Mobile Phone Addiction Essay

The mobile phone is one of the greatest invention in 20th century. We can not imagine how is our life without the mobile phone. It is an obvious truth that the mobile phone gives us benefits in some aspects of life. Using mobile phone distributes our communication to make it easier than before. Besides a mobile phone can provide us with a lot of functions like relaxing with music, chatting or playing games. However, today people especially young people are becoming addicted to using the mobile phone. They can not stay away from their phones, even for a minute. Perhaps, because of the benefits of the mobile phones, most people do not realize lots of negative effects that the mobile phone has brought to us. Using mobile phones too much not only affects our health seriously but also causes some personal problems and limiting communication face to face. In the high-tech world, the mobile phones are equipped with all necessary functions. People can chat together for hours whenever they ha ve time. They talk together from hour to hour, from day to day. As a result, using mobile phone for a long time affects our health. Do you know how dangerous the wave from the cell phone is for our brain? The waves from cell phone are very harmful to our physical body such as our heart and brain. A recent study tells that our brain is seriously damaged when using mobile phone too much. Have you ever experienced the headache with talking on the cell phone for a long time? It is the wave from the mobile phone that causes the headache. Due to the danger of the cell phone wave to our brain, using phones too much can cause a poor memory. Besides, the wave of cell phones is very strong so it can cause heart disease if we keep cell phone near our body, especially under the pillow while sleeping. With many functions of the cell phone, the young can listen to music anytime they want. By using a headphone, people can enjoy some video, some music all time without annoying anyone. However, one effect of listening by earphones for a long time is that it damages our ear, even it can cause deaf. Moreover, the excessive use of cell phones causes teens and young adults to experience restlessness and it can make them feel difficult to fall asleep. It is an obvious fact that using cell phones too much can affect our brain, because sleep loss and damage our ears. Our life is becoming more and more convenient and the mobile phone has become an indispensable and inseparable object. People use mobile phones in every place, every time to manage their business. They talk on the cell phone when working, even when they are on the road. A lot of drivers listen to cell phone conversations while they are driving on the road. Consequently, they can cause dangerous accidents for other drivers on the road. Getting caught up in conversations on a cell phone can lead to the loss of focusing and highly distracted driving. Furthermore, it is generally observed that drivers using cell phones often forget to give proper signals disobey street signs and tend to cut lanes without warning. It is such a careless driving that results in many crashes and fatalities every day. Therefore, our government should give the law to ban drivers from using mobile phones while driving. Besides, another result of using phones too much is the expenses for cell phone cards every month. We often spend a lot of money using mobile phone. Not only the expenses for cell phone cards, sometimes using phones in a public places also causes some problems. We can see some rude people who speak loudly in public places, particularly in libraries, trains and theatres, which disturb other people a lot. For example, the camera of mobile phones sometimes disturbs a person’s privacy. Some people use the Bluetooth and the camera in a bad purpose. In short, using mobile phone can cause some personal problem like accidents on the road, money for cell phone cards and some trouble in public places. Mobile phone has become crucial part of our life. One of the most important functions of the phone is that it helps the communication become easier and quicker. However it also causes a lot of problem in communicating. Firstly, cell phone use has effects on the direct human to human interaction. Talking on the cell phones is gradually replacing the communication face to face between people. There was a time when the purpose of a telephone was to convey the important messages and not many people owned telephones. Thus, to talk together about something, they often met directly. Today owning a cell phone is held as a necessity and anyone including children have their cell phone. Therefore, the communication face to face between people is limited. Nowadays parents can be at the work place to talk to their children, to remind them of studying at school. Friends like chatting together for hours by mobile phone so they do not have anything to tell together when meeting at school. It seems that using cell phones too much destroys the pleasure of direct interaction. Another effect in communicating by mobile phone is misunderstanding between people. Always, people send messages to ask for information or congratulate someone. And the problem is that sometimes they forget to type the punctuation marks or they misspell, which makes the receiver misunderstand. More seriously, this can destroy the relationship between them. Therefore, to avoid some problem in communicating by cell phone, people should be careful in using it. Mobile phone is really necessary for our life because of many convenient functions of it. However, sometimes mobile phone can cause us many problems. The advantages or disadvantages of using mobile phones depend on the way how we can use it in right ways or in wrong ways.

Methods of Suppression in 1984 Essay

George Orwell’s anti-utopian novel 1984 paints a picture of a society in which the individual has no freedom, hope, or feeling. Three super states called Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, divide and ravage the earth with perpetual war between them. The story takes place in Oceania, which consists of the Americas as well as Great Brittan. Nineteen-eighty Four chronicles Winston Smith’s struggle to fight against the forever-reining, oppressive social system called the Party. Throughout 1984 several central themes through which the Party controls its members unfold – the first theme is dehumanization, the second theme is encroachment of privacy, and third theme is subtle erosions of freedom. Dehumanization, which clearly presides as the foremost theme in Orwell’s novel, occurs as the first theme. The ways in which the Party dehumanizes the people are the perversion of sex, the destruction of the family, and the deletion of human emotions. Big Brother despises sex. The Inner Party and Big Brother fear sex because sex causes extreme emotion. To destroy sex is to destroy emotions harmful to their rule. To complete this objective the Party conditions the women to hate sex: they completely pervert the natural emotion of sensual desire to something disgusting in nature. Orwell wrote, â€Å"The Party was trying to kill the sex instinct, or if it could not be killed, then to distort it and dirty it† (66). Starting when the girls are adolescents, they place them in classes such as the Junior Anti-Sex League and bombard them with lectures about the horrible implications of sex. The girls learn that sex is their duty to the party to produce children. Winston’s wife Katharine or â€Å"the human soundtrack† as Winston nicknames her, completely falls for all Party dogma (Orwell 66). She shudders at the thought of sexual relations, swallows all of Party’s propaganda, and has her only loyalty lying blindly in the hands of Big Brother. Julia, Winston’s adulteress, views oppose Katharine’s views in all ways possible. She desires sex as a form of rebellion and doesn’t take anything the Party says for truth. Winston describes her as â€Å"a rebel from the waist downwards† due to her apathy concerning Party situations (Orwell 156). Secondly, the destruction of family values also causes the dehumanization of the people.  By shifting loyalties from the family to Big Brother, the Party succeeds in destroying the family. Couples do not even feel love towards each other anymore. Destroying all emotional connections between family members centralizes as one of the Party’s goals. In the Parsons’ house lies a vision of how the Party wants the family to behave. Mr. Parsons, a Party drone, mutters down with Big Brother in his sl eep and his daughter betrays him to the thought-police. While being hauled off, he actually says that he feels proud of her for denouncing him. Denis Duclos wrote in his article â€Å"Dehumanization or the Disappearance of Pluralism?† that one of two forms of the inhuman was approached by destruction of the symbolic (1), and within the families of Oceania the symbolism of the family has been demolished. Finally, the Party achieves dehumanization by destroying emotions. While torturing Winston, O’Brien says to him, â€Å"In our world there will be no emotion except fear, rage, triumph, and self abasement† (Orwell 267). Throughout the book almost all public events deal with hate. Repeated examples of hate occur in 1984 including executions, the Two Minutes Hate, and Hate Week. The Party wants to build a society founded upon hatred. In the Ministry of Love, O’Brien says to Winston that, â€Å"There will be no loyalty except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no Love except the love of Big Brother† (Orwell 267). The Party wants to have a governed body of no emotions, thoughts, or feelings, for one who does not possess any of these is one that will be easily controlled. Encroachment of privacy takes place as the second theme in 1984. Keeping power in the hands of Party requires constant surveillance of its members in order to keep them in check with fears of thought-crime. They keep a close eye on everyone with a device called a telescreen. The telescreen simultaneously broadcasts propaganda and records all of the activities within its vision. It can never be turned off, only turned down, and it can be found in all the homes of party members as well as all public areas. It says in Goldstein’s book that â€Å"With the development of television, and the technical advance which made it possible to receive and transmit simultaneously on the same instrument, private life came to an end,† (Orwell 206). The telescreen keeps Big Brother in control. Without constant surveillance, the people would feel no outside pressure to act in an  orthodox manner. In â€Å"Bye-bye, Big Brother† Peter Huber writes, â€Å"Without the telescreen there can be no Big Brother, or at least none quite so totalitarian as Orwell imagined† (2). For remote areas such as forests and mountains, the party places sound recording devices to make sure no place goes unmonitored. The party also puts a social stigma on privacy. In Newspeak, the official language of Oceania, the word for privacy is â€Å"ownlife† (Orwell 84). The Party establishes social programs for all of the members so that they will never have any free time: â€Å"In principle a Party member had no spare time, and was never alone except in bed† (Orwell 84). The Party even trains children to spy on their parents for symptoms of unorthodoxy. â€Å"Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the party,† Orwell writes. â€Å"It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children,† (Orwell 24). Subtle erosion of freedoms resides as the third theme of 1984. Through means of controlling the past via constant alterations to make the records reflect the Party’s propaganda, the Party can control what people think and believe. O’Brien says, â€Å"We control matter because we control the mind. Reality is inside the skull,† (Orwell 268). The Party implements an ideal called doublethink. Doublethink requires believing the lie while still knowing the truth, or controlled insanity. To cite an example, midway through the Hate Week Oceania changed alliances from Eastasia to Eurasia, thus changing enemies as well. Mid speech, the orator changes the perpetrator from Eurasia to Eastasia as members of the Party run from rooftop to rooftop tearing down posters of Eurasians. The masses listening to the speech choose to mindlessly go along with what happened without questioning. Doublethink occurs in the Party’s slogan â€Å"War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ig norance is Strength† (Orwell 16). How could war possibly be peace or freedom be slavery? It can only be true if one believes that war is peace and by doing so contradicting logic. The waging of perpetual war also subtracts from peoples’ freedoms. When a populace is engaged in war, the populace tends to give up freedoms for protection. Peter Huber writes,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Until recently there was only one efficient way for many people to cooperate, and that was to surrender their freedoms. . . . Information traveled one way only, from the rulers to the ruled† (2) By waging perpetual war and only sharing slanted information the Party keeps its citizens at bay with fear of being overrun by another country. â€Å"How can people gauge risks to their lives and property if they are denied access to vital information about these risks?† writes Denis Duclos (3). Knowledge of the peoples’ situation in kept away from the citizens by the Party because knowledge is power. Newspeak is also a way of erasing thought. Syme, a craftsmen of the language, explains Newspeak to Winston when he says, â€Å"In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it,† (Orwell 52). Ceasing all actions of thought by narrowing the English language is Newspeak’s goal. In 1984 Orwell paints a scary picture of what society could be like if we continue on a path of apathy. The themes portrayed in 1984 are dehumanization, evasion of privacy, and erosion of freedoms. These are all things that can be avoided by taking action now. While O’Brien is talking to Winston in the Ministry of Love, he says, â€Å"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever,† (Orwell 267). Although this quote exaggerates how things are going for us at present, it gives us an idea of how it could be. Orwell’s message to us is to take control of our freedom and to abuse it to the fullest. Works Cited Duclos, Denis. â€Å"Dehumanization or the Disappearance of Pluralism?† Diogenes 49.195 (2002): 34-39. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Maize High School Library, KS. 27 October 2004 . Huber, Peter. â€Å"Bye-bye, Big Brother.† National Review. 15 August 1994: 48-51. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Maize High School Library, KS. 27 October 2004 . Orwell, George. 1984. 1949. New York: Penguin, 1971.

