kilbourne, Edwin D. Influenza. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, 1987. Stuart-Harris, Charles H., Schild, Geoffrey C., and Oxford, John S., Influenza The viruses and the disease. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd, 1985. Wilschut, Jan C, PhD, Abraham M Palache, PhD, and Janet E McElhaney, MD, FRCPC, PACP, eds. Influenza. 2nd ed. Rapid Reference. Pennsylvania: Elsevier Ltd., 2006.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Ethics Competency
Also, cases Like stealing are hard to report since collecting evidence Is not always easy unless the act is captured by a security camera or another employee witnesses the same situation. 2. Waste My answer to this question was NO, as I feel that waste is hard to be defined and measured. Waste can be as simple as waste of paper, wasting valuable work time where tasks can be performed or wasting resources such as not matching up employee's potentials with the type of work performed. Waste of paper is something very simple and can be quickly corrected by setting up an environmental awareness policy at the workplace.But, waste of valuable work time or resources Is more serious, especially If It affects everyone else on the team (I. E. ) deliverables to the client and would have to be reported to a superior. 3. Mismanagement My answer to this question is YES, as mismanagement might lead to waste of resources and time. This also leads to frustration amidst employees as they might have to repeat a task over and over again due to mismanagement of Information or work long hours due to miscalculation of time.This should be reported to a superior as mismanagement over time leads to economical problems in an organization as more money has to be spent to fix something that should have been done right in the first place. Safety Problems 4. My answer to this question Is YES, as workplace safety Is top portly as It affects the life of employees, productivity of the team and also costs an employer a lot of money in worker's coma and employee's compensation. Workplace safety is very important and needs to be reported as the damages caused by safety issues might involve one or several people and may turn out to be fatal if neglected. . Sexual Harassment and quality of work. Many employees may not report this issue for fear of losing their jobs, but it is important to report such behavior to stop the issue from occurring gain and to protect the overall morale of the team. It is g ood to collect evidence, such as taped conversations or emails so that the person is unable to deny his/her behavior. 6. Unfair Discrimination My answer to this question is YES, as the corporate culture today is very diverse and people from various countries and cultures work together. Unfair discrimination on the basis of race, religion, culture, sexual orientation etc†¦ s very demoralizing and brings down an employee's morale. Unfair discrimination also leads to stereotyping as the group or individual who faces discrimination feels that no matter how good hey perform, it will never be acceptable. Unfair discrimination needs to be reported as it squashes good talent, new ideas and innovation. Good support from superiors above managers is necessary to curb discrimination. It is also helpful to collect evidence in the form of emails or support from other employees who have experienced similar discrimination. Legal Violation and Financial Reporting 7.My answer to both of these is YES, as legal and financial violations both face serious consequences from the Judicial system and the company might incur huge fines as a result of these violations. Companies can even get shut down as a result of legal violations and financial reporting issues and both of these must be taken seriously and reported. Types of Retaliation 1 . Coworkers not associating with person. I have not witnessed this yet as many of us on my current team confide in each other and discuss common issues, we maintain an open dialogue and do not dissociate with a person who brings up an ethical issue.We collectively work and support each other to resolve the issue. 2. Pressure from co-workers to stop complaint. I have personally not witnessed this till date, but have seen it in other cases where there co- workers have persuaded another co-worker to not complain against my boss as several other people who complained before about similar issues were let go. My boss being the director of the departmen t has the support of the UP of our department who can influence HRS decisions even if a person chose to report to HER.It would be nice to have a non biased and approachable person heading the department or a HER manager or UP who was open to review issues. But the key is collect adequate and relevant evidence to support the case. I have witnessed this in work environments where people have been with the organization for a very long time and consider any new hire or entry to be a threat or challenge to their position. Ego, insecurity and narrow mindedness play a key part in this issue, as people feel that though they have done a task inefficiently for several years, it is right as nobody has pointed out otherwise.If a person new to the team points out the inefficiency, egos flare up and hostility begins. 4. Poor performance appraisal. This happened to a co-worker of mine who no longer works for the organization as my boss felt that he was a threat to her position as he was very knowl edgeable and ride to suggest new processes for existing tasks (I. E. ) new ways of doing things more efficiently. His probation was extended during his review stating that he did not complete his tasks on hand in a timely manner, did not communicate effectively etc†¦ Which were all false accusations.He did have adequate evidence to go to HER to report my manager and chose not to come back to an environment of hostility but was well compensated by the company for the entire mental trauma he went through and for the time he spent on the issue. 5. Verbal harassment or intimidation. I did witness this in several situations at different workplaces. In my current workplace (I. E. ) in the case I mentioned in the previous item (#4), my ex-coworker had to put up with verbal harassment from my manager who would snap at him for reasons unknown or would confront him on issues in staff meetings and try to put him down.In another case at a previous workplace, my immediate manager would alwa ys give one of my co-workers a hard time as she was recently promoted to a Project Meg's position but he expected a lot out of her and offered no help to mentor her. He loud constantly criticize her work and would lower her morale with his demoralizing comments. She finally resigned after feeling intimidated and threatened by her superior. This type of issue hampers team work and lowers the teams morale as people get scared to present new ideas for fear of getting shunned or losing their position.Tighter scrutiny of daily work by management, reassignment to a different 6. Job, reassignment to a different Job with less desirable duties and denial of a promotion. I have seen this happen in cases in my current organization when an employee rises to report a manager's unethical actions such as discrimination to higher authorities and the manager indicates hostility towards the employee as the manager is under scrutiny. s run and tries to apply for another position within the company, th e current manager starts getting hostile and indifferent as they consider a person transferring from their department to be an indication of bad management on their part. A simple dialogue and an effort to resolve the issue is all that is required which most managers tend to ignore. As stated in an article published in the Ethics Resource Center (2009) about Enron's downfall: To help avoid the fate of Enron and other companies whose ethics are called into question.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Linguistic Reading Response Paper on “The Celtic Languagesâ€Â
It is interesting to note that the term ‘Celt’ is a linguistic term first mentioned in the writings of Greek and Roman ethnographers and historians (MacAulay, p. 2). My idea of the concept is that of a particular people with a distinct language who once inhabited Great Britain. It turns out that this language, generally known as Continental Celtic, has a range of dialects once spread out across the various peoples of Europe such as in Gaul and northern Italy, yet died out on the European continent a few centuries back. Celtic survived however, in the British Isles and in Ireland, which is quite a feat given the dominance of Latin and later English settlements. In terms of linguistic affinities, Celtic is recognized as an Indo-European language though it is of interest to note that experts regard it as having archaic features (MacAulay, p. 3), i.e. its lack of a fully developed infinitive, differentiation of gender in numerals 3 and 4, among others, sometimes attributed to its being a ‘peripheral’ language removed from an innovating center. Variations between the Celtic languages, i.e. Continental and Insular, appear to be a convoluted matter best left to linguists. Ultimately the evolved form of the modern Celtic languages has special typological features which are both archaic (conservative) and innovative. Locative structures used to express location and possession are utilized to express aspectual modes, which in turn cover the range of progressive, prospective and perfective aspects in Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and optionally in British (MacAulay, p. 6). On the other hand, Breton and Irish have innovated based on their majority contact languages French and English, to develop new perfective constructions, as contact with these languages is a primary accelerating source of innovation in Celtic tongues. Thus, languages continue to evolve as its speakers, in the course of their interaction with those of other cultures, are exposed to foreign influences in the on-going social interface between peoples and nations in an increasingly globalizing world. Linguistic Response Paper on the â€Å"Creole Continuum†The so-called ‘Creole continuum‘ evolve in situations in which a creole coexists with its lexical source language and there is social motivation for creole speakers to acquire the standard so that the speech of individuals takes on features of the latter – or avoids features of the former – to varying degrees (p. 50). Considering that linguists for a long time were unsure on how to classify varieties with both creole and non-creole features, particularly the English-based varieties of the West Indies, it appears significant to consider that among the many Negro slaves in different parts of America, the jargon upon becoming the only language of the subject group, is a creolized language considered inferior to the masters’ speech yet nonetheless subject to constant leveling-out and improvement in the direction of the latter (Bloomfield, 1933, p. 474). Linguists such as DeCamp attempted to work out a theoretical model that could deal with variation in a sufficiently rigorous manner, in reaction to the transformational generative grammar coming to dominate American linguistics. The general usefulness of the continuum model gained wide acceptance by the mid-1970s, yet it is true that it fails to explain why Atlantic creoles in particular share so many structural features not found in their different lexical source languages (p. 58). Thus the shift back into a universalist theory giving primacy to language acquisition. Chomsky (1965) had proposed that children were born with a predisposition to recognize certain universal properties of language that facilitated their acquisition of the language of their particular speech community (p. 58). Yet such an assertion is still open to scholarly debate and argumentation. It would thus appear that the answer to the creole question remains elusive, despite advances in linguistic studies and theory. References MacAulay, Donald. â€Å"The Celtic languages: an overviewâ€
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The Duality of Human NAture essays
The Duality of Human NAture essays Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, left us a very important heritage giving knowledge and understanding of the ancient Greek way of thinking that can be applied to modern world. One of the most memorable words of wisdom, Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live, shows the duality of human nature. This saying is a depiction of how people can be divided into two categories by interpretation of their views on life. In the first part of the quote what Socrates means by bad men is that those men have as their only goal in life to prosper materiality; therefore they only live to accumulate wealth. These people are greedy and ignorant, being blind to anything else related to the enrichment of human existence, such as compassion, self-sacrifice, feelings of love and friendship. They are not willing to better their minds and souls, but living just for the moment, never thinking of the implication their actions might have in the future. Their lives do not consist of tomorrow, but only today. These men wonder aimlessly through the days, taking for granted the full spectrum of opportunities such as exploring the world of knowledge and improving their minds and souls by learning and sharing that knowledge with others. Socrates value system was critically built not just on doing good but on a commitment to a hierarchy of good. According to Socrates the purpose of living is not taking something from society, but the opposite. John F. Kennedy says Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Great words of wisdom, coming from two different great leaders, even though many centuries separate them they try to deliver the same message. That is what Socrates says in the second part of the quote; the essence of, he thinks, being alive really means. In his eyes, good men ...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Night Essays
