Barometer Rising

The role of disaster In Barometer Rising symbolizes Canada as a rising nation monopolizing together through the resurfacing of concealed Identity, while In â€Å"The Marine Excursions of the Knights of Pathway† undermines collective Identity through the use of repetition and ironic humor. In Barometer Rising, Neil suffers a catastrophe that robs him of identity which pushes him to re-possession of self and struggle for legality in relation to place. His identity and alienation is related to the crisis of identity and psychological isolation of his community.He stands for growth f love, self-respect and community partly because of his desire expressed in ship designing, his daughter, Jean, and his feelings for his country, â€Å"halls throat became constricted and he had a furious desire for expression: this anomalous land, this sprawling waste of timber and rock and water where the only living sounds were the footfalls of animals or the fantastic laughter of a loon, this empt y tract of primordial silences and winds and erosion and shifting colors, this beadlike string of crude towns and cities tied by nothing but railway tracks, this nation undiscovered by, the rest of the world and unknown to Itself†¦ Ironically, he is blown up Like Halifax Is blown up; and he has to carry the Identity of an Englishman for two years, In order to survive. Both Neil and Halifax are blown up as part of a war for which they are not responsible. In the aftermath, Roadie Wan, Penelope twelve year old brother, discovers that what has happened is â€Å"not an adventure but a catastrophe. It is real, not â€Å"a vision transported from France or Serbia†¦ † However, the explosion in Halifax is not tragic, as Neil thinks, â€Å"no matter what the Canadians did over there, they were not living out the sociological results of their own lives when they crawled through the ranches of France. The war might be Canada's catastrophe, but It was not her tragedy; just as this explosion in Halifax was catastrophic but not tragic. † Contrastingly, Penelope is also a representation of love, self-respect and community. She bears the natural child and ensures it is well placed and accessible. She translates some of Nil's ideas about ship design Into substantial form.She declares the legitimacy of woman as expert and professional and fully realizable human being. Together they are, according to Angus Murray, â€Å"two people who could seem at home almost anywhere, who had inherited as a matter of course and in their own neutron the urbane and technical heritage of both Europe and the eastern united States. † Before the beginning of the novel, Neil, Penelope and Jean represent Canada. The war is a catastrophe to it and happens to it. It is not a sociological result of their lives nor Is It their tragedy. After the explosion Colonel Wan and Alex MacKenzie are dead. Angus Murray, the philosophical doctor has risen to the needs of his people.Fir stly, the narrator tells in his own way speaks about the town's social organization in his own way, for instance, † .. Everybody is in everything. On SST. Andrews Day every man in town wears a thistle on SST. George's Day why shouldn't a man feel glad that he's an Englishman? † and so n. Everybody in Marinara seems to be in perfect connection with everyone else, regardless of any differences in between various age and social groups, a society that is seemingly composed of a single unit, â€Å"So you will easily understand that of course everybody belongs to the Knights of Pathway and the Masons and Deflowers, Just as they all belong to the Snow Shoe Club and the Girls' Friendly Society†.Such a type of collective community is far from being beneficent to the town, as it creates an essentially inwards-oriented social organization that cares only for its immediate monuments, and is concerned with preserving its apparent uniformity, no matter now assure It gets Hereto fore, It also creates Ana encourages ten squalliest AT provincial ignorance and inwards-oriented isolation generating a small-town atmosphere, where everything is small and extremely insignificant in scope. For example, the residents of Marinara want to appear intellectual when they are really not People living in Marinara like to pretend to be scholarly, possessing greater knowledge than what they actually have. ,. The author has the narrator talking about the steamer Marinara Belle, using repetition to show his frustration, â€Å"Whether hey are built by Harlan and Wolff of Belfast, or whether, on the other hand, they are not built by Harlan and Wolff of Belfast, is more than one would like to say offhand†.People living in Marinara like to pretend to be scholarly, possessing greater knowledge than what they actually have. The story foreshadows the steamer having an accident; the narration turns to forewarning â€Å"for various reasons, several people did not end up on Mari nara Belle. † If the disaster had not taken place, people would have forgotten this fact but it did took place occur, and the uneventful and routine lives of the residents of the town got excited by this. Thus, anything related to the accident becomes a topic of interest immediately, and exaggerating every event causes accidental decisions and insignificant choices to transform into supernatural events.Meanwhile, on the steamer, the group of the people begins to separate into smaller groups, women go to on one deck of the ship, boys and young men to another, Dry. Gallagher and Dean Drone form one group, Mr.. Smith and his associates form another group, and so on. If the society as a whole is not present to impose the overall sameness on its members, the separate inhabitants of Marinara do have efferent natures, interests, and groups, each composed of specific members from the original society. This fact counters the story's earlier statement that everyone in Marinara essential ly acts and possibly dresses in a manner almost identical to each other.Furthermore, the society composed from people on Marinara Belle has no sense of organization, due to their lack of interaction between people in the town. Everybody in Marinara Just goes with the flow without feeling the need to properly co-operate with the others and form any sort of a plan other than whatever the custom will dictate. Everybody will be doing the same thing as the majority of the residents of Marinara will opt to do. As a result, this creates complete, and utter deterioration of plans. Such as, the steamer was supposed set to depart at six-thirty but the time for the departure moves forward is postponed to seven o'clock but eventually departs ; later Marinara Belle departs at seven-thirty, an hour later than the original schedule.This absence of responsibility and organization of the people from the town foreshadows later in the story the actions of the townspeople when he steamer sinks, and cha nges the routine of their lives disrupts order in their lives. Contrastingly, the story hardly mentions at all the supposedly the actual goal of the excursion, the picnic itself. The people of the overall community of Marinara split themselves into various smaller subgroups such as â€Å"boys under thirteen and girls over nineteen†. Back in the mainland town the residents of Marinara may act as if they all are a unified society regarding age or gender, but here the author makes it obvious that is not so.People of Marinara physically do split themselves into smaller vigorous within the original residents of Marinara group, and but subconsciously they stick to their subgroups regardless of what they consciously believe. However, once ten passengers Trot Marlboro get Deck on tenet steamer Ana Deign to nana back to the mainland, they begin to blend back from â€Å"little clusters† into a single unified group, â€Å"blended into unison by the distance. † The actual e vent is not very that big or problematic; as the narrator hurries to explain the steamer is in reality stuck on a sandbank in shallow waters, a very commonplace event for Marinara and the neighboring towns.While most people would be more irritated than afraid, an unrecognized crowd of people on Marinara Belle begins to slowly panic because they were never mentally prepared or equipped for situations like this. Soon there is a widespread panic all over the steamer due to lack of organization and character traits such as common sense and personal bravery, twitch explains their absences of unique personalities. It is here that the lack of order in the peoples' life becomes crucial in the story's development; the passengers of the steamer do not know what to do, because they never expected to do something about it in the first lace solve the problem.Firstly Initially, they pretend to act as if nothing was wrong at all, â€Å"they were all running round looking for sandwiches and cracki ng Jokes and talking of making coffee over the remains of the engine fires. † As the realization that things are wrong Upon realization, they go for the lifeboat and they succeed in getting several boatloads of people back to the shore, even though the lifeboat appears to be â€Å"a frail, clumsy thing. † When the survivors re-unite with their foils in Marinara, their initial panic crowd the rest, and they get involved with the disaster going to rescue people in a leaking boat. As the routine of their lives seems to break down because of the boating accident, the society of Marinara begins to transform at last.This transformation changes the residents of the town into a panicked and unrecognized crowd which makes it worsens the situation. The narrator begins to weaken under the pressure and lack of social order into nothingness, because of the absence of a real inter town society; there is nothing to hold the people together. To make matters worse, as the people on Mari nara Belle encounter their fellow-citizens ashore, the panic spreads from the boat back to the town and they practically lose heir heads. They start rowing all over the lake, seeking safety on Marinara Belle, forgetting that they were initially safe and but came to rescue the people on the steamer bringing even more absurdity into the situation.

