Rapid, volatile and discontinuous change Essay

Brief Overview To compare with last decade, all industries or organizations have dramatic changed in today’s global market, no matter in social, political, technological and economic areas. Base on that, all industries have to make appropriate respond to these changes. However, the continuous change is no longer appropriate to the newest business model, but that rather, a range of discontinuous changes have become our new experience (Handy,1990) Today’s external environment has rapid, volatile and discontinuous change, which is the newest challenge of strategic management in an industry. 1. Introduction This essay is going to explore the concept of rapid, volatile and discontinuous change with undertaking wide range of academic journal articles, which in order to make sure that has a deeper understanding of its nature, impact or implications for an organization. In addition, according to the real situation of today’s global and industrial market, only those companies who can coordinate their strategic management to follow up the changes in the market can gather long life and profit. Therefore, this essay will discuss an example to see how those companies manage their business to fit in today’s external environment changes and how those change situations are connected to strategic management process making, and they influence the organizations. Also, the essay will engage theories and models to assess and evaluate the impacts of rapid, volatile, and discontinuous change based on the sample case. Finally, CEOs play significant role in strategic management process, and they should have abilities to solve the puzzles when facing the rapid change. Therefore, this essay will finally use particular cases to address how CEOs respond appropriately to discontinuous change, and what if they respond inappropriate respond. 2. Body The concept of rapid, volatile, discontinuous change All industries are getting involved in a business world that has occurred frequent changes nowadays. Those changes can come from anywhere; they can be small or massive. Handy (1990) indicate that the continuous change is no longer exist, we cannot predict the future from the past, and change is  unexpected and it can happen at any time. In other words, we are experiencing the discontinuous change epoch. For example, in 2008, plenty of large financial institutions had shut down in terms of the global financial crisis. The crisis resulted that the ‘Great Recession’ of economic happened and many bankrupts appeared. The housing market also suffered and the numbers of unemployment increased. Viljoen and Dann pointed that â€Å"a degree of turbulence will exist in all organizational environments (2003). Because of the turbulence in that time, all industries had to face the influences following such changes. In terms of that, successful companies have to operate an efficient and appropriate management strategy to respond the changes of external environment. On the other hand, we can see the light of those changes. According Viljoen and Dann reported that, the more change the greater turbulence and then more opportunities appeared in the uncertainty external environment. Under the financial crisis, there were some companies survive and even gather large profits from the crisis. For example, Morgan Stanley is a financial services company who survived in financial crisis because of its long term preparation of strategic management. The 2008 crisis eliminated its two largest competitors – Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns Cos., but had kept it stayed, which means that the survivors who made appropriate management strategies can win the market battle (Malhotra, 2009). All in all, th e opportunities in degree of change will be offered for those organizations with appropriate strategic management. Where this concept fits within the Strategic Management process In an organization, there is no doubt that one of significant part of operating business is strategic management planning. Strategic management planning has supported the organization in a long term running and has offered a direction to manage unexpected change of external environment. One thing can be sure that rapid, volatile and discontinuous change is focusing on strategic management process operation. However, it is difficult to predict accurate future development (Thompson & Martin, 2010). Because every company has their own situation, so that managers have to consider the change occurring in the external political, economic, social and technological environment and do internal and external analysis according to the particular situation. Some models can be applied by managers to assess their  companies’ external environment to improve the current business strategies, and then have more fit in the global market changes. When the companies fail to respond efficient strategic management, they also fail to facing the threats from external environment changes. Moreover, under the rapid, volatile and discontinuous change global environment, strategic management was built and developed in different way comparing with the last decades. For instance, to manage the complexity, dynamism and unpredictability environment is the topic in strategic management (Ambrosini, 2009). Additionally, analysis of SWOT had been combined into the operating strategic management because of the discontinuous change occurring in the world. Models for assessing the impacts and implications of rapid, volatile and discontinuous change In order to better assess and understand the rapid, volatile and discontinuous change, a variety of business models are using by industries operation. Those models can improve the strategy management process as well as evaluate the implications of rapid, volatile and discontinuous change. First of all, the turbulence model is one of the models that indicate degree of change within a specific