Night Essays Night Essay Night Essay Mrs. Newell English 201 December 4th, 2013 Brutes After reading the book Night by Eliezer Wiesel, One of the most tragic themes in the book is Wiesels discovery of the way that atrocities and cruel treatment can make good people into brutes. Despite the difficult circumstances, Wiesel is able to endure the atrocities and remain true to his character and consistent with his morals. When Wiesel first gets to the camps he discovers the actions taken by some to ensure their own survival sickens and it disgusts him, and at times, he even criticizes his own behavior and thoughts. Wiesel discovers the atrocities to include hangings, eatings, cremations and no one seems to care. After spending weeks at camp he discovers everyone will eventually turn into brutes to ensure survival but instead Wiesel keeps his head up and stays true to his goal which is get him and his dad past these tough times. One of the questions that get asked from this prompt is that if Wiesel himself escaped this fate of turning into a brute and the answer is yes. Wiesel does escape this fate because he needs to take care of weak father. Struggling to survive day to day, not knowing what will happen next, every person is forced to make decisions hat test ones character, and one of the decisions makes Wiesel is to always stay in a good moral character like his father. At the end of the book Araujo 2 Wiesels father dies which then causes him to cry which means he did not turn into an emotionless brute like everyone else. During the Holocaust, survival meant sacrifice. The decisions that the prisoners were forced to make can seem condemnable, but not making these arduous choices almost guaranteed death. Wiesel refused to give in and his strong virtues (like his father taught) miraculously protected him and aided him in his survival. However, ountless people who were unwilling to go against their faith and morals were not as fortunate and lost the fght. Fortunately, Wiesel was able to remain true to himself, and it helped preserve his life as well. At the end of the book Elie reflects on himself and how he changed and how he didnt. He reflects to himself how he never gave up on his dad and that he would always stay true to him no matter what circumstances. Elie did not change because of the horrific events instead he stayed with his father with a good moral conscience and helped each other get liberated from the camps. Night By frearal 23
Sunday, October 20, 2019
How to Write a Perfect Social Worker Resume (Examples Included)
How to Write a Perfect Social Worker Resume (Examples Included) If you’re familiar with the world of social workers, you know that this isn’t a career path for the faint of heart. It’s one where you are working closely with people who need the most helps)How to Write a Perfect Occupational Therapist ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Physician Assistant Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Receptionist Resume (Examples Included)How to Create a Perfect Retail ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Sales Associate Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Social Worker Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Truck Driver Resume (With Examples)
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Supreme Court Decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Supreme Court Decision - Essay Example The evidence culled through these text messages intercepted by the police, when considered, does establish beyond any doubt that the accused was indeed engaging in unreasonable activities, which jeopardized the lives of the innocent citizens. Thereby the initiation of the interception of the text messages of the accused by the police, considering the fact that the police was under an immense pressure to act in time, to avoid any further loss of life of the innocent citizens, was no way unreasonable. This act of the police when seen in the larger context seems totally reasonable. It does need to be mentioned that the â€Å"trespass doctrine†facilitated by Olmstead v. United States (1928) if applied to the situation under consideration, validate the interception of Doe’s text messages by the police without invoking any violation of the Fourth Amendment Rights, as the police while doing so no way violated the essential dignity of the accused as a human and as a citizen. Besides, the two pronged test propounded in Katz v. United States (1967), when applied to the issue under consideration does nullify the appeal made by the accused. While exchanging the text messages associated with his illegal activities, the accused was no way exhibiting an expectation of privacy as he was well aware that he was exchanging these text messages with the intention to facilitate his unlawful activities, and thereby, through the exercise of commonsense, was well aware that such messages and communications would attract the well deserved attention of the law and order machinery. Doe was well aware that he was relying for the exchange of these text messages on the services sold by the local cell phone carrier, and in the light of United States v. Miller (1975), Doe’s rights were not infringed upon if the company as a third party, entrusted his text messages to the police, guided by the belief that it was its legal and constitutional duty to help the police. Beside s,
Friday, October 18, 2019
Student debt management and student budgeting Research Paper
Student debt management and student budgeting - Research Paper Example Rising inflationary pressure and skyrocketing tuition fees are expected to make the situation worse. There is an overwhelming need to allow students to deal with debt management and budgeting in order to make the most out of an educational career. This memo delineates various online sources to help students with their debt and budget management. Online sources analyzed for this task have been assessed under three different suitability criteria – ease of understanding, ease of navigation and relevance to fiscal management. Ease of understanding is included the primary criteria since all students may not be able to comprehend fiscal language well. Ease of navigation is the secondary criteria since finding the right resource at the right time to deal with a fiscal management problem is essential to student debt and budget management. Relevance to fiscal management is the tertiary criteria since myriad material is available online but only some websites offer true fiscal management techniques. CanLearn covers all aspects of educational financing including secondary and post-secondary education. The information presented on CanLearn is specific to the Canadian educational scenario. Information included covers various methods of educational financing including financial aid, scholarships and student loans. CanLearn covers various aspects of student loan financing and repayment in detail though the language is a little advanced. In contrast, Debt 101 presents a simple interface coupled with direct and to the point articles. The information covered on Debt 101 uses simplified language that covers basic as well as advanced student fiscal management topics. This ensures that the information presented on Debt 101 appeals to simple as well as advanced student debt managers. In addition to student loans, Debt 101 offers budgeting tips and techniques that are arranged in a simple interface. This adds to
Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4
Human Resource Management - Essay Example Due to the expansion in the outlook of the human resource management function of the modern organization, the different perspectives on employment can improve the understanding of HRM practices in modern organizations. Discussion The different perspectives of employment relations are used by industrial relations scholars to project three different frameworks, which view and understand the relations that take place at the work place differently. The different perspectives project workplace relations differently, therefore will interpret different events like conflicts at the work place differently. The role of unions and the regulation of jobs are also projected in a different manner. The pluralist perspective The pluralist perspective views the organization as comprised of different, powerful sub-groups. The different sub-groups are believed to hold legitimate loyalties and as having their own leaders and objectives. More specifically, the perspective points out that the major sub-gr oups that influence the organization are trade unions and its management. The perspective goes ahead to project that the role of the management is less inclined towards exercising control and enforcement; this has resulted from the balancing effect of co-ordination and persuasion throughout the organization. The changing outlook of the management in the human resource management of modern organizations is documented by Armstrong (2012). The book discusses that the HRM function of the modern organization uses co-ordination and persuasion as tools for increasing the participation of employees and for the improvement of work processes coordination (Armstrong, 2012, p. 583). The shift in the outlook of the HRM function of modern shows that the change has resulted from the realization that persuasion and coordination are more effective in improving organizational performance, as compared to the traditional practices of enforcement and exercising absolute control. Through the exploration of the roles of the HRM function of the modern organization, evidence shows that the HRM practices of the function require influencing the employees for success, which could take the form of influencing their decision-making or their thinking about the organization and its goals (Armstrong, 2012, p. 583). Due to that need of persuading the employees, the HRM officers are required to have persuasion skills and excellent case presentation abilities, which enable them to project the vision of the organization into the scope of the employees. Facilitation is very important in enhancing the effectiveness of the HRM function, mainly because it increases the decision-making potential of groups and teams, which is often related to the development of ideas or solutions for organizational problems. The co-donation of organization-wide and group-based discussions is also necessary in increasing the effectiveness of the HR function (Armstrong, 2012, p. 583). This is because the process leads to the development of conclusions that are satisfactory to all members. The pluralist perspective views that trade unions should be allowed to represent employees, and where conflict
Thursday, October 17, 2019
What does it take to become a successful leader in today's business Research Paper
What does it take to become a successful leader in today's business world - Research Paper Example An essential requirement for the business leader of today is to clearly understand major societal and environmental forces that shape business. Central in creation of value is knowing where and how to respond to societal demands in terms of the daily running of business. This calls for s strong sense of vision and emotional intelligence. The core of leadership in business still remains; leaders should be able to motivate employees, inspire and foster the spirit of teamwork among the people they lead so as to achieve common business goals. But the business environment has undergone tremendous changes in the past few decades presenting new management challenges to the business of today. They have to work in an environment with more challenges and expectations while leading teams in accomplishing the set business objectives. The implication of all these is that the modern business requires more than managers; people who can lead by vision and create the working environment in which the common vision is shared by everyone one involved. With the evolving purpose of the business leadership role, modern leaders must approach their work with a different perspective, lead change across & beyond the boundaries of business and effectively work in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in achieving the missions (Gitsham and W ackrill, 2012). A leader in the modern business world must keep up with developments in technology. Technological trends especially in business are evolving at the speed of lightning and this renders even a management tool that rocked the business world just in the past few years completely obsolete. Some leaders may face great challenges but keeping the pace would mean taking advantage of technological tools to the competitive benefit of the firm. The leader should be capable of utilizing tools such as social media and at the same time an environment in the firm where technology
Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13
Business Law - Essay Example à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ½Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ ï ¾ ¤ ï ¾ µ ï ¾ § ‑  ! " # $ % & ( ) * + , - . / à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿1 à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿R o o t E n t r y à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿ ï ¾ ¤ ï ¾ µ ï ¾ § ‑  à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿! " # à ¾Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿Ãƒ ¿%
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
What does it take to become a successful leader in today's business Research Paper
What does it take to become a successful leader in today's business world - Research Paper Example An essential requirement for the business leader of today is to clearly understand major societal and environmental forces that shape business. Central in creation of value is knowing where and how to respond to societal demands in terms of the daily running of business. This calls for s strong sense of vision and emotional intelligence. The core of leadership in business still remains; leaders should be able to motivate employees, inspire and foster the spirit of teamwork among the people they lead so as to achieve common business goals. But the business environment has undergone tremendous changes in the past few decades presenting new management challenges to the business of today. They have to work in an environment with more challenges and expectations while leading teams in accomplishing the set business objectives. The implication of all these is that the modern business requires more than managers; people who can lead by vision and create the working environment in which the common vision is shared by everyone one involved. With the evolving purpose of the business leadership role, modern leaders must approach their work with a different perspective, lead change across & beyond the boundaries of business and effectively work in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in achieving the missions (Gitsham and W ackrill, 2012). A leader in the modern business world must keep up with developments in technology. Technological trends especially in business are evolving at the speed of lightning and this renders even a management tool that rocked the business world just in the past few years completely obsolete. Some leaders may face great challenges but keeping the pace would mean taking advantage of technological tools to the competitive benefit of the firm. The leader should be capable of utilizing tools such as social media and at the same time an environment in the firm where technology
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Compare and Contrast Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3
Compare and Contrast Research Methods - Essay Example Panel survey is referred to as a longitudinal study because under this study data is not collected over a single point in time but over a stretched period (Marsden & Wright, 2010). Panel survey is unique form of study considering the fact that it utilizes the same sample population over a period. This means that time is an important factor when analyzing panel survey because it is the major distinctive factor from other forms of research methods and approaches. Nichols (2009) elucidates the sample population, which the respondent visit regularly for the purpose collecting data is usually referred to as Panel. It is not worth that unlike other form of surveys panel survey often involves a small sample to lessen the burden of follow-ups. The focus of panel survey is usually people with unifying attribute in a particular period (Amico, 2009). This may include people living condition, students of a particular class or individuals born in the same era. Panel survey has been associated wit h a wide range of advantages beginning with the fact that it involves regularly repeated interviews thus providing accurately fresh data over time. Another major advantage is the fact that Panel survey does not only focus on the simple association between variables but also offers a deep insight to causality. Panel survey is certainly one of the few research methods that can be used to track process and events (Lynn, 2009). For instance, panel survey can be used to track poverty dynamics of particular households over time. The same case can apply to tracking exposures to unemployment over time in the society. Panel surveys are broad and detailed taking into consideration that they engage regular follow-ups, which gives the researcher a perfect opportunity for gathering detailed information about the subjects, compared to cross sectional research methods. Despite the widely traded advantages of panel survey, it is noteworthy that this form of research method also comes with a wide ra nge of short backs. The fact that this form of research method involves follows makes it one of the most expensive methods of gathering data inform of time consumption and cost (Yang, Zhao, & Dhar, 2010). Follow up rate is also another major challenge that researcher have to experience during panel surveys considering that they are difficult to sustain owing to the duration of time involved. There is less representation in panel survey compared to traditional sample survey techniques. Because of the cost involved, most researchers are often influenced into using a small sample size when carrying out Panel survey. This is quite disadvantageous owing to the fact that the surveyor may not get the exact representation of the population. Attrition of panel members is another challenge that pane survey tend to face (Lee, 2007). It is common knowledge that panel survey normally involves gathering data from same participants over a period and such conduct may be weary to the participants an d as such drop out of the study. Finally, panel survey can be difficult to conduct considering the complexes of making follow-ups over time. Focus group Focus group just like other significant research methods such as Questionnaire-Based surveys, Case Studies, Experimental Methods, Textual analysis has a wide range of similarities as well as dissimilarities associated
Ancient Homosexuality Essay Example for Free
Ancient Homosexuality Essay The modern self is primarily built up of one’s history, body, religion, politics and entertainment – a Freudian composition of what identity is. And all of these things, the very factors that make the modern self the way it is, roots from the ancients. Cicero once thought that without the knowledge of the past, once shall remain a child, hence, Simon Goldhill’s Love, Sex and Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives. With Cicero’s principle in mind, Goldhill wishes his readers to have a full understanding of who they are and how they came to be the way they are. Among the very controversial societal issues that Goldhill discussed pertained to homosexuality. Sexuality, in the time of the Greco-Romans, meant a love-affair with the phallus. They paraded it in the theatres, processions, public road, and even public memorials. The phallus was part of the classical man’s body, sexuality and sensuality – which, by the way, not only applies to men, but for females as well. The Greco-Romans had a profound relationship with sexual organs and acts, which, the modern man – apparently influenced by the rules of Christianity, might find obscene. A part of Simon Goldhill’s discussions on sexuality is the root of homosexuality. The Greeks had a particular fondness over a scenario where a bearded male desires a beardless lad. In today’s terms, this is the so-called pedophilia, as practiced through the inter-crural activity. This involves the placing of one’s penis between the partner’s thighs, may it be front or rear, followed by thrusting to attain sexual pleasure. Greeks from the seventh century, reinforced pederasty among men from the upper-class society, especially in their twenties, to acquire a young boy approximately aged 12 to love and nurture until he grows to marry at age 30, and later take a boy of his own. Practicing pederasty reinforced late marriage for these males, in the hopes of reducing the possibility of overpopulation, as well as to improve the education – initiation and instruction, of the ancient Greek youth. On Greek vases, one can find a picture of the bearded man – erastes, and the beardless youth – eromenos, as the erastes touches the eromenos’s genitals. The erastes takes the intiative as the eromenos remains passive. But, the ancient Greeks prohibited the relationship between a bearded man with yet another bearded man, and it was shameful that a bearded man becomes the passive one – or pathikos. The pedagogical pederasty is an illustration of a father-son relationship, where the erastes acts as a substitute father to help the young lad on his way to manhood, maturity, and to orient him to become a productive part of the society. The erastes demonstrates this affection by little presents ranging from a bottle of oil to money. The relationship was beneficial in both parties – the erastes provides education, protection, love and a role model for the eromenos – who offers beauty and admiration in turn. In modern theory, this is called sexual reciprocity. Gay does not necessarily mean one is less man or woman than a heterosexual. The ancient Greeks have never defined it in that way. Pedagogical pederasty and the sexual reciprocity that follows it are acts that only show the so-called love – in whichever form you wish to see it, may it be erotic or platonic. However, if we do know the origins of homosexuality, how does it actually affect us as individuals? We do obtain the full understanding of our identities in terms of our sexuality, and the understanding of others’ sexuality. This book simply implies the basic lesson of respect.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries
Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries Cultural industries are a major source of generating information and knowledge in societies. The concentration in ownership over them, in the recent years by private corporate houses has brought in changes, in the way they operate and function in society. In this article, we see why cultural industries are important, what the functions carried out by them are and how they are affected by the conglomerate style ownership which is prevalent in society today. WHAT ARE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES? Cultural industry as a concept had first been put forward by German critical theorists of the Frankfurt School, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. While in exile from Nazi Germany in the 1940s, they wrote the Dialectic of Enlightenment through which they popularized the concept. In it, they wrote about the life in capitalist United States and felt it was rather meaningless and shallow. According to them, culture had become commodified in the capitalist societies, which was why they coined the term Culture Industry. (pg24) The complexities which have arisen in society over time have metamorphosed the singular field spoken about by the two proponents and led to the creation of ‘cultural industries’. The different ways in which society is influenced has led to the creation of different types of cultural production. (pg24) The continuous changes in the culture, economy and society make it important to understand cultural industries in the present day context. Cultural industry, in simple terms, refers to the activities which are interrelated with symbolic goods, i.e. those goods whose economic value is determined by their cultural value. This definition of cultural industries is relatively fluid as they respond to the changing dynamics of societies. Cultural industries comprise of ‘classical’ cultural industries like broadcast media, architecture, music, films, etc. and traditional arts such as theatre, visual arts, literature, galleries, etc. (1) In the present day the term cultural industries is often used synonymously with media industries. ROLE OF CULTURAL INDUSTRIES IN SOCIETY Cultural industries have certain distinct functions to play in the present day modern societies. Firstly, cultural industries affect our views and knowledge about the world by creating and circulating different products. The media have a major contribution in this regard, not only through newspapers and broadcast news programmes but also through entertainment like films, television series and music. They help frame our views on what