Audi Case Study

[pic] EVALUATE A COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE POSITION AND MARKET POTENTIAL IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY CASE STUDY: AUDI [pic] Team members: 1. NGUYEN Ngoc Khanh Chi 2. NGO Thi Nam Phuong 3. HUYNH Thi Bich Son 4. NGUYEN Truong Thinh 5. CHAU Ngoc Son Vu 6. DOGIELSKI David 7. NGUYEN Quoc Tuan TABLE OF CONTENT I/ FRAME WORK (Thinh)4 A. IDENTIFY THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNIT WITHIN AUDI AG4 B. SELECT SBU AND MARKET FOR THIS SBU4 C. SELECT PERIOD OF TIME FOR THIS SBU’S MARKET4 II/ ANALYSE COMPETITIVE POSITION AND MARKET POTENTIAL5 A. DEFINE THE COMPETITIVE SCOPE (Thinh)5 B. EVALUATE THE INTENSITY OF THE COMPETITION (VU)7 1.Determine the phase of the life cycle of the auto industry. 7 2. Competitive topology8 3. Entry barrier9 4. Evaluate competitive intensive10 C. EVALUATE THE COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE POSITION AND ITS MARKET POTENTIAL (PHUONG)10 1. Diagnose the company’s strengths and weaknesses using the value chain10 2. Benchmark the company performance by comparison with the industry leaders13 III/ MAKE RECOMMENDATION FOR COMPANY DEVELOPMENT14 A. PROPOSE A GENERIC STRATEGY (PORTER 1980) (DAVID)14 1. Diffentiation or Cost Leadership? 14 2. Industry wide or Particular Segment? 15 B. SELECT AN INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY (SON)15 . Select an internationalization strategy15 2. Audi 2010:16 3. Audi 2015: keeping and improving the same strategy16 C. STUDY THE RELEVANCE OF A COOPERATION STRATEGY (CHI)17 1. The current situation of Audi AG’s symbiotic marketing strategy:17 2. Recommendation for Audi AG’s symbiotic marketing development:17 D. PRESENT A MARKETING PROCESS (TUAN)20 1. Market segmentation:20 2. Target marketing strategy20 3. Position the company and/or product21 E. GIVEN MAIN ORIENTATION FOR THE MARKETING MIX (TUAN)21 I/ FRAME WORK (Thinh) A. IDENTIFY THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNIT WITHIN AUDI AG Potential SBU |Organization profile |Industry mode |Demand dimension |Supply dimension | |Compact car |special skill |Most of the parts bought through |city-dwellers |Specialized | |(A1, A2, A3) |decentralize |VW’s central purchasing unit |entry level |Direct competitor (Mini, DS3)| | | |(benefit from economy of scale) |single | | |Medium car |special skill |high quality part only |luxury consumer |Specialized | | |decentralize | |Direct competitor (BMW, | | | | | |Mercedes) | |Big car |special skill |high quality part only |luxury consumer |Specialized | | |decentralize | | |Direct competitor (BMW, | | | | | |Mercedes) | |Sport car |Special skill |High quality part only |Young, excited, sportive hobby|Differentiation focus | | |Centralize | |Very niche market |Direct competitor (BMW, | | | | | |Mercedes) | There is no different for medium-sized car and big-sized car SBU so Audi is segmented into three SBUs: i) SBU 1: premium compact car ii) SBU 2: premium car (medium- and big-sized cars) iii) SBU 3: Sport car B. SELECT SBU AND MARKET FOR THIS SBU ? SUB: SBU-2 premium car ? Market: China market C. SELECT PERIOD OF T IME FOR THIS SBU’S MARKET Product life cycle of a premium car is about 4 year and today is 2010 so we will study in the period of time: 2010 – 2015 II/ ANALYSE COMPETITIVE POSITION AND MARKET POTENTIAL ? The Macro Environment of Chinese automobile industry analysis: PESTEL framework |Opportunities |Threats | |Political |Political stability |Entry mode regulation: joint-venture with < 50% | | |WTO |shareholding for foreign partner | | |Policy to encourage the automobile industry |High import tariff to protect domestic industry | | |development | | |Economic |Economic booming, high GDP growth, rising disposable |Rising oil price | | |income ( car purchasing power increase |Economic downturn | |Social |Large population |Culture difference between Western and China | | |Chinese like to buy luxury product to show their | | | |success | | |Technological |Chinese puts high effort on research and development |   | |Environmental |Green car |   | | |Low fuel consumptio n | | |Legal |   |Law is not very clear | | | |Lack of transparency | | | |Intellect right is not respected highly in China | A. DEFINE THE COMPETITIVE SCOPE (Thinh) Way of gaining C. A |Many |Fragmented Industry |Specialized industry | | |Few |Dilemma industry |Volume industry | |   | |Small |Big | |   | |The size of C. A | The number of way for Audi to gain the competitive advantage is many through the complexity of the product. It also has great advantage in technology, innovation, high quality of service. So Audi selects the specialized industry. Key Success Factor | |2010 |2015 | |High technology & innovation |Stronger | |Top service |Stronger | |Adaptation |Stronger to meet local customer expected | |Brand equity |Stronger, do not enter price war | ? Industry analysis Poster’s Five Forces – China Market P5F |2010 |2015 | |Threat of Entry |High threats: |Weak threats: the same | | |High profit market attracts new firms |High threats: same 2010 plus: | | |China is in its developing phase of automobile |- Hyundai, Tata (acquired the Jaguar and Land | | |life-cycle |Rover brands), Geely (Chinese firm) (acquired | | |Attracting policy for FDI |Volvo) will move to this segment. | |Weak intellectual property laws |Sump up: high threat for new entrance | | |Weak threats: | | | |High investment for set up mass production | | | |facility | | | |Germany firm and Audi itself is very strong and | | | |reputation | | | |Regulation ambiguous | | | |Regulation about environment ==> increase R&D cost| | | |Sump up: moderate threat for new entrance | | |Threat of Substitutes |Used car: weak |Weak | | |Public transportation: weak | | | |Switching cost: high | | | |Sump up: Weak | | |Bargaining power of buyer |Backward integration: low |Bargaining power of buyer is moderate | | |Switching cost: low | | | |Buyer independence: moderate | | | |Buyer size: moderate | | | |Sump up: bargaining power of buyer is weak | |Bargaining power of supplier |Utili zing VW network (economy of scale): |Weak | | |bargaining power of supplier is weak | | |Market competitor |  Moderate |High | [pic] B. EVALUATE THE INTENSITY OF THE COMPETITION (VU) 1. Determine the phase of the life cycle of the auto industry. Most of the Western car market enters into saturation stage. In Europe and USA, specifically there is a high â€Å"motorization rate† (car per family and car per persons) and the demand is almost entirely constituted by replacement purchase. In reverse, China market just come to development stages with blooming in sale. In the year 2010, at the first time, China market reaches nearly the same ratio with Germany. [pic] Source: Audi (2010) Annual Report, p. 132 2. Competitive topologyIn order to build competitive topology, we choose 2 most KSF of Audi in Chinese market: Market penetrative level and Brand Equity. [pic] Volkswagen Group, the owner of Audi, is one of the earliest automobile manufacturers has production in China. In 1991 , FAW and the Volkswagen Group decided to set up a joint venture under the name ‘FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company† to manufacture of the Audi 100 model. This early penetration in Chinese market help Audi get a big advantage of knowing exactly Chinese consumer, customize its designs to cater to Chinese tastes. The two main other competitors, BMW and Mercedes manufactured in China quite late (2004 and 2006) when Audi already had a strong position in China local market.According to researcher IHS Automotive, the market share of Audi by 2010 is 31% while Mercedes and BMW is only 21% and 21. 6%. [pic] Source: IHS Automotive China already generates the fattest profit margins for German luxury carmakers because customers in China typically purchase higher-end models than buyers in the U. S. or Europe do. Slowing economy and rising fuel prices have led to a glut of cars in Chinese showrooms this year, forcing dealers to cut prices. Among luxury brands, Audi still keep the high price and prevent to joint into price war while other especially, Mercedes has been offering the steepest discounts, according to car pricing website cheshi. com.With the high price level, Audi prove their strong position in China market which focuses on the level of product to show up their social position. 3. Entry barrier a. High technology, costly to R. While German automotive industry already built up a high standard quality, high technology feature, it take a lot of effort for rising up competitors from Korea as Hyundai to catch up the high-tech race and R need to be invested a huge money b. Strong brand recognition of German car â€Å"With anything in China, the first mover gets more,† Thomas Callarman, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai said that.This is true to automotive industry; people are just more familiar with Audi. It will take a lot of time for another competitors to build up the brand recognition to China market especially the one not come from Germany. That make Audi have a unique advantage that make any other competitors very difficult to follow, that is the time. It has a strong position brand name in China market in a very long time for premium car. c. Bottleneck in the production and distribution. By 2015, Mercedes plans to double its annual production capacity in the world’s biggest automobile market to 200,000 vehicles annually, though that won’t be enough to keep up with its rivals.BMW plans to quadruple potential output to 400,000 and Audi is seeking to more than triple capacity to 700,000 by the middle of the decade. This will make Audi keep the advantage in distribution car to customer in the shortest time if compare with other. 4. Evaluate competitive intensive As China market is booming, the distance between each strategy group is not so closed. The strategic freedom is medium; there is always chance for other to join into higher group. However, the entry barrier at this period 2010-2015 seem difficult for other groups to move to higher, we can conclude that the Competitive Intensive is medium mean each strategy group is chasing each other aggressively but the chance for all to get market share is the same in this blooming market. C.EVALUATE THE COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE POSITION AND ITS MARKET POTENTIAL (PHUONG) 1. Diagnose the company’s strengths and weaknesses using the value chain |VALUE CHAIN |STRENGTH |WEAKNESS | |Research and Development |No information | | |Design of Products, Services,|(++++) | | |or Processes |Audi has always introduced the newest technology to China with worldwide standard | | | |apply for Audi. | |Production |(+++) |(-) | | |Manufacturing of Audi in worldwide | | | |[pic] | | | |New assembly hall in China | | | |Together with the Chinese joint venture partner China FAW group corporation | | | |(Changchun, China), Audi AG opened a new assembly hall at the Chinese production | | | |plant in Changchun in fall 2009. The long-wheelbase version of Audi A4 & The Audi A5 | | | |are now built there to the same high standards that apply throughout the Audi | | | |production system worldwide.The addition of a new hall has boosted the location’s | | | |manufacturing output to 200,000 cars annually | | |Marketing & Sales |(+++) |(-) | | |In fiscal year 2009, the Audi brand delivered 950 thousand vehicles to customers | | | |worldwide, down 5. 4% on the previous year. In Western Europe, sales figures fell by | | | |11. 8%. The downturn on the US market was 5. 7%, which was less than the figure for the| | | |market as a whole. By contrast, the brand recorded a significant growth rate of 32. 9%| | | |on the Chinese passenger car market. | | |AUDI BRAND | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | | | | |   | | | |   | | | |2009 | | | |   | | | |2008 | | | |   | | | |% | | | | | | | |Deliveries (thousand units) | | | |   | | | |950 | | | |   | | | |1,003 | | | |   | | | |–5. | | | | | | | |Vehicle sales | | | |   | | | |1,183 | | | |   | | | |1,275 | | | |   | | | |–7. | | | | | | | |Production | | | |   | | | |924 | | | |   | | | |1,022 | | | | | | | |–9. | | | | | | | |Sales revenue (â‚ ¬Ã‚  million) | | | |   | | | |29,840 | | | |   | | | |34,196 | | | |   | | | |–12. | | | | | | | |Operating profit | | | |   | | | |1,604 | | | |   | | | |2,772 | | | |   | | | |–42. | | | | | | | |as % of sales revenue | | | |   | | | |5. 4 | | | |   | | | |8. | | | |   | | | |   | | | | | | | |China is the largest foreign market of the company, there was an appreciable rise in | | | |the volume of deliveries of 32. 