environment or industry. The criteria of it are complexity, dynamism and unpredictability (Viljoen & Dann, 2003). Base on this model, managers would consider the turbulence in a particular environment is not only bringing the threats to the company, but also bringing the opportunities. During that period, companies have opportunities to beat their competitors by using appropriate strategic planning. The case of Morgan Stanley is an excellent example while it owns remarkable strategy and management charac teristics. Secondly, Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model is another powerful analysis tool to help managers identify the competitiveness of outside environment. This model was made in Michael Porter in early 1980s; it indicates that bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat of new entrants and substitutes, these five forces will impact industries profit potential in the final. They have power to analyze the competitive environment effectively and have been used for the analysis of competitive strategy. This model produces far-reaching impact on global business strategy formulation. To propose a viable strategy should include these five forces to identify and evaluate the  characteristics of different industries and companies. Besides, the Strategic Alignment Model can also be applied to exam the business strategy systems. This model refers to the value of intangible assets in a company, and it helps companies to achieve the coordination of operational strategy and information technology. For example, an excellent IT system is an indispensable part of operating strategy (Lerina, 2012). In addition, Business Rules Group model also can be applied to making efficiency business strategies (David, 2010). Under the business perspective, Business Rules model refers to in a particular activity; there is an obligation to take care conduct, action, practice and procedure. It offers managers to better understand their business strategies’ suitability. The response of the CEOs to this kind of change The response of the CEO to today discontinuous change would affect whether the company can sustain its competitiveness in the changing world market or lose its seat. Research shows that in ‘Great Recession’ time, those companies which can introduce and conduct the most efficient strategy can survive to the last. For example, Morgan Stanley survived in 2008 financial crisis because of its operating and strategy characteristic. It converted from an investment bank to a financial bank during the height of financial crisis. As a depository institution, it can acquire fund through deposits by the general public. To compare its competitors, even though it is not quite unscathed, Morgan Stanley has survived. Therefore, it is clear that CEOs should use different business models which can suit for their own company to analysis about the changing environment, specially the potential threats, new entrants and substitutes. Furthermore, dynamic learning is a useful approach to mainta in the competitive advantage, which is based on four activities: scanning, monitoring, forecasting, and assessing (Trkman, 2010). Morgan Stanley’s CEO used dynamic learning to contribute the capabilities of this company and then to face the business challenges. Also, the CEO has done sufficient research about the potential capabilities when he wanted to invest in new field projects, therefore, Morgan Stanley can extend its line of credit to depository institutions such as credit unions, savings and loan associations. For more cases like Samsung Electrics group, has set up an efficient strategy to face its major competitor – Apple. Since in early  1980s, Apple’s smartphone has started to dominate the cell phone market with its creative features and unique system. Due to the change in global market and development of Apple, Samsung industry created a new line smartphone – Galaxy S with some new features in order to compete Apple iPhone’s line. That is an effective change and creating in management strategy made by Samsung industry, which can keep customers eyes on its new products and its development in the world area. Samsung industry have done an excellent job to respond the discontinuous changing market, which has brought it large scale of profits and also become one of the dominate smartphone industry in the global market. However, some CEOs make an appropriate respond while others do not respond to the volatile change of external environment appropriately. For example, Blackberry smartphone industry has made inappropriate strategies when facing discontinuous change in global market. Blackberry smartphone has maintained its stiff features and cannot get used to today’s technological change and customer’s demands. Therefore, the industry ends up experiencing a dramatic decrease in sales and customer loyalty. 3. Conclusion In conclusion, under the economic development and the rapid, volatile and discontinuous changes in global market, all industries are facing huge challenges to maintain their business. CEOs have responsibilities to upgrade their companies’ management strategies in order to adapt the changing of global business environment. However, there are large scale of uncertainties in today’s market and plenty of risky consequences, CEOs have to introduce and implement the most efficient strategy to keep the company staying in the competitive market. Also, as the dominate roles in organizations, they have to adopt appropriate business models to support the strategic management process. Furthermore, they should have abilities to see the company’s trends, strength, weakness and opportunities as well as analyze their competitors’ strength and weakness, in order to better cope with the external environment dramatic change. Finally, they should gather the lessons from those companies who fail to adopt efficient strategies and could not survive in the changing global market.