is right or wrong, determine how people live together in society, how far democratic functions are carried out and justice and rights upheld. These texts are disseminated by powerful corporations whose major motivation is to earn profits. Often theorists debate over whether cultural industries operate to carry out the interests of these elites in the society. Through cultural industries they try to accustom the common man towards a particular way of thinking which would eventually help serve their interests. (Pg 4) Secondly, the cultural industries tend to promote a particular type of work in society. Cultural production in societies takes place according to the type of audience. The texts produced in the system may sometimes be mediocre and not enriching for the people because the motivation is not to promote the creativity in society. Rather it is to preserve the power of the business elites and promote consumerism. The contemporary sufferings and inequality of the capitalist societies are said to be the fallout of these cultural industries. The heads of corporations generally decide the freedom given to the workers or artists and thus control the potential of the workers. (pg6) Thirdly, cultural industries are an important source for determining the source of wealth and employment in the societies. Scholars say that it is the brand name of the businesses which are of actual value and have motivated further spread of knowledge in societies. In recent years other sources developed, such as the internet. The massive boom in communication technologies provided an opportunity for the growth of credit based economic growth. Thus, cultural industries act as instruments of economic and social change. (Pg8) INTERESTS OF THE CORPORATIONS It is important to understand what the interests of the executive and owning class actually are to understand how and why corporations function as they do in contemporary capitalist societies. The prime interests of companies are to maximize their profits and revenues. Although some companies provide better conditions to their workers and offer many benefits but the target of the companies is to maximise their profits by minimising the costs. The owning class of companies try to collaborate with companies like their own. Despite the competition between the two, they try to unite in lobbying and campaigning against certain government legislations which are in support of the working class. For their business to prosper, the corporate owners require stable economic and political conditions. They might be against certain reforms which the government wants to introduce which might be beneficial to the consumers and workers. Thus they try to influence the government by donations in the ele ction campaigns and show their support to certain political candidates which will help create an atmosphere in the system which is needed for their business to boom and enlarge. (pg76-77) OWNERSHIP OF CORPORATIONS Around the 1960s, in the United States, conglomeration became one of the basic features of ownership of corporation. Diverse business and industrial houses that originally had interests limited in oil and financial services only, had now started investing more into the media industries. These industries primarily had private ownership. In the late 1980s a new form of cooperation emerged whereby there was cross –promotion and cross-selling between the different corporations so that there would an increase in the overall sales. With the developments in technologies new sources of cultural production emerged making the ownership more complex. In many of these industries such as radio, television and films, there was the emergence of oligopolistic ownership emerging which was leading to the creation of huge conglomerates. (pg195) In the USA, for instance, large corporations such as the RCA (Radio Corporation of America) became one of the leading companies overtaking the various me dia forms like publishing and newspaper companies and Hollywood studies emerged as an oligopoly which was integrated vertically. This vertical integration led to the development of certain new technologies such as recording and playback. There was also cross media ownership which made the system very complex. Film studios like MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) also held considerable interest in music industry. In the 1980s media houses began to invest more into consumer electronics companies. (pg72) For instance, Sony bought over CBS Records and Columbia Pictures Entertainment whereby it could use rock music and cinema which were popular in the US to promote the sale of CD and thereby increase their cultural productivity. (pg198) With the emergence of IT giants in the new millennium, telecommunications industries ventured into the broadcasting market. But it must be noted that these companies did not have significant cultural production. Their focus was more on gathering data on consumers which would help them to increase their sales. One of the most important ventures into cultural industries by the IT companies was that of Google who purchased YouTube in 2006. Google had recognized the relationship of circulation and distribution with that of culture and communication. The basic idea was that the greater the number of consumers who visit YouTube and the more number of pages they view, the greater will be the promotion of certain ads by YouTube. This led to the major clash over copyright between Goggle and other cultural industries. (pg 198) IMPACT OF CONGLOMERATE STYLE OWNERSHIP There was an increasing emergence of small companies which took part in the cultural production though it was at a much smaller scale. These small industries brought to the fore concerns regarding the domination of big business houses over cultural production. It was argued that ownership in the big business and corporate houses belong in the hands of a few. As it was explained earlier, the different shareholders especially in the media industry have started acting as moguls. They have control and ties with other powerful institutions and people who help spread and propagate their particular interests in society.(pg 73) Some scholars dispute that there has emerged a ‘managerial revolution’ in the nineteenth century which has led to delegation into the hands of the managers who have different interests from that of the owners. Thus, interests of the corporations become varied as different classes involved become more diverse. Critics say that the managerial class also bel ongs to the wealthy higher stratum of society and so they may share interests with the owning class. (pg 75) There can be many harmful effects on the democratic practices in the nation if there is concentration of corporate ownership over the media and cultural industries. The media is one of the main sources of information for the people today. It is responsible for enlightening the people and providing them with vital information. But if there is increased corporate interest in media coverage, then there can be a major impact on what the media covers and does not cover. The media can no longer provide unbiased information and always has to bear in mind that the information that they generate does not in any way offend the owners. Thus, the media and other cultural industries become bound and shackled by the chains of the interests of the executive and corporate heads. The common man in turn is denied access to accurate and unbiased information. If he could us it he could make informed decisions. This has a direct fallout on the democratic political system in the society. (3) Another significant issue is that the knowledge that is generated and the culture that is produced become uniform and standardized. The information that is generated is that which can help retain the power and position of the corporate giants and tycoons. This compromises the ability of the common man to develop his or her ability to the fullest potential because what is popular in society is controlled and decided by a few who belong to the elite class. The inequalities in society are legitimised by the cultural industries like media which help retain the power and wealth domination of the corporate heads. Thus we see that the control exercised by the giant corporate houses is not direct, but through their ownership and control over the media and other cultural industries. (4) There have often been debates whether cultural industries under the influence of private ownership have concentrated more on commerce rather than creativity. With increase in corporate interests in cultural industries and media whose primary motive is earning large profit and returns, many scholars feel that there has been a compromise in the quality of news generated. Journalism must maintain high quality but with new budget cut downs to reduce costs there has been a decline in the resources available to the journalists. Also, there has been a shift of concentration from important political and economic events to gossip on the lives of celebrities and the entertainment world as this proves to be more lucrative for them. Thus, there is concentration on public taste and what the public want to see, which some scholars point out is rather good than concentration on what the elites want people to see. Ben Bagdikian in his work The Media Monopoly listed the number of media companies in different industries like newspapers, magazines, motion pictures and television in the US market. In 1983, he found that there were 50 major corporations but their number continuously dwindled over the years and ultimately became only 5 in 2004. This clearly manifested the scope of influence that these corporation have in influencing the cultural industries. (pg205) Many critics point out corporations may become victims of the environment they exist in. For this reason many of them have adopted the policy of ‘de-convergence’ in recent years, whereby they concentrate on their primary business areas and have sold off their other business operations. But conglomeration continues to exist as one of the main features of cultural industry. CONCLUSION After careful scrutiny of the important role of cultural industries and the impact of conglomerate type of ownership on them, one observes that the latter limits the autonomy of the cultural industries in various manners. It is imperative that initiatives be taken to liberalize them from the corporate interests which bind them. It must be noted, that this form of ownership can have positive impacts as well. For instance, the corporate houses can control and keep a check on the government and limit them from acting arbitrarily or biased decisions. They also help promote healthy competition in the society. But after weighing the positive and negative impacts of conglomerate ownership over cultural industries one can conclude that there is need to take positive action in form of diversification of ownership. REFERENCES The Definition of ‘Cultural Industries’ http://www.pedrobendassolli.com/pesquisa/icc1.pdf Reference provided The Cultural Industries By David Hesmondhalgh Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership, http://www.globalissues.org/article/159/media-conglomerates-mergers-concentration-of-ownership Media Ownership – Does It Matter? http://lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/meier.pdf The Media Industry: Structure, Strategy and Debates http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/Online%20readings/9b%20Croteau%20%20Hoynes%20-Devereux-Ch-02.pdf
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The Influences Parents Have On Thier Children Essay -- essays research
Throughout our lives we're influenced and taught by many. It can have an effect on the way we view problems and events within public boundaries. One of the most important and most effective influences children have in their lives occurs from their parents. The parents of a child can have both a positive and a negative influence on their lives. In this novel there are two very good examples of how parents can be an important influence on their children. Father of Jem and Scout Finch, Atticus Finch, plays the loving, caring and intelligent single parent, he is struggling to keep his family together. He is an example of how parents can have a positive influence on their children. Bob Ewell, father of Mayella Ewell, is the drunken, abusive, and careless father, Bob is also a single parent. He is an example of how a parent can be a negative influence on their children's lives. Both fathers are very influential on the mental growth of their children. Parents can influence how their children behave, feel, and act towards the outside world. If a child is brought up with hatred, anger and even violence, they can learn to view the world in a highly negative way, by being dangerous and prejudice towards others. However if a child is brought up with caring and nourishment, they can learn to see the world from all different points of views and angles. Atticus raises his children with love and care, and teaches them to consider all angles of a situation before they judge someone; "...