9% to 158,941 Audi vehicle demand for the long | | | |wheelbase models developed specially for the Chinese market, the Audi A4 L, & A6 L, | | | |was particularly high in the year under review.The Audi bra nd consequently cemented | | | |its leading position in the Chinese premium segment last year | | |Distribution |(+++) |(-) | | |146 local franchisees by the end of August 2009 | | |Customer Service |(+++) |(-) | | |Audi CSI Ranking is 836 in comparison with middle point is 817 | | | |[pic] | | | |Source : J. D. Power Asia Pacific Reports 2009 | | 2. Benchmark the company performance by comparison with the industry leaders Thanks to its generic strategy, Audi is now the leader in delivering premium ars to customers in China market (source: â€Å"Audi in China† – Audi China President report, 2012) Audi image in China market [pic] III/ MAKE RECOMMENDATION FOR COMPANY DEVELOPMENT A. PROPOSE A GENERIC STRATEGY (PORTER 1980) (DAVID) 1. Diffentiation or Cost Leadership? As Audi has chosen â€Å"to target a clientele which can be characterized by its high incomeLevel†, the best strategy to adapt in the generic strategy is Differentiation Strategy: – â€Å"Aud i seeks to differentiate itself from its competitors through the technological superiority of the models it sells and by the quality of the service offered, which applies to all dealerships, everywhere in the world†. |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Cost Leadership |Mass production |Brand seen as cheap and low cost | | |Customer less requiring about quality | | |Differentiation |Good Image of the Brand |Expensive to produce | | |Customer less sensitive to price |Need to have always a good quality production| PRODUCT QUALITY : Audi wants to apply the same standards at the international level in order to build a uniform brand image and respond to the demand of a mobile clientele. 2. Industry wide or Particular Segment? The target customer segment is not really price-sensitive. In China, the purchasing power is low but a fragment of the population is able to buy an Audi Car. However, it is not a particular segment like Rolls Royce or Ferrari. Audi’s target is the rich Chines e class, and so we chose Industry wide. |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Industry wide |More potential customers |Brand not seen as the best existing | | |A large quantity produced, economy of scale | | |Particular Segment |Brand seen as very special |Not possible to make scale economy | | |Customer not sensitive to price |Few potential of customers | Audi was the first â€Å"premium segment† manufacturer to produce vehicles in China, in 1988. It gives an advantage on the Chinese Market, and a leadership position compared to its competitors. B. SELECT AN INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY (SON) 1. Select an internationalization strategy i) Evaluate the advantage and drawbacks of the adaptation policy and the standardization policy: | |Advantages |Drawdown | |Final Sale Made in Germany |Costly (Labor costs in Germany is very | | |Protect know how |high) | | |Quality control |Risky | |Foreign Direct Investment |Saving cost |No made in Germany | | | |No profit before long term | ii) Pr opose an internationalization strategy: transnational strategy |GLOBAL STRATEGY |TRANSNATIONAL STRATEGY | | |Audi 2010 and Audi 2015 | |INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY |MULTINATIONAL STRATEGY | 2. Audi 2010: TRANSNATIONAL STRATEGY AUDI â€Å"Premium† Brand (2010 and 2015)Principle Market: Germany, Europe (not including Germany), Emerging Markets (China, Russia), United States. Reference norm: Global Developmental logic: Standardization and Adaptation (Apply the same standards at the international level) Principal modes of internationalization: Exporting, International Joint ventures and Owned Subsidiaries. 3. Audi 2015: keeping and improving the same strategy With transnational strategy, it will help Audi create competences of global relevance, responsiveness to local condition and innovation and learning on an organization –wide scale. It responds specifically to the challenges of globalization and tends to have a high proportion of fixed responsibilities in the horizontal l ines of management.If it is to work, the transnational structure must have very clearly defined managerial roles, relationship and boundaries. That means, Audi should adopt the geocentric orientation. The employees are recruited from all over the world, so that the best people are recruited to solve global problems. Audi will have to try to develop both global differentiation and global integration between headquarter and foreign subsidiaries. The focus is therefore to gain the potential advantages of an integrated company, and to gain the advantages of differentiation in product offerings. The alignment between Transnational Strategy and Audi’ profile is below: |Concentrated decision making power |Dispersed decision making power | |High interdependence between | |Transnational Strategy | |activities | | | | | |Geocentric Orientation | |High interdependence between | | | |activities | | | C. STUDY THE RELEVANCE OF A COOPERATION STRATEGY (CHI) 1. The current situation of Audi AG’s symbiotic marketing strategy: |LATERAL COOPERATION |OUTSOURCING COOPERATION | |(Alliance) |(Sub-contracting) | |None. POLYTEC GROUP to manufacture some of Audi’s engine components for Audi | | |A4, A6, A8†¦ | |CORRELATION COOPERATION |ELECTRIC COOPERATION | |(Co-branding) |(Sponsoring/New products) | | | | |A â€Å"Bose HiFi Audi car†: customer can enjoy a high-quality sound |Movies sponsoring: | |system provided by BOSE in Audi cars. |Audi sponsored â€Å"Iron Man 2† and created the â€Å"Tony Stark Innovation | |Audi’s Google-enhanced navigation system (Google Map, Google |Challenge† contest. | |Street View, Google Navigation). |Audi sponsored â€Å"Knight and Day†:  Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz drove the | |Apple’s button on steering wheel or in the dashboard of Audi cars |S5 Cabriolet. | |for connecting to Apple’s Siri-based â€Å"Eyes Free† solution (coming |Sport sponsoring: | |in 2013. |A udi Cup 2011 with 04 famous soccer teams: Bayern Munich (GER), AC | |Audi – UNICEF joint programs in several activities: emergency |Milan (ITA), Barcelona (SPN) and SC International de Porto Alegre | |giving, fund-rising (esp. in China market) |(BRA), of which three first teams are members of Audi's international | | |soccer family. | | |Bayern Munich's basketball team joined the football players in flying | | |the flag for Audi brand. | |Charity donation: | | |Emergency giving: During China's 2008 Sichuan earthquake emergency, | | |Audi donated US$2,205,107 for UNICEF’s relief effort and long-term | | |recovery needs of children. | | |From 2005, Audi sponsored a fundraising project ‘Audi Driving Dreams’ | | |in China, to support UNICEF efforts to provide children with access to | | |sports, recreational activities and a variety of activity-based | | |lessons, through which they can realize their fullest potential within | | |society. | |Envir onmental activities sponsor: | | |AUDI AG provides backup for the â€Å"Oak Forest† research project with the | | |Bavarian State Forestry and the Chair of Forest Yield Science at the | | |Technical University of Munich | (Source: Audi annual report 2011, UNICEF website, Audi website, Polytech website) 2. Recommendation for Audi AG’s symbiotic marketing development: Alliance cooperation: Currently, Audi does not have any kind of alliance with other partner outside Germany (except for a joint venture FAW-Volkswagen Group set up in China).Audi AG is a strong and well recognized brand name for premium high-end car, so in this time it is important o maintain the high homogeneity of their standard and image by ‘standing alone’ and not with an alliance with other automobile makers. Outsourcing cooperation: Besides outsourcing engine parts and car interior parts, Audi should outsource their customer service to the local service providers. Outsoaring such serv ices such as customer care and/or car maintenance-repairing service is not only provide Audi owners the standardization quality of Audi services worldwide; but also provide the customized local values, especially in important foreign markets such as U. S, China, or Great Britain. Correlation cooperation:By co-branding with leading names in other industries, Audi will continue to confirm its premium quality of the automobiles, for example, high-quality sounding system from BOSE, or Audi’s Google-based map and navigation. This collaboration will provide a convenient and interesting driving experience to the Audi owners. [pic] An Audi-Bose sound system & speaker inside an Audi A4 (Source: internet) Electric cooperation: For Audi, electric cooperation such as sponsoring for social activities, especially in their important market such as China or U. S, is very important not only for marketing strategy but also for showing their commitments to the development of the society.Audi sh ould involve more in many kinds of social activities as recommended below: ? Blockbuster movies production (Hollywood movies) ? Sport games / sport tournaments (such as Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro Cup) ? Charity donation & fund raising event (such as UNICEF fund for children, or poverty relief funds) ? Music event (such as Beijing Music Festival, Audi Summer Concerts ) ? Environmental activities (such as forest research program) ? Safe driving campaign (together with the local government) Participating in such above activities will prove the commitment of Audi AG about corporate social responsibility (CSR) towards the society.Those activities would also bring back the good result to Audi: supporting to penetrate Audi image to the market, increase the goodwill of people towards the company, and bring them the potential customers in the future. D. PRESENT A MARKETING PROCESS (TUAN) 1. Market segmentation: | |China |Western Europe |NAFTA |JAPAN |Central eastern Europe | | | | | | |and South America | |Automotive industry |Growing |Maturity |Maturity |  Maturity |Growing | |trend, demand and |Stagnation |Stagnation |Stagnation | | |production | | | | | | |Competitors |New competitors coming |Traditional |Traditional |Traditional |Traditional competitors | | |due to emerging process |competitors |competitors |competitors | | 2. Target marketing strategy From the market segmentation and information, China is most attractive market (consist of 13. 5% of global market) in front of Central Eastern Europe (9. % of global market) and South America (7% of global market), Western Europe (market maturity, decreasing demand), NAFTA (market maturity, decreasing demand), Japan (market maturity, decreasing demand). Therefore, Audi should target to maximize their volume of products, new products and profit in China Market and Central Eastern Europe (including Hungary market) and South America. On the other hand, Audi should also maintain their position, products i n the other markets to control their traditional competitors. Audi should adopt the selective specification strategy while the several marketing mixes are implemented in different segments. The same product is marketed differently in different segments. 3. Position the company and/or product Perceptual (Positioning) map: [pic] E. GIVEN MAIN ORIENTATION FOR THE MARKETING MIX (TUAN) P(Product) |Create new models of car with innovative technology (brand new). | |P (Price) |Economies of scale and try to use maximum advantage of supporting from Volkswagen Group to have maximum | | |savings in production. | |P(Distribution) |Coverage maximum China market and central eastern Europe and south America and try to maintain market in | | |remaining areas. | | |Joint venture and/or 100% subsidiaries approach should be considered. | |P (Promotion) |Enhancement of personalized customer service. | |Attend every professional trade shown in every market area, especially in China and Central Eastern E urope;| | |South America. | ———————– Fit and Finish Serviceability Reliability Name [pic][? ][lmnorsvw†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡? e? O?  ©?  ©Ã¢â‚¬ [email  protected]$JIhJ5OJQJ^Jh$JIho5h$JIhJ55? OJQJh$JIhuF? 5? OJQJhuF? 5? OJQJhJ55? OJQJ(j{:h$JIhA OJQJU[pic]mHnHu[pic](h$JIh ±-N5? B* CJOJQJaJphâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬(h$JIhA 5? B* CJOJQJaJphâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬(h$JIhirM5? B* CJOJQJaJphâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬h$JIhAConformance to Specifications Durability Performance AUDI BRAND IN CHINA Features 31% Audi BMW 21. 6% Mercedes 21% 21% Other 2004 Brand Equity High High Low Market penetrate level