Psychological Effects of Alcoholism Essay

Alcohol is a well known substance that has been present ever since. It provides a variety of functions for different people from the earliest times until today. In the past, alcoholic beverages were served not only as thirst quencher; it also played a significant role in the aspect of religion (Watson). Alcohol connotes pleasure and sociability through the enhancement of the quality of life. Most alcoholic beverages are well represented in wine, beer, and spirits. They have been accounted for numerous positive and negative effects upon consumption (Watson). While alcohol has been proven to be beneficial if taken moderately, its misuse may lead to alcoholism. Alcoholism is one of the prevailing social problems of today. Alcoholism is noted to be a chronic disease wherein the body becomes dependent on alcohol. It is characterized with alcohol obsession, and the person with alcoholism is unable to control the amount of alcohol being taken. Alcoholism can cause serious problems and may affect a person’s relationship, health, finances, and work (â€Å"Alcoholism†). The physical effects of alcoholism are evidently well recorded. It is a general knowledge that the abuse of alcohol may lead to serious problems, most especially the abrupt deterioration of human health and its detrimental impact on the internal organs. Thus, most people often associate the impact of alcoholism on the physical health. However, what is less considered are its psychological effects that are much more damaging and equally painful to the physical effects that the alcoholic person is aware of (Briggs). It was found out that alcohol consumption and mental health are closely affiliated in numerous ways. Based from the summary presented by the institute of alcohol studies, â€Å"mental health problems can result [in] excessive drinking, but that problem drinking can lead to mental health problems† (Tolevanen et al. qtd. in Cattan and Tilford 142). Aside from this, it was suggested that external factors are major contributors to mental health and alcohol problems. These external factors include genes, social and family environment, psychological and culture influence, the perception about the impact of alcohol, and the level of acceptance for alcohol consumption (Tolevanen et al. td. in Cattan and Tilford 142) Moreover, the influence of the expectancies of alcohol greatly affects how people drink. Take for example the young and middle-aged adults. Since the said group of people has a positive perception on the effects of alcohol consumption, they tend to consume more alcohol. It was concluded that people who use alcohol consumption as a coping strategy perceive the effects of alcohol to be positive, and that alcohol reduces the repercussions of factors that induce stress (Satre and Knight qtd. n Cattan and Tilford 142). Hence, although there were evidences that alcohol consumption may have positive psychological effects, it is still apparent that the negative impact of alcohol on human psychology overshadows its positive effects. Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide Since alcoholic beverages are depressants, by the time they begin circulating within an individual’s system, they decrease the activity carried out by the nervous system to the brain (Naq). Thus, it was noted that depression may be the cause or aftermath of alcoholism. Some studies suggest that the effects of alcohol have two phases, the initial of which is that it produces a feeling of euphoria which is then generated to depression by the time the alcohol level in the blood has gone down (Institute of Alcohol Studies [IAS] 6). It was also stated that, when an individual consumes an amount of alcohol that is more than the body’s capacity, it would result in stress. In the spur of the moment, a series of psychological manifestations of stress can be observed through anxiety. Certain conditions, such as restlessness, nightmares, and overwhelming fear, are some of the anxieties felt or experienced by an alcoholic (Naq). Dependence in alcohol also results in heightened emotions. Most alcoholics are in a high risk of depression and anxiety, creating a strong link between suicide and alcoholism (IAS 6). Aggression and Violence Many researchers have proven the link between alcoholism and aggression. It was believed that the excessive consumption of alcohol does not only promote aggressive behaviors, but it may also lead to victimization. Alcohol disrupts the normal functions of the brain. Thus, alcohol encourages aggressive behavior and violence. Violence is within the category of aggression, which is characterized by behaviors that are often threatening and hostile. The percentages of alcohol related violence are alerting, and the figures are still raised in the upper limits (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services). According to Bancroft, the consumption of alcohol allows offenders to act on what they desire (47). Because of this, offenders become more insulting and intimidating. Most often than not, perpetrators deny the activity and use alcohol as an excuse. Courts sometimes condone perpetrators who blame the committed crime to drinking problems (Bancroft 48). Obsession Alcoholics are identified as intense and obsessed people (Zimberg 4). Once a person becomes dependent to alcohol, obsession with drinking is the likely result. For an alcoholic, there is no difference between a large and small amount of alcohol. Because of alcohol dependence, a person loses interest with other activities except to get the next drink (Naq). Memory loss  An alcoholic is more likely to experience periods where one cannot remember a thing, otherwise known as ‘blackouts’. It is important to take into consideration that alcohol abuse may result in memory loss, which in turn, may be psychologically damaging and self destructive at great levels (Briggs). Apart from this, the dependence in alcohol has a great association with brain damage and cognitive impairment which may lead to an advance stage known as alcoholic dementia. When such advance case of memory loss is combined with amnesia, the intellectual function of the brain is then lost (IAS 16). Socio-Psychological Effects of Alcoholism The socio-psychological effects of alcoholism may be short term or long term. One of the most prominent short term socio psychological effects of alcoholism is ‘disinhibition’. This is well manifested when an individual lacks self regulation and control which leads to numerous anti-social behaviors. Furthermore, alcohol has the capability to repress a person’s ability to respond to emotions and decrease inhibitions which, in the end, may cause the alcoholic to exhibit risky behaviors (Curtin et al. qtd. in â€Å"Short-term and Longer-term Effects†). Disinhibition also may result in activities that greatly affect the society such as crime and violence. For instance, in Australia, where alcohol is deeply embedded in the culture, out of 70% of crimes committed, 41% were done under the influence of alcohol (National Health and Medical Research qtd. in â€Å"Short-term and Longer-term Effects†). Long term socio-psychological impact of alcoholism is apparent in a family. Alcoholism is recognized as a â€Å"family disease. † In a family, the alcoholic may be a father, mother, teenager, and other close relative. Alcohol dependence of one member of the family may lead to family disruption and may put the whole family at risk that may last for a very long time. In a recent study done by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, the numbers of American adults who have been vulnerable to alcoholism reached up to seventy six million (Parsons). Most family problems are blamed to alcoholism (Parsons). Family members take on different characteristics as a way of adapting to the situation. In the case of the family’s child or children, various attitudes may be noticed: (1) Family hero is a way by which a child acts on the responsibilities, exhibiting obsessive perfectionism and doing things that are â€Å"too good to be true;† (2) Scapegoat, wherein misbehavior and delinquency is a form of escape to the situation; (3) Lost child is characterized with passiveness and isolation from others to withdraw from the situation; and (4) Mascot, by making fun of the situation through comic relief (Donatelle and Davis qtd. n â€Å"Short-term and Longer-term Effects†). In the case of the spouse of the alcoholic, the spouse has to take on the status of both parents. This may cause the spouse to develop feelings of hatred, self-pity, and anti-social behavior. The spouse is also likely to become extremely exhausted, leading to physical and mental illness. Moreover, the non-alcoholic parent has the tendency to neglect the children (Berger qtd. in Parsons). The effects of alcoholism are not limited to the physical aspect. It is evident that it has adverse psychological effects that do not only affect the alcoholic individual, but extend to the society where the alcoholic belongs. Furthermore, based from the results that were framed from the study, it is suggested that comprehensive analysis on the psychological effect of alcoholism according to gender should be done so as to give further justification on the subject.

An analysis of chapter five’s significance to the novel as a whole including some of the novel’s broader issues & concerns