A Class Divided Personnel and Industrial Psychology

In the classic film, â€Å"A Class Divided†, schoolteacher Mrs. Jane Elliot devised and conducted a lesson plan to show her students exactly how discrimination comes about. Outraged by what she saw occurring in the nation, Mrs. Elliot conducted this lesson with a class of third graders the day following the assassination of Martin Luther King.Mrs. Elliot set the stage for differentiating between blue eyed and brown-eyed children. Her goal was to have her students experience what it felt like to be discriminated against. She had previously discussed the issue of discrimination with her students and thought the seemed to understand and was in fact upset by Dr. King’s death; they did not recognize the discrimination in her class exercise until it was over and pointed out to them.Mrs. Elliott’s lesson divided her class by eye color. She had two groups, the brown eyes students and the blue eyed students. She told the students at the start of the day, that the blue eye s group was comprised of the smarter and nice students. She gave them special privileges as a result of their favored designation.The students in the brown eyed group were treated poorly, with negative comments and unfair rules. She was surprised to see how the children accommodated these roles. The brown eyed students suddenly did poorer on tests and acted differently. The blue eyes group took on a posture of superiority and was mean to the brown eyed students.In class she purposely commented on the superiority of blue-eyed children in order to set them against the brown-eyed students. She then reversed her statement the following day. When she revered her treatment of the students, the student’s behavior reversed. The brown eyed students became superior and the blue eyed students began doing poorly. It became clear that as an authority figure, what she said was believed. Even parents did not question her statement.The thesis of this experiment was that people accept and act upon what people of authority or social stature. The film depicting her classroom experiment was mad in 1985 for the PBS show FRONTLINE. The film was entitled A Class Divided. The film included a follow-up on Mr. Elliot’s students, who were young adults at the time the film was made. Thee film was followed by similar stories of experiments in other settings.The implications of this film on psychology are broad based. It demonstrates the impact of authority and social stature. The lessons learned as a result of this film help us to understand how the influence of authority and socials stature can be used in both positive and negative ways. It helps us to understand why and under what conditions people will blindly follow others.2. Malcolm Gladwell, New York archives: Personality plus Overview of the articleThis article, written by Malcolm Gladwell, was printed in the September 2004 edition of the New Yorker critiques the use of personality tests. The tests discussed are those largely used in the employment arena. Gladwell gives the history of the development of various tests and then their common uses, his personal experience and his assessment of the test as an employment tool.The article is extremely easy to read and interesting. Gladwell provides background on some of these commonly used tests, which would be of surprise to employers using them.   The backdrop for the testing assessment is the story of a lieutenant in the US Army, Sandy Nininger.He explains that Niniger was an unlikely soldier given his calm, thoughtful demeanor. Nininger however, developed into a fierce soldier and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his WWII service.   Gladwell goes through the various personality tests and wonders how any of these tests might have noticed the trait in Nininger that made him such a warrior, when he was better known for drinking tea and listening to classical music.The history of the Myers Briggs is somewhat comical as Gladwell write s. He explains that the test was the brainchild of mother-daughter socialites, seeking to better understand the men in heir life and relationship between men and women. The Myers brigs was developed based on Jung, but according to Gladwell, these woman knew or understood very little about Jung’s theories. In fact, he makes it clear that Jung would have never agreed with the basic tenant of the Myers Briggs.Gladwell met with a psychologist and underwent the Thematic Apperception Test which required him to compose stories for pictures. The psychologist then looked and themes in Gladwell’s stories and gave him a report. While Gladwll understood the assessment and found the psychologist to be quite perceptive, he expresses concern regarding the amount of subjectivity in this test assessment. A different psychologist could have come to an entirely different conclusion.Finally, he discusses the services of a company called Developmental Dimensions International (DDI). This c ompany assesses prospective employee’s strengths and weaknesses by spending a day with the person in a simulated workday. There person is given a job for the day and then assessed on a variety of levels. Gladwell spent a day with the company and received an assessment that again, he could understand but questioned the subjective nature of the assessment.Gladwell, in summary reminds us that while personality tests are frequently used by employers, there is much subjectivity and room for interpretation. He acknowledges the fact that these tests are fun and the results are interesting, he cautions the use of them as meaningful assessments. He concludes by asking if any of the test he reviewed, would have been able to predict Sandy Nininger's personality traits.

EU communication strategy and the euro implementation Essay

EU communication strategy and the euro implementation - Essay Example f Sweden, this came in the form of a referendum that declined adoption of the unified currency, choosing instead to maintain its national identity and sovereignty and viewing adoption as a barrier to the country’s continued progress and prosperity. In the case of Slovakia, however, adoption was openly embraced, and the process undertaken as flawlessly as possible, supported by the national perception that the adoption of the euro will bring about economic stability and prosperity made possible by a single European market. The difference between the two countries is borne by the discrepancies in public perception about the prospects of euro adoption. This study examines the circumstances which circumscribed each case, the nature, strategies, and activities of the information campaign undertaken by the EC in each country. In comparing the communication campaigns in these two Member States, insights are gathered on the importance of an organized and well implemented information programme in forming favourable public perception and preparation of the citizenry for the transition, for the overall successful adoption of the euro. Chapter 1 introduces the topic of research and the context within which it shall be addressed. It presents the thesis statement sought to be substantiated, and explains the general methodology of arriving at the solution. The Chapter describes the approach that this dissertation takes in the course of arriving at a solution that leads to either the confirmation or negation of the thesis statement. The analysis is conducted according to the Integrative Framework for Effective Communication by Van den Putte, the particulars of which are explained in this Chapter. The topic of the dissertation is on the EU communication strategy and the euro implementation. The main research topic is approached through a comparative examination of the communication strategies employed in two countries, namely Sweden and Slovakia, in order to determine

Use of Landmarks in Skull of Dog (Canis familiaris) for Article

Use of Landmarks in Skull of Dog (Canis familiaris) for Neuronavigation - Article Example The technique is quite common with human patients undergoing intricate neurosurgery but this paper investigates how it may be utilised in canid ones, specifically dogs (Canis familiaris). Image-guided neuronavigation functions on the basis of stereotaxy. The brain is conceived as a geometric entity that can be trisected by three spatial planes orthogonal to each other. These planes are the horizontal, frontal and sagittal ones based on the Cartesian co-ordinate system (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002). Precise surgical guidance is available by referencing objects within this three-dimensional system in the brain with three-dimensional images aligned along parallel co-ordinate axes displayed on the console of a computer-workstation providing the surgeon with point-to-point imagery of the actual locations in the brain. This allows maximum accuracy of operation (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002). This spatial accuracy afforded by functional imaging systems such as, primarily, magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), when incorporated within the neuronavigation process, allows precise surgery near eloquent are as of the brain with minimum morbidity (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002).... Attempts to apply congruency in both morphological and behavioural characteristics of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) immediately runs in several problems because there are innumerable breeds all over the world and the variety is so diverse that it is bewildering. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that the domestic breed diverged from gray wolves (Canis lupus) 3,25,000 to 1 million years ago. The domestic dog is a very close relative of the wild gray wolf with only about 0.2% divergence in mitochrondrial DNA sequence (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). It is also acknowledged that the gray wolf is a breed that is found both in the New World and the Old and dogs probably originated from the Old World breed and crossed over with humans to the New World to form the special breeds found there today (Olori, J., 2005). This is even though the fond belief of dog-breeders in the New World is that their breeds are exclusively diverged from gray wolves there. At least, the early dog breeds in t he New World were so while more recent breeds may have been bred down from the northern gray wolves that are large-bodied (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). There is also evidence to suggest that there are four distinct lineages that descended independently from gray wolves. Each lineage is called a clade (Olori, J., 2005). The comparative study conducted on 25 different breeds from different parts of the world on the morphological, though Canis familiaris is probably the most morphologically diverse species on earth, and behavioural traits of the domestic dog revealed that morphological data was more congruent than behavioural ones (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). In the context of the purpose of the paper it was found that the cranial profile varied from medium to large to small dogs in

Analysis of the Business and Operationg Environments of Ireland Essay

Analysis of the Business and Operationg Environments of Ireland - Essay Example At the end, the paper provides information on the prospects and problems of establishing business relations with Ireland. Overview: Ireland is an island having an area of about 32,595.1 sq mi. The island has an ideal strategic location and is located to the northwest of Continental Europe. The Atlantic Ocean is located to the west of Ireland and the Celtic sea is located to the south. The island is vast and therefore forms the third largest island of Europe. Ireland is the world’s twentieth largest island and is politically divided into two parts: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. (The Survey, 1966). The Republic of Ireland occupies five-sixths of the total area of Ireland and the Northern Ireland occupies the remaining area. Northern Island is a part of Great Britain and has a north eastern location. (Ireland. Paris, 1969). In accordance with a recent census, Ireland has an approximate population of 6.4 million. Northern Ireland has a population of 4.5 million while t he population of Republic of Ireland is approximately 1.8 million. (Wyndham 2010). The topography of Ireland is diverse but primarily consists of a central plain surrounded by relatively low lying mountains and it is also known as the Emerald Isle. Ireland has a temperate and an insular climate. The central plain has a number of tributaries of navigable rivers. The largest of Republic of Ireland is Dublin while the largest city of Northern Ireland is Bedfast. The culture of Ireland is diverse and is the product of the combination of different cultures. The major ethnic groups of Ireland are Irish, Ulster Scotts, and Irish Travellers. (McCarthy, Joe 1964). The Republic of Ireland was declared a free Irish state on 6th December 1922 and Northern Ireland is a part of Great Britain and was established as a separate state on 3rd May 1921. Ireland has four provinces which are Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Ulster. Connacht is located in the western part of the island and Leinster has an eas tern location. Munster is located in the south and Ulster in the north. There are thirty two traditional colonies in Ireland. The Republic of Ireland has twenty six colonies and the remaining ones are the part of Northern Island. Ireland has a mild climate which favors the growth of lush green vegetation. (Ruane et al 2003). The island has frequent rainfall throughout the year. The weather is primarily determined by Maritime influence. During the Ice Age, a larger area of Ireland was covered with ice and this is the primary reason why the diversity of plant, animal and aquatic species of Ireland shows a lesser degree of diversity than Great Britain. Ireland is home to about 55 species of mammals. The prominent mammalian species include the hedge hog, red fox and badger. Furthermore, Ireland is home to more than 400 bird species. Ireland is a healthy island and a large part of its population is well aware of the importance of fitness. The educational system of Ireland is dual. Irelan d has a high literacy rate and the Republic of Ireland has an ideal educational system based on three levels; primary, secondary and higher. (McCarthy, Joe 1964).The educational system of Northern Ireland is different from that of the rest of United Kingdom and is highly successful as more than one third of the students obtained A

Critq. of 2 current medical dictionary's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critq. of 2 current medical dictionary's - Essay Example dictionary contains the latest of the medical terms and the definitions provided are quite easy to understand even by layman as they are written in simple English and since many include examples, it becomes easy to correlate the meanings. The definitions are accurate and also include pronunciation phonetics along with singular/plural forms. Abbreviations have been provided so as the definitions do not exceed over pages! Etymologies or word origins of many words have been provided as well, as many of the medical terms have Latin origin, for further understanding and ease of memorizing the word. For example, if we know that â€Å"logy† means study, and â€Å"cardio† means pertaining to heart, then we can understand that cardiology is the study of the heart. Many terms also have certain statements in color, which bring attention of the user to special considerations that ought to be noted during practice. This is especially helpful as they work as tips, and are sometimes n ot even included in textbooks. In addition, a new section containing 100 most frequently prescribed drugs have been compiled. Some of the information is available in tabulated form for better correlation and a methodical approach to certain terms. A great feature of the hardcover edition, the one that I reviewed is that it contains a section containing various diseases along with their symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, which can come very handy for medical students. Another great point about this dictionary is that it prints synonyms for the various medical terms, which are useful for correlating various medical problems. The appendix included information regarding complementary and alternative medicine, prefixes/suffixes. There are more than 700 illustrations and 500 color pictures, according to Amazon, which has given this book a rating of four and a half stars! The illustrations include colored and labeled diagrams, pictures and charts, and are definitely very informative and o f superb quality.

