Exploring Internet Sites Essay

Nowadays Internet became primary informational source for overwhelming majority of people around the world. That is why, in order to earn customer goodwill, enhance the market and promote own goods or services, it is necessary for any enterprise at any market to place easy accessible, correct and comprehensive information about the company, its policies, strategies, products, prospects and so on, into World Wide Web. Official sites of such known companies, as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Unilever are great examples of using advantages of Internet as an effective tool of marketing and promotion. It is remarkable, that these successful companies openly inform their customers about their financial situation and the results of specific researches, offer new career or investment opportunities for any visitor of the site. This definitely works for strengthening their image on global level. To my mind, the most attractive and interesting features for the customers are the sections about the products of the companies and some related fields like nutrition, beauty and style, etc. It is principally important to make information on the site practical and useful for any average or prospective customer. With this purpose, for example, P & G is using a very effective slogan â€Å"Expert Advice for Everyday Life†, which really works well, I believe. Undoubtedly, all three sites are very up-to-date and competent. I could not help noticing one obvious disadvantage of them all: extreme overload of information. It makes navigation more complicated for an average customer, who can be an average Internet user as well. Besides, I suppose that the sites of P & G and Unilever have too very bright and colorful designs. This can take customer’s mind off the site content and the product itself. Besides, to my mind, it affects seriousness of these companies to some extent. Certainly, Internet sites play important role and significantly contribute into forming consumer preferences and attracting new customers. The main advantage of such sites is making customer- producer communication much faster. When a customer wants to get some information, there is no need to make long phone calls and wait for consultations anymore. Now it is possible to find all necessary data on the site just with a couple of mouse clicks. Bibliography: Nestle. Nestle S. A. 2004. 06 Nov. 2006 . Procter & Gamble. P & G Everyday Solutions. 2006. 06 Nov. 2006 .   Unilever. Unilever N. V. 2006. 06 Nov. 2006 .

Hesitation of Managed Care to Use Data Mining Essay

One of the biggest hesitations would have to be cost to build an implement such a system. The technique depends on an organization having â€Å"clean† data to analyze, which requires data being scrubbed and moved to data warehouses. Many payers lack the money and manpower to build and maintain these warehouses. (Kongstvedt, P., Capagemini). In addition, internal politics and the numerous constituencies within a managed care organization can make it difficult to focus data mining efforts, says Scott Kozicki. What has changed in this industry to adopt data mining? The demand for more organizations to become more efficient, customers are demanding more and better services in shorter amounts of time. Another change would have to be HIPAA, which stands for Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it was a law that has many different facets to it one of which protects your private health information. The standards mandated by HIPAA have made the data â€Å"cleaner† and streamlines the analysis efforts. What complexities arise when data mining is used in health care organizations? One thing that makes data mining in health care organizations complex is just the same as what has helped get it going, HIPAA. Even though it has created standard rules for cleaning data, it requires that you encrypt information being transmitted over the internet, which adds costs to doing so. Some organizations only require it on certain transactions, but some want it done on every transaction. Doing this can increase the cost significantly causing it to raise the costs back up, making it not as feasible to use this practice. Assume you are an employer and that your managed care organization raises your rate based on the results of data mining and predictive modeling software. What are your opinions? What would help make up your mind in regards to adopting these rate changes? My opinion would vary depending on what type of data they were using and where they got the data from, was it from our employees or a group similar to ours. I would be okay with the rate change as long as they could prove they used data from my specific employees and they had significant data supporting their reasons for the increase in rates.