This novel is about a boy called Alem. The book concentrates on the issues of immigration and those closely affected by it, the main character in the book is a young boy called Alem who has fled his country of origin Ethiopia because of growing tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbouring country Eritrea. Alem's mother is from Eritrea and his father is from Ethiopia and those two countries are in war that's why his family are not accepted in both countries because of Alem's mixed heritage and his families mixed marriage, they are firstly driven from their home in Ethiopia by the local police and then they face prejudice in Eritrea. His dad felt it's insecure for Alem to stay in Eritrea while the war going on between those two countries. Alem's father took him on a holiday to England but Alem is unaware of his father's plan, which is to leave Alem in England until this was is over. In their arrival in England they stay in a hotel after few days of sight seeing Alem's father leaves Alem in the hotel and go back to Eritrea. Before chapter five Alem meets Pamela and Mariam who works in the refugee council. They helped Alem to apply for asylum seekers to stay in England. Until the home office processing the asylum application, they found a children home for Alem to stay. Chapter five is one of the significant chapter in the whole novel because its shows the development of novel it builds up the tension so the readers can get excited to find out what is going to be the next step of the novel. In this chapter most of the characters are introduced. Chapter 5 begins with Alem arriving at the children's home and a description of what the place looks like and how it makes Alem feel. He is firstly introduced to a worker at the children's home named Sarah Cohen who shows him around the place informs him of the rules and regulation of the place. During the exploration of the home Alem meets another worker named Tom Whittaker and a man named Dave he notices a boy sitting by himself and is informed that this boys name is Mustafa. While he is still being showed around the place he meets his soon to be enemy Sweeney for the first time in the smoker's room. Sweeny later demands Alem to get some biscuits. When Alem refused to get biscuits for Sweeney they start arguing, Tom hears the argument and Alem explains to Tom the whole situation and then Tom makes Sweeny apologise for anti social behaviour. Alem meets his room partner called Stanley Burton who is orphan and depress in his arrival Stanley tells Alem his own story of why he's at the children's home. All the characters behaviors in the children's house show how unorganized asylum systems. However there are some people who are emotionally attach in their past for e.g. Stanley Burton is mentally ill but no one in the children's house take him seriously about the effects his having on his mind. After chapter five the story largely concentrates on Alem's struggles to familiarise him to this foreign land. He goes to the refugee camp. He gets bullied, but where he also manages to make some friends. Alem had a fight with Sweeney but makes friends with Mustafa and decides to run away from the children's home. He gets lots of support from the Refugee Council, who fined a better place for him to stay. His been fostered by a family. It was difficult for him to adjust in another house with new people but he manages to stay with them. He starts going to a school and again he face racism and bullies in school. Meanwhile the trouble in Ethiopia and Eritrea is gathering rapidity. His mums died in the war and his dad comes back to England to live with his son. Alem's get really happy and excited to have one of his family members around him. The government refused to give them permission to stay in England. After couple of weeks his father also passed way in a car accident. In my opinion Benjamin Zephaniah wrote this story in order to educate people of the growing problems of the way refuges are treated in this country. He is trying to give people an understanding of the way a young refuge might look at our country and what they might think of our customs. He is also showing that underneath skin colour, culture and customs we all think and are alike. Benjamin Zephaniah intentions and objective are to demonstrate the anguish and struggles that many asylum seekers have to go through in England. The author took ideas from many writers and books, which are related to refugees to make this book unique and special to the readers. He attempt to influence the readers with a combination of layout, emotions are raised, and guilt is created to feel sorry for Alem and it shows how to be strong when people have to deal with problematic situation that they face while they are living in a children's home. Chapter 5 is very important to the story because it shows Alem and no mater where he is aggression follows him. I felt this chapter have really emotional attach to it. Many characters are introduced in this chapter because some of the characters encouraged Alem to become a stronger person and some of the characters are shown to bully him so he can show his strength to stand up for himself. In this chapter it showed the position of each character. He learns to make a judgment on other characters. This chapter is very important because it shows how the system works and it's the beginning of all the struggles for Alem for e.g. living independently, getting bullied etc. This chapter sounds different than other chapter of the novel because its sound more dramatic, helpless, angry and showing his strength. The other sound was informative, balance and controlled. He shows responsibility, development of his knowledge by dealing with problematic situation and trying to adjust in a new environment. This chapter seems so realistic. It is a simple chapter to read because it has a good solid plot and structure of the book makes it easier to understand roles of each character. It shows how the main character of the novel starts living independently. This chapter expose Alem's character by showing amazing strength to keep standing in the toughest time while he was at the children's home for e.g. one of the boy wants him to get some biscuits but Alem replied ‘I don't want any biscuits. If you want biscuits you get them yourself'. It shows that he is not scared of anyone, he is a straightforward person who wants to stay out of trouble but he is not scared to tell the truth. The main character is Alem this is because he is someone who can be trust and empathize in the whole novel. He is the only character in the whole novel. The whole novel was written to explore this character. Alem is well presented to show his strength and weaknesses. This is a unique character because he's the refugee and all the other characters are the supporting character to help Alem to get justice. Alem is the central character in the book because the author believed that the easiest way to tell the story of a refugee would be by telling it through the eyes of Alem, this would help the audience to imagine themselves in the place of a refugee. I think that chapter 5 is a real turning point in the story because it reveals more of Alem's character then other chapters so it makes it easier for the audience to formularise themselves with Alem's character. It is an excellent topic about which to write because there are rarely books about this particular topic and I believe people should be informed. The story line is thoughtful for me and it proved to be a stimulating and moving experience. The message behind this novel was to inform people how refugees used to get treated in the past. Benjamin Zephaniah understood the character this is because he did endure racism in his childhood when he arrived from Africa. He can relate this book to his own life.

The negative effects of obesity on youth Research Paper

The negative effects of obesity on youth - Research Paper Example Being influenced by the popular culture and general perceptions, young people sometimes resort to dietary choices and leisure and recreation habits, which give way to weight gain and the related negative medical and emotional effects. However, the latest trend that is more alarming is the prevalence of obesity amongst the young people, giving way to not only a high susceptibility to life threatening diseases but also resulting in many debilitating emotional and psychological consequences and diseases, which have a drastic negative effect on the lives of young people. Statistics It is, indeed, an irony that diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders that are linked to obesity and were more prevalent in senior adults could today as likely be traced amongst the young people (â€Å"Obesity Related Statistics in America† 1). The proportion of young children and adolescents that could be technically considered as being obese is increasing ever more rapidly than before (à ¢â‚¬Å"Obesity Related Statistics in America† 1). ... The figures that do solicit the attention of parents, schools and health services are the facts that convincingly lead to the conclusion that the incidence of obesity amongst the adolescents has expanded by four times in the last three decades (â€Å"Obesity Related Statistics in America† 1). This means that the young people today are four times more likely to suffer from obesity related diseases and psychological ailments than they were just 30 years ago. Possible Causes and Reasons for Obesity amongst Youth There is no denying the fact that the youth of today tends to eat more and leads a lifestyle that is quite different from the generations of yore (â€Å"America’s Epidemic of Youth Obesity† 1). The life of young people today is more prone to being sedentary and activities free (â€Å"America’s Epidemic of Youth Obesity† 1). Besides, going by the influx of virtual sources of entertainment, young people do prefer to spend much more time sitting b efore television sets, computers and video games rather than sweating it out on the playgrounds (â€Å"America’s Epidemic of Youth Obesity† 1). Societal changes have also to do with this propensity towards sedentary lifestyles and obesity. With two-income families and a rise in the number of single parent households, young people are more prone to consuming a higher degree of calories in the form of cheap fast foods and high calorie sugary drinks and sweets (â€Å"America’s Epidemic of Youth Obesity† 1). The augmenting number of activism and protests against the fast food chains such as Big Macs do say a lot as far as the task of accounting for rising obesity amongst the young people is concerned. In that context, young people hailing from low income