HR250 Individual Written Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HR250 Individual Written Assignment - Essay Example Chalon had a track record of motivating personnel and he was reported to have a very firm focus from his previous work experience in Europe. The employees complained about the leadership of Oliver Chalon as a person and the manner in which he interacted with the employees. It could be also that Chalon was also stereotypical about the Americans, it is said that the French view Americans as arrogant and dominating. This made him to be forceful and fierce in implementing his strategies. The difficulties that Chalon is facing can be due to the root of intercultural differences that exist between American and French value systems. Some of the differences exist in the intercultural management scenario. In regard to context French are regarded as high context while the Americans are viewed as low context; high context is characterized by the fact that a place must be left for adoption and interpretation and that everything is in the relationship. The low context is characterized by situations whereby everything must be clear and everything is in contract. This can be the reason as to why Chalon was facing difficulties as the employees were working in the terms that are expressed in their contract as this is in American culture. Context thus makes Americans to view French as disorganized, insincere and not disciplined. Another factor that is under the intercultural management is time. The French are regarded as polychromic while Americans are monochromic. Polychromic is described by schedule independence while monochromic is described by the fact that precision is essential. This can be reflected by the problem that Chalon is facing as the employees who are the Americans and he was French will view him as not focused and dispersed. The root of Chalon’s problem could also be due to the existence of the stereotypes that exist between the French and the American. The

War and Meaninglessness of Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

War and Meaninglessness of Life - Research Paper Example On the other hand, in the attempt to summon meditation to end war and fighting, Lennon writes â€Å"Imagine there’s no heaven ... Imagine there’s no countries† at the beginning of each stanza. On hearing, it seems that the ballad of â€Å"Imagine† is a spoken song with a rhythm that humbly persuades the audience to aim for peace and perceive a ray of hope in loving each other rather than being divided by individual causes. The song likely mesmerizes the listener to heed and understand how essential it is to put an end to hostilities by imagining a world without faith, without nation, and with only a few moments to spend. This situation would only take place when people are stubborn to proceed with separate ways and are reluctant to strive to unite in belief or principles that lead to happiness and improvement of well-being. Lennon’s â€Å"Imagine† proposes that war would only come to a stop when people begin to accept the truth and respond wi th positive action after pondering on the undesirable consequences of violence and complete disorder. In a similar manner, â€Å"Fix da World Up† concretizes resolution for a variety of social issues in and out of a society. Mastaplann raps â€Å"Fix da World Up† to convey the unwanted pregnancy of the girl named Susie, drug addiction, the constant struggle for peace between Jews and Arabs, racial discrimination, and ignorance.â€Å"If I Ruled the World† in 1985 and the version rendered by Nas bearing the same title in 1996 share a common principle of rapping the struggle against abusive authorities.... On the other hand, in the attempt to summon meditation to end war and fighting, Lennon writes â€Å"Imagine there’s no heaven ... Imagine all the people living for today ... Imagine there’s no countries† at the beginning of each stanza. On hearing, it seems that the ballad of â€Å"Imagine† is a spoken song with a rhythm that humbly persuades the audience to aim for peace and perceive a ray of hope in loving each other rather than being divided by individual causes. The song likely mesmerizes the listener to heed and understand how essential it is to put an end to hostilities by imagining a world without faith, without nation, and with only a few moments to spend. This situation would only take place when people are stubborn to proceed with separate ways and are reluctant to strive to unite in belief or principles that lead to happiness and improvement of well-being. Lennon’s â€Å"Imagine† proposes that war would only come to a stop when peo ple begin to accept the truth and respond with positive action after pondering on the undesirable consequences of violence and complete disorder. In the similar manner, â€Å"Fix da World Up† (Mastaplann, 1993, track 3) concretizes resolution for a variety of social issues in and out of a society. Mastaplann raps â€Å"Fix da World Up† to convey the unwanted pregnancy of the girl named Susie, drug addiction, the constant struggle for peace between Jews and Arabs, racial discrimination, and ignorance. With its rhythm and substance, the rap artists can be felt to raise the level of consciousness of the targeted young audience by means not only of the style and lively beat, it is particularly striking how Mastaplann rappers invested craftsmanship by demonstrating wide knowledge of their environment and the prevailing

Develop a leadership plan for addressing the issue identified in the Research Paper

Develop a leadership plan for addressing the issue identified in the case study - Research Paper Example The downtown areas of Monson largely populated by local government and municipal buildings suffered heavy losses of government property owing to the large scale destruction of government buildings and offices. Apart from the large scale destruction of residential and government properties the central and downtown areas of Monson also suffered from potential damage of several commercial properties. Many business offices operating in such regions had to close down or were bound to switch over to other areas by opening up newer branches. It is observed that the downtown region of Monson which was once largely populated with trees now was completely barren after being heavily struck by the tornado. Large scale destruction of residential properties in the downtown region were observed after the tornado strike ruined around 290 houses thereby claiming both properties and lives in a devastating fashion. Thus, it is found that the region of Massachusetts became struck by a tornado of deadly potential. In the light of the above case the paper tends to evaluate the leadership issues in regards to the conduct of emergency operations to save both life and property and thereby in citing an effective plan to help enhance the efficiency of the emergency plans. For Massachusetts the year of 2011 was quite a disaster as the state was struck with one of the largest tornadoes across around 18 community regions that claimed around 550 lives and made a huge chunk of the population homeless (Town of Monson, 2011, p.1; Earth Observatory, 2011). A large number of faults were observed in regards to leadership issues to render effective emergency services to the victims of such tornado devastated regions. Firstly, it was observed that there were huge communication gaps between the government authorities and the agencies that were working to promote emergency related services. There were also communication gaps where the people pertaining to the agency operations

Masters of science in I.T. progam Personal Statement

Masters of science in I.T. progam - Personal Statement Example After doing a lot of background research and soul searching, I have made a decision to pursue a Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) at the Endicott College. Soon after graduating with a degree in criminal justice, I worked closely with individuals who were experts in the field of information technology. My experience with these colleagues woke me up to the fact that the world faces a lot of challenges in relation to information technology and security. My interest in the field of information technology has continued to grow ever since. It is this interest, my great passion for new technologies, and my desire to see the world get more secure that informed that ideally informed my decision to pursue a Master of Science in Information Technology. With the current knowledge and experience I have in IT, I am confident that I am geared toward success in this course. Among the numerous colleges and universities that offer MSIT, I chose the Endicott College for a number of reasons. A research on the college reveals that the academic staffs of the university are highly trained and experienced and are drawn from different professional backgrounds. The college also has the kind of resources that are invaluable to students learning online including an e-library and resource database. The Endicott College MSIT offers the flexibility that I need as I continue working and gaining more experience. I particularly like the fact that I will be able to choose elective courses that are aligned to my specific areas of interest as I take my course at Endicott College. I am confident therefore that the college will see me develop in my career path, equipping me with skills and knowledge to solve complex problems, manage projects, and develop and work with information systems. Upon graduating with my Master degree from Endicott College, I hope to work with a reputable organization in the U.S. to gain more experience in

Improving Management Essay Example for Free

Improving Management Essay It has been established that Company Q is a small grocery chain that has recently decided to close two of their stores in heavily populated areas due to profit loss and high crime statistics. The necessity to close two stores is a significant economic failure for both the community and the stake holders involved in the franchise. Company Q has demonstrated that improvements need to be made to restore their reputation within the community and gain the confidence it needs to succeed among the share holders of the company. Since Company Q has closed these two stores, the loss of employment by members of the community has been recognized along with the need for citizens to travel further outside of the community for groceries. This takes tax revenue away from the city and has also resulted in two vacant buildings. In a community already plagued with crime, this adds to the potential of additional crime. In order to salvage Company Q’s reputation with the community and restore trust with the shareholders, significant changes will need to be made. Based on the closure of two stores, the social responsibility that Company Q exudes is very poor and concerted effort will need to be displayed in order to prove they are a socially responsible company. Part B For several years, customers of Company Q have requested that Company Q offer a more health conscience and organic variety of foods. Due to the recent closure of two stores, it is noted that there are now funds available to provide this request at the remaining open franchises. Company Q recognizes that in order to regain the customer’s trust, they need to be accommodating to the desires and needs of their customers. The first recommendation is to continue to provide the healthier, organic food varieties being requested. This action recognizes the customer’s desires and validates that Company Q is listening and wants to be accommodating.  Money that is no longer being utilized to manage the two stores that are closed can now be allocated to the high margin items at the stores that remain open. Company Q has been asked by the local food bank to donate day-old products instead of throwing it away. Company Q has denied this request citing worries about fraud and possibilities of employees stealing and stating that they were actually donating it. Our first recommendation is to rescind this policy and work with your local food bank to be able to obtain this otherwise wasted food. The reputation with the community is already fragile after the closure of two nearby stores. In order to build trust with the community and the shareholders of Company Q, simply providing the requested healthier, organic food will not be enough. Extra effort being demonstrated by Company Q will need to be recognized. The next recommendation would be to create an Action Committee within each of Company Q’s open stores. This Action Committee will work together to create a system that  monitors the amount of high margin items being purchased from the distributor and then being sold to the customer. The products that can be donated to the local food bank will be recorded. These records will be maintained by the Action Committee and preferably a member of the managerial staff. The donated product can be considered a tax write off at year end. Since there is a committee monitoring what is coming in and what is being donated out, it will help minimize the potential of fraud or possible theft by employees. This Action Committee can then determine which products are being sold on a consistent basis and which products are being donated. The purchasing of high margin items from the distributors can be adjusted so that more popular items are being sold and fewer items are being donated. This action will demonstrate to the community that Company Q cares about the citizens and they want to be an active part of the community. It also can instill trust with Company Q’s employees that they are not the reason the business wasn’t donating to the local food bank, and that they believe their employees are trusting and have integrity. A final recommendation would be for Company Q to establish their own volunteer program consisting of members of management. If additional employees of Company Q desire to be part of the volunteer committee, it is completely on a volunteer basis. This volunteer team will periodically represent Company Q at local events. They can volunteer time at the food bank, local homeless shelters, charitable events and so forth. The team can organize events to paint over graffiti in the part of town where they previously closed two of their stores. The presence of Company Q in the community can help restore trust that was lost when two stores were closed and the community suffered. The stockholders in Company Q will also see a significant change in the community’s perspective of their company. Based on these three recommendations, we believe that Company Q will exemplify the social responsibility expected by a company this size and that has such a presence in this populated community. Upon request, additional recommendations can be made to ensure Company Q sustains and improves upon its reputation with the public.