Chemalit Chemicals

Less: Amortization expense (1041. 67)123,958. 33 Total assets $491,197. 91 Liabilities 0 Stockholders Equity Contributed Capital 500,000. 00 Retained Earnings (8,802. 09) Total Stockholders equity 491,197. 91 Total Liabilities and Stockholders equity $491,197. 91 CHEMALITE, INC Cash Flow Statement For the period ended June 30, 2003 Cash flows for operating activities Cash paid to suppliers $ (75,000. 00) Cash paid for legal fees, charter printing costs (7,500. 00) Net cash flow from operating activities (82,500. 00) Cash flows for investing activities Cash paid to purchase machinery (62,500. 00) Cash flows from financial activities Cash received from shareholders 375,000. 00 Cash at end of year $230,000. 00 4. Financial Statements for stockholder’s for year 2003 CHEMALITE, INC Balance Sheet At December 31, 2003 Assets Cash $ 113,000. 00 Accounts Receivable 69,500. 00 Inventory 55,000. 00 Property, Plant and Equipment$ 212,500. 00 Less: Accumulated Depreciation10,885. 42 201,614. 58 Patent 125,000. 00 Less: Amortisation 25,000. 00 100,000. 00 Total Assets $ 539,114. 58 Liabilities 0 Stockholders Equity Contributed Capital 500,000. 00 Retained Earnings 39,114. 58 Total Stockholders equity 539,114. 58 Total Liabilities and Stockholders equity $ 539,114. 58 Income Statement For the period ended December 31, 2003 Revenue $ 754,500. 00 Expenses Cost of Goods Sold $ 545,000. 00 General and administrative expense 87,500. 00 Research and development expense 23,750. 00 Advertisement expense 22,500. 00 Interest expense 750. 00 Amortisation expense 25,000. 00 Depreciation expense 10,885. 42 Cash Flow Statement For the period ended December 31, 2003 Cash flows for operating activities Cash received from customers $ 685,000. 00 Cash paid to suppliers and employees(600,000. 00) Cash paid for administrative expenses(87,500. 00) Cash paid for research and development(23,750. 00) Cash paid for Advertising(22,500. 00) Net cash flow from operating activities $ (48,750. 00) Cash flows for investing activities Cash paid to purchase machinery(212,500. 00) Net cash flow from investing activities (212,500. 0) Cash flows from financing activities Cash received from shareholders 375,000. 00 Cash paid for interest on loan (750. 00) Net cash from financing activities 374,250. 00 Cash at end of year $ 113,000. 00 5. Report to Shareholders:- To Our Shareholders The year 2003 has been a very significant year for Chemalite, Inc with a successful commercial launch of its product and revenue earnings of over $700,000. The initial profits made in the first year are moderate due to the high ini tial expenses made on setting up the business and advertising. The financial health of the company is healthy with zero liabilities and a positive cash balance throughout the year despite the huge cash outflow from initial investment behind machinery and installation. The new invention of Chemalite has been patented by the company and is showing good value for business use. In addition to our current revenue sources we are expecting a great deal in the coming year which will be prestigious for the company as well as profitable. The committee for the Olympic Games, Athens 2004 has placed a firm order with us for 60,000 Chemalites which will generate $90,000 in revenue. The Olympics committee wants to give a Chemalite to each person in the opening ceremony. The athletes and fans will light their Chemalites which will be symbolic of the Olympic flame. This will bring us publicity and will improve our future marketable value. Going forward, we will have guaranteed sales from any demands for fireless ignition as Chemalite does not expect any competitors to come up with a similar product before five years. Lastly, we thank the shareholders for their continuous support and belief in the company.

Failure as an effective teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Failure as an effective teacher - Essay Example It is a tricky fact to realize, but a simple example makes this fact easily comprehensible. As babies, none of us were able to make our step without a number of attempts and failures preceding our ultimate success of walking with a sense of pride. As children we never used to think too much about the failures that we underwent, because we were too busy to think about failures due to our thirst for success, i.e. the ability to walk. As we reflect on it today, we realize that our several attempts and failures to walk were merely stepping stones to our success in achieving it. In the process of achieving our success, we also gained some essential experience which led us to our success, and such experience was caused by our failures in the attempts. Therefore, it is an essential fact of life that failure is the most effective teacher one can get in one’s life, which ultimately leads one to success. Failure is the best and most effective teacher in life, because one can reach the ultimate success through the experience that one gains in every failure of life. Life is not a bed of roses and is, of course, a mixture of failures and successes. The real winner in life is the one who can accept this reality and makes use of the failures as stepping stones to success. It is through embracing failures wholeheartedly and learning from such experiences that one achieves success in life. The attitude of Thomas Alva Edison, who said â€Å"I have not failed; I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work†, is what we require to learn from the great teacher called failure and experience. Although failure may seem to be a harsh teacher sometimes, it will ultimately prove to be the most effective teacher who not only leads one to success, but also provides the vital experiences in life. Failure and success are like two sides of the coin and we should consider failure as a teacher who can guide us to success. As aforementioned,