Consumer behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavior - Assignment Example Her decision to buy a specific vehicle was influenced by several important qualities she demanded in a new vehicle. The car had to be safe, extremely fuel efficient, comfortable, with a stellar reputation for safety, reliability and low repair costs among current owners and professionals alike. As a working mother she needs a reliable, fuel efficient and inexpensive to insure vehicle to commute and be able to depend on her vehicle for everyday errands and for fun. After interviewing her and finding what her true wants and needs are we came to the conclusion that her need for a good looking, roomy, reliable vehicle with low operating costs outweighed all other attributes like performance, status or size of the vehicle. In her case the 10 year/100,000 mile power train warranty offered by Hyundai for all their vehicles was the best in the industry and provided the peace of mind and reliability she was after. Today’s customers often seek reliability on the products they buy, but l ike all other major purchases the product has to speak to the customer. Her main concern and true high-level need was â€Å"peace of mind†, having an efficient, comfortable and brand new reliable vehicle he can depend on for work and fun for years to come coupled with the exceptional warranty achieved her goal. The desire and higher-level motivation to being â€Å"in control† and not have to rely on friends or family for transportation weighted heavily on her decision to purchase the Elantra. The always popular and reliable 2012 Toyota Corolla was a close second vehicle which she could afford based on her budget, but the corolla was more expensive similarly equipped and did not provide the same warranty as Hyundai. Another higher-level need which was fulfilled with the purchase of the Hyundai was need for safety and freedom a dependable vehicle provides to the owner. B) Their brands and specific model attributes chosen from Hyundai and Toyota played a major role in dec iding which older Japanese economy vehicle provided the best historical reliability rating, lowest overall investment costs and resale price. C) The marketing department for both Hyundai and Toyota can learn from this example in order to benefit their brands as a whole. Marketing professionals can utilize the gamma of available information from credible professional reviews, long-term consumer and expert tests and long- term reliability ratings and reviews from thousands of owners to better create a true picture of the company and their products and how consumers perceive their brands. Both companies can use consumer data to compile databases which can help provide objective data for comparative and statistical analysis about their products and the competition. Hyundai has made strides forward becoming one of America's favorite car brands and even the automotive giant Toyota can learn a few lessons from an up and coming brand like Hyundai. Marketing managers can also gain insights a bout the public perception of their products, the subjective factors that drive consumer decision making, as well as their overall brand image. In conclusion the brand's historical ratings, reputation, innovation, exceptional value and warranty of their products are the main factors that came into play when deciding to buy a replacement vehicle for this consumer. Whether you are evaluating a brand new 2013 Hyundai Elentra or 2013 Toyota Corolla the same factors come into play when making the

London City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

London City - Essay Example With such a prominent position in Western history, there are endless articulations of the city. This essay examines Ackroyd’s (2003) London: A Biography and Hunter’s (2006) Persons Unknown; / Life and Death in Hackney in terms of the way they present the city as reality, experience, and practice. Ackroyd’s (2003) London: A Biography presents an expensive exploration of the city of London. As this texts offers considerable insights into the nature and meanings of the city’s reality, it’s necessary to consider a number of particular themes. While traditional biographies oftentimes explicate specific historical events, or notable occurrences in a person’s life, Ackroyd’s account captures many of the instances of London life that would otherwise go undetected. This multidimensional approach can be witnessed in Ackroyd’s exploration of linguistic elements of speech in the city. He writes, â€Å"London speech has been variously descr ibed both as harsh and as soft, but the predominant characteristic is that of slackness† (Ackroyd 2003, p. 347). Ackroyd then extends this consideration to involve the means that London speech experienced broad patterns of change; for instance, during the fourteenth century the East Saxon voice of London was displaced by verbal elements from the Central and East Midlands. While Ackroyd’s account of this linguistic sentiment is undoubtedly biased by his personal opinion, it functions to contribute to the recognition of the city as a living entity that has evolved through major shifts in time. The presentation of this city in this context creates a reality of the London experience as something monumental. While Ackroyd’s consideration of London as a living entity is prominently demonstrated in the evolution of linguistic elements, there are other means that articulates these elements of reality, experience, and practice. As Ackroyd considers London as evolving a la nguage of slackness, he additionally considers the city as shaped and reflecting more naturalistic elements. Perhaps nowhere is this better witnessed than in his consideration of the ocean as shaping and informing London reality and experience. Ackroyd (2003, p.6) writes, â€Å"There was once a music-hall song entitled 'Why Can't We Have the Sea in London?', but the question is redundant; the site of the capital, fifty million years before, was covered by great waters. The waters have not wholly departed, even yet, and there is evidence of their life in the weathered stones of London.† While the specific historical consideration here is the actual linkage between London and its pre-historic past, more significantly Ackroyd is drawing a deep-rooted linkage to the city experience as emanating from its natural surroundings. In addition to the influence of the Ocean, Ackroyd considers elements such as birds, remnants of early civilizations, and the clay that can become mud. Ackro yd links these elements to literary references in Dickens and other historical perspectives. The cumulative impact of such notions of the city further enhances the theme of the city as a living entity and its monumentality. While Ackroyd’s text considered London as a living entity with a monumental reality, Hunter’s photography series captures Londoners’ lived experience. The contrast between these depictions depends on the portions of the articulations the reader or viewer chooses to emphasize. Hunter’s ‘Persons Unknown’ series present a minimalist portrait of individuals living in London. The main aesthetic quality of these images is precisely rooted in the isolation of the people and the quirky, yet somber ambience of their surroundings. For instance, one photograph ‘