Brand elements for managing fast food restaurant

Brand elements for managing fast food restaurant Brand Management is the method of applying activities to products, and brands which will help enhance and maintain brand equity. Brand management is a very big topic, out of it comes many roots and are called brand elements, such as brand equity, brand research, customer based brand equity model, designing the brand, brand loyalty, brand advertising, brand pricing and etc. A brand which is the logo, name, symbol, and slogan, is supervised by a brand manager. For example, nestle has many products such as tea, milk, and ice cream, each brand of these has a brand manager who is responsible for it. Brand can also be physical feeling such as packaging, physical appearance and guarantees, not just a name that pops up into a consumer mind (Aaker and Biel 1993:33) .In 1980s people started to realize that the weight of the company is measured by its brand, and not by its physical assets (Kapferer 2008:18), Brand success is measured by its ability to maintain in a good position in the market a nd never leave a customer mind. The five stages of brand cycle measures whether the brand is succeeding or not: (Benson ,2006) The brand definition. The awareness experience. The buying experience. The using and service experience. The membership experience. (Benson ,2006) In order to define the brand and how its perceived by customers there are certain components which will help brand management understand how the brands are defined by the consumer: Who: the primary and valuable target customer for the product or service. What: features, capabilities, and offerings that are being offered. Why: customer make use of the benefit provided by the brand. How: the approach makes use of delivering the promise. (Benson,2006) Brand management must be careful when setting brands in different countries, because, brands maybe viewed differently by people according to their cultures, beliefs, values, and traditions. All of these points should be taken into consideration carefully because they can lead to failure or success of the band. Brand managers should study carefully where they are trying to position their brand, and who are the consumers that are going to be targeted, so that any misunderstanding of the brand could be avoided. Here are examples of how brand names are perceived differently from country to another: In Spain Mitsubishi Pajero is an insulting word while in Arab countries its a normal word. So here there is a problem which needs brand managers to get involved inorder to settle this misunderstanding. McDonalds all around the world is in a red color, but there is a state in USA were they perceive the red color as violence, so in order to solve this problem, McDonalds changed their color in this state into blue. Literature Review Brand Equity First of all I will define what is brand equity which is the value and weight of the brand to the consumer and how they are loyal to it. Perception and feelings toward a product and its performance is represented by brands, so brands are not just symbols and names they are the fundamentals for a company to acquire a strong relationship with the consumer. (Kotler 2008:230). Building strong brands is very important inorder to have the ability to survive and succeed in the market and be able to compete with other strong brands, their is a process to follow which will assist in building a strong brand they are : Brand positioning Brand managers their mission is to try positioning their brand in the consumers mind. The positioning of the brand comes at three levels which are attributes, benefits, beliefs and values. Attributes are the weakest level to position a brand (Kotler 2008:231). These days most of the competitors are copying each other attributes, but the thing they are missing here is that consumers no longer interested in the attributes it self but they are interested in what will the attributes help them to acheive. Benefits are the out comes that the consumer will get when using a certain brand. Beliefs and values are related to emotions, its about how purchasing these products empowers its socially conscious customer (Kotler 2008:232). Brand Name Selection A well choosen brand name can give a push to a brands success, but to find a name which will help in the success is very difficult (Kotler 2008:232). To choose a brand name we should take these following points into consideration: Simplisity in pronouncing the brand name, memorizing, and recognizing it. (Kotler 2008:232) A brand name should be unique. Simplisity in transalating it to other languages and at the same time avoiding, the misunderstanding of the names in different countries. Expanding the brand name by, widning the activities of the company. Brand sponsorship Brand sponsorship is very important, because it creates a kind of attraction and spreads the brand world wide, sponsoship could be involved in many events: Matches Concerts Tv. Show program Football players kit Brand Development When companies are willing to develop their brands, Their are ways to do it: Line extension: it happens when companies would like to extend the existing brand names to new, colors, sizes, forms, flavors, and etc (Kotler 2008:237). Brand extensions: extending the brands that are avaible right now to new products in a new category (Kotler 2008:237). Customer Based Brand Equity Their are questions that should be asked, regarding howa create a strong brand? And what other ways we could use to build strong brands? The CBBE model approaches brand equity from the perspective of the consumer, whether the consumer is an individual or an organization. Understanding the needs and wants of consumer and organization, and being able to satisfy them is the heart of successful marketing (Keller2008:48). D:Folderspictures83888258_80b2635f61.jpg . (Haddad 2008:24) The Customer based brand Equity was designed to be: Comprehensive ( Haddad 2008: 22) Cohesive ( Haddad 2008:22) Up to date ( Haddad 2008:22) Actionable ( Haddad 2008:22) Identifying each part of the CBBE pyramid: Salience: the brand awareness measurement. (Keller 2008:60) Performance: are the products and service meeting the customer. (Keller 2008:65) Imagery: are the ways in which the brand meets the psychological and social need of the customer. (Keller 2008:65) Judgments: the evaluation and the opinion of the customer towards the brand. (Keller 2008:67) Feelings: the response and reaction of the brand towards the customer. ( Keller 2008:68) Resonance: The relationship that the customer feels with the brand. ( Keller 2008:72) Brand Research Brand research is used to identify the feeling of the consumers towards the brand, which customers purchase the product, what other brands are competing with your brand. The need to know about the present customers: Why they choose your brand? Are they going to repurchase it? How are they using the product? Where do your customers purchase the products? (Haddad 2008:11) The best way to describe the consumers is through the segmentation variables which are geographic (nations, countries, neighbors, city), demographic (education, age, sex, income), psychographic (The market is being divided based on the personality) (belch2009: 51), Behavioristic( the consumers are divided into groups according to their loyalties, buying of the product, and usage) (belch2009: 52 ). There are other methods used to make research: Qualitative research: exploring the areas where knowledge doesnt exist. ( Tench Yeomans 2009: 204) Advantages Disadvantages Identify unknown information It takes a lot of time Provide insight into motivation Requires large amount of money Quantitative research: The results are expressed in numbers. ( Tench Yeomans 2009: 204) Advantages Disadvantage Generate comparable results Could mislead to irrelevant directions Clients have a higher percentage of accepting it Cant go into deeper analysis Brand Advertising Brand advertising increases the recognition of the consumers towards the brand; its also the generator which helps the business to succeed. Most of the owners, who own businesses, think of the brand as a logo with color and a slogan. They dont understand the relation between the brand and the consumer. The brands that really succeed are the ones which have emotional relationship with the consumer. So successful brand advertising is about how to make the consumer reach the emotional relationship with the brand. Owners might feel that their brand is credible and trustworthy but this is not enough, because they cant think from their own perspective, trustworthiness should reach customers in order to achieve brand loyalty and a strong brand. (Long, 2009) Forms of brand advertising: Television. Radio. Print ads. Internet. Bill boards. Banners. Relating brand elements to McDonalds( restaurant) How does McDonalds build brand equity? Advertising, building relationship with consumers, building trust, good service, trying to make our products affordable as much as possible to everyone, participating in community activities and fund raising, all of these factors will improve our image and create a strong brand. How are you going to build a strong brand using the brand strategy decisions? Brand positioning comes in three levels as I mentioned above, attribute (McDonalds are not just concentrating on their food attributes because, there are many junk food businesses who produce same attributes). Benefits (are what McDonalds concentrating on, they care about their food taste, freshness, place neatness and cleanness, and the satisfaction of customers after finishing their meal). Beliefs and values (in Egypt McDonalds dont offer pork meat because its against people values and beliefs). Brand name selection McDonalds is an easy name which could be memorized its very simple and kind of funny, this brand name differs from other fast food brand names, because McDonalds is trying to be different than other brand names, by sending message to consumers which is. Consumers can eat all they want, but they can have healthy life by controlling their food. Brand sponsorship McDonalds sponsors football teams, world cup 2010, it concentrates more on athletic activities and events so that they can create a healthy brand image. Brand development McDonalds are always trying to develop their products by having the best taste and reasonable price, developing their service by having the fastest home delivery service in Egypt. Developing their ads by making it more funnier and simple. How can McDonalds create successful customer based brand equity (CBBE?) Salience: consumers perceived McDonalds 43% best, 43% not bad, 14% bad. Performance: McDonalds target all consumer ages, and they also target class A, B, and C. Sandwiches prices The service in McDonalds is very fast in different ways, its the fastest delivery in Egypt, fastest problem response, and one of the best employee customer relationship. The style and design of the place is very clean, neat, and makes you happy and comfortable while sitting inside. Imagery McDonalds in Egypt started 15 years ago, and established 60 restaurants till now. McDonalds offer their products according to consumers values, beliefs, and cultures. For example in Ramadan, McDonalds offer iftar menu for people who are fasting. In Christmas they offer siyamy menu which is fillet fish. There are obstacles which are being faced trying to adopt another countries food, in Thailand McDonalds offer shrimps sandwiches because its their traditional food over there, you cant make consumers in Egypt adopt seafood sandwiches from McDonalds because its not their traditional food over here. Feelings McDonalds are doing their best to provide excitement and fun for their customers, McDonalds TV. Ads are very funny, during the half time of the matches; TV ads appear so viewers are encouraged to buy meals while they are watching the match. If there is a big match between Egypt and another country McDonalds designs the place with Egyptian flags, and they have artists for people who would like to draw on their faces. Judgments according to what we have mentioned above, customers are happy because we try to meet their need in every possible way, and solve any problem they face with our food or place. McDonalds Is a credible brand because its a very strong competitor all over the world, its the second best competitor in fast food businesses after KFC. Resonance There is a strong relationship with the employees and the customers, employees are always friendly and smiling to customers so that they can make them feel welcome, and they always try to make them comfortable as much as they can. How is Qualitative research being used? Qualitative research is being used to know how consumers see our products (tastes, freshness, new products, and etc.) Service (delivery service, employees relation, and place.) How is quantitative research being used? It provides assistance to know the quantity of combos needed to be increased daily, weekly, and monthly. It also identify what type of products are consumer demanding, the sandwich double big tasty was created using the quantitative research. How do use Advertising to strengthen McDonalds brand? McDonalds advertise mostly on television using simple and funny ads which will attract customers to buy their products. They used to advertise on radio too. McDonalds uses FP7 which is the advertising agency to help them, FP7 is working with McDonalds since 15 years ago, they helped them create the delivery TV ad, and other comedy ads. Off course McDonalds sponsors Egyptian football teams such as: Ghazl el mahala El gaish El masry All of this will help improve the advertising.