Management of change (personal experience) Essay

Management of change (personal experience) - Essay Example Since it is nearly impossible to move from smoking twelve cigarettes a day to zero, the plan entailed a gradual reduction in the number of cigarettes from twelve to zero over time rather than a complete stop at once. I projected that stopping at once would not help as the temptation to smoke would be overwhelming (Schein, 2002). It was better to reduce the amount by two to three cigarettes in phases till I quit completely. The first phase involved the reduction from twelve to ten by October 21st 2014. This was successful though it was challenging. I kept reasoning that there was no big difference between ten and twelve. However, by sticking to the plan and focusing on the final goal, I succeeded to limit the number to ten. After achieving the objective of the first phase, I managed to reduce the number from ten to seven. However, this has been met with resistance and the body feeling deprived. It has been a challenge to move from this stage to the next. The strategy to keep the smoking sessions as far as possible has the effect of generating stress in the body (Schein, 2002). Fortunately, I have managed to plant the desire in the body system to get rid of smoking. The body is able to keep up with the chronology of change since the desired change is acceptable to the body system to maintain health. Thirdly, I have reduced the number of convenient places for smoking. For instance, I have kept cigarettes away from my car. It has helped to reduce smoking time as most of the smoking occurs when I am driving alone. I have also increased the time I spend at home with the family because the children prevent my smoking. By 18th November, it is my hope and desire that I revive serious participation in a sport of my choice. I have identified soccer as the sport as I am skilled at it and enjoy playing it a lot. By starting to play soccer again, I hope to reduce and

Karl Marx and his Philosophy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Karl Marx and his Philosophy - Coursework Example The observations of Marx and Engels led to their work, which is a critique of capitalism. Karl Marx is the most erudite socialist thinker to emerge in the 19th century. Although he was greatly involved with social, economic and political ideology gained rapid recognition in the socialist movement after his death in 1883. While in Brussels Marx devoted him to an extensive research on the history and elaborated what came to be known as the materialist conception of history He developed in a manuscript (published posthumously as the German Ideology), of which the basic thesis was that "the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production. Marx pointed out the history of the various modes of production and predicted the abolition of industrial capitalism and its replacement by communism. He devoted himself to the study of political economy in order to determine the causes and conditions of this crisis. Marx discovered the law of development of human history. The simple fact is that mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc. Therefore, the production of the immediate material means, and consequently, the degree of economic development attained by a given people or during a given epoch. By laying the foundation upon which the state institutions, the legal conceptions, art, and even the ideas on religion, of the people concerned, have been evolved. Karl Marx discovered the special law of motion administering the present-day capitalist mode of production, and the bourgeois society that this mode of production has created. The unearthing of surplus value abruptly threw light on the problem, in trying to solve which all previous investigations, of both bourgeois economists and socialist critics, had been groping in the dark. Marx authentic mission in life was to contribute to the overthrow of capitalist society and of the state institutions, which it had brought into being, to contribute to the liberation of the modern proletariat.

Effects of the 2007-2009 Financial Crises on the Euro-zone Economies Research Paper

Effects of the 2007-2009 Financial Crises on the Euro-zone Economies - Research Paper Example The effects in the Eurozone began from the banking system to debt issues. Prior to the recession, people used to borrow money to the banks and the banks would offer this money at a very low lending rate citing the fact that the funds were readily available. Providing low lending rates was one of the blunders that the banking system carried out in the region. After the depression hit, people started maintaining their funds and stopped taking it to the banks since they had to utilize it. This was the onset of the crisis in Europe. Banks listed in the respective country’s stock markets made the general stock market get affected (Black, 2011, 67). The banks had to keep running and the only source of money that they had to utilize was the money saved by taxpayers. This led to the banks replenishing their resources to a point that they had debts owed to the taxpayers. The main economic variable shown from this is that of public borrowing. Contemporary days have seen banks borrowing money from different banks and if a condition goes to bad for a certain bank such that it is on the verge of bankruptcy, it ends up borrowing money from the public to save it. Ireland was the first nation in the Eurozone to undergo the recession. This happened between the second and third quarter of the year 2007. This was approximately a whole year prior to the recession catching on to the rest of Europe. The country registered a contraction in GDP measuring 1.5 per cent. Eurozone was one of the worst-hit regions by the recession that had hit the entire world. Economists have said that this is out of the ideologies presented by the member countries.  

Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Apple - Essay Example The  letters in PESTLE represent Political, Economic,  Socio-cultural, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. Political forces refer to the stability eminent in the political  environment as well as the attitudes of political movements or parties towards the organization. This manifests in government’s tax policies, or the government’s involvement in the form of trade in which the organization is involved. Political factors are intertwined with legal aspects, for example, trade  restrictions and regulations, national employment legislation, merger and monopoly rules, and consumer protection (Brookes & Palmer, 2004). The Apple Company, in 2005, made 52% of its sales outside of the United States (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012). The Apple Company possesses no control over its relations with other nations, mainly because of Americas war against Terror. Apple produces a large number of its products in foreign countries. This is inclusive of countries such as China, Czech Republic, Korea, and Ireland. Any form of political conflict with any of these nations will have a devast ating effect on the Apple Company. Once more, the Apple Company possesses no control over wars, failed public relations, or failed communication with corresponding nations to the United States. Economic factors refer to a wider economy and therefore, include levels of  unemployment and employment, economic growth rates, the costs of raw materials, inflation, and exchange rates. The economic depression of 2009 had a severe impact on the Apple sales as well as the growth and development of the company (Amb, Hair, & Mcdaniel, 2011). The Apple products were viewed as luxury products at that high inflation rate, when income was low, and the rate of unemployment had heightened. This caused the company’s product sales to drop drastically. However, since Apple had purchased foreign currency, when the dollar lost value, the corporation did not face economic breakdown. Actually, the decline

Exam 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Exam 1 - Essay Example Jill would likely claim damages and remedies for suffering ‘injury’ and damaged reputation following the employer’s concealment of some sections of the contract to her during recruitment. Additionally, she may claim damages for wrongful dismissal from the job; and her denial of benefits despite the purported validity of the contract. As an arbiter I would ask the employer to reinstate Jill from the date of dismissal with compensation entitlements for the time the employee has been away, but under new and clearer terms that would not be injurious to her morals and reputation as a staunch Christian. She would then withdraw the notice she had issued to the Justice Department. Usually, any monetary compensation is not applicable in her case because she served for less than six months. According to Palmer, if she brought the issue to the Federal Court, the judges would order the implementation of any of the two primary remedies for illegal termination of the employment contract (158): first, the two parties can either be ordered to honor the contract and perform what it entails in letter and spirit throughout the remaining period of the agreement or order the payment of damages to Jill for the injuries she has suffered. As a Federal Judge, I would not recommend the implementation of a specific performance of the employment agreement because a substantial amount of time may have elapsed between the period of the purported breach of the contract or dismissal and when the verdict of the Supreme Court is given. The Federal Court deliberates mainly on appeal cases, which may have lasted several years under lower jurisdictions. Â   Secondly, I would be unwilling to force the two parties to carry on their employment relationship when frosty ties may have already set in. For instance, Jill’s decision to contact the Justice Department following what she perceived to ‘unethical’ responsibilities bestowed upon her by the employer,

An application of McLuhan's theories to television Essay

An application of McLuhan's theories to television - Essay Example In Understanding Media McLuhan declared that the media are extensions of our senses or faculties. He looks into how each of the media are capable of rearranging our social lives even to the extent of depersonalization and absolute alienation. The Mechanical Bride asserted that the real significance of the media lay in their ability to modify human relationships and perception. Although Understanding Media was published as early as in 1964, McLuhan had predicted along with his famous theory of media as extensions that one day there could be the collectivization and corporatisation of all information. It has been rightly pointed out that the Internet is nothing but an extension of one's powers of cognition. We open the 'home page' of a person the moment we choose to think of him. Then we proceed to click on links if need be. The retrieval of information in good time from the vast store house of the human brain is the pioneer google! Of the many theories that McLuhan has propounded, that of hot and cool media has gathered a lot of attention, especially in the light of the advent of computers which defy McLuhan's classification in the sense that it can be both hot and cold or neither hot nor cold. Before one discusses the complexities involved in the issue, a brief look at what McLuhan actually said in Understanding Media (1964) would be handy: A hot m... Telephone is a cool medium, or one of low definition, because the ear is given a meager amount of information. And speech is a cool medium of low definition, because so little is given and so much has to be filled by the listener. On the other hand, hot media do not leave so much to be filled in or completed by the audience. Hot media are, therefore, low in participation, and cool media are high in participation or completion by the audience (23). Communication is an ever growing phenomenon and is commensurate with the ways by which societies evolve. Although one can say that the moon and the tide communicate it has more to do with natural phenomenon than communication; the ant that discovers a drop of honey locks antennae with another that comes its way, but this apparent act of empathic communication is, according to Edward O. Wilson, based purely on genetic programming1 and not on will (the ant cannot choose not to communicate); only man can choose not to communicate, to communicate and yet not communicate, to lie, to imagine. The spectrum of possibility is too numerous to enumerate. So, as long as it is a human being who is the Receiver of the Sender's (mass medium) message, what if the former treats the hot as cool and vice versa. What if the silence from the other end of the telephone is construed as an acceptance of one's invitation to romance What if the very heat of the medium in describing everything makes the viewer turn off his sense/sensibility saying the medium is not cool enough McLuhan's theory sounds original but not comprehensive. It seems to lack an attention to corollaries. McLuhan's other observations that complement the basic premise of hot and cool media are more illuminating. He says that a