SPSS Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SPSS - Statistics Project Example The students could ONLY study in the environment to which they were assigned during the research period. At the end of the 7-week research period, mid-term GPA was computed for each student. A change score was computed for each student: each students spring midterm GPA was subtracted from his or her GPA for the preceding fall semester. The difference was each students GPA Improvement score. The GPA improvement score was used to measure academic performance. Using the SPSS 2 Ãâ€" 3 ANOVA data file for Module 4 (located in Topic Materials), answer the following questions. NOTE: Helpful hints are provided here for you to use while answering these questions. There is no separate answer sheet/guide to use while doing this assignment. Then two†way between subjects ANOVA is used to analyze the results of a between subjects factorial design with two independent variables (factors). The two†way ANOVA tests three hypotheses: the main effects for each of the two factors and the interaction effect b. What do the results of the Tests of Between-Subjects Effects tell you? Was there a significant main effect of Environment on GPA improvement? Was there a significant main effect of Sex on GPA improvement? Was there a significant interaction effect of Environment X Sex on GPA improvement? Report the results for each of these questions providing the actual F-value and p value using the following format: F(df1, df2) = 0.785____, p = .__000_ or if the p is shown as .000, write it as p c. Use eta squared to provide effect size/proportion of variance accounted associated with each F-value. If the F-value for a main effect and/or for an interaction effect is statistically significant, what is the eta squared (ï  ¨2) value associated with that outcome? Report eta squared, ï  ¨2; ignore partial eta squared that SPSS can provide. You have

Marketing Plan For MBNA Platinum Credit Card Assignment

Marketing Plan For MBNA Platinum Credit Card - Assignment Example credit card market. MBNA kept issuing the credit cards with its own brand identity till late in 2006, but gradually, all these cards will be replaced with credit cards from Bank of America in 2007. Therefore while preparing a marketing plan for MBNA Platinum cards we need to consider this aspect as well. MBNA Corporation also offers deposits; insurance products; and consumer loans. The US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and China are the main operating areas for the company, employing about 26,300 people. MBNA credit cards are offered on the MasterCard, Visa and American Express networks. It offers a variety of customized credit cards endorsed for affinity programs and for programs under its own brand name. The cards include standard, gold, Platinum Plus and Quantum. While devising a marketing plan for MBNA Platinum Plus cards for the year 2007, we need to think about two broad strategies; A marketing plan for MBNA forms an integral part of its broader business plan implying in words and numbers how, where and to whom MBNA proposes to sell its Platinum Plus cards, outlining the company's approach in attracting potential customers to its cards and convincing them to buy. In general the components of a marketing plan may include: 1. 1. Terms of Reference: MBNA requires a feel of the market, particularly after its merger with Bank of America, renewed emphasis of ITES services from Europe, USA etc. towards countries like China and India, other cost cutting exercises to take on the competition more effectively.. 2. Executive Summary: Year 2007 may well prove to be a very happening year for MBNA on account of; Its merger with Bank of America, and the process of completion of the merger formalities. The Platinum Plus Card will invite stiff competition from the likes of HSBC in UK UK market being very divergent will also present unique experience to the company. While the strengths of both MBNA and Bank of America give the new organisation more strengths, their weaknesses too will make matters difficult for it. MBNA needs to approach the prospective customer in order to enroll the new customer and continuously nurture the customer base in order to retain their loyalty. 3. Marketing Mission and Vision: Stating the founding philosophy called the mission statement and company objectives provides the target/s to be achieved by the company and forms the guiding principles while doing the business. For example MBNA UK has a strategic plan that can be summarised in nine words, "Success is getting the right Customers ... and keeping them." A mission statement needs to take care of Key market, Key Contribution and Distinction of the company in selling this particular proposition. 4. External Marketing Audit/ Competitor Analysis: Such an analysis in the marketing plan helps in explaining in detail the external challenges and opportunities a business may face in the coming year. Such an analysis will help in identifying the competitive strength of MBNA while taking cues from competitors' strengths. Some of the top competitors of MBNA are Capital One Financial Corporation, Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings plc, JP Morgan Chase & Co, KeyCorp, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo & Company, Comerica Bank, Discover Financial Services, Inc. etc. HSBC for

Personality disorders Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Personality disorders - Literature review Example s suffering from personality disorder risk obtaining therapeutic nihilism, distancing themselves from their patients, showing absolute rejection to their patients and they might consider their patients as unworthy of their services and resources. The research practitioner further indicates that the relationship between the professional health practitioners and their respective patients has lead to the ultimate decision of suicide. The health workers who are involved in the care and health administration of the people suffering from personality disorder tend to suffer from deaths that are unnatural particularly if they usually offend and intimidate their patients. The result of ill-treatment and intimidation from the social health workers towards their patient’s causes a break of trust and communication between the two parties and this can lead to uncontrollable despise (Smith & Sharp 1994). This research proposal is aimed at analyzing the differences that exists between the people suffering from personality disorder and the relevant medical practitioners that cater for these patients. From different analysis, it is quite evident that these medical practitioners require adequate encouragement in conjunction with positive empowerment for a proper outcome. This research proposal is also aimed at analyzing the different factors that are supposed to govern, promote and increase the positive attitudes of the social workers in ensuring that proper and sufficient care is given to the people suffering from personality disorder (Rutter, Giller & Hagell 1998). The backbone of this research is to illustrate and analyze the relationship that exists or has been inexistence between the people suffering from personality disorder and their medical advisors and on how the improvement between the two can be attained and achieved (Smith & Sharp 1994). The literature review that is illustrated and analyzed below indicates the occurrence, treatment and relationship status of the

What is Hobbies Essay Example for Free

What is Hobbies Essay Hobbies are things you do in your spare time, this can take the form of anything that you are interested in, it should be invigorating and also be a form of relaxation, hobbies can also educational, enjoyable fun to perform and exciting. A hobby should be something you take pleasure in doing, something that you are good at, positively motivating and at no time be boring or depressing neither too stressful as this will create negative emotions. Some hobbies are social events in which you participate and interact with a team or friends and some are considered personal whereby you reflect and enjoy by yourself. People have multiple hobbies in which they participate in some of my hobbies are reading, cycling, fishing, football, dancing, cricket and motor racing. I use reading for academic elevation, to increase my knowledge making me more educated. This acts as a form of relaxation and is good to maintain mental sharpness and keep the brain active in turn assist me to be a better writer. This is one of my personal hobbies and is enjoyed in the silence of my home or by the seaside under a shady tree. The choice of cycling is both relaxing and to keep the body fit and healthy as we know health is very important aspect of life. Hobbies and why there are important Free Essay, Term Paper and Book Report A hobby can take you out of your life for a while. It can be invigorating, relaxing, educational, fun, or maybe, if you are lucky, a little of everything. Hobbies are more than just ways to creatively pass the time. They are also good for your health. Hobbies and other leisure activities can have many health benefits.Everyone knows that stress can and will at some point in your life, take a heavy toll on your mind and body. A hobby can prevent the harmful effects of stress and also make your life richer and more rewarding. There is evidence that staying mentally active may actually help prevent Hobbies can also help us feel connected.