Diaper Market in India

Diaper Market in India Birth rates have declined in the developed world and that has become unfavorable for the diaper manufacturers to expand their businesses. Internationally, birth rates in the developed nations have declined by 20% during the last 30 years and are now only half the global average. The global market for diapers was worth $22.2 billion, a 2.9% increase Year on Year. But the major markets of Western Europe, the U.S. and Japan reported decline. As a result, companies like Procter Gamble and Kimberly Clark are banking more on innovation to their rescue. This has been a major contributor of success for PG in the past few years. There is newly developed focus on developing country markets, which derives 40% of global diaper revenue. Markets such as Russia and China are providing brands with excellent opportunities for longer term growth. It is also remarkable to see the trend in the developed markets towards greener products as shown in the chart below Diaper Market in Developing Country There is huge growth potential for diaper products in emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India, as these markets are still quite underdeveloped and in the nascent stage. While it has taken advanced Western economies some time to realize the environmental price of their development this is not the case for todays emerging nations. In this case even the global recession will enable China to have more time to better make arrangements for considering more sustainable and greener options for its growth. Middle-class is at the forefront of environmental awareness as the environmental consequences of rapid industrialization and urbanization in countries such as China and India are becoming increasingly apparent Also in countries such as India, the Philippines and Malaysia, levels of consumer awareness regarding hygiene products are very still very low. Indian Diaper Market In 2009, manufacturers have been now more focused on more categories such as disposable diapers. With the increasing buying power of Indian consumers, companies are looking for options which are more convenient and safe to use for the children. Increase in awareness about hygiene is a big factor for thus development. Some of the major development last year is as follows: Procter Gamble Hygiene Health Care Ltd introduced Pampers Magic Nickers Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd introduced Huggies New Born, a product specifically targeting the mothers of new born babies. With increasing awareness regarding the advantages of using the use of disposable diapers over cloth substitutes, Indian parents are now spending more on purchasing such products which in turn led to an increase in sales value for the manufacturers. Convenience has been one of the driving factors in this change. Even in tier 2 towns and cities, parents are willing to spend money on disposable diapers to use when the baby is taken out of the home, for added convenience. Also as babies get older, some young mothers look to go back to work. This encouraged the use of diapers, as they are more convenient, and they do not need to spend time washing cloth nappies. Also, as babies become more active, and nappies are a more comfortable and hygienic alternative to cloth nappies. However currently the majority of the sales is restricted to customers in urban India. So the penetration rate of disposable diapers has been increasing, as more young parents are finding it convenient to switch from cloth nappies to disposable nappies. Sales of disposable pants remained negligible in India in 2009. Procter Gamble Hygiene Health Care Ltd introduced Pampers Magic Nickers and Uni-Charm Corp entered India with its brand of Mamy Poko Pants. Disposable pants have seen an increase in activity from the leading brands, but sales have still not become significant. The main factors that inhibit the growth of this category are as follows: Cultural factors: Diapers are a relatively new concept in India. Indian parents use Diaper only for the sake of convenience during travel. Price: When launched, diapers were priced at around Rs. 15 per piece which is high priced. The average prices in last few years have dropped to Rs 10 per piece but its still very costly for everyday usage. Other Trends: Potty training in India is at around two to two and a half years average. With that taking place at such a young age, the use of diapers is even lower for Indian babies. Also with the easy availability of cheap domestic help in India, it is convenient for Indian mothers to wash and reuse cloth nappies. Some of the important facts and figures are shown as follows: Marketing Objective The penetration of disposable diapers has been increasing, as parents are finding it suitable to switch from cloth nappies to disposable nappies. With the market offering a variety of products across several price ranges, use of disposable diapers is expected to grow. Today young mothers are more sensitive about hygiene and health. They will readily utilize disposable nappies from an earlier age. Also, many young working mothers will want to habituate their children to wearing disposable diapers, and thus will start using them early. The forecast of retail sales of Diapers shows strong growth figures, in two digits. And with more consumers shifting from traditional cloth nappies to disposable diapers, the category is expected to burgeon in the coming years. Godrej Consumer Products Limiteds main brand under Tissues and Hygiene category, Snuggy Dry has witnessed several changes in ownership in the Indian market. The joint venture between Godrej Consumer Products limited and SCA Hygiene Products which manufactured and distributed Snuggy Dry discontinued. This led to SCA Hygienes exit from India. The brand Snuggy Dry, which was the third largest disposable diapers brand in 2009, is now being marketed and distributed by Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Over the years, the diaper market in India has been dominated by existing players Kimberley Clark and Procter and Gamble as can been seen in the graph below. Godrej is moving strong in FMCG sector currently standing second to HUL and being fiercely competitive to HUL. Although Hindustan Unilever enjoys market leadership in several segments in India, it is slowly losing its ground to Godrej, which has relatively competitively priced products. Moreover, profit margins of Godrej products are significantly higher than those of HULs. Based on this background, the marketing objective is to capitalize on the above mentioned conditions and increase the market share of Snuggy Dry diapers from the current 8% level to 10% in short term and substantially continue gaining higher market share. 5Cs Situation Analysis Godrej Company Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) is deals in manufacturing, marketing, and distributing fast moving consumer goods. The company offers various products such as soaps, toiletries, cosmetics, hair care, household care, fabric care and baby care products. It also markets products under Cinthol, Fairglow, Godrej No 1, Nupur and Ezee brand names. The company primarily operates in India and some overseas market. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company recorded revenues of INR13,929.7 million ($303.9 million) in the financial year ended March 2009 (FY2009), an increase of 26.3% over FY2008. The companys operating profit was INR1,881.6 million ($41.1 million) in FY2009, a decrease of 4.8% compared to FY2008. Its net profit was INR1,732.5 million ($37.8 million) in FY2009, an increase of 8.8% over FY2008. (Source :EuroMoniter) In Diaper segment, Godrej Products Ltd offers Snuggy Dry. This has around 10% market share accounting for the third position in Indian Diaper market. Godrej Consumer Products Ltd regained share in 2009, as the joint venture between Godrej Sara Lee and SCA Hygiene (Godrej SCA Hygiene Ltd) was discontinued. The brand Snuggy Dry is now being marketed and distributed by Godrej Consumer Products Ltd exclusively. The company has five factories in India, at Baddi, Guwahati, Katha, Malanpur and Sikkim. Apart from Snuggy Dry, all the other products of GCPL are produced in-country. Snuggy Dry was part of the Godrej SCA Hygiene Ltd joint venture, which was imported into India, and after the discontinuation of the joint venture, the brand was distributed by GCPL. Competition Huggies (by Kimberly-Clark) is the leader in the Indian market with a value share if 60 % share.Pampers from Procter and Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd. is at number 2 spot followed by Snuggy from Godrej Consumer products Ltd. Wipro Ltd and BellePremier Happy HygieneCare Pvt. Ltd. also have their own brands competing for the market share. Huggies and Pampers controlled 84% of the market in 2009 according to a Euro monitor International report. These brands have invested heavily in advertising and hence have a dominating market share. Kimberly Clark launched a new product called Huggies New Born in 2009, which was diaper targeted towards new mothers. The product has been a moderate success as penetration of disposable diapers remains low in India, with mothers often using cloth nappies for young boys. New brand Mamy Poko Pants has been using extensive television advertising, with its advertisements highlighting the comfort of the products and the ease with which they can be put on a child. In a market in which the leading players advertise a great deal through television, these advertisements will help it to increase its brand presence. It can be said that the products compete against each other based on the price. Teddy and Wipro are considered as economy brands. Pampers, Huggies and Snuggy have price points in all three price segments. Disposable pants have a more premium price point within diapersPantaloon Retail India Ltd entered this category with the launch of its brand Caremate in 2009. Other private labels have not yet emerged in India. Diapers/Pants Retail Company Shares 2005-2009 Customers With the increasing income levels in India, parents are spending more on purchasing disposable diapers instead of reusing cloth nappies at home. In addition, awareness is increasing through the media about the different brands and the benefits of using disposable diapers over cloth versions, manufacturers saw an increase in value sales. Even in smaller towns and cities, parents are willing to spend money on disposable diapers to use when the baby is taken out of the home, for added convenience. This has made Indias nascent baby care market transforming into worlds fastest growing baby market. A vast population of population in age group 0-4 years is a boon to the market. Aggressive marketing strategies and consumer acceptance of branded premium baby care products (especially in baby food and skin care segments) will enable the industry to register a CAGR of more than 11% during 2010-2013. The major market players have used television based advertising to their full advantage and have raised the awareness of Baby care. With the increased awareness and increasing purchasing power, customers are fast shifting from cloth nappies to baby diapers. The Decision makers in this market are parents with mother being the dominant decision maker. The market has used extensive retail channels with super markets, traditional grocery stores etc. This use of extensive channels has also resulted in the increasing demand. The rapid development of modern retail infrastructure is luring consumers for convenient shopping experience and transforming into high retail spending. Baby care companies are optimally utilizing this trend and executing strong product positioning strategies to maximize their market returns According to recent research, the Indian baby care market has grown substantially over the past few years and caught the attention of international players. However, there is still a relatively large and untapped market in the rural sector. This market is anticipated to witness concrete market developments which will also give impetus to the baby care market. Collaborators Most diaper brands in India are imported and so is the case with Snuggy. The production for Snuggy is carried out by a Chinese manufacturer. BroadVision, Inc. announced that Godrej Group of India has successfully implemented two new sales portals for its business and consumer channels. The new portals, built using BroadVisions multi-channel sales portal and content solution, have streamlined and enhanced customer service for two Godrej Group subsidiaries-Godrej Industries Limited (GIL), which provides industrial supplies to businesses, and Godrej Consumer Products Limited, a manufacturer of consumer products According to the companys analyst and investor meet report, rural distribution is essential for a sound growth. In 2009, reach in rural areas has increased by 40-50% in terms of small towns and villages. Rural now measures about quarter of GCPLs sales. It accounts for 45% of the growth. Going forward it is expected to be a continuous growth driver. Context Social/Cultural: In general, in India the diaper is met with resistance. And diapers are perceived as status symbols. One of the major concerns of diapers is rash it causes. Indians are not tolerant of rash and insist that the baby move around bare bottomed. Technology: Companies are heavily investing for bringing about innovations in this field. They are offering new products to boost consumer confidence and increase their market shares. Huggies Dry Diaper currently available in India is particularly designed for new users in new markets. The product employs high technology super absorbent materials (SAM) to deliver super dryness to the user which results in dry and healthy skin. SAM can absorb up to 100 times its weight. Also high leg cut design is one more innovation for hot climate from Kimberly- Clarke. It is a capital intensive industry and is associated with high costs. This is one of the major reasons why Godrej diapers are not manufactured in India but imported from China. SWOT Analysis (S)trengths: Godrej brand name is an asset, well known to Indian consumer Leveraging on the distribution channel by using Operation Big C. Cost benefit obtained by product import from china (W)eaknesses: Lack of marketing focus coupled with moderate success of Snuggy Happy Baby contest. Unavailability of RD facilities (O)pportunities: Strong Market Growth expected at 16% Growing disposable income of Indian parents ( both parents working) Increasing hygiene and health awareness of preferring diapers over clothes. (T)hreats: Presence of many competitors in the market Newer indigenous brand targeting the economic segment of the market Marketing Strategies The below graph shows the number of new born babies born per inhabitants, though the number of new-born babies are decreasing but still the market is huge. Diaper is competing with the traditional way of using Clothes which has the advantages of reuse, inexpensive and to a certain extent healthier for the babies. Healthier in the sense, diapers used to cause rashes while clothes didnt. Diapers have the advantage of convenience and cleanliness. In order to increase the market share for Godrej diapers we intend to implement a progressive marketing strategy. In terms of marketing we intend that our name and products are marketed on an extensive basis to ensure that customers are aware of our existence. In price, we intend to offer reasonable and competitive prices in comparison to other competitors and we need to be able to sustain that. Segmentation Profiles Dividing a market in to distinct groups of buyers with different needs, characteristics, or behaviour who might require separate product or marketing mixes. We can segment the market for the diaper market based on the disposable income of the parents. Regular use of disposable diapers remains more restricted to parents in urban India. Based on the stage of the new-born baby , the number of diaper to be used per month can be found Godrej should launch the diaper in three segments Premature when the baby is less than 6 months , New born when the baby is less than 2 year and Mini pack when the baby is 2-4 year. We can segment the market based on the Tier-1, Tier-2 cities. The disposable income of the parents has been increasing not just in Metro cities but also in tier-1 and tier-2 cities as well. But we find that number of working mother is less in these cities when compared to metropolitan cities. So the diaper usage will be less when compared to metropolitan cities. So we need to use a push marketing strategy for this segment of population without altering the pricing mix. Target Segment Demographic Distribution AGE GROUPS PERSONS MALES FEMALES 6 years and Below 163,819,614 84,999,203 78,820,411 RURAL-URBAN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION POPULATION PERCENTAGE RURAL 742,490,639 72.2 URBAN 286,119,689 27.8 Percentage of Children below 6yrs to total rural/urban population RURAL URBAN Number of children(0-6 yrs) 117,950,122 45869491 Percentage of Population 15.8 16 The target market will obviously be mothers to be and current mothers. Indians are not used to this product. This category is concentrated on urban market. The Indian mother is a cost-conscious woman and would like to recycle most of the products used for her household. The same applies to the products used for her baby too. Moreover, large population base in 0-4 years and parents increasing preference to spend more on baby products will drive the market to new horizons in near future. Apart from penetrating deep into urban market, rural market will also provide growth opportunities to companies. Indian demographic distribution shows that 72 percent of the population live in rural areas while the rest 28 percent live in urban or semi-urban areas. Out of the total population mix both in rural and urban areas approximately 15 -16% population is below 6 years which form the potential market share for the diaper market. With the average purchasing power of the Indian population increasing and the with increased hygiene awareness the rural market is the market of the future. When the purchasing power parity reaches threshold, India will be the largest customer of diapers within the next 15 years which and is expected to explode in next 3 to 5 years. It has been found that with the present birth rate 24 million babies are born in India every year. If we typically calculate 25% of these infants in the period birth and 24 months use at least 28 diapers a week, theoretically the available market is 8.7 billion pieces per year. It is estimated that the diaper market would grow at a rate of around 5-10%. This proposed market segmentation will help building strong position in specialized diaper market segments. It will allows Godrej to focus on target customer specific needs. It will help them to understand the customer need and make improvement in marketing mix for each segment. It will help Godrej to compete with Huggies and Pamper brand diapers. The TV and print media can reach the diaper buyers. These two media forms the potential to create the brand awareness among the buyers through various advertisements and promotional campaigns. Positioning The Godrej diaper should be positioned as a value-for-money brand, one that Reasonably priced Softness Ease of use Comfortable, good fit Manufactured with bacteria resistant technology, with clean and highly absorbent cotton lap Environment friendly No irritation to the skin Quicker Absorption Super Absorbent core keeping the baby dry for long hours It should be positioned as a product which is a Small package of joy Marketing Mix Product Design Disposable diaper is made of an absorbent pad sandwiched between two sheets of fabric. The diapers are made by a multi-step process, viz. The absorbent pad is made and attached to a permeable top sheet and impermeable bottom sheet The other accessories are then sealed together by application of heat or ultrasonic vibrations.ÂÂ   Features The function of the pad is to absorb and retain body fluids, and the non-woven fabric gives the diaper a comfortable shape and prevents leakage. The main features of diapers would include: Absorb body fluid. Retain body fluid inside the absorbent core. Isolate wetness from the babys skin. Isolate other excretion from babys environment (clothes, bed, etc). Varieties The following major varieties of diapers and tissue hygiene products are predominantly present in the Indian market Regular diapers New born nappies Disposable pants Adult diapers Junior diapers Godrej primarily focuses on regular diapers, junior diapers and new born nappies. The company markets a narrow portfolio of products within retail tissue and hygiene. It has only two brands, Snuggy Dry and Protekt, but there are some variations in terms of fragrances under the Protekt brand umbrella. Most of the diaper brands continue to be imported, including Snuggy. Godrej is currently outsourcing its diapers from a Chinese company and will continue to do so until the volumes pick up. Price Godrej has positioned its brands Snuggy Dry and Protekt in the standard price segment in the market. A regular Godrej diaper pack of 6 costs Rs. 50. Currently, the Snuggy brand of diapers has a retail price of Rs 85 for a pack of 10. Smaller pack sizes have also been introduced and there are more product innovations being considered within the diaper category in the area of nappy pads much along the same lines of its competitor Huggies from Kimberly Clark, which has also introduced nappy pads. However, the current prices are a result of 2% price hike in March 2010, by Godrej. In the retail tissue and hygiene market in India, Godrej diapers held just above 2% value share and were ranked 6 in 2009. Within diapers/pants, the company held a share of 8%, and was in third position after Procter Gamble Hygiene Health Care Ltd and Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd. Promotion Being the first brand of diapers in the country, Snuggy enjoys high-brand loyalty as one of the three leading players in the Indian baby diaper market. Godrej benefits from the brand loyalty which Snuggy commands in the consumers mind. The following table shows the ranking of nappies and hygiene products in the sales of Godrej in 2009. Advertising Diaper ads typically are earnest, fawning over babies and remaining steadfastly euphemistic about function, typically pouring blue liquid into diapers to demonstrate absorbency. The major two brands focus on heavy marketing and advertisement in mass media and television. This has led them to capture around 90% of the market share. A commercial titled SNUGGY HAPPY BABY CONTEST was done by Madison Media advertising agency for GODREJ diapers. The campaign was moderately successful and helped Godrej to keep its 10% market share. Place The company has national coverage through wide marketing and distribution channels. Supermarkets and malls, especially BIG BAZAR and Reliance Fresh have considerable self coverage of Godrej Diapers, though majority of the hygiene shelf space is still taken up by the two major players. Channels OTC Sales: Godrej intends to push various OTC (over-the-counter) products and brands and the primary inclusion in this category is Snuggy diapers. It feels that coupled with a consumer pull strategy through the marketing campaign SNUGGY HAPPY BABY CONTEST, this aggressive dealer push strategy will help it to gain sales. Operation BIG C: Godrej looks at revamping distribution network and re-staging of brands. As a part of Operation BIG C, it intends to use the Chemist network in the country as a retail outlet for Snuggy diapers. The chemist margin for Godrej Diaper sales has consequently been kept higher. Following the success of Operation B, which involved the saloons of the country for Godrej Beauty product outlets, Godrej hopes to achieve as high as 20% market share through Operation BIG C. Financial Projections The baby diaper market in India is fairly underdeveloped and is approximately Rs 4479.8 million. Source: Official statistics, Euromonitor International estimates, trade associations, trade press, company research etc. The overall growth of the market is projected to be around 15% per annum. Source: Official statistics, Euromonitor International estimates, trade associations, trade press, company research etc. The current share of Godrej diapers under the brand name of Snuggy diaper is approx 8% of the overall share. That means the market share of Snuggy diaper is approximately Rs 371 million. Source: Official statistics, Euromonitor International estimates, trade associations, trade press, company research etc. Diapers/Pants Retail Company Shares 2005-2009ÂÂ   Financial projections of Snuggy diaper Selling 7.5 million units of diaper at Rs 6 each will achieve the marketing objective of godrej Snuggy diaper. To achieve targeted revenue, Godrej diaper needs to generate revenue of INR 126 million (as given in above table, point 15). With the potential price and sale of the diapers in a quarter Godrej can expect to generate revenue of Rs 135 million (point 9 mentioned in given table above). As per the financial projections annual revenue of Snuggy diaper is Rs 371 million in 2009 which will grow to approx Rs 504 million in 2010 which comes to around 35 % growth in revenue. Budget Analysis and Implementation In view with the financial projections, please find the below budget analysis Particulars Cost Comments Gross Profit 1.2 INR per diaper Profit from sale of one diaper Quarterly sales targets 23 Million Quarterly sales expected Quarterly profit 27 Million INR Overall profit Budget Allocation Advertisement 10 million INR Budget allocation from advertisement and awareness spreading Collaborators margin 7 Million INR Retailers need to be given additional margins to promote Snuggy Diaper Implementation As the sales volume starts increasing, Godrej can open up the manufacturing unit at one of its already existing factory unit locations. Below is the approximate cost of building up the net manufacturing unit. Particulars Cost (INR in crore) Comments Land Required(1200 sq mt) 0.6 Rs 5000 per sq/mt Building 0.5 Rs 5000 per sq/mt Total Plant and Machinery for diapers 3.5 Industry average Installation of Electricity 0.015 130 KVA transformer Other preliminary expenses 0.05 Total Expenditure 5 approximately The brand Snuggy is distributed by GCPL and currently not manufactured locally. The company is well positioned in diapers/pants in India, which is seeing an increase due to more Indian parents using diapers for their babies. Experts believe that since Snuggy is imported into India after the discontinuation of the joint venture with SCA Hygiene Ltd, there is a strong case to save costs by manufacturing the product locally. Available in pack sizes of 2s, 5s and 10s, for all age groups including new born, standard and junior, the brand can be affordably priced alongside mainstream brands, and supported by aggressive advertising. GCPL requires not just building distribution and trade relations in the fragmented retail landscape, but also investment in terms of advertising and promotions. The revenue model will be on the lines of Operation Big B, with chemist shops being offered higher margins.