Song Analysis Essay Example for Free

Song Analysis Essay I mean post the scene of the caper, Like a loc, with little Ceas in a choke (uh), Toting smoke, we aint no mother$#@*in joke, Thug Life, %;amp;@! *s better be known, Be approaching, In the wide open, gun smoking, No need for hoping, Its a battle lost, I gottem crossed as soon as the funk is bopping off, $%#^@, I hit em up [Outro 2Pac] Now you tell me who won, I see them, they run (ha ha), They dont wanna see us, Whole Junior Mafia clique, Dressing up trying to be us, How the #$%@ they gonna be the Mob? When we always on out job, We millionaires, Killing aint fair, But somebody got to do it. Oh yah Mobb Deep (uh), You wanna #$%@ with us, You Little young @%$ mother#$! ^ers, Dont one of you ? %#*@s got sickle-cell or something, Youre fucking with me, %^amp;@#? You #%?! around and catch a seizure or a heart-attack, You better back the #$%! Up, Before you get smacked the %amp;^@ up, This is how we do it on our side, Any of you %#! amp;@s from New York that want to bring it, Bring it. But we aint singing, We bringing drama, *;amp;^$ you and your mother %$*@ing mama. Were gonna kill all you mother ^($#ers. Now when I came out, I told you it was just about biggie. Then everybody had to open their mouth with a mother ? #@$ing opinion, Well this is how we gonna do this: ;amp;%#$ Mobb Deep, ;amp;%#$ Biggie, ;amp;%#$ Bad Boy as a staff, record label, and as a mother ;amp;%#$ing crew. And if you want to be down with Bad Boy, Then ;amp;%#$ you too. Chino XL, ;amp;%#$ you too. All you mother ;amp;%#$ers, ;amp;%#$ you too. (take money, take money) All of yall mother amp;%#$ers, amp;%#$ you, die slow motheramp;%#$er. My four four (. 44 magnum) make sure all your kids dont grow. You mother;amp;%#$ers cant be us or see us. We mother amp;%#$in Thug Life riders. West Side till we die. Out here in California, ! amp;%#$, We warned ya, Well bomb on you mother amp;%#$ers. We do our job. You think you the mob, %$? #@, we the motheramp;%#$in mob, Aint nothing but killers, And the real amp;%#! @s, all you motheramp;%#$ers feel us. Our $#! % goes triple and four quadruple, You ! amp;%#$s laugh cause our staff got guns under they mother;amp;%#$in belts, You know how it is and we drop records they felt, You ! amp;%#$s cant feel it, We the realist, ;amp;%#$ em. We Bad Boy killers.