Charlie Chaplin

They were shown with piano or organ accompaniment, sound effects, and subtitles. Comedy was the most popular type of movies during this time of films. The humor in these films were very slapstick-meaning people thought it was funny when someone fell on a banana peel or got a custard pie in the face. Buster Keating, Laurel Hardy, and Charlie Chaplin were some famous comedians. Many Canadians regularly attended one of the 900 movie theaters across Canada. Mary Pickoffs was a famous actress in the sass.Mary Pickoffs was a legendary silent film actress and was known as Americas sweetheart. She was a founder of United Artists and helped establish the Academy. Mary Pickoffs was born on April 8, 1892, in Toronto. In 1909, she appeared in 40 movies for D. W. Griffith American Biography company. She also worked as a producer and co-founded United Artists, with Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks, Sir. , who would become her second husband. Pickoffs retired from the screen In 1933 but continued to produce.She died In 1979. Sports Canadian sport In the sass was booming. People followed famous players Like Babe Ruth In baseball, Bobby Jones In golf and Howe Moreno In hockey. Medal really helped sports In Canada. Newspapers remoter all sporting events and magazines such as Manacles used sports articles. Radio and film started to use sports too. Baseball was the most popular summer sport In Canada. Every community had a baseball diamond and a team. The National Hockey League was established In 1917. There were only 5 teams, two In Montreal, one In Toronto, one In Ottawa and one In Quebec City. Professional hockey was becoming popular south of the border, but most hockey players were still Canadian. Music and Dancing Jazz was the music of the sass. Arlington with musicians In New Orleans. This style of music spread across the united States and North Canada. Some of the famous Jazz musicians were Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Duke Longtime. Jazz music evolved through the decade. Soon there were genres of the music Like the blues and swing.Jazz music encouraged daring and energetic dances one of the most popular dances was called the Charleston. The Image above Is some people doing the Charleston. Entertainment In The sass By bioinformatics Entertainment in the sass By Joshua Abandons from the screen in 1933 but continued to produce. She died in 1979. Canadian sport in the sass was booming. People followed famous players like Babe Ruth in baseball, Bobby Jones in golf and Howe Moreno in hockey. Media really helped sports in Canada. Newspapers sport in Canada.Every community had a baseball diamond and a team. The National Hockey League was established in 1917. There were only 5 teams, two in Montreal, one in Toronto, one in Ottawa and one in Quebec City. Professional hockey was Jazz was the music of the sass. Originating with musicians in New Orleans. This style of music spread across the United States and North Canada. Some of the Jazz music evolved through the decade. Soon there were genres of the music like the of the most popular dances was called the Charleston.

Ikea case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ikea case study - Essay Example Competitive priorities are directly linked to the performance of any business. The IKEA Company is involved with manufacturing of household items across the world. As a manufacturing company, IKEA has divided its competitive priorities into the following elements; cost or price, quality, innovation, flexibility and delivery. Under cost, the IKEA Company is able to pick a price of any prospective product and calculate what the product would cost. The company involves all its experts in design, product developers and purchasers to make the price choice. IKEA also ensures that there is quality in all the manufactured products.2 This is ensured by maintaining the usual suppliers of raw materials, for instance, the Romania factory. The products are also produced with Keen Corporation with suppliers. Innovation has also seen the company develop better products for their consumers. IKEA’s products are designed and produced by the best personnel of the company. This has led to increased convenience in the use of their products in addition to more sales for the company. IKEA’s design and manufacturing process is also flexible. This means that they are able to accommodate any necessary changes to products in any phase of production up to the distribution level. The company was able to change the design of various tables to ease transport. Moreover, the design of the mug was changed three times to fit the packaging in order to ensure more sales. Finally, IKEA’s delivery system is efficient in all aspects of adding value to consumers. The company ensures that the correct numbers of goods are delivered to the right stores and at the required time.3 These priorities explain the success that IKEA Company has enjoyed for a long time. The nature and dynamism of today’s global market requires new products to ensure survival in business while maintaining the market share. IKEA understands this thus there is always an

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 223

Essay Example Secondly, he also theorizes whether learning should be considered an individual cognitive act or a social cultural one. For this reason, personal characteristics are considered whether a student learns according to his level of understanding or if learning happens more rapidly during socialization. Lastly, Weinstein suggests that two perspectives â€Å"give both sides of a good story† (231). The author used stratified sampling, concentrating on one class and then asking for volunteers for the interview from them. For the survey, he used random sampling, giving questionnaires to all participants from which 56% of them returned the questionnaires. From the 18 respondents to the survey, the author was able to identify two remarkable results namely, homework hours and working together. The questionnaires were designed to examine the number of hours a student worked on math each week, how the hours are distributed between the different kinds of study and how often and how much time they spend studying with fellow students, friends, tutors and others (233). From this, the author was able to gain insight about the students’ attitude toward math. The interview method perhaps gave a better insight to the author in terms of the attitude of students toward math lessons because he was able to ask follow-up questions. The author was able to design a learning strategy for the volunteers, asking them to teach each other and did the interview after the sessions. The follow up questions were often about their failures and successes in learning from each other. Consequently, he was able to determine the relationship between cognitive and sociocultural factors. Lastly, by observing students during class hours, the author was able to take note of some common problems inside the classroom such as the expected interactions between teacher and students. Nevertheless, the author focused on the students, taking note

Health Risks Associated with VOC's and are Alternative Compounds Essay

Health Risks Associated with VOC's and are Alternative Compounds Readily Avaialable in Residential Building Use - Essay Example ompounds are gasoline, formaldehyde, benzene, and solvents such as toluene, xylene and tetra-chloroethylene, which is the main solvent used in drycleaning.(www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov). Volatile Organic Compounds used in building materials are frequent indoor air pollutants. According to Meininghaus et al (2000), certain materials that are present indoors can function as buffers which may reduce the peak concentrations but prolong the presence of the compounds in the air. A two flow system was used in this study to allow direct observation of mass flow across materials. The results in this study showed that diffusion through materials can reduce the room air concentrations, which can affect ventilation requirements. However, VOC levels in indoor air is an important issue of indoor air pollution because most humans spend an average amount of 90% of their time indoors.(Klepeis et al, 2001). Studies show that concentrations of VOCs are typically higher indoors than outdoors and building characteristics can influence the relevant levels.(Wallace, 2001). VOCs are an important category of indoor and outdoor pollutant, although they do not last as long outside because they are easily broken down by microorganisms and sunlight. However, die to their ubiquitous nature, VOCs from indoor sources such as chloroform, p-dichlorobenzene, d-limonene, ÃŽ ±- and ÃŽ ²-pinene are associated with long term health risks.(Pratt et al 2000; Woodruf et al 1998). While the cumulative risks that accrue from long term exposure to multiple VOCs remains indeterminate, the Eleventh Report on Carcinogens which is published by the National Toxicology program identifies damages to the liver, kidneys and the central system in the long term (www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov). Studies have also shown that several types of cancers as well as cardiovascular and neurological diseases have been reported as adverse health effects of exposure to VOC, either through inhalation or through the presence of VOC’s in

Embracing the Concept of Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Embracing the Concept of Democracy - Essay Example The intent of this paper is to lucidly determine these changes that were deemed to embrace the concept of democracy, and whether they actually achieved their intended purpose as expressed by the response of the people. An incident that can be viewed as the genesis of the Russian transformation is the defeat in the Crimean War. It resulted in the sought of scenarios where individuals reassess their own status so as to forge a route forward. Russia has expected to win the war with ease seeing that it had the largest army in Europe but overlooked the morale of the soldiers to fight. The defeat opened channels for reassessments, which were mainly carried out in the 1860s and came to be commonly referred to as the Great Reforms. Realizing the underbelly of the army and the possibility of being attacked in the future, Alexander II initiated a number of reforms.1 One aspect to Russia that stood up in the Crimean War as compared to its enemies was that the country still practised serfdom. The enemies disliked this fact about Russia and Alexander II saw this as an opportunity to commence the reforms that would transform Russia. Ending selfdom was a move supported by the liberal intellectual in the country, but fiercely contested by the landowners. In 1861, Alexander II pushed forward to end the practice, and the country was one of the last to do so in the European continent. â€Å"The new democracy,† as Pobedonostsev refers to it, is nonetheless questionable as it still left so many in suffering whilst it was supposed to do the opposite. 2 As a result of the liberation of the peasants, there was a surge in the number of citizens in the local governments. The peasants now had a voice that was recognized by the government, and this required it to be embedded into the government itself. Initially, the local government was run by the sole representation of the landlords who were viewed in turn as representatives of their serfs. A new form of government referred to as the zemstvos were put into place, it required fair elections to be conducted. Pobedonostsev cites this form of government as ’a fatal error, and one of the most remarkable in the history of mankind.  Ã‚  

Body Reactions to Emotion Evoking Situations Essay

Body Reactions to Emotion Evoking Situations - Essay Example Since such situations do not arise every day, I decided to use movies to observe that behavior. Movies such as horror movies, soap operas, high-level comedy and thrillers are known for eliciting emotional responses in the audience. So one Friday evening, I decided to go to a cinema to watch a movie where a horror movie called The Ruins was to show that night. At a round 8pm, I entered the cinema hall. It was dark inside which was an excellent atmosphere for such a movie as the effect on the audience was sure to be profound. I looked for some space and, lucky enough, I got myself sandwiched between a lady and a man. This was excellent as I could be able to observe the response of a man and a lady simultaneously and compare the results. That Friday evening was the beginning of a number of visits to the cinema hall, where I watched movies like Anaconda, The Wrong Turn, Piranha, soap operas like In the Name of Love, Storm Over Paradise and Triumph Of Love and thrillers like 24 and Sparta cus. In all these situations, I observed the responses among different people and their body reactions. I also made some observations on myself on how my body reacted. This research was carried out with reference to the literature that explains the relationship between the body and emotions; how the body reacts to different emotions. ... The body’s reaction to shock is different from the body’s reaction to anger. Moreover, different body parts are involved in the reaction of different emotions, although the face is the dominant part in the expression of emotions.. Psychologists attribute most physical health problems like backache to emotions, especially emotional stress. Prinz (2006) asserts that if we understand how the various body parts relate to certain emotions, we can be able to understand our subconscious. This can help in healing diseases related to emotions as understanding our subconscious helps in knowing the root cause of the problem. Several theories have been developed by scientists on the way emotions are generated and the body reactions to such emotions. One such theory that was advanced to explain the relationship between the body’s reactions and emotions was developed basing on the study by an American scientist by the name William James and a Danish scientist called Carl Lange . Studying independently, the two scientists asserted that two factors determine the feeling of an emotion: the reaction of the body and how a person understands that reaction after an event. William and Lange believed that changes in the body occur before the interpretation of the changes. The two are what constitute emotion. The study by Lange and James led to development of theory called James Lange theory (William and McDermott, 1978). Other theories that have since been developed to explain the same include the theory by Cannon and Bard and also by American scientists, Singer and Schacter. Bard and Cannon made use of the nervous system to explain how emotions are generated and the response of the body to such emotions. They assert that the body reacts

Discrimination against Women Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Discrimination against Women - Research Paper Example Women are faced with challenges from a very early age. It is not uncommon to instill the belief in girls that they are only suited for certain careers, while other careers are the domain of the men. Most women in developing countries are not even given equal opportunities than men in the most basic of all necessities. In a male chauvinist society, one that is common in the tribal areas of many developing countries, girls and women are treated as inferior, and men are given the preference in every aspect of life. Boys are made to go to school and acquire education. They are favored over girls in terms of the food that they eat, the opportunities that they get and the love that is showered over them. This also follows that families are major culprits in fostering such an attitude. History is rampant with examples of babies being buried alive on the account that they were girls. The birth of baby girls in conservative families in various parts of the world still buttresses the same atti tude. The UNICEF stated that in some countries, there is a clear preference of boys over girls embedded not only in the culture but also on the economic level. Furthermore, the UNICEF observed that the misuse of pregnancy diagnostic tools often culminates in the abortion of the fetus if it is a girl. This is relatively common in many parts of the world such as some parts of China and India. Parents will put up their children for adoption or will discard the fetus in early prenatal life on the grounds that it is a girl.