Software Piracy :: essays research papers

Software Piracy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Software piracy is the failure of a licensed user to adhere to the conditions of a software license or the unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted software by a person or entity that has not been licensed to use the software. Software piracy has become a household word and a household crime and has had a great affect on the software industry. It is a problem that can only be solved by the choices of each individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The computer software industry is one of the great business success stories of recent history, with healthy increases in both hardware and software sales around the world. However, software piracy threatens the industry's economic future. According to estimates by the U.S. Software Publisher's Association, as much as $7.5 billion of American software may be illegally copied and distributed annually worldwide. These copies work as well as the originals and sell for significantly less money. Piracy is relatively easy, and only the largest rings of distributors are usually caught. In addition, software pirates know that they are unlikely to serve hard jail time when prisons are overcrowded with people convicted of more serious crimes. The software industry loses more than $15.2 billion annually worldwide due to software piracy. Software piracy costs the industry: $482 every second $28,900 every minute $1.7 million every hour $41.6 million every day $291.5 million every week   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand software piracy, one must get inside the mind of the pirate. People, who wouldn't think of sneaking merchandise out of a store or robbing a house, regularly obtain copies of computer programs which they haven't paid for. The pirate has a set of excuses for his actions: prices are too high; the company doesn't provide decent support; he's only going to use the program once in a while. Although, what really makes software piracy seem less bad than other kinds of theft is that nothing is physically taken. There is no immediate effect on the inventory or productive capacity of the creator of a piece of software if someone 500 miles away copies a disk and starts using it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People tend to think of property as a material thing, and thus have a hard time regarding a computer program as property. However, property is not a concept pertaining to matter alone. Ownership is a concept which comes out of the fact that people live by creating things of value for their own use or for trade with others. Creation does not mean making matter, but rather changing the form of matter alongwith an idea and a purpose. Most often, the actual cost of creating goods is determined in the production of individual items.