The effects of corruption on the Nigerian economy

The effects of corruption on the Nigerian economy To evaluate the effects of corruption on the Nigerian economy, we utilise the estimated size of the hidden economy (a proxy for corruption) in effect to Nigerian economy growth, (Salisu, 2006). A MIMIC is a structural econometric model for estimating an equation in which the dependent variable is unobservable (latent). (Frey Weck-Hannemann, 1984) pioneered the use of MIMIC modelling in the context of the hidden economy. Since then, a number of other studies have employed this technique, (Aigner et al. 1986; Schneider 1997; Giles 1997, 1999; Tedds, 1998). It is a powerful technique for estimating the underground economy, as it allows for simultaneous interaction between multiple explanatory variables and multiple indicators of the hidden economy. The latent variable is linked, on the one hand, to a number of observable indicators (reflecting changes in the size of the unreported economy); and on the other hand to a set of observed causal variables, which are considered to be importan t determinants of the unreported economic activity. 4.4 Discussion of Empirical Results for Model Based on the reasoning we try to model the existence and the effect of corruption on Nigerian economy (FDI) based on the model by Johnson and Dahlstrom which depicts the picture of what we applying. The model is based on assumption that the bureaucrat has monopoly in providing government services that the MNE needs in order to operate in the host county,( Dahlstrom and Johnson, 2004): 4.4.1Equation 1 Corruption if: à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ c ( i) No corruption if: à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ Where à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ is an agents expected payoff from corruption and c is the expected cost. For corruption to take place à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ c for all involved agents. 4.4.2 Equation 2 Equation two below presents payoff functions for the two types of agents. Payoff for MNE à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡mne = ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬   ( ii) Payoff for bureaucrat à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡off = ÃŽÂ · Where ÃŽÂ ² is the probability that the bureaucrat indeed delivers the government service, à Ã¢â‚¬   signifies the value of that government service for the MNE and ÃŽÂ · signifies the size of the bribe. The payoff of corruption is simply the monetary value an agent can earn by realising the action. For an MNE the payoff of engaging in corruption could for example be the future cash flow connected to a building contract granted by the bureaucrat. For a bureaucrat the payoff of corruption is simply the size of the bribe (Dahlstrom and Johnson,2004). The probability variable ÃŽÂ ² has been discussed by (Shleifer and Vishny ,1993) among others and can be used to distinguish bribes from taxes. As discussed earlier, (Shleifer and Vishny, 1993) distinguish between centralised corruption where a single agent (bureaucrat) collects the bribe. Decentralised corruption implies that several individual bureaucrats can demand bribes. Therefore, even when having paid a bribe there is still a possibility that the MNE does not get access to the government service that it wants. This would force the MNE to pay yet another bribe to get the demanded service. Under a decentralised system of corruption it is more likely that additional bureaucrats would put up demands for bribes. This is one example of how corruption introduces an element of uncertainty for the MNE. For an economy where centralised corruption dominates we would expect ÃŽÂ ² to be close to one while decentralised corruption would imply a smaller value of ÃŽÂ ² (Dahlstrom and Johnson,2004). They went further citing that the cost of corruption for the bribed is normally the punishment that can be imposed on him if he is found guilty, while for the briber it is the expected cost of punishment as well as the size of the bribe that composes the cost. The culture in the host-country can be assumed to influence the willingness of the agents to engage in corrupt practices. In economies where corruption is frowned upon there should, ceteris paribus, exist less corruption than in an economy that accepts corruption. The general cost function shown in equation 3 below tries to take all of the above into account. 4.4.3 Equation 3 The general cost function cj= ((ÃŽÂ ´+ÃŽÂ ±)) p)+ ÃŽÂ · (iii) Where c j is the cost of the j:th bribe with j going from 1 to n, p signifies the perceived risk of being caught, the expected punishment is denoted ÃŽÂ ´, while ÃŽÂ ± represents the social cost of being revealed as engaging in corrupt behaviour and ÃŽÂ · is the monetary value of the bribe. For the bribed ÃŽÂ ·=0 while ÃŽÂ ·>0 for the briber. The social cost of corruption ÃŽÂ ± goes from to infinity where a low value signifies that corrupt behaviour is widely accepted and a high value signify a culture with a strong aversion against corruption. Similar cost components of corruption for the individuals can be found in (Sen,2002,). The risk of being caught is dependent on the effectiveness of the police as well as the legal system. (La Porta et al, 1999) argues that countries having common law are better protected against corruption since the legal system has stronger property rights. But the enforcement of the laws is of equal importance. Triesman, finds that is perhaps not only the use of common law that decreases the amount of corruption but also whether or not a country has been under British rule, thus having had a strong influence on the legal culture not only the legal system. By taking the first derivative of equation 3 with respect to ÃŽÂ ´ we get the sensitivity of punishment. As can be seen the punishment depicted in law is highly dependent on surveillance and enforcement to have a deterrent effect on corruption in a country. Many developing countries have all the laws and regulations demanded from the international society regarding corruption but suffer from a severe lack of enforcement of the l aws. Thus those laws have little effect besides working as cosmetics for an ugly economy in need of aid and trade relations with developed countries (Triesman,1999). 