The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age Research Paper

The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age - Research Paper Example In the wrong hands, unauthorized access to information may lead to the destruction of vital information or usage of information for destructive purposes. Another way through which individuals can access private information is through phishing. Spear-phishing, in particular, has become increasingly common. It involves hacking individuals’ computers or accounts by sending e-mails to individuals’ accounts. These e-mails often get citizens to provide sensitive information. They are personal, crafty and deceitful messages that easily pass security protections. According to security software maker RSA, about one in every 300 emails in 2011 was a phish. Data cables are also used to access private information. Network cabling companies collect personal and non-personal information. Different cabling companies have different terms of use in regard to privacy. The companies, through their websites, collect information ranging from names, physical address, e-mail address, age, pas sword and other information necessary to conduct business with these companies. This information may then be used to facilitate citizens’ use of websites, to send information to citizens and to conduct business. ... Access to private information may lead to crimes such as identity theft, fraud, defamation, slandering and discriminatory practices. Also, gaining access to confidential information increases the risks of such information being disclosed. This causes dissatisfaction and encourages mistrust in individuals. In America, identity theft has become increasingly common and it destroys an individual’s financial reputation. Invasion of personal privacy shows inefficiency on the government’s part and other organizations that keep citizens’ records. Access to private citizen information through computer applications has greatly facilitated investigations into financial crimes, drug crimes and sex crimes (Soghoian, 2011, 18-20). Therefore, law enforcers are able to track crimes across borders. Because criminals have established highly complex networks across the globe, computer applications enable law enforcers to deter international crimes. Technological advancements go a g reat length in facilitating security and policing. Through soliciting â€Å"suspicious information†, the police and law enforcers can prevent crimes that threaten humanity and the dignity of humanity such as terrorism and identity theft. Determine what measures citizens can take to protect private information or information they do not want to be disclosed. To guard private information, citizens can implement measures that recognize the dangers of unwarranted access to private information. Preventive measures should be promoted to limit these dangers.

Managing The Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Managing The Human Resources Essay INTRODUCTION: This assignment is based on a case study titled Hot Work at the Aluminium Smelter in Lynmouth, and it examines the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. The HR values that are being investigated are HRM or people management values, team effectiveness and the effect of motivation, communication and the culture in the organisation, and leadership qualities. The overall aim of this assignment is to provide appropriate business solutions that help in improving the effectiveness of the organisation, from the perspective of a HR consultant. HRM PEOPLE MANAGEMENT VALUES: Armstrong (2000) argues that personnel practioners are often confused when asked about the difference between HRM and personnel management. According to Storey (1995) HRM is said to be fundamentally unitarist. This makes the management at Lynmouth more HR than personnel, as although the unions membership levels were low and their influence was weak, they were recognised by management in respect of white-collar staff. Also teamworking was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade union, and they were asked to recommend the number of posts required for the new line that was to open in 2000. This shows that the management did consider the unions before reaching a decision. The climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful, indicating to a model of personnel management (Sisson 1994). In HRM, rules, procedures and contracts are an obstruction to effective performances and there is an emphasis on strategy and devolved responsibility to line management (Storey 1996). At Lynemouth, there were rules and guidelines set for the team leaders and employees worked according to shifts, and pay was not performance related. Read more:  Personnel vs Human Resources Although these values point towards personnel management (Sisson 1994), Lynemouth also inculcates HRM values. Despite each plant having specialist staff that kept the plant within its operating limits, team leaders worked as line managers (Storey 1996) and were responsible for the coordination and scheduling of work. Also there are few job categories and teamwork is preferred to division of labour (Storey 1995). There is a great deal of task flexibility (Sisson 1994) in the teams, and in 2000 they were given greater autonomy. Boxall Purcell (2003) states that HRM can be interpreted as having a soft developmental humanist approach or a hard situational contingent approach. The soft version emphasizes a people-centred approach to HRM, whereas the hard version emphasizes a resource-based approach (Thornhill Saunders 1998). Although the organisation appears to be soft with the implementation of teams, they can be viewed as being hard economically, as the organisation aims were resource focused, there appeared to be low trust between employees, and there was also functional flexibility within the teams (Kane et al. 1999). Responsibility for hiring new staff, and for assessing applications for internal transfers, were devolved to shop-floor workers, thus making them more flexible. A hard approach is often seen as an essential part of cost-minimization strategy (Kane et al. 1999), which appears to be the situation at Lynemouth. TEAM EFFECTIVENSS THE EFFECT OF MOTIVATION: A team is a work group or a unit with a common purpose through which members develop mutual relationships for the achievement of goals/tasks (Harris Harris 1996). Vyakarnam et al (1999) states that a number of studies have confirmed that successful ventures are often established by teams rather than a single person, and the core competence of a successful team is to build and manage relationships around a common vision. The management team at Lynemouth havent clearly described the team goals or each individuals specific task. It is essential that the first step in creating a team is to define the goal or goals that create the direction for the new group (Twomey Kleiner 1996; Arroba 1996). Harris Harris (1996) explain that teams are successful and effective when they overcome difficulties, achieved through interdependence. Teams also promote a sense of confidence and direction among the team members and helps becoming more flexible in nature (Arroba 1996). Among shop-floor workers at Lynemouth with regard to satisfaction and commitment, there was a greater sense of autonomy and participation. With regard to work organisation, there was an increase in multi-skilling, and there were clear examples of improved flexibility. For example, team members would work a crane as required, rather than waiting for a dedicated crane driver. The major difference between successful teamwork and unsuccessful teamwork is largely based upon team members sharing common goals and working together to achieve them (Tarricone Luca 2002). They also state that ineffective communication, lack of resources and lack of trust are the key attributes that hinder the effectiveness of a team. At Lynemouth, the workers were clear that the divide between manager and worker was as sharp as ever and that the enforcement of discipline was not part of the teams duties. There appeared to be low trust between them, and also communication with regard to specific tasks seems to be lacking. It is also advisable to establish a sense of urgency so that the teams dont get complacent (Twomey Kleiner 1996). Ritchie Martin (2001) states that money and tangible rewards, the physical conditions and the structure are the three key factors motivating people in a working environment. Although teamwork was favourable from a shop-floor point of view, middle managers and technical staff had reservations about teamwork, feeling undervalued and lacking determination. Macaulay Cook (2001) states that rewards and recognition processes help to focus attention on priorities, thus motivating individuals. Group leaders felt that the work they were being given was not sufficiently demanding, and technical staff felt that that their job territory was under threat. There seems to be a need for rules and guidelines in the work place, for direction and certainty (Ritchie Martin 2001). Thompson (2004) concludes that people could be motivated further and made more effective if they were given appropriate encouragement and attention. COMMUNICATION CULTURE: According to Connolly (1996) communication is a critical issue and everyone wants better communication within their team, between teams and across their organization. Employee communication should play a strategic role in an organization to work effectively (Barrett 2002). In the early 1990s there was a wide perception at Lynemouth that communication was poor, and the climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful. Barrett (2002) also emphasizes that without effective employee communication, change is impossible, and in 1997 with Lynemoths future in doubt, the management realized the importance of communication and set about to win employee consent by reforming the communication system. With regard to this, teamwork was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade unions, which encouraged further development in employee relations. However, with the success of teamwork, white-collar staff felt undervalued. Peng Litteljohn (2001) asserts that structural arrangements may facilitate communication on the one hand, and create barriers for communication on the other. Group leaders felt that their status and authority were being eroded, and technical staff felt that their job territory was under threat, and changes were made without consulting the people involved, and there was a feeling that the appraisal system was not adequate, as the management did not seem to listen. Connolly (1996) states that to enhance communication, both the employer and the employee should realize the importance of effective communication. The author concludes by saying that perhaps the most effective ways of improving communication are also the simplest taking the time to really notice the employees, listening to how they speak and more importantly to what they say. The management could create a system where employees are rewarded for their good work, as Storey (1995) states that the way in which employees are rewarded is central to the regulation of employment relationship. Handy (1986) states that every organization is different, and each organization has a different culture sets of values and norms and beliefs. In 1990, many workers had been with the plant since it opened, and labour turnover was low. Majority of the workers were male, with few women being employed in clerical posts. There is a close and sometimes unclear relationship between organisational culture and its climate (Wallace, J et al. 1999). Although the climate of employee relations could be characterised as suspicious and mistrustful at Lynemouth, work organisation was considered to be fairly conventional. Handy (1986) argues that if organizations are to survive and meaningful jobs are to be created for all those who want to work, then both organizations and individuals will have to change the way they perceive jobs and careers. He also states that fewer, better-motivated people could create much more added value than large groups of unthinking, demotivated individuals. Lynemouth, with the introduction of teamworking could be seen as incorporating these values. However, the management at Lynemouth should create meaningful jobs for all employees. The structure of Lynemouths employees could be characterized under senior managers, middle managers and workers. Handy (1986) argues that organizations are not owned by anyone, but are a community of people who could be called citizens of the community rather than employees. Ogbor (2001) asserts that organisational culture should discourage dysfunctional work behaviours, and commit members of the organization to do things for and with one another that are in the best interests of the organization. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: The American general, Dwight Eisenhower, once said that the essence of leadership is to make people do what you want them to with as much will, determination and enthusiasm as if they had decided for themselves (Popper Zakkai 1994). Cacioppe (1997) suggests that recent reviews of the research and theories on leadership have consolidated the key areas of leadership into personality, transactional and transformational forms of leadership. He also states that honesty, inspiration, competent, fair-mindedness and supportiveness are the characteristics that people most admire in leaders, where as Tait (1996) suggests that vision, interpersonal skills, character and drive are the four attributes considered to be necessary personality traits for business leadership. Transactional leadership is based on the interplay between the leaders guidance or direction and socio-emotional support, and the readiness or developmental level that followers exhibit on a particular task, function, or objective (Avery and Ryan 2002). The third major approach is the Transformational leadership which communicates a vision that inspires and motivates people to achieve something extraordinary (Cacioppe 1997). Transactional leadership remains highly popular among practitioners and it could be applied at Lynemouth. It appeals to managers because of its intuitive simplicity, ease of use, and perceived relevance to managerial roles (Avery and Ryan 2002). In 2000, with the end of direct supervision, management appointed team leaders from existing team members, following a formal application procedure. Team leaders were made responsible for team briefing and the coordination and scheduling of work, and they did receive an additional weekly allowance of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100. The management at Lynemouth could also try to incorporate the transformational leadership values by providing every individual and team with a vision and also motivating them, thus improving leadership effectiveness at the team levels (Cacioppe 1996). Silverthorne (2000) believes that the readiness and willingness of subordinates to perform tasks are the important aspects that contribute to a leaders effectiveness. CONCLUSION: This assignment investigated the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. A few key points in improving the effectiveness of an organisation are effective teams, effective communication between the teams and good leadership skills. Lynemouth could improve the effectiveness of their organisation by motivating each individual, improving the communication between the employers and the management, and also by providing individual, team and organisational goals for the leaders to follow. REFERENCE: Armstrong, M 2000, The name has changed but has the game remained the same?, Journal of Employee Relations, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 576-593. Arroba, T 1996, Why are common objectives so uncommon in top management teams?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 17-21. Avery, G.C Ryan, J 2002, Applying situational leadership in Australia, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 21, no. 4, pp 242-262. Barrett, D.J 2002, Change communication: using strategic employee communication to facilitate major change, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 7, no. 4, pp 219-234. Boxall, P Purcell, J 2003, Strategy and Human Resource Management, Palgrave, New York. Cacioppe, R 1997, Leadership moment by moment!, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 18, no. 7, pp 335-345. Connolly, C 1996, Communication: getting to the heart of the matter, Journal of Management Development Review, vol. 9, no. 7, pp 37-40. Handy, C.B 1976, Understanding Organisations, Penguin Group, London. Harris, P.R Harris, K.G 1996, Managing effectively through teams, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 3, pp 23-36. Kane, B et al. 1999, Barriers to effective HRM, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 20, no. 8, pp 494-516. Macaulay, S Cook, S 2001, Rewarding Service Success, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp 4-8. Ogbor, J.O 2001, Critical theory and the hegemony of corporate culture, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp 590-638. Peng, W Litteljohn, D 2001, Organisational communication and strategy implementation a primary inquiry, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 13, no. 7, pp 360-363. Popper, M Zakkai, E 1994, Transactional, Charismatic and Transformational Leadership: Conditions Conducive to their Predominance, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 15, no. 6, pp 3-7. Silverthorne, C 2000, Situational leadership theory in Taiwan: a different culture perspective, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 21, no. 2, pp 68-74. Sisson, K 1994, Personnel Management A comprehensive guide to Theory and Practice in Britain, 2nd edn, Blackwell, Oxford. Storey, J 1995, Human Resource Management A critical text, Thomson, London. Storey, J 1995, Is HRM catching on?, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 16, no. 4, pp 3-10. Storey, J 1996, Blackwell cases in Human Resource and Change Management, Blackwell, Oxford. Tait, R 1996, The attributes of leadership, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol 17, no. 1, pp27-31. Tarricone, P Luca, J 2002, Employees, teamwork and social interdependence a formula for successful business?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp 54-59. Thompson, J. L 2004, Innovation through people, Journal of Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 9, pp 1082-1094. Thornhill, A Saunders, M.N.K 1998, What if line managers dont realize theyre responsible for HR?, Personnel Review Journal, vol. 12, no. 6, pp 460-476. Twomey, K Kleiner, B.H 1996, Teamwork: The essence of the successful organisation, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 6-8. Vyakarnam, S et al. 1999, Exploring the formation of entrepreneurial teams: the key to rapid growth business?, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 6, no. 2, pp 153-165. Wallace, J 1999, The relationship between organisational culture, organisational climate and managerial values, International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 12, no. 7, pp 548-564.

A foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population Essay Example for Free

A foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population Essay Toxoplasmosis is a foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population (2). Not only does Toxoplasmosis infect humans, but it is also been found in almost all of the warm-blooded animals, primarily cats (3). Toxoplasmosis was first found in 1908 by Nicolle and Manceaux in the cells of the gundi, a type of rodent, in Brazil. It was also found by Splendore to be in the tissues of a rabbit. Fifteen years later, in 1923, a fatal case of toxoplasmosis was reported in a child. Finally in 1939, toxoplasmosis was identified as a cause of human disease (2). Toxoplasmosis seemed to first be described by Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma gondii has two   types of hosts, a definitive and an intermediate. Cats are the only definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii meaning that only when the parasite infects the cat will it produce oocysts (eggs). Toxoplasma gondii will not produce eggs in other warm-blooded animals. When the cat digests food that contains this parasite, the Toxoplasma gondii inside of the cat will be released into the digestive tract where it will then multiply and produce oocysts in the small intestine. This process is called intraintestinal infection cycle. The parasite is released in large quantities through the feces. The cat will also start shedding oocysts after 3 days of being infected and will continue to shed for 10 to 14 days. T he oocysts are very resilient and can survive up to a year. Other oocysts in the cat penetrate deeper into the intestine and develop tachyzoite which is the parasite’s form of rapid growth. The tachyzoite spreads throughout the body and start the extraintestinal infection cycle. When the immune system responds, the tachyzoite go into their resting stage and become bradyzoites, which is a slow growing form (3). A human or any other intermediate host can then be exposed to the parasite through either eating meat contaminated with the parasite or accidently (or not) swallowing cat feces (1). The oocysts are not immediately infectious as they must first go through a process called sporulation which takes from one to five days. Once the sporulated oocysts are in the intermediate host, they develop tissue cysts which stay in the host for life (3). When Toxoplasma gondii enters the human host, tachyzoites begin to develop and infect various organs. The parasite then enters the brain and creates oocysts. It then establishes a â€Å"chronic infection† which taxes the immune system (4). Toxoplasmosis usually doesn’t show any for most people. Severe cases of toxoplasmosis usually develop in babies whose mother was infected by toxoplasmosis or by people with compromised immune systems such as people with HIV. Some people with mild cases of toxoplasmosis may exhibit flu-like symptoms with swollen nymph glands along with sore muscles for a month or more. However, the severe cases can cause individuals to develop encephalitis along with eye and other organ damage. Patients may begin to experience pain that is accompanied by a bright light along with reduced vision and redness of the eye (1). Toxoplasmosis 1 http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ 2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704023/?tool=pubmed 3 http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/toxo.html 4 http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/3/745.full Penicillium chrysogenum 5 http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2003.html 6 http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/microbes/penicill.htm 7 http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/kitzmann_step/

Importance of Community Health

Importance of Community Health Holly Bolick When it comes to healthcare and management, community health serves as a critical piece of the puzzle. Public or community health can be defined in a myriad of ways. In general, it is the portion of healthcare focused on protecting and improving the health of the whole population, which could be seen as entire country or a small town (CDC Foundation, 2017, para. 2). Community health proves to be a vital and necessary component of quality healthcare across the globe. While this definition is easily understood, one must also appreciate how community health differs from personal health. While personal health focuses on the individual, public health places emphasis on the health of a group as a whole. In other words, community health speaks to a broad realm of healthcare, while personal health has a more narrow concentration all the way down to a precise being. All of this is important to understand in regard to community health and public health assessments. Public Health Assessments A key way that public health is continually evaluated is through community health assessments. Definitively speaking, a community or public health assessment is meant to serve as an ongoing improvement process that functions to identify community wide health problems along with policy formation, execution of a solution, and evaluation (NACCHO, 2016, para. 1). This is a way for individuals to analyze if certain new changes or policies that involve community health are actually working. Public health assessments have many advantages. Not only do assessments help communities identify major health problems specific to a particular area, but they can also aid in identifying possible ways to address those problems. Each distinct community has different health issues and different resources to combat those issues. With that being said, it is important that all communities take part in public health assessments. Through data and research, it has also been found that community health improvement plans and health assessments lead to better public health actions and improved decision making (Rabarison, Timsina, Mays, 2015, p. 2526). Better health choices made by the public is the ultimate goal of community health assessments, therefore, their benefits, when done correctly, are excessive. Although the advantages are great, disadvantages are also possible. Unfortunately, many resources needed for accurate health assessments are limited, as well as the resources to implement change. In addition to this, when public health assessments are performed, sometimes changes need to be made. For example, if a public health assessment was conducted in a local area on chemicals in paint and they found a certain chemical needed to be eradicated in all types of paint, then this finding would cause some animosity. People who have used the certain paint would become upset and want to know what to do and businesses that made or sold the paint might face financial loss. While the assessment was necessary and the finding will eventually result in healthier paint, the initial stun of the discovery will be seen as an inconvenience. Even so, these assessments are necessary to the health of the community. Public Policy The overall purpose of a public health assessment is to identify a health problem and changes that need to be made in order to fix that problem. From these assessments that are implemented, public policy can be formed. Sometimes these policies can be established on a community level, while others may be state and federal mandated. The leader of a community may introduce a specific policy about smoking in public places, while the federal government may create a policy school lunches in response to childhood obesity. Either way, the information and data obtained from public health assessments is utilized to best create a policy that would target the problem and hopefully begin to eradicate it. Health Concerns and Legislations A major health concern in the United States that continues to be addressed today is that of smoking. While there are not any federal legislations specific to smoking in public places, there are many other laws that affect smoking in general and their sales. These legislations do work toward improving public health. With that being said, certain states do have laws restricting the use of tobacco in public places such as restaurants, parks, and so on. One recent federal legislation that stands out is the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. It is controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires warning labels on tobacco products, requires tobacco companies to submit necessary information to the FDA, forbids flavored tobacco products, and more (HHS.gov, 2017, para. 17). This legislation has already impacted every community in the United States. Warning labels for cigarettes are detailed and graphic. Advertisements for tobacco products are limited and controlled. Tobacco is now seen for all its detrimental effects instead of a typical pastime like it was in previous decades. The issue of smoking and how it affects the general public is continually being researched. America has had much progress in this area, but still has a long way to go. One can be certain that legislations in regards to smoking in order to benefit the public will continue to be made. Conclusion Public health is a subject that seems to be rising in importance in todays world. It has been found that the health of the general community as a whole does make a difference when it comes to individual health. With that being said, public health assessments help to identify concerns and address what could be done to fix them. These assessments can lead to community wide changes, as well as new federal legislations. It is important to be aware of public health concerns and why these assessments are so important. References CDC Foundation. (2017). Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.cdcfoundation.org/content/what-public-health NACCHO. (2016). Community Health Assessment and Improvement Planning. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from http://www.naccho.org/programs/public-health-infrastructure/community-health-assessment?p=chachipgeneral HHS.gov. (2017). Laws/Policies. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from https://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/laws/ Rabarison, K. M., Timsina, L., Mays, G. P. (2015). Community Health Assessment and Improved Public Health Decision-Making: A Propensity Score Matching Approach. American Journal Of Public Health, 105(12), 2526-2533. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302795