Friday, October 11, 2019
Factors That Influence Human Development Essay
In our day and time, socioeconomic status, cultural context, and ethnicity play a huge role in human development. Human development begins while in the womb and at birth and continues through life heavily depending on these particular factors. These factors determine how a person communicates, works, looks, and chooses to live their daily lives. People are individuals and therefore, are all different people and will develop in different ways all depending on the influence of these three things in their lives. The first factor that influences human development is a person’s socioeconomic status. This indicates a person’s position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence. As a child, socioeconomic status has a big effect on the way a child is raised and the opportunities available to him/her. Children that come from high socioeconomic status families typically are more successful because they have more resources readily available to their children. They are able to afford high-quality childcare, education, and healthcare. Read more: Explain how children and young peoples development is influenced by a range of personal factors essay Their children are also typically more involved in recreational sports and extra-curricular activities broadening their children’s horizons and talents. Children that are raised in low socioeconomic families lack the financial, educational, and social support that would make them feel equal to children from higher social standing families. These feelings of unease and not fitting in can lead to low confidence and low motivation. Children have to live with these feelings and the circumstances they were born into until they become adults and can make their own livings. Anyone is capable of overcoming his or her circumstances! When children grow up, they get to decide how far they want to take their education and what type of career field they want to go into as well as where and how they will choose to fit into modern day society. Cultural context is also a large factor that shapes a person’s development. Culture is defined as the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, and arts. Culture affects the way we dress, what we eat, what we believe, and even the way we think about life and make decisions. I think that culture is beginning to play a larger role in development as our country begins to grow exponentially with the number or foreign immigrants making this nation their home. Different cultures are beginning to merge together making their heritage and beliefs that much more important in the hearts of their people as they grow and develop into adults. For example, a Muslim or Hindu individual will celebrate certain holidays very differently than a Catholic or Christian individual. A person’s cultural beliefs and traditions have an affect on their everyday lives, and those things will be passed down through generations. One example of a culturally taught idea here in America is the typical â€Å"American Dream†that we, as American children, have been taught through childhood and youth. From an early age, we were taught and told that with hard work, determination, and never giving up on a dream, our opportunities would be endless. Culture is another huge factor on human development. According to the textbook, there is some confusion regarding the differences between race and ethnicity. Ethnicity or an ethnic group is defined as a people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language, culture, and religion. Race is defined as a group of people who are regarded by themselves or by others as distinct from other groups on the bases of physical appearance. Race can definitely be a misleading concept though. I think ethnicity and culture are very different things, but definitely go hand in hand pertaining to human development. Each human being is their own individual person, therefore, will grow and develop differently. Being a part of an ethnic group can have a very positive influence on a child or an adult by giving them a sense of belonging and identity; it helps them to discover and understand who they are and where they come from. It can also present negative consequences such as creating divisions between different groups of people which have caused discrimination and prejudice which in our history has unfortunately led to conflict and in extreme cases, war. All three of theses areas influence a person’s physical, cognitive, and social development in different ways. Explain why researchers interested in human development study different cultures. Give an example of a research question that would benefit from a multicultural comparison. This question can greatly be connected to the following one. Cultural tendencies are a huge factor in human development, so to get an accurate study regarding development; it would have to be a cross-cultural study. If you were questioning the correlation between height and weight of children from higher socioeconomic families versus children from lower socio economic families testing the theory that a major cause of malnutrition and low growth rate is family income and status, you would have to test your theory in different parts of the world and in different people groups. Things that would need to be considered are different styles of cooking and the way that certain people eat as well as amount of physical activity. For example, children in Africa whose job it is to work in the fields or help their family out doing some form of chores that most likely is outside and involves laborious activity are going to naturally get more physical exercise in their everyday lives that American children who sit in a classroom and then go home to play video games and maybe play an occasional game outside. Children raised in America definitely live a more sedentary lifestyle than most other people groups, and that is something to take into consideration when looking at things such as height and weight that ride on factors such as physical activity and activity level. This is the reason for researchers and psychologists that are interested in studying different cultures to get accurate answers to these questions regarding human development. Since culture, race, and ethnicity play such a huge role in development, it is necessary to study different types of people to make these assumptions. Review information related to Figure 1. 2 (Ecological Model). Explain your own development from a social, physical, and cognitive perspective from this model using at least three of the Five Characteristics of Development (page 11). This model illustrates the social, physical, and cognitive development of a person through these five different characteristics of development. The five systems are the Microsystems, exosystems, macrosystems, mesosystems, and the chronosystem. This model was created by Urie Bronfenbrenner to show how each person is significantly affected by interactions among a number of these overlapping systems. The microsystem seems to be the most critical in my personal opinion; they intimately and immediately shape development. Personally, the examples given in the model are the most important areas or things that mean the most to me as a person, and I would definitely say they are the things that have made me who I am today. My family, friends, and my faith are the most important things in my life and certainly have shaped my life. I was raised in a strong Christian family with two loving parents who support me in everything that I do. My faith is the cornerstone and foundation of who I am, and is my basis for decisions I make and the way I choose in which to live my life and the people I choose to surround myself with. I have an incredible group of friends that keep me grounded and sometimes I feel like they know me better than I know myself. These things that are included in the microsystem of development have certainly been heavyweights as I have developed into the woman I am today. The next system illustrated in this model is called the exosystem, which include external networks such as community, mass media, school/educational settings, and medical institutions that influence the inner circle of the microsystem. Personally, these areas definitely carry weight, especially in such a generation and society that is led by social networking and the media/entertainment industry. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all of the other social networking sites drive this generation, so I believe this system has a large impact on development. As far as schooling, since I am deciding to go back to school to aim for a master’s degree in nursing, this plays a huge role in my life and development. I spend large amounts of time focusing all of my attention on schoolwork and reading to further my education. The third area I feel like has had a large impact on my personal development and life itself is the macrosystem, which influences all of the other systems and includes cultural values, political philosophies, economic patterns, and social conditions. I think the one of these areas that has personally had the most influence on me is the social conditions. Being socially aware and socially open to meeting new people and being able to learn new ways to engage others at the college age level is crucial. When our high school group of friends breaks up and moves away to take on new endeavors of their own, you have to be able to adjust and meet new people, and I feel as if that is an area I have done really well in. I love to meet new people, and I think the reason for that is the social foundation that I already had established from growing up in an environment and around people who made me feel comfortable and established self-confidence and self-worth in me. These are the areas in which I feel like have greatly influenced my personal physical, cognitive, and social development.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Market Analysis of Fortress