E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay

E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay E-commerce is defined as the complete set of process that supports business activities in 1970s and 1980s; this would also have involved information analysis. The growth and acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machine (ATM) and telephone banking in 1980s were also forms of e commerce. The web first become well known among general public in 1994 and it took four years for security protocols (like HTTPS) to become sufficient developed and widely deployed. E commerce starts its relations with hotel in twenty first century, which was very different and complex than before. This way of business attract the hotel also for upgrading their business and here the marketing strategies of hotel industry become changed. Direct link with the customers through e commerce gave ideas to the hotel industry to change the customers expectations like when, how they want their needs and what is the budget of the customers for their product (rooms). The usual expectation of the hotels is that e co mmerce promotes friction-free-capitalism (CF. [Gates 1995]), with distribution cost reduced. It is easy to see that how this can happen, as the older communication system such as the post office, telegraph, telephone and the fax have all served but the cheapest, easiest, and time reduction way for the hotel revenue is e commerce. Many hotels have registration and payment done online. By the e commerce a customer can select the hotel, days and type of rooms from those automatically listed as available. Also hotels can order their supplies from companies that have e commerce services available. It also help the customers to choose their needs without thinking of time duration weather it is day or night at anytime. (www.school-for-champions.com) Although we all would likely agree that a balanced distribution strategy, which leverages both direct and indirect channels, including third-party sites and the GDS, is the best solution to optimize hotel revenue, if we will focus on the advantages of direct distribution. Specifically, we will look at how direct distribution is empowering hotels like never before to drive demand, generate profitable business, and maximize ROI for owners, regardless of the affiliation they may choose. Here is just one example of the power of the Internet to level the playing field across hotels of all types. What do the Royal Crown, Sofitel Brussels, Hotel Amigo and Hotel Metro pole have in common? They are luxury properties. They are located here in Brussels. They have different brand promises to their guests. They include an independent, a branded property, and representation company hotel. What they all have in common is that each of these hotels is placed on page 1 of Googles search results when s earching for Brussels luxury hotel. They are on the first page of a popular European OTA, Lastminute.com. And they are listed as a preferred placement on the GDS. (www.hospitalitynet.org) So, the Internet is an equalizer. Hotels can compete at previously unattainable levels. Now, no matter what the distribution strategy or marketing affiliation, hotels can compete effectively across all distribution channels. What this new playing field has done is give control for all channels of distribution back to hotels. In the excitement over the Internet as a new distribution tool, hotels unintentionally relinquished too much control of their bookings to third parties. With direct distribution, hotels can take back control of their pricing, their brand identity, their promise to guests, and their relationship with the customer. Most importantly, direct distribution allows hotels to take back control of profitability. To understand where the marketing strategy is leading in hotel industry by e commerce there is an example. In yesterdays model, hotels entrusted others to do their bookings. In Europes fragmented hotel industry there is not any coordinated effort for its distribution. Here, the mostly independent and small hotels are less than 30 percent represented in the Global Distribution Systems. The travel agents and tour operators were the lifeline to most hotels. In this model, the consumer had to use the travel agent and tour operators access to hotel information to make informed decisions, as there was little information available directly to the consumers. For those that did decide to expand their reach through electronic distribution systems, the Global Distribution Systems were the only alternative. In this model, the Brands provided the much-needed visibility. It gave hotels an identity, a way to be recognized. For the consumer, the Brand delivered a level of comfort. It was a pledge to the customer to deliver THE SAME as they traveled to unfamiliar territory. There were no travel- blogs or other review sites. In yesterdays model, the stars system was THE hotel review system that proved the level of Quality. Some hotels did see the Web as an opportunity to present their selves online, displaying information pages about their hotel, more like an online brochure than an e-commerce site. This while some Travel agents did embrace e-commerce and ingeniously moved their models online with dramatically increased inventories, promising mass volume, but at the cost of profitability for hotels. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Things are changing as it is mentioned before and it is crucial for hotels to stay abreast of the market. If they dont, their long-term success might be jeopardized by increasing and intensified competition. Hotels who do not diversify by leveraging the multiple channels can find themselves in situations that parallel the 70s in Spain, where tour operators dictated the room rates. The Center for Regional and Tourism Research reported that in Europe online hotel room sales increased by as much as 34 percent from 2004 to 2005 and reached over 25 billion in Europe in 2005. A further increase of about 25 percent during 2006 is expected. 120 million consumers are online across Germany, the UK, Italy, France, and Spain, according to Forrester Research. Broadband has become widely available, and prices have dropped dramatically. Phocus Wright statistics released last days predict that almost 40% of hotel booking in Europe will be booked online by 2008. Forrester, also points out that TWO of the TOP THREE most popular online activities for all users are travel related-researching hotel for holiday destinations and preparing booking online. (www.hospitalitynet.org) These changes cannot be ignored. Consumer behavior is changing and hotels need to adapt their relationships to reflect these changes, or be left behind. If we will focus we can say the e-commerce does appear to be leveling the playing field, and its transparency seems to be dictating the need for new distribution models. Now Why would a hotel encourage its customers to buy via the intermediary for less when it means even less yield for them? The Intercontinental Hotel Group, who was among the first to implement Best Rate Guarantees, even went so far as to implement a code of conduct and certification program for partner intermediaries. The hotel group eventually withdrew its inventory from Expedia and Hotels.com. Not surprisingly, then, we see why many hotels are moving to a consistent online pricing policy a nd have made their own web site top priority. In 2005, European direct travel suppliers booked almost TWICE as much business as the intermediaries