Defibrillator :: essays research papers

General Questions What does AED stand for? AED stands for automated external defibrillator (or automated external defibrillation). What's an AED?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An AED is a device used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient's heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed, and then administer the shock. Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process. How does an AED work?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A microprocessor inside the defibrillator interprets (analyzes) the victim's heart rhythm through adhesive electrodes (some AED models require you to press an ANALYZE button). The computer analyzes the heart rhythm and advises the operator whether a shock is needed. AEDs advise a shock only to ventricular fibrillation and fast ventricular tachycardia. The electric current is delivered through the victim's chest wall through adhesive electrode pads. Why are AEDs important?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AEDs are important because they strengthen the Chain of Survival. They can restore a normal heart rhythm in victims of sudden cardiac arrest. New, portable AEDs enable more people to respond to a medical emergency that requires defibrillation. When a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 7% to 10% for each minute that passes without defibrillation. AEDs save lives! Who can use an AED?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most AEDs are designed to be used by nonmedical personnel such as police, firefighters, flight attendants, security guards, and other lay rescuers who have been properly trained. Having more people in the community who can respond to a medical emergency by providing defibrillation will greatly increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates. Why does someone having a heart attack need an AED?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a heart attack becomes a full cardiac arrest, the heart most often goes into uncoordinated electrical activity called fibrillation. The heart twitches ineffectively and can't pump blood. The AED delivers electric current to the heart muscle, momentarily stunning the heart, stopping all activity. This gives the heart an opportunity to resume beating effectively. Will an AED always resuscitate someone in cardiac arrest?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The AED treats only a heart in ventricular fibrillation (VF), an irregular heart rhythm. In cardiac arrest without VF, the heart doesn't respond to electric currents but needs medications. The victim needs breathing support. AEDs are less successful when the victim has been in cardiac arrest for more than a few minutes, especially if no CPR was provided. AED Use Is an AED safe to use? An AED is safe to use by anyone who's been trained to operate it.

To Live in a Vermin’s World: A Marxist View of Kafka’s The Metamorphos

To Live in a Vermin’s World: A Marxist View of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis One of the honors for ‘greatest theories’ in contemporary civilization has to be awarded to Marxism. Invented in late 19th century by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Marxism has had great influences on the development of modern society. Despite its eventual failure, Marxism once led to numerous revolutions that working classes raised against the ruling parties in different countries. Consequently, it paved the way for the erection of the Berlin Wall, the formation of the Warsaw Treaties—communist camp confronting NATO, and the establishment of a world super power, the Soviet Union at the dawn of this century. Even decades later, after all those Marxist milestones have collapsed, China, with one fifth of world’s population, still faithfully believes in this theory. It is certain, then, Marxism’s effect on people’s thoughts is deep and profound. It is natural for people living in the birthplace and at the birth time of Marxism, Franz Kafka for i nstance, to have been affected by this theory to a greater extent. As an author, Kafka’s affiliation with Marxism was revealed in his novella, The Metamorphosis. It tells about a German travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who awoke one morning only to find himself transformed into a bug. Thereafter, Gregor was soon deprived of his job and was no longer able to financially support his family as he had been. Confronted with this sudden change, the family members started to discard Gregor one after the other. Not only the father, who was eager to get rid of his bug-shaped ‘son’ right after Gregor’s disaster, his mother and sister finally retracted all their love and care as well. Ending with Gregor’s miserable death, ... ...ncy of interest lies in the fact that Gregor’s family members have to sacrifice leisure and go on work after his transformation while Gregor himself switches from a provider to a consumer. Thus, it is easy to observe a match between Gregor’s outcome and that of proletarians. Gregor is not a bug physically, but mentally he is. A story about his denial of a life in oppression, Gregor’s metamorphosis is as well a story about his pursuit of a life with fairness. Marked by Marxist characteristics, the transformation conforms to a proletarian struggle in that they have 1) like motives--unjust social and economic position; 2) like natures—both the target and the form; and 3) like outcomes--a wretched collapse. Though noticed and commented on by few critics, Marxist thoughts are clearly presented by Kafka in terms of Gregor’s decisive turning: to live in a vermin’s world.

Hieroglyphic Writing :: essays research papers

Right from the beginning the deciphering of the mysterious Egyptian writing fascinated everybody. In 1799 a certain Captain Bouchard of the French Army was supervising work on the fortifications of Fort St. Julian, situated a little more than four kilometers outside the town of Rosetta when hi workmen discovered a stone which was destined to achieve great fame in archaeological history. It was in fact the â€Å"Rosetta Stone† which led to the deciphering of the hieroglyphs. As a result of the fortunes of war this precious stone fell into the hands of the British who gave it a place of honor in the British Museum. On one face of the stone, a tablet of extremely hard black basalt, there is a long trilingual inscription; the three texts begin written one above other. The first of the inscriptions, 14 lines long, is written in hieroglyphs. The second, 32 lines long, is written in demotic, from the Greek word â€Å"demos† meaning people, which refers to a type of script used by ordinary people. The third inscription, 54 lines long, is in Greek and hence was comprehensible. This latter text, translated without difficulty, proved to be a priestly decree in honor of Ptolemy Epiphanes which finishes with a formal instruction that â€Å"this decree, engraved on a tablet of hard stone, in three scripts, hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek, shall be engraved in each of the great temples of Egypt†. The honor of deciphering the hieroglyphs fell to two scholars, the Englishman Thomas Young and the Frenchman Francois Champollion who started work on it almost the same time and who were to see their efforts crowned by success. What Young achieved by instinct Champollion achieved by scientific method and with such success that by his death in 1832 he could leave behind him a grammar and a very substantial dictionary of ancient Egyptian. But what did this writing that the Greeks called hieroglyphic, from â€Å"hiero glyphica† that is â€Å"sacred signs† actually consist of? The ancient Egyptians themselves called their written texts â€Å"the words of the gods†. In fact according to tradition men were taught to write by the god Thot himself during the reign of Osiris. Down through the centuries the writing retained a sacred character and more or less magical powers.

Red Lobster case analysis Essay

Should Lopdrup make Experientials the target segment and modify Red Lobster’s positioning accordingly. If so, how should he change its marketing mix (4P)? Red Lobster originally was founded in 1968 and gained tremendous popularity back then by offering fresh seafood for everybody. They made it easily accessible and approachable. However, over several extremely successful decades of rapid growth and many new restaurants, Red Lobster in 2004 was becoming out of date and out of touch with today’s customer. The company with more than 40-year experience in seafood restaurants, with its new leading CEO Kim Lopdrup now has invested in extensive market research. The results of the market research reveal a surprisingly exciting opportunity for the company to shift its target customer segment. The chain at the moment is taking its first steps of an elaborate 10-year rejuvenation plan under the lead of its CEO Kim Lopdrup. Back in 2004 when he took over as a CEO of Red Lobster, the company was closing down restaurants and going through a major decline in sales. Furthermore, customer satisfaction had dropped significantly as well by then. Though, in 2010, even in a period of recession, the sales results are slowly starting to improve. As a result, the whole chain itself is improving as well. A recent market research study has revealed rather unexpected results that 25% of Red Lobster’s customers are â€Å"experientials,† people looking for pleasure, good service and high-quality food. Which is very different from Red Lobster’s traditional core customer who just wanted big portion sizes of decent seafood and does not worry about nutrition or upscale atmosphere. Lopdrup is currently thinking of possible re-positioning to attract more â€Å"experientials†, thereby also changing the company’s target segment. But would this be a good step? Back in 1968, the brand gained popularity by making fresh seafood that was not very accessible back then. However, times have changed now. Customers now have an abundance of choices when it comes to fresh seafood, which makes it very hard for Red Lobster to differentiate from other brands only offering ‘approachable, fresh seafood’. Moreover, lately it has been associated with frozen and fried, unhealthy food, not fresh seafood. The recession has had a bad impact on the restaurant and there has been a major drop in customer count. Instead of focusing on winning the price war within the highly competitive casual dining category, Kim Lopdrup instead has decided to focus on rejuvenation, following a differentiation strategy. The plan is to aim for higher quality, drive a higher frequency of visits and make the brand be seen as good quality seafood, where people could get a pleasant dining experience for affordable prices. In my opinion, Red Lobster must indeed focus on experientials, start fresh and show customers it is really doing things differently now. A new look, a new menu, improved service and better communication to let people see Red Lobster in a fresh, new way. They should embrace the 21st century by using more social networking (facebook, twitter, youtube), mobile apps, yet stick to its basic principles of providing fresh seafood from good fisherman, hire skillful grill masters and friendly staff, which are all core values for ‘experientials’. Moreover, these are values and expectations not only for ‘experientials’ but for the mass market in general. This way, they could achieve the highest reach and drive traffic to their restaurants. They must get talked about and become more visible by investing in a complex marketing campaign that would go in waves. A good quality television campaign would be highly appropriate. Regarding it’s 4PS, they should adjust its current market mix by really thinking about the target group’s wants and needs. Experientials are well educated and will not tolerate bad service. They go out to restaurants to connect with friends, family, and colleagues. So the company should definitely think of ways to improve its service. Renovation of the restaurant space, hiring of friendly employees that Red Lobster would continually educate about the latest trends and menu offerings. It is very important for the brand to have a welcoming, human face. And honest, communicative employees that will give a personal experience for each customer will take the brand image further away from its current corporate image. Regarding the products, it is also very important to communicate the source of their fish, its good quality chefs, daily offerings of ‘daily fresh catch’ to let people know that Red Lobster has ‘stepped up’ their game and only offering the highest-quality fresh crab from the best farmers. Perhaps they should do an acquisition with a wine company in order to offer experientals more wines to choose from, since they like to enjoy new food and menu items. They are motivated by culinary expertise and wine and food goes hand in hand with each other. Regarding the price, they could increase the price a little bit, since experientials are not overly ‘price sensitive’. They are well educated with a high income, though they als o like to eat out often. So a mid-range price would be the most appropriate. By focusing on experientials, Red Lobster could significantly increase profitability and get more loyal customer that return for more. The positioning should stay ‘approachable, fresh seafood’, since they have so many locations everywhere. The menu should be more frequently updated. Prices could be higher for ‘specials’, and they should communicate keywords like ‘quality, freshness, seafood lovers’, have cooking demonstrations. Invest in TV promotional ads to achieve mass awareness, hirepassionate people, focus on continuous improvement.