Table of Contents 1) Executive Summary4 2) Company Background4 2. 1) Company Prospect4 2. 2) Market Leading History5 3) Competitors Analysis6 3. 1) Industry Perspective6 3. 2) Market Leader  Broadway (in 4P points of view)6 3. 3) Market Challenger  Gome (in 4P points of view)6 3. 4) Company Review6 4) External Environment Analysis7 4. 1) Geographical view7 4. 2) Demographical7 4. 3) PEST Analysis7 a. Political7 b. Economic Environment8 c. Social Environment8 d. Technological Environment9 5) Consumer Review9 Dissonance-reducing buying behavior10 6) SWOT Analysis10 a. Strengths10 b. Weaknesses11 c. Opportunities12 . Threats13 7) Conclusion and Recommendations13 7. 1) Target Market and Positioning Strategies13 7. 2) Marketing mix programs14 a)Product14 b)Price14 c)Place15 d)Promotions15 1) Executive Summary This marketing report is aimed to analyze the electrical appliance retailer, Fortress, and provide(provides) several recommendations to improve its market positioning that can achieve its targets and objectives. After investigating the current situation and external environment, it is suggested to launch a new promotion campaign that allows Fortress to gain more attention from consumers and succeed in the industry.It is found that the trend of collective purchasing is significant on the internet. Also, the number of marriage increased with the economy rebounded. In the Social Awareness on the environmental friendly penetrate to the public. Therefore, the promotion campaign is designed from these findings so as to enhance its competitiveness in the market. And, other detailed findings will be explicated in later parts. This promotion campaign is to offer a bundle of products labeled with high energy-saving efficiency for the young couples planned to be married.And, the marketing calendar as to the implementation of this promotion campaign will be explicitly shown to execute the proposed marketing mix program. 2) Company Background Fortress was es tablished for thirty six years in Hong Kong, founded in 1975 and acquired by Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL) in 1986. It has expanded its business up to around 67 outlets hiring more than one thousand staff in Hong Kong. As for First mover advantages, Fortress is the first Hong Kong retailer to offer one-stop shop convenience and a multi-zone in-store retail concept in this industry.All these contribute to its current market offering, but not market myopia, which allows(allow? ) customers to enjoy excellent time-saving shopping so as to fulfill their needs and wants. In order to publicize its new smart living concept, Fortress publishes online magazine, â€Å"Wave†, and a number of free seminars on different interests including high-definition products, computers, digital cameras, home audio and video studio are held to educate consumers about the technology development and new products arrival in Fortress. . 1) Company Prospect â€Å"Inspiring Smart Living†– I t was introduced in 2004. Of this core aspiration of Fortress, professional services and advices provided by Fortress will be offered to customer in order to inculcate them to start â€Å"smart living†. â€Å"Smart living†means living with the support of the advanced technology. This mainly aims at inducing consumers to alter their life style to the advanced life style through leveraging advanced digital devices and home appliances. Customer-Oriented Services and Products ProvidedTo accompany with its prospect, Fortress allocates much resources in providing excellent customer services and introducing a variety of products. Thus, many external organizations recognized its outstanding services. a. Customer-Oriented Services The frontline staff will base on the different customer’s preferences to provide personalized recommendations on the particular products or other insurance products in After-Sale service. Some of customer services have been firstly introduced in the consumer electronics retail market, which Fortress gained several first-mover advantages.For instance, Fortress was the first one to launch the ‘24-Month Interest Free Installment’ Program, ‘Purchase-to-play’ Service; a ‘PAY THE DIFFERENCE’ policy that guarantees shoppers the lowest prices on every product every day, ‘Ideal Gift List Service’ and an ‘Emergency Replacement Service’ that guarantees ultimate satisfaction through the second year of product life. To ensure the high standard quality of the customer service, â€Å"Fortress Academy†was established to cultivate the continuous learning culture and to provide comprehensive training program to staff, ranging from frontline to management. . Products Offer Fortress has more than 50 suppliers that supply a wide range of electronic appliance and digital products to sell in retail stores. From the supplier list of Fortress, the product differentiation is typically high. It targets on undifferentiated market to satisfy different customers’ needs and wants. Besides, it also manufactures its own products named as â€Å"Fortress†brand to target the consumers with high-price sensitive. 2. 2) Market Leading HistoryTo achieve the large scale of the market shares, many innovative pioneering policies has(have) been created by Fortress, and some of these policies were later also adopted by other competitors. 3) Competitors Analysis 3. 1) Industry Perspective Being a robust market leader in the electronic retailing market, Fortress develops a wide brand network in the local market. Comparing with Fortress, Broadway is the closest market leader in the industry with narrower customer coverage . However, Broadway and Gome are good at different fields. In fact, they have quite different marketing strategies.Fortress aims at developing a wide distribution network and convenient locations for customers in order to create high accessi bility to the target market. 3. 2) Market Leader  Broadway (in 4P points of view) For Broadway, the marketing strategy is more trendy and fashionable. Like the topic of current TV commercials, â€Å"Rock-Happy-Life†, it aims to promote happiness in life with â€Å"rock†style, as â€Å"rock†style is considered as youngster music, so Broadway has given an impression to customers that it is a trendy and young brand, and aims at improving customers’ lifestyle by providing more digital devices.As the closest competitor for Fortress in the industry, it does not only pioneered in using celebrity as spokesman and some policies, but also follows most the pioneering policies made by Fortress, such as the free interest installment payment pioneered by Fortress. However, Fortress has also adapted some of the policies firstly made by Broadway, for example providing gift to customers. It offers products with similar brands and prices as Fortress does. 3. 3) M arket Challenger  Gome (in 4P points of view)Gome is the largest electronic appliance retailer in China. More than 740 outlets are widely-spread in China, including Hong Kong outlets. Gome has seen the potential business opportunity of electronic appliance with Chinese brands in Hong Kong, so Gome invaded in this industry with Market Challenger strategy to offer various the products with Chinese Brand at lower prices, which can attack Fortress’s weaknesses on this kind of products and avoid the leader and challenge in this market. It adopted similar promotion strategy as Fortress. 3. 4) Company ReviewStrength Fortress has won many awards, like Metropolis Daily Print Ad Award 2004, My Best HK Brands 2005, the HKMA and TVB Award for Marketing Excellence, top 10 favorable brands in HK by Guangzhou Daily, etc. The market share is large; hence Fortress is defined as Market Leader. Meanwhile, Broadway also promotes the similar brand campaign. Hence, it is defined as Market Leader. Weakness Fortress does not have much Chinese brand products. Gome provides similar home appliance products as Fortress does, but the brands are mainly China local top brands.Under this review, Gome attempts to attack this Fortress’s weakness, so Gome is defined as Market Challenger. 4) External Environment Analysis 4. 1) Geographical view Hong Kong is the city with large population and high density and its traffic systems also are complete and convenient. When customers want to do shopping here, they can travel to the nearest shop in short time. No matter where the shop it locates, it still have lots of potential customers around the shop place. It means that retailer shops may not need to open plenty of stores within the same areas, which can minimize the overall operating costs.Also, the geographical advantage of the location between Hong Kong and other cities in Mainland China is certainly vital to any business, in terms of logistics and tourism. 4. 2) Demographica l view According to Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Hong Kong’s population consists of approximately 50% of middle class family. This group generally is well-educated, willing to consume and has higher purchase power. In the society, they play a significant role as they have an enormous contribution on consumption. Furthermore, according to Census and Statistics Department, there are about 30% of people aged between 15 and 34.Also, from the latest population census conducted by Census and Statistics Department shown, the number of resident at mid-class increased up to 45 % of the overall working population ( refer to appendix 1). The mid-class is defined as the resident who earn in the range of $10,000 up to $40,000 in their monthly income in the working population. Of these residents at mid-class level, they mostly completed the secondary school certificates and more (than) a half of them completed post-secondary education.It is expected this group of people will continuous to g row for a decade, which is a business opportunity for the companies selling normal goods. In recent year, the number of marriages increased from 43 thousand people in 2005 to 52. 8 thousand people in 2010. The overall trend of the marriages was increase(d) when the economy was better. Also, the number of households was increased by 21 thousands. These two statistics shows the(that) there was an increasing trend of a new marriages forming a new â€Å"love nest†. 4. 3) PEST Analysis a. PoliticalAfter financial budget 2011-2011 released, John Tsang, financial secretary, announced that the government will distribute $6,000 cash to Hong Kong permanent residents aged 18 or above. The overall total cash amount of this policy is estimated to be around 37 billion. Minimum Wage policy is going to implement on the 1st May, 2011. This policy is purposed to set $28 per hour for all full-time and part time workers in Hong Kong. Companies anticipate that this may increase the labor cost for the companies which employ low-skilled workers. b. Economic Environment In 2011, Hong Kong economy is believed to be better than last year.John Tsang, Financial secretary, estimates that the economy will grow about 4% in 2011. With the low unemployment rate and the increased mid-point salary, the purchasing power of consumers will be stronger than ever. The Centa-City Index shows the housing price increased to 87. 52 of 100, compared with that of 2008, which was 55. 46. It reveals the housing price is estimated to approach the highest housing price in1997. From the report on rent index in Housing conducted by Rating and Valuation Department, there was also an increasing trend in the housing rent, which increased to around 130, compared with 100 of the index in 1999.It shows the rent was increasing during the past years. Meanwhile, The United States Federal Reserve Board implemented a second round of quantitative easing (QE2) with 600 billion US dollars. It is expected that QE2 will depreciate value of US dollars. Finally, Hong Kong currency will be depreciated due to the linked exchange rate system. Also, Renminbi (RMB) continues to appreciate year by year. If the tourists from other countries, especially mainland china, purchase goods in HK, they will enjoy the currency depreciation.Thus shopping in HK is so attractive to them but, for local resident, the inflation rate is anticipated to become serious in the near future. However, in March 2011, a serious earthquake in Japan has destroyed lots of factories. Japan will spend a long time to recovery all. Yet, most of electronic components are made by Japan corporations. It is expected that these components may be shortage in the future, so the final goods of these components, such as digital cameras and notebook, are also expected to be out of stock.The recent investigation of overall economic situation in Hong Kong, which was conducted by Census and Statistics Department, GDP per capita was 25430 U. S dollar and the number of visitor was 36 millions, around 50% of that was Mainland visitors. It is expected that the Hong Kong economy will grow steadily. Moreover, on 3rd May 2011, Census and Statistics Department announced the over-night visitors spent around $6700 HKD on average, whilst non-over-night visitors spend about $1800 HKD on average.Most of the retailers believe that the number of visitors will still increase continuously, and their consumption will definitely positively affect to their profits. c. Social Environment The â€Å"Collective Purchase†concept has been recently developed on the internet, which a large group of people who have a same interest on the specific product