with 66% of travel sales. (www.hospitalitynet.org) The Internets capabilities have matured to the point that it really is changing the way they do business. And so a new direct distribution model has emerged. This change in the online marketplace is not only changing how consumers shop, it is influencing what they shop for. Lets see what this means to competition for a couple sample markets. In London, where all parties are growing, independent hotels have had a growth of 21.3 percent, leading to revenue growth of 19.2 percent-well above the market average. Independents have been able to increase their ADR by 2 percent year-over-year, which has allowed them to see increases in revenue of nearly 20 percent. Reservations also grew for this segment, illustrating that independents can command the high price for the business. Independent hotels are also making gains in Paris. Independents saw an increase in bookings of 12.7 percent, leading to revenue growth of almost 10 percent. They are also seeing some other interesting trends in the Paris market. Independent hotels are commanding a $100 premium on their ADR as compared to the branded hotels in this market. While independents have taken small increases year-over-year to maintain this high ADR, branded hotels maintained their year-over-year ADR and experienced a loss in bookings and revenue. This data, from Travel CLICKs pr oprietary database, shows that independents can in fact compete with the brands today. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Indeed hotels have many choices. The choice of direct or indirect distribution is often related to brand affiliation and many times they go hand in hand. It is a business decision whether to go independent or fly a brand flag a decision that includes distribution capability, marketing, management expertise, and more that all together translate into a ROI. Recently, The Righa Royale, The Greenbrier, Grand American, and Grand Bohemian Hotel are just a few of the hotels that have left brand affiliations to go solo. Now the de-branding phenomenon is making its way to Europe. For example, here in Brussels, the Royal Crown Hotel recently de-branded. A brand is the product of experiences and is much more than a name or a logo. A brand is a pledge to consumers to deliver consistency in an effort to meet expectations. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Franchise/management company fees do, however, represent one of the largest operating expenses for branded hotels. When we look at the average GDS fees, we come to a sample reservation cost of $25; the average OTA reservation cost is $33. And a direct booking through Web site will cost only $7.50 in this scenario. These high fees can be over 10% of room revenue, which is as significant as having a  ¼ share partner! (www.hospitalitynet.org) Again, we come to the same conclusion. With a level playing field, direct distribution will yield hotels higher profits than third-party bookings. In the new model, every customer counts. It should be no surprise that positive consumer reviews have helped increases sales on Amazon.com and eBay for years and now are doing the same for Travel city, Expedia, and Sheraton. Today there are Central Reservation Systems and enhanced web booking engines that help hotels merchandise and differentiate their properties. New content management solutions help manage and distribute rich digital content including photos, video, room plans, and other brand-defining elements that need consistency across all channels. Today channel management solutions can quickly and easily manage the ever-increasing number of channels including GDS and OTA Web sites through a single user interface. All this, together with real time market based Competitive Intelligence, makes hoteliers informed and in charge of their distribution. In fact, those who have taken control of their destiny are being rewarded with higher revenues. Now that everything is so connected there is consistent 2-way communication. A wealth of market intelligence enables hoteliers to make even more informed decisions on their distribution and marketing strategies. And CRM-like applications keep hotels in touch wi th their most important assets their customers. Another way of e-commerce is Search engine marketing, which is an essential component of the hotel direct online distribution strategy. Almost 85 percent of Internet users rely on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN to locate relevant information on the Web. Marketing is an extremely dynamic field. Search algorithms change, new search techniques and formats are introduced, new search services are launched, and new challenges emerge daily those keep search marketers busy. The result of web traffic affects a lot on those hotels, which are on the first page. Approximately 50 percent of people on the first page went to the second page and so on. Which affects the hotel and its marketing strategy off course. So the conclusion drawn from above is that competing on the search engines by appearing as early and as often as possible is of increasing importance. How a Web site achieves top position is not simply an adjustment of the Web page, but a concerted effort that requires time, expertise, and resources in Web site optimization and search marketing. Now another mode of attraction for the customers are how the web page of the hotel is made up have like how attractive is it and how much is it easier for a customer to search any information related to their need? If we will see in past there is an example, which can make it easier to understand. In a highly competitive northern California market, a boutique hotel needed to outsmart its competition and boost ADRs, revenues and occupancy rates. Internet distribution and marketing strategy developed from scratch. Actions: HeBS launched an aggressive Direct Online Distribution and Marketing Strategy for the hotel, including an award winning des igned Web site, email marketing, search marketing and link popularity strategies. Results: Within 12 months the hotel opt-in e-mail list grew from practically zero to more than 10,000 recipients. The website ranks in top positions on all major search engines for most popular keyword terms. The hotel website, supported by powerful email, search marketing, link creation and online sponsorship campaigns has indeed become the first point of contact with customers and over 50% of hotel bookings come via the hotel website.( www.hospitalityimpact.com) Many hotel sites are performing poorly as far as online distribution and search engine strategy are concerned. Why? Many hotel sites have been developed by Web designers who know nothing about the hospitality industry, based on input and concepts by hoteliers who are not experts on Internet strategy, online distribution, and E-Marketing. And many of them were designed as online brochures without taking into account principles in fundamental search engine marketing and online distribution. Such hotel sites inevitably produce poor results and few bookings. Strong search engine rankings require systematic, ongoing Web site optimization. Only a fully optimized site developed according to the best practices in online distribution and marketing can produce robust revenues, top search engine rankings, and position your hotel company ahead of the competition. Website optimization takes a comprehensive look at the Web site and prepares it for its best performance maximum user experience, book ability and conversion rates and yes, the search engines.