Essay --

Studies on the presence of jealousy in romantic relationships have been increasingly polarized, with some researchers viewing jealousy as a destructive force in the maintenance of relationships while others view it as a positive measure of commitment (Ammon, 2004). Connected with rejection, jealousy is defined as a combination of feelings, thoughts and actions that arise following a real or perceived threat to one’s relationship (Ammon, 2004). â€Å"Sexual† jealousy evocation stimulates angry impulses and approach behaviours that function to maintain one’s relationship by disrupting affiliations between one’s partner and a perceived or real foe (Harmin-Jones, Peterson, & Harris, 2009). Harmon-Jones et al. (2009) designed a controlled and ethically sound method to arouse jealousy in the lab and observe the pattern of neural activity that is elicited when an individual actively experiences jealousy. Participants took part in a computer-generated ball-tossing game in which individuals were required to choose a partner from an assembly of photos and following the first 2 min of the game, half of the participants were ostracized by their chosen partner (the partner failed to toss the ball to them). The study found that when participants were rejected (especially by the opposite-sex partner); jealousy (feelings of anger) was induced. Additionally, it was found that the experience of jealousy (and anger) was linked to greater activation of the left frontal lobe. This study was successful in highlighting the contextual process of jealousy evocation in budding relationships (in this case, through ostracism) and also paved the way for more complex research on the role of jea lousy in the maintenance of a variety of romantic relationships. As su... ...tners might view other, more attractive alternatives more favourably (absence of perceived superiority) which would provide them with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to move on. Additionally, this study can also provide extension into the understanding of partner abuse, which is twice as likely in on-off relationships (Moses, 2013). When difficulties arise in on-off relationships, couples lack the behaviours and social skills to diffuse conflict which then aggregates the issue into various forms of abuse (Moses, 2013). With an understanding of the positive influences of negative relational maintenance behaviours, it would be beneficial to use the knowledge from the hypothesized results to educate couples to erase negative connotations surrounding behaviours such as jealousy and manage them in ways that would strengthen and overcome relationship struggles.