creates a stronger buyer power to the seller so as to force the seller to offer a discount by buying a large amount of the same item. However, this kind of strategy may encourage the consumers to wait until the success of the group formation.According to the report of WenWeiPo daily on 13rd Mar 201 1, 82 billion U. S. dollars worth of retail business is achieved through online transaction, which was about 1/10 of the retail industry’s trade. With the establishment of Taobao. com, the online shopping model of B2B, B2C and C2C has been developed well. The interaction of the business activities between Mainland Cities and Hong Kong is stronger than ever. More Hong Kong consumers are willing to order the goods on Taobao. com, because the products often are at lower prices than the retailer outlets in Hong Kong.And, more Mainland onliners are willing to spend money on Taobao. com to purchase the goods of Hong Kong local brands. This can be seen that the online business does not just only serve the local consumers only, but also the national consumers. The investigation of the number of hours spending on the internet conducted by Synovate, a marketing research company, shows the average minutes spending on the internet rose from 136 minutes to 145 minutes, during past 4 years . On the contrary, the average time spending on TV was less than that on the internet.Therefore, people tend to spend more time on the internet. People start to cultivate a â€Å"Green†environment. Many of them attempt to choose the electronic appliance with low electricity usage to save the environment. Being environmental-friendly, more companies start to implement environmentally sustainable strategies and practices, such as recyclable packaging, better pollution controls, more energy-efficient operations and so on. This can help companies to improve its(their) image and reputation. d. Technological EnvironmentOnline Shopping has become popular to the society, especially the advanced technology of mobile phone and the mobility internet services are widely used in Hong Kong. Hence, many companies have started to setup a website to operate their business on the internet at the same time. The product life of a digital product is expected to be shorter due to the fast develop ment of a new product model and technology . quickly replaced in a short period. The main reason is that the company frequently promotes the new product in order to compete with other rivals.For instance, IPad1 has already been implemented in last year, but now IPad2 is introduced in this year. It is estimated that the competitiveness in digital products will be more and more intensive in the coming future. 5) Consumer Review Consumer involvement of buying home appliances is mainly determined by, a) previous experience, b) interest and c) perceived risk of negative consequences a. Previous experience As the functions of home appliance are developed to be more advanced time by time, consumers may not be always familiar with the new latest functions when a brand-new product is launched to the market.Hence, it requires consumers to spend time on searching its information internally and externally on the brand’s differences of the home appliance products to deliberate its unfamil iar functions in a familiar product category. b. Interest Consumers’ interests can be derived from the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Home appliances aim at assisting the consumer’s daily life. This can be referred to the physiological needs, safety needs and social needs. Of physiological needs, rice cookers and microwaves are typical example(s) of consumers’ need recognition.Other electronic appliances, such as communication devices, can be fulfilled their social needs that interact with others. Safety concern of home appliances is always an importance factor to influence their buying decision, especially for the consumers who are married couples with children at the Family life-cycle stage. c. Potential risk of negative consequences Price is the key factor for the perceived risk of negative consequences, situation and social visibility, and they are directly related to the price; as the price of the product increases, so does the level of involvement.Som e of the large home appliance, such as refrigerator and television, are set to be at higher prices; therefore the tolerance of the risk of negative consequences will be lower. With home appliances at higher prices, consumer often requires longer length of time to make a decision. Thus, the level of consumer involvement can be concluded as relatively high. Dissonance-reducing buying behavior The price of electronic appliance is ranging from few hundred up to several thousands, and consumers purchase them infrequently.Moreover, the products among electronic appliance retailer industry are perceived with few brands differences with the major competitors. For instance, Fortress and other competitors provide the similar electronic appliances and brands. The products and services provided by Fortress and Boardway are similar, so there is few brand difference. Because of this, the consumers behave as Dissonance-reducing buying behavior and mainly response to the after-sale services, discou nt and promotion campaigns to make their purchasing decision. 6) SWOT Analysis . Strengths Selectively distributed retail stores in Hong Kong From the geographical view, the population density is relatively high in Hong Kong; therefore the number of outlets may not need to be widely distributed. Fortress is one of the leading retailers of electronic appliances in Hong Kong with over 67 outlets, which the accessibility for consumers is high. Thus, the channel power is created towards the suppliers, which can enjoy the competitive advantage of this channel partnering, and the setup and operation cost are optimized efficiently.As a result, consumers can enjoy the optimal price. Reliable Services Mix due to Excellent Comprehensive Training For retail market, service is heterogeneous and vital to the retail market. Fortress emphasizes on the personal selling, so it set up a â€Å"Fortress Academy†to provide a thorough and extensive staff training program for frontline salesperson s on â€Å"frontline consumer service†, â€Å"technical knowledge†and â€Å"management skill†. By joining this program, staffs can be inculcated with effective customer service, in-depth products knowledge and appropriate management skills.Accordingly, experienced and enthusiastic staff serves the customers confidently and convince the customers properly, and so they are the most valuable asset to Fortress. Additionally, Fortress developed â€Å"smart living†, therefore the products displayed in outlets are mostly like to be more advanced technology. Referring to the product life cycle, the new launched products should be displayed with an informative promotion strategy, so Fortress staff is(are) always well-prepared from their trainings. Fortress is a customer-orientated company. It provides differentiated after-sales services to customers.They include â€Å"24-month interest free installment†to release consumers’ burden; â€Å"Purchase- to-Play†service to plan and install AV products for consumers; â€Å"10-days Money Back Guarantee†to strengthen consumers’ confidence towards its products. Furthermore, Fortress provides mobile phone insurance to consumers, which can raise consumer’s confidence in purchasing mobile phone in Fortress. Meanwhile, consumers can get the refund or exchange if they were unsatisfied with the products. The outstanding services are highly recognized and awarded, as in â€Å"Best Customer Services Award†and â€Å"Hong Kong Merchant of Integrity†, by media and other xternal associations, which consumers should comfort with its services and integrity. Sole Agency Advantages Fortress has a number of exclusive agents to engage in a line of business without competition. For instance, Fortress gained the exclusive advantage from Stiebel Eltron, which mainly produces water heaters (See Reference), and launched the promotion campaign of limited quantity wit h it. During the past years, Fortress carried out this strategic alliance along with a number of brands, as in HPC and Hissense, to enlarge its market shares and the product category is enhanced more than the other competitors’ one .Since some consumers may have loyalty to some specific brands, Fortress will be the only distribution channel for them to purchase. This certainly brings a stronger bargaining position in Fortress. b. Weaknesses Difficult to differentiate from competitors Variety of products, quality of products and sales service, proficiency of products knowledge, and distribution of stores of Fortress are similar to its competitors, as in Boardway. It is easy for consumers to seek for complements from competitors due to the low switching cost.Moreover, consumers (have difficulty in) are difficult to distinguish between Fortress and its competitors, since Fortress focus on targeting the mass market and all previous unique marketing strategy were quickly adopted b y other market followers. Consequently, consumers may switch to other retailers based on souvenir, ad-hoc promotion or discounted price but it is not merely because of the brand of Fortress. Multifarious Products Offers Qualified products with low selling price are inclined to be more popular when the economy is downturn.Since the manufacturing cost and the delivery fee of products made in China are lower, the listed prices of China’s brand products are lower. For these reasons, Fortress may lose some price sensitive consumers due to narrow range of products from China’s brand. One of its competitors, Gome Electrical Appliances, is offering qualified China’s brand products with low price. Frontline salespeople are educated with basic and general products knowledge, which is not specific enough. Most buyers, especially the beginners and learners, can be satisfied with the sales service.Nonetheless, some professionals may be discouraged by salespeople’s lim ited products knowledge. Also, the professional specific components of a product, such as camera lens, are uncommon to display in Fortress. Consequently, Fortress may potentially lose these digital professionals, who may consume frequently. High Inventory Cost of Bulk Unsold Items For the unsold Electronic Appliance, they occupy large storage space, so it leads to higher inventory costs to store them. Compared with other electronic appliance companies, Fortress targets mass market, so various electronic appliances at bulk size will be offered.However, when these items are unsold, Fortress suffers a significant inventory cost and cannot utilize the cash flow appropriately. Hard to Hold Customer Loyalty Compared with the direct closest competitor- Broadway, Fortress has not launched the membership programme to build up the long term relationship and loyalty with customer in retail outlets, although there is a membership programme for the customer to do online shopping. From this, the customer loyalty may not be solidified strongly due to the weaker Customer Relationship Management.Even though Fortress co-operates MoneyBack ( ) to promote different kinds of special offers to the MoneyBack owners, this promotion channel of non-personal communication is simply not wide-spread to the target customer causing the promotion strategy and AIDA model may not be effective as expected. c. Opportunities Extra HKD$6,000 allowance Hong Kong government proposed to distribute 6,000 for each citizen who is aged 18 or above. It can absolutely induce citizens, especially youngsters, to consume more.From Hong Kong China News Agency survey shown, about 40% of respondents aged