Expanding your business to China Essay

There are many advantages to expanding your business to China. Not only is China considered one of the largest economies in the world, it also has a vast emerging market that is still growing (Startup Overseas). Although China has embraced many Western Business ethics and practices, there are still numerous cross-cultural differences that can make it difficult to succeed without sufficient research and knowledge of the culture. Examples of these cross cultural differences include the Chinese’ attitude toward work and workplace, the labor laws, and how Chinese businesses collaborate with other organizations. More differences include how we market and sell a product, and how pricing differs between our two countries. Perhaps the most important differences are those of ethical positions, such as child labor and sexism. A Chinese worker’s attitude toward the job and the workplace depends on what position they have in an organization. China is considered a collectivist society, which means the majority of people within the society act in the interests of the group and not necessarily themselves (Geert Hofstede, 2010). The United States is considered an individualistic society and emphasizes the importance of the individual. This also applies to the way these countries do business. A collectivist business may have a team of workers contributing to satisfy all the customers, whereas an individualistic business may have several individual representatives who each have their own client list. Another difference in the workplace is how large an organization’s Power Distance is. Power distance is the acceptance that all individuals in the society are not equal (Geert Hofstede, 2010). China has a very large power distance, which means its’ workers accept the fact that there is a hierarchy within the organization, and they know their place within that organization. They expect power within the business to be distributed unequally. The United States has a lower Power Distance acceptance, which means that workers don’t accept that power is distributed unequally within the organization, and they expect to be treated as equals to even the people in the highest positions of the business. The Chinese also accept that decision making comes from the top, whereas in the U.S., everyone wants their suggestion and opinion to be heard, and they do not always accept decisions that are made within the organization. The  differences between Chinese and U.S. labor laws are subtle, but still worth mentioning. In China, a normal working week is 44 hours, with a maximum of 48 hours (only 4 hours of overtime is allotted). In the U.S., a normal working week is 40 hours, with overtime paid on any hours worked over that 40. Maternity leave is up to 3 months paid in China. In the U.S., Maternity leave is up to 12 months unpaid (at the company’s discretion). Surprisingly, women in China make 80.5% of what men in the same position make, whereas in the U.S., women only make 70% of what men make in the same position (Guo). In China, businesses tend to put an emphasis on personal relationships between business partners. An initial business meeting will consist of getting to know the personality and lifestyles of the one you are entering into a relationship with (Graf). Chinese business owners will want a loyal friendship when considering associations. This system of social networks and influential relationships that facilitate business and other dealings is called guanxi (Mah, 2012). In the United States, owners of a business as well as the workers within that organization strive to keep their personal and professional lives different. Though some partners end up being friends, and many workers build friendships outside of the workplace, it is not the intention at the start of a business relationship. Gift giving is also a large cultural difference. In the United States, if a gift is given at the start of a business meeting, or the start of an association, it can be seen as bribery or a way to make businesses feel obligated in working together. Chinese organizations are much more accepting of gifts although certain etiquettes must be followed in order for the gift to be given in good faith (Culture Crossing Guide). For example, gifts must be nicely wrapped and may not be opened right away unless prompted to do so. Also, do not give any gifts such as clocks, flowers, or cutting instruments as it is considered disrespectful. Negotiation style is a major difference between the United States and China. In China, social context, personal relations, and non-verbal behavior are very important in negotiation. There are usually many people from the  company who attend the meeting to discuss any topics that need negotiation. Americans value legal contracts and documents over personal relationships, and do not put as much stock in body language. American businesses usually only send one or two people do the negotiating on behalf of the entire company. For the purposes of this paper, let us assume that an American Company has seen great success with its toy product. This company is looking to expand its business to China. There is usually a demand for toys in any country and in China, 17.1% (roughly 223 million) of the nation’s population is under 14 years old (Central Intelligence Agency). Research also shows that the total retail sales of toys in China have increased by 14.2% since 2010 (HKTDC Research, 2014). The Design of this toy would have to be carefully rethought, particularly if it is a doll or Barbie type toy. The doll would have to be remanufactured to suit the needs of the children in China. Skin Color, Clothing, and accessories would all need to be redesigned. For example, although most girl-intended American Dolls wear pink, pink is considered a gender-neutral color in China. The color white is also associated with death and mourning, so any â€Å"wedding dress† dolls would need to be recolored to the traditional Chinese color of red (KaiWen, 2010). The clothing of the doll would probably have to become more modest. In looking at Chinese dolls, most are dressed in Geisha style robes. The United States dolls tend to show more â€Å"skin.† The packaging of the doll would also have to be translated to Chinese. The company would also need to avoid any symbolism that might offend Chinese parents or even the government, such as any American paraphernalia, like the flag, or anything with a religious context, like a cross. Imagine the price of this toy is $5.00. The value of a $1.00 is equal to 117.78 ( ¥). That would mean that the exchange rate on the toy would be $588.90. But with the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) factor, we know that China’s market exchange rate is .6 (World Bank, International Comparison Program Database, 2014). This means that China would actually pay 60% of what the United States would pay for the toy. The price of the toy would be  353.34  ¥. This price could be adjusted depending on competition in the Chinese market. The American company would also need to increase the price based on exporting costs. A sale price, or discounted price, in China is also different from what a sale price would be considered in the United States. In the U.S., if a product is on sale, the advertisement might say â€Å"10% off.† In China, they advertise the percentage of the price that you would pay for, in this example â€Å"90%† (Tyson, 2014). Good times for sales would be around National Chinese Holidays, such as the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), May Day, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. Several sales channels can be used to promote a product in China. Traditional avenues include major shopping centers, specialty stores, and franchise chains. There is also the internet platform and many sites such as Amazon or Baby.tmall.com. One of the best ways to break into the toy market in China is to have the toy include educational or technological aspects. This would help broaden the available channels of the toys to include museums, zoos, and electronic stores. This is very different from the United States, who tends to promote and market to the different genders. Most American toys are either for girls or for boys; there aren’t very many gender-neutral toys. Just like in the United States, China has import and trade regulations. Some of these regulations include import inspection (Regulations for the Administration of Inspection of Toy Imports and Exports), attention to the potential danger of toys, China Compulsory Certification (CCC), and standards such as plush toy fillings should be even and of an appropriate softness with no hard objects inside. It is also worth noting the Standardization Law of the People’s Republic of China, where four levels of standards are stipulated: national standards, industry standards, local standards, and enterprise standards. This company will have to adhere to all of these standard and regulations in order to export the toys from the United States to China. Another option for the company would be to open a factory in China, or use a preexisting Chinese toy factory to manufacture the toys and sell / distribute locally. In order to reach the more rural  areas of China, this company might consider making a deal with a Chinese company that already distributes to those small towns and rural areas. If this company does decide to open a factory in China, or utilize a preexisting factory, it will have to deal with ethical issues such as child labor, and sexism. Child labor has been a widely controversial issue for many years. The PRC Law on the Protection of Minors was first passed in 1991, and the newly revised Minors Protection Law entered the force in 2007. Many International rights documents have also been implemented by the UN (Library of Congress). Although the child labor conditions have been described as â€Å"improved† in China, there are actually no statistics or documentation to back it up. We still hear reports of Child Labor issues existing in China. As a company looking to do business in China, it is important to set certain standards within the organization that do not support and do penalize child labor. Although women in China make a higher percentage of what men make (80.5%) than what women in American make compared to men (70%), there is still a lot of sexism in the society and the culture of Chinese businesses. For example, women must always greet men first, and it is not acceptable for women to look men in the eye. Women are not allowed in higher or executive positions within the organization. Women are still expected to meet a nice man, get married, have children, and take care of the household. Not to mention the fact that having a son is extremely preferable to having a daughter in most Chinese families. While this behavior would be considered abhorrent (mostly) in Western cultures, foreign businesses may actually benefit from China’s oversight in regards to women. Foreign businesses may hire the talented women for executive positions that Chinese businesses have ignored or cast aside (Harris, 2010). While there are many differences between the Chinese culture and ethics from those of the United States, expanding a business in China can be mutually beneficial and successful. There is a balance between Chinese and American societies and laws that must be found, or all parties may be unhappy. Before growing your business to a foreign country, much research and planning must be done. Or, as the Chinese proverb says, â€Å"if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.† Works Cited Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The World Factbook: China. Retrieved from Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html Culture Crossing Guide. (n.d.). China. Retrieved from Culture Crossing Guide: http://guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=43 Geert Hofstede, G. J. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill USA. Retrieved from The Hofstede Centre. Graf, R. (n.d.). 10 Major Cultural Differences Between China and the United States. Retrieved from Hubpages: http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Major-Cultural-Differences—China-and-the-UnitedStates Guo, B. (n.d.). China’s Labor Standards: Myths and Realities. Retrieved from academia.edu: http://www.academia.edu/165449/China_s_Labor_Standards_Myths_and_Realities Harris, D. (2010, 12 16). Sexism in Cina. A Good Thing for Foreign Business? Retrieved from China Law Blog: http://www.chinalawblog.com/2010/12/sexism_china_style_a_good_thing_for_foreign_busine ss.html HKTDC Research. (2014, 09 18). China’s Toy Market. Retrieved from HKTDC Research: http://chinatrade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/China-Consumer-Market/China-s-toymarket/ccm/en/1/1X000000/1X002MRF.htm KaiWen. (2010, 11 09). Ask the Chinese Girl. 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