Public Company and Patagonia

As resources and commodity's decrease, it is harder and harder to make a difference in the world today. Patagonia continues to work hard to do their part with the resources that are available. Patagonia is a privately held outdoor clothing company based out of Ventura, California that generates yearly sales of approximately $540 million. Patagonia has developed outdoor apparel that is marketed towards outdoor sports, travel and every day wear. The company integrates Its core values into every product that it produces. They are known for their innovative designs, and environmental responsibility.Its high integrity and commitment to the environment has placed Patagonia on the Deciphers Institute's â€Å"WorldS Most Ethical Companies† list for SIX consecutive years since the list was first developed In 2007 (Unknown, WOMEN Honorees, 2012). This case analysis will examine the history of Patagonia, and Its business philosophy. Patagonians business model will be evaluated as well as the captured cost and value of the company. Next, we will examine Patagonians environmental position and its sustainability. The product lifestyle initiative will be analyzed and how well it worked for the company.Patagonians financial statements are important to determine the success of the company's financial goals. Lastly, I will share some lessons that I learned from Patagonia and this case study. History Patagonia was started from one entrepreneur's passion. Hypochondriac, founder of Patagonia, developed a passion for rock climbing. In 1953 his passions brought him west to the San Fernando Valley in California, where he became an expert at climbing. He knew that he couldn't explore his passion of climbing the way he wanted to because of limited appropriate climbing gear available.The only available climbing ear were pitons, which are metal spikes that were driven Into cracks or seams In the rocks. Pitons are left In the rock, meaning that a long climb could require hundreds of these tools. After frustration, and financial hardship, Schoolyard became Inspired after meeting a Swiss climber that had crafted his own set of iron pitons. He turned pitons that were stronger than what was currently on the market. Word of Cinnabar's invention spread, and he began selling his pitons out of the back of his car for $1. 50 each.Although the hobby was enough to support him, he often lived on less than a dollar day. Drifting along the California coast, climbing in Yosemite, and surfing in Baja, Cinchonas was happy with his lifestyle. By 1966 Cinchonas decided to partner with Tom and Doreen Frost to create Cinchonas Equipment. They quickly became the largest supplier in the United States. For nearly a decade Cinchonas and Frost made improvements on nearly every climbing tool. Tom and Doreen worked with Cinchonas â€Å"Just to pay the bills†. In 1972 Cinchonas Equipment added an outdoor apparel line called â€Å"Patagonia†.Patagonia grew very quickly. Cinch onas and his wife Melinda knew they wanted to sell items that would have a minimal impact on he environment. So they made many decisions in their business approach that would help the environment such as using organic cotton to make t-shirts. Soon after the establishment of Patagonia, it became its own company, no longer under the ownership of Cinchonas equipment. However, like many start-up companies, Patagonia tried to expand too quickly. Growing its sales from $20 million to $100 million as well as expanding its services into Japan and Europe.This wide-scale expansion placed Patagonia into a dire financial situation. The recession that took place in the ass's forced the company to lay off about 20% of its staff. Patagonia continued to grow despite some of the financial troubles that they faced (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010). Cinchonas did not allow the recession or the financial troubles of the company to stop his vision for Patagonia. Instead, he chose to go in a more sust ainable direction. The company switched to the more expensive organic cotton in 1996, a risky business move considering it increased the firm's supply costs.However, no other company was producing clothes with organic cotton. He invested in other sustainable materials and decided to make products more durable. This session a risky move because companies often rely on consumers coming back to get replacement products. Plausibly, the more durable the product, the less customers will need to purchase for replacement. However, the exact opposite occurred: consumers were more willing to do business with Patagonia due to its environmental consciousness and the fact that they could trust Patagonians products to last a long time.Connoisseurship's on Business Cinchonas used Patagonia as an experiment to â€Å"challenge conventional wisdom and present a new style of responsible business† (McAllen, 2011). He wanted to stay way from the traditional way of doing business, and focused his efforts on â€Å"doing the right thing†, rather than on profits. Doing the right thing for Cinchonas meant ensuring that every decision that was made regarding the business, was environmentally sound and responsible. One decision that he made was to no longer use anti-odor technology because it was not safe for the environment.The competition Patagonians products were comparable to those of their competitors. Other stores in the industry such as North Face, Marmot Mountain, and Mountain Hardware, all shared the same interest of selling outdoor apparel. However, because of quality, environmental impact, and innovation, Patagonia is able to charge more for their and some of the top outdoor sportswear companies in the industry during 2009. Patagonians gross profit margin for 2010 was 52. 6%. Whereas the average gross profit margin of the other five companies (Columbia Sportswear, V. F.Corporation, Nikkei, and Timberland) was $44. 95%. Not to mention Patagonians 12- month Net Inc ome Growth for 2010 was 42. 5%, which was substantially higher than the average net income growth of its competitors at 26. 525% (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010, p. 12). This goes to show that despite the company's more expensive product, consumers were willing to pay more for higher quality, and items that were environmentally safe. Marketing isn't that important Patagonia used a much different marketing approach than its competitors, using less than 1% of its sales towards marketing and advertising.They have strengthened their brand based upon their environmental commitment, and â€Å"profit sharing with environmental causes† (Alienist & Door-Near, 2012). As social media becomes more popular, and ads are now a part of what one sees when scrolling down their timeline, any companies get free advertising. The company took advantage of this and used it as an outlet to communicate to consumers and the public. Although it would have given them possibly some advantage, Patagon ia did not use its environmental stance as part of their marketing tool.However they educated the public on the impact that their company had on the environment. Doing so attracted more consumers. Patagonia uses its website not Just for selling outdoor apparel but also as an educational tool about the environment, and the products that the company uses in its production. The type of information that Patagonia put on their website shows that the company has taken their business very serious and that they are aware of their environmental responsibility. They use the website not Just to sell the items, but to showcase that they items that are produced show corporate responsibility.In addition to the information on their website, Patagonia at times did put out ads for their company. The advertisements were usually very short and included educational messages. They believe that it is more important to show people useful information that will help enhance their lives. In a recent intervie w Patagonia UP Joy Howard stated that their position is to â€Å"solve problems in the world,† and that advertising is the â€Å"dead last thing† to the company (McAllen, 2011). This goes to show that the company is more focused on the environmental sustainability than on profitability.Educating consumers about what they are buying and how it affects the environment, sells the product itself. Exhibit Use of organically grown cotton Patagonians concern for the environment also caused them to decide to use organic cotton in their clothing. They wanted to continue to follow their mission tenement of â€Å"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis† (Unknown, Company Info, n. D. ). Cotton is one of the world's most insect dependent crops, therefore causing a risk to the environment because of the pesticides that are used.In 1996 Patagonia switched apparel to 100% organic cotton produ cts. They already had clothing that was made with conventional cotton, and made up about 20% of the company's sales, but switching to organic cotton was a risk that they were willing to take. Patagonia was not the first company to use organic cotton. The decision to clothing companies decided to cancel their organic cotton line, so it was perfect timing for Patagonia to drop their line. Although initially Patagonia found success in introducing its organic cotton products, they also faced some challenges.Because of the items and styles that were unavailable for production using organic cotton and because some of the suppliers refused to switch to organic cotton citing â€Å"lack of supplier alternatives and skepticism about the market potential†, Patagonia had to decrease its product line in order to stay in line with the 100% organic cotton initiative that they made. Due to the increased price for organic cotton, the company's costs increased. Product costs increased 25-30% w ith the use of the organic cotton. Organic cotton had a drastic decline in production, therefore costs were higher than normal.In addition, Patagonia struggled to maintain the quality of its product, once they switched. With cotton products making up more than 20% of the company's sales (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010), they were forced to get it right, and to make their product desirable enough to sell. Business Model: Does it really work? A business model is a model that is designed for the successful operation of the equines, identifying customer base, revenue sources, products and details of financing. Patagonia seems to have a business model that has helped the company be very successful and remain relevant amongst its customers and competitors.They have stayed true to their core values which is to provide quality, integrity, and environmentalism. Since the start- up of Patagonia, they have never operated under conventionalism, and has continued to stand out from every othe r outdoor apparel chain. Focusing more on environmental sustainability and social responsibility rather Han profits, Patagonia has become the worldwide leader of environmentally responsible business. They have continued to remain innovative in their approach to doing business, as well as in the product development and marketing.Creating and Capturing Value Achieving Growth, being Profitable, and minimizing ecological expenses are somewhat contradictory goals but somehow Patagonia has been very successful at achieving these goals. Their business model is based on making minimum environmental impact but creating products that have create value, without compromising the company's capital. In order to stand apart from competition, Patagonia has effectively positioned itself as a supplier of superior quality products and has continued to commit itself to minimize its impact on the environment, once again staying true to its core values, and mission statement.On the supply side of the bus iness the company uses activities and relationships along the value chain that provide the finished goods and create value. The company has been able to create value by creating integrity in its product and product's performance. The company shows confidence in the product that they create, by offering warranties and as well s the promise to provide replacement products when items become too worn. They also creates value by using only quality materials such as organic cotton when manufacturing its products.They have also created value by influencing the customer's experience. Patagonians uses catalogs that don't focus so much on selling their product as other companies do, but the catalogs are informational in nature regarding the environment (Wang, 2010). Patagonia also only works with suppliers responsibility, therefore never compromising the value of the company or its products. Patagonia has also created a social and psychological factor through their advertising, educational me ssages, donations, and campaigns.This has helped the company capture value because the company differentiated themselves from its competitors and other apparel companies, and it gave consumers the willingness to purchase a product with quality despite the fact that their apparel was more expensive than its competitors. The fact that Patagonia cares about the environment, and customers feel that they can trust their product, consumers are willing to pay more for Patagonians products.Sustainable future Patagonians business model is not one that is begging for consumers to come in a arches their product on an impulse. In fact their model is designed to do the exact opposite. In 2004 Hypochondriac, wrote in a black Friday ad â€Å"Don't buy this shirt, unless you need it† (Exhibit 1). This statement was not made because Cinchonas doesn't want his items to sell, or doesn't want the business, he made the statement because he wants his consumers to make responsible decisions that wi ll have a positive effect on the environment.He helps consumers make those smarter decisions by producing items that last longer and that do not need to be replaced as often. Patagonians Environmental Position Patagonians business model supports environmental position in that the company makes a deliberate attempt to focus more on the products that they sell rather than on the profits that they make. They do so by launching such initiatives as their Product Lifestyle Initiative where they encourage consumers to reduce, repair, reuse, and recycle their Patagonia purchased products.This particular initiative does not focus on profit, it actually costs the company more money, however, they choose to stay focused on acting environmentally responsible, and not causing unnecessary harm to the environment. For the most part, Patagonia has used the same business model since it opens its doors in 1972. Their focus has always been the same, â€Å"inspire and implement solutions to the enviro nmental crisis† (Unknown, Environmental and Social Responsibility, n. D. Over the last 40 years, Patagonia has become a leader in the industry have implemented many environmental and social initiatives such as; using only organic cotton in its cotton products since 1996; redefining corporate transparency through its Footprint Chronicle† website – documenting what is working in the supply chain, what's not, and steps the company is doing to address TTS challenges; launching its Common Threads Partnership, which invites customers to take mutual responsibility for the entire life cycle of the company's products through the 5 Or's: reduce, repair, reuse, recycle and remained; becoming the first brand member of the [email  protected] system; being one of the first California companies to switch to wind energy upon deregulation and adding on-site solar energy systems; being the first company in California to incorporate as a benefit corporation launching $20 Million & Change, a fund to help like-minded responsible start-up companies; and Becoming one of he first U. S. Outdoor apparel companies to introduce Fair Trade Certified†* garments (for fall 2014). (Elks, 2013) resources to help the environment and still maintain its integrity as well as follow its mission statement. They have continued to remain as the leading outdoor apparel company with more than $600 million revenue in 2013. Patagonia has not slowed down.Their business model has worked for them over the last 40 years. As times continue to change and other retailers pick up on Patagonians business practices, such as being more environmentally conscience, the use of organically grown cotton, he product differentiation threatens the sustainability of Patagonians business model. Other retailers offering a similar product as Patagonia, affects their gross profit margin, therefore causing Patagonia to continue evolve and spend more money to create product differentiation within their o rganization. Patagonians business model does place some pressure on their environmental stance and could cause some conflict in providing high quality products.Although consumers are willing to purchase products from Patagonia at a high price, with initiatives such as the Product Life Cycle, consumers are purchasing less, and Patagonia will overall have more overhead, due the repairs that they are offering their consumers. If consumers aren't buying as often, it will be difficult for Patagonia to continue to purchase the high quality materials that they use to produce their garments. Product Lifestyle Initiative: â€Å"Reduce, Repair, Reuse, and Recycle† The Product Lifestyle Initiative was a plan by Patagonia to help customers to buy only what they really needed, and encourage them to reduce their consumption.Patagonia would promise to provide their customers with high quality garments, and roved a guarantee that would allow customers to have their items repaired if anything ever happened to them as many times as needed. Once the products are no longer wanted, the customers are asked to â€Å"facilitate its reuse† (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010). The store planned on doing this by creating an online swap meet. Once all options were exhausted and there is no longer use for the product, customers are asked to recycle their items with Patagonia. In planning for this initiative to take off, the executives acknowledged many obstacles that would hinder the success of the initiative.Analysis of the Initiative As Patagonia stays focused on doing their part to not cause unnecessary harm to the environment and plans to reach and maintain 10% annual growth in sales other a five year timeshare, starting in 2010, their Product Lifestyle initiative would likely hinder the type of above average growth that they are seeking. The initiative is expected to cost $60,000 over the course of the first year of implementation (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010). Although that amount is very small compared to the amount of profit the company makes, sales would drop and cost of labor would increase. Patagonia is one of the only companies that offers to fix damaged items for customers. Through the Product Lifestyle Initiative, they will repair products from other brands, and â€Å"encourage customers to limit their consumption to only essential products,† (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010, p. 8).The Product Lifestyle Initiative however, it seems as though it will cost more to implement and maintain the initiative, than revenue that will be generated from the initiative. The initiative will cause a higher rate of product returns, and new team members will need to be hired in order to create a repair department or use a third-party vendor. In 2010 the company was insignificantly staffed to handle the existing returns. In order to accommodate the increase of returns, the stores were told to provide replacement products in order to reduce wait times. Furthermore, in order to increase â€Å"the percentage of recyclable products from 65% of products in June 2010 to 90% in spring 2011† investment in research and development would have to increase (Reinhardt, Cascade's, & Hymn, 2010).All of the things that are involved in this portion of the initiative cost more money for the company, but it does not mean that there would be more profit. The initiative does not seem to generate any venue. Although Patagonia focuses more on the environmental footprint than on profits, realistically, in order for them to stay in business and continue to grow at a steady rate, it is not beneficial for them to implement initiative that cost a more than they will be able to bring in. The replacement portion of the initiative could increase revenue for the company. Since Patagonia is willing to allow customers to bring in garments purchased from other retailers for repair, they could charge those customers a small fee.Customers who pur chased their products directly from Patagonia and are able to provide a except or some proof of purchase, could get their products repaired for free. For customers who own Patagonia products, but bought them from other sources such as used clothing stores, could still bring in their garments for repair, but at a small fee. The initiative would have no affect on the way that customers purchase products in the store nor customer behavior, but it could potentially have a negative effect on the business if implemented. Although implementing the initiative will promote responsible behavior for customers and the company, it may do more harm than good to gross profit margin.If the company is serious about continuing to grow the company 10% over the five year time frame, they would want to think about how they can implement initiatives that not only help maintain their environmental position, but also that increase their profit. Has Patagonia been successful in achieving its goal of profit? Although Patagonia spends most of its efforts focusing on its environmental responsibility, in order to remain in business and profitable they must also set financial goals. While focusing on their environmental responsibility, they set a goal to increase sales by 10% annually. Patagonia has been successful at achieving this goal. For 2011 fiscal year, Patagonia reported annual sales of $417 million.During the 2012 fiscal year Patagonia recorded its best year financially. They increased their sells by 30% earning $543 million (Shannon, 2013). As of 2012 Patagonia has doubled its revenue and tripled its profits since 2008 (Martin, 2012). They continue to perform financially although not at a consistent rate. However they have come very close to their sales goals each year and some years far exceeding that goal. Patagonia has done many things to continue to remain competitive in the outdoors apparel industry. In 2010 Patagonia Cost of goods sold and the company's sales have not been truly consistent, but they remain successful in their efforts.Although Patagonia has a history of doing well financially, Yves Chicagoan admitted in 2012 that he did not expect the company to continue to grow at the same rate as other retailers are catching on and trying to adopt some of their philosophy. Richard Jeff, a retail and apparel expert, says that Patagonia â€Å"is doing things incrementally better† (Martin, 2012). Which means that the competition is lurking closely behind. As Meany's catch on to their philosophy, Patagonia will need to be more innovative in its approach in order to continue to grow at a steady rate. What if Patagonia were publicly traded? Some of the most successful organizations are publicly traded. Companies that are publicly traded allow the market to determine the value of the company through daily stock market trading (Unknown, Public Company, 2014).Publicly traded companies have less control over the organization structure and must answer to shareholders' on certain decisions. They also give less control to the owner and company founders. Patagonia has an organization structure that is different than any other organization out there. The structure of the organization allows the company to focus on environmental awareness as opposed to profits as most companies. If Patagonia were publicly traded, the dynamic of the organization would be completely different. Being a private company, Patagonia is not required to report to stockholders or gain their approval in any way. This is one of the biggest advantages for Patagonia and their business structure.If Patagonia were publicly traded they would have to change the organization Truckee to focus more on the profit, as shareholder's would have an interest in the company, and would want to ensure that they are able to profit from any decisions that are made regarding the organization. The decision to use only organically grown cotton may not have been approved had Patagonia bee n publicly traded, because to shareholder's they could see it as a potential risk. They are able to take on greater risk because there is no one to tell them that they can't. As a publicly traded company Patagonia and its founder would have much less control over the business structure, ND every decision would be about how to gain profit. Publicly traded companies have many pressures on them including how quickly the company is expected to grow. The business model would not focus on being responsible.Not to mention as a private company, Patagonia is not required to make their financial information public, as publicly traded companies are. With sales growth reaching an average of 6% each year, and the company closely reaching their sales growth goal of 10% the current strategy works very well for Patagonia. The decision to utilize organic grown cotton in its garments, has been very successful. Patagonia has been innovative and works diligently to stay ahead in sales as well as it env ironmental operations. Being a private company has allowed Patagonians decision-makers to not only focus on what they want, but also on what is best for the company.Patagonians market strategy, though exceedingly bold, is sustainable in the sense that eccentric ideas have become their norm. In Cinnabar's book Let My People Go Surfing, he said, â€Å"it's okay to be eccentric, as long as you are The sustainability of Patagonia also falls in line with the sustainability of the planet. There are many companies that can learn from Patagonians business model forever in order to remain successful it would be difficult for some of the top retailers to remain competitive in the market should they change and adopt Patagonians practices. Patagonia has built their business and brand around a philosophy instead of around products.Their business strategy has driven up sales to 6% and continues to offer high-quality premier garments. Patagonians business model being much different than its compe titors, leaves room for continued growth and innovative ideas. Would other firms choose to follow Patagonians environmental practice? Although Patagonia has been successful in its business approach and environmental practice, it would be difficult for already established firms to successfully fully take on Patagonians environmental practices. All things being equal, if Nikkei and Patagonia were to share their practices, they would reach a Nash equilibrium. Lessons Learned Patagonia continues to focus on the environment and making a difference one step at a time.This action is commendable, especially because they are not following the norm for the industry. With the success of Patagonia I have learned that in order to be successful, you must also do what you are passionate about, and allow everything else to fall into place. That is what Cinchonas did with Patagonia. He was passionate about the environment and the affect that his decisions had on it. Although he wasn't as focused on profits as other organizations, he was able to follow his passion and have the most successful outdoor apparel company in the country. The type of passion that Yves Cinchonas has for the environment and Patagonia can definitely be applied to many aspects in life.