between 18 and 30 who prefer to spend this money on their favor digital products including iPhone and cameras, therefore it is definitely a significant potential opportunity to retailer companies. Trend of collective buying Youngsters in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong prefer collective buying through the i nternet rather than purchasing in retail shops. According to the Phoenix News, there is a large potential booming trend of collective buying.They can purchase products in a special discount throughout the collective buying. Fortress can take the advantage of the trend to expand the market share in Hong Kong and to promote its products simultaneously. By using the developed and faultless online sales platform, Fortress can implement the idea of collective buying inexpensively. Green concept In recent years, public’s concern on environmental issue has been aroused. Companies like CLP Power Hong Kong Limited and EPS Company have adopted policies to promote their company products and services.For instance, CLP has launched several programs like â€Å"Old Appliances Recycling Program†and â€Å"Energy Saving Proposal†provided from their professionals; besides, EPS has launched the â€Å"EPS iDo†to promote the donation to plant trees in Hong Kong urban distri cts, ever since the program was launched they have already planted more than 2600 trees. By employing green concept, companies can develop a positive image towards public and create a sustainable company income in the future. d. Threats Loss of Japanese suppliers Owing to the disastrous earthquake in Japan, most of the electronic suppliers were suspended.The cost of related complements may increase due to the high demand. In the meantime, the cost of products may be raised and, consequently, Fortress may earn less. Vertical Channel Conflict Online business has been adopted by companies including the direct suppliers. Online retail business can easily be substituted by these mature shopping platforms. Thus, most competitors attempt to prevent from this online business to avoid vertical channel conflict. It is because suppliers may directly distribute their product though the internet channel.All these may affect the online business of Fortress. 7) Conclusion and Recommendations 7. 1) Target Market and Positioning Strategies The purposed promotion campaign aims at targeting those who planned to get married and are going to purchase or renovate their houses aged between 27 and 37 in the coming 6 months. The reasons why this segment is chosen are because the targeted customers are most likely to purchase numerous new home appliances; therefore they have the highest possibility to contribute revenues to Fortress.This target segment is derived from the above analysis with supporting figures and facts, thus it is measurable, accessible and actionable. Unmarried couples can enjoy discounted prices through this promotion campaign. This campaign consists of bundle pricing strategy and niche marketing strategy. To further illustrate, the idea is that the target customers will be acknowledged this package through different promotion channels to motive the collective buying behavior on Fortress online shopping website. This package consists of three product categories.It a llows customers to select one product in each category of A, B and C on a first-come-first-serve basis with limited time and quantity. Goal & Marketing objective This package is purposed to optimize the inventory spaces and the warehouse management efficiency. It generally is for consumers to select the three most favorite products from the product list of washing machine, refrigerator and TV respectively. The product list is suggested to contain clearance items with energy-saving label, since the Green environmental friendly starts to penetrate to the public.This package is suggested to offer special discounts to fiance couples, so as to build up a long term relationship with them. By launching this, it is expected to increase the market share by 6% and significantly increases the revenue by 8% in a short time. 7. 2) Marketing mix programs a) Product This promotion mainly emphasizes on cleansing the warehouse, which is one of the weaknesses of Fortress, so the product list should c ontain high and low brands of home appliances with bulky size, such as air conditioner and washing machine, in each category of the product list promoted.The quantity in each category should be sold based on the number of products left in the warehouse. The selected products in each category will be reserved by customers on first-come-first-serve basis. b) Price The bundle pricing strategy & Promotional Pricing The promotional pricing strategy is applied to the package, this temporarily promotion to offer discounts from normal prices for increasing sales and reducing inventories. The bundle pricing strategy is implemented in this campaign promotion to offer discounted price by purchasing a bundle of home appliances – promoted package.Based on political analysis, a couple will receive HKD$12,000 from HKSAR government. This policy can induce unmarried couple to consume in this campaign. The bundle price of television, washing machine and refrigerator (â€Å"A+B+C†) is se t to be HK$13,140, which means love forever in Cantonese implication. c) Place As for Market factors, the fiance couples would likely own or rent a new house for their new life, so Fortress may promote its campaign through the channels of wedding services as follows. Physical distribution–Strategic Channel AlliancesFortress can use the existing channels to promote this campaign. For instance, Fortress may co-operate with wedding consulting companies, solicitors, interior design companies and property agent to deliver this message, since the target customers may go through these two channels to organize their wedding. All these purposed channels needed to reach an agreement Moreover, according to the investigation of the time spending on the Internet, people spent their time on the Internet more than that of TV.Thus, Fortress may consider the Internet advertisements to draw the target customer attentions, and this is much cheaper than the TV ads. There are some existing famous forums, such as HK Discuss Forum and Uwants, to discuss the plan for wedding issues. Hence, Fortress may advertise its campaign to these forums and support the environmental friendly trend. For other competitors, many of them have not established the online store on the internet and mainly focus on the digital devices rather than home appliances; therefore this promotion campaign is difficult to be imitated due to the barrier of entry.Logistics After the end of campaign, Fortress will consolidate all the ordered products and deliver them in a short time, so it lowers the transportation cost, and it fully utilize the logistics resources. Make use of social network The popularity of the social network, such as Facebook, can be shown by the statistic report of Facebook in year 2010. It was reported that the number of Facebook user in Hong Kong on Dec 31st 2010 has reached 3. 67Millions people. Since the Fan pages of Fortress on Facebook has been established 2 months ago, the number of fans was only around 1650 people who â€Å"Like†this page.The effectiveness is not explosive enough to arouse the attention of the public. Therefore, it is suggested that, in order to grasp the channel effectively, when the pages on Facebook reach a certain amount of fans, Fortress will offer coupons or gifts through their e-mail addresses. With more people â€Å"Like†this page, this channel can raise the awareness of a new product arrival effectively and efficiently with several other promotional channels together. d) Promotions Informative promotion through online channel and strategy alliances Posters with the detail of the program are suggested to be posted on the Facebook communication channel.Fortress can make use of this online instant communication platform in order to convey the most updated information to the customers. Besides, in order to arouse people’s interest on this program, all of the retail shops will display the promotion poster on the eye -catching position. Moreover, leaflets will be distributed to the marketing alliances mentioned in the previous part; these leaflets will be displayed in their information desk or even attached to their promotion documents. Emotional appeals on the promotion campaignIt is recommended to use emotional appeals to move the fiance couple. In the poster, it is suggested to use the emotional slogan emphasizing on the eternity love and the care of husbands towards the wife to touch the target customers. 8) Marketing Calendar 9) Appendix Appendix 1 Extract of 1/2011 Population Report, Census and Statistics Department Appendix 2 Extract of Marriage numbers in Hong Kong from Census and Statistics Department Appendix 3 Poster suggested to be used in the promotional campaign Appendix 4Extract of property price movement between 2002 and 2010 by Centaline Property Appendix 5 Top 30 countries with highest number of Facebook users (31st Dec 2010 – data from Facebook) Rank| Country| Number of Facebook users Dec 31st 2008| Number of Facebook users Dec 31st 2009| Number of Facebook users Dec 31st 2010| 12 month growth %| 24 month growth %| 1| USA| 42,078,960| 101,303,240| 145,749,580| 43. 90%| 246. 40%| 2| Indonesia| 897,040| 14,681,580| 32,129,460| 118. 80%| 3481. 70%| 3| UK| 14,937,180| 22,625,300| 28,661,600| 26. 70%| 91. 0%| 4| Turkey| 7,934,340| 16,943,780| 24,163,600| 42. 60%| 204. 50%| 5| France| 6,587,240| 14,290,700| 20,469,420| 43. 20%| 210. 70%| 6| Philippines| 390,700| 8,387,560| 18,901,900| 125. 40%| 4738%| †¦|  |  |  |  |  |  | 27| Hong Kong| 1,458,520| 2,727,980| 3,673,580| 34. 70%| 151. 90%| 10) Reference [1] Broadway – Company Background http://www. broadway. com. hk/node/502 [2] Broadway – Shop Locator http://www. broadway. com. hk/shop [3]Centaline Property – Centadata http://www. centadata. com/cci/cci. htm [4]CLP Hong Kong:Old Appliance Recycling Program ttps://www. clponline. com. hk/myHome/EcoLivingIdeas/R ecyclingProgram/Pages/Default. aspx? lang=en [5]CnYes. com: iPad2 5 http://news. cnyes. com/Content/20110418/KDW8J0QVCEX16. shtml [6] Fortress homepage – Company Background http://www. fortress. com. hk/fortress/content/ABOUT_US/en/index. html? hs_ctn_ref=ABOUT_US [7] Fortress – Store Locator http://www. fortress. com. hk/fortress/jsp/sys/Sf_render. jsp? hf_s_id=FT11&hf_srv_id=Nv_fstore_loc&hf_rand=2107567796. [8]Gome – Electrical Appliances Holding Limited Homepage http://www. gome. com. k/ [9]Hong Kong Commercial Daily: http://www. hkcd. com. hk/content/2010-06/07/content_2536481. htm [10] Hong Kong Headline Daily: 49% http://news. hkheadline. com/dailynews/content_hk/2011/01/14/136085. asp [11]Hong Kong Information Services Department: News Release http://www. info. gov. hk/gia/general/201104/13/P201104130221. htm [12]Hotpool: poster of DHE SL http://www. hotpool. com. hk/msg. php? id=234 [13] Nick burcher: Latest Facebook usage figures http://www. nickburc her. com/2011/01/facebook-usage-statistics-dec-31st-2010. tm l [14] SingTao: 610 http://hk. news. yahoo. com/article/110309/3/n4m8. html [15] Wenwei: http://info. wenweipo. com/index. php/? action-viewnews-itemid-43284 [16]Hong Kong China News Agency: http://www. hkcna. hk/content/2011/0331/93831. shtml Group photos Ivan Alen Raine Ting Ting Phoenix Jessica Michael Janet â€â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 1 ]. http://www. broadway. com. hk/shop (Shop location distribution) [ 2 ]. http://finance. ifeng. com/money/wealth/millionaire/20110401/3800251. shtml
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)