4.5 Social cost of corruption The social cost of corruption may be lower in countries with more hierarchal religions as Islam and Catholicism since it is less accepted to challenge those above you in the hierarchy than in religions such as Protestantism (Triesman, 1999). Furthermore, countries with hierarchical religions tend to have stronger family ties, than countries that practice Protestantism (Triesman, 1999) It can also be the case that in cultures where the distinction between the officials private and official power is less distinct bribery may have lower social costs. All these things tend to affect the social stigma attached to corruption thus increasing or decreasing the cost. According to (Dahlstrom and Johnson,2004) in order to develop the model we have to combine the cost and payoff functions described above in order to determine whether corruption takes place. We have rewritten equation 1 by incorporating equation 2 and 3 resulting in one set of equations for the MNE, Equation 4, and one set for the bureaucrat, Equation 5, below. 4.5.1Equation 4 MNE No corruption if: ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬   ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) -ÃŽÂ · Corruption if: ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬   ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) -ÃŽÂ ·Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0 (ii) Expected profit: à Ã¢â€š ¬MNE= ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬   ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) -ÃŽÂ · (iii) 4.5.2Equation 5 Bureaucrat No corruption if: ÃŽÂ ·- ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) Corruption if: ÃŽÂ · ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) ÃŽÂ ·Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0 Expected profit: à Ã¢â€š ¬off = ÃŽÂ ·- ((ÃŽÂ ´+ ÃŽÂ ±) p) (iii) They went further, using 4.i and 5.i to solve for the expected profit of corruption for the MNE yields ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  =2 ÃŽÂ ·. This is only valid if we assume that all of the cost variables ÃŽÂ ´,ÃŽÂ ±, p are identical for both the MNE and the bureaucrat. This is a strong assumption since both the fines as well as the social cost probably are higher for the MNE than for the bureaucrat. If we assume that the value of the bribe, ÃŽÂ ·, is the reservation price for the bureaucrat due to the fact that the MNE has more bargaining power. 4.5.3Equation 6 Equation 6 below show the total monetary value of the bribes paid in an economy. This could be seen as the actual cost for the economy when we disregard the uncertainty of corruption. This uncertainty comes in two shapes, the one of getting caught and the one of fulfilling ones obligation. If the service would have been delivered as a tax service equation 6 would equal the tax cost the MNE would have paid. n Total monetary value of corruption (6) V= ÃŽÂ £v j 1 Where is the monetary value of the j:th bribe with j going from 1 to n, with n being the number of transactions where it may be possible to offer a bribe, vj = ÃŽÂ ·j if both 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ ÃŽÂ ² j -((ÃŽÂ ´ j + ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j) ÃŽÂ · j -(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j for all other cases vj=0 . In a developing economy n can be assumed to be higher under decentralised corruption than under centralised corruption since there are probably a greater number of different bureaucrats that demand bribes in the former case than in the latter. 4.5.4 Equation 7 Equation 7 below gives an account for the total cost of corruption that MNEs experience in a country. Here we include the cost of uncertainty unlike equation 6. n Total corruption cost for the MNE (7) CMNE = ÃŽÂ £ c j 1 Where cj is the expected cost of the j:th bribe with cj=(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j )+ ÃŽÂ ·j if both 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ² j à Ã¢â‚¬  j ((ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j ) ÃŽÂ ·j and 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ ÃŽÂ ·j(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j . If 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ² j à Ã¢â‚¬  j ((ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j ) ÃŽÂ ·j but 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ ÃŽÂ ·j(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j then cj=(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j ) but for all other cases cj=0 Cost of corruption for the MNE IF à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡off à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ c off then official chooses corruption IF à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ off then official chooses no corruption IF à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ CMNE then MNE chooses corruption cj=(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j )+ ÃŽÂ ·j cj=(ÃŽÂ ´ j+ ÃŽÂ ± j)* p j IF à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ MNE then MNE chooses no corruption 0 0 (Source: Dahlstrom and Johnson,2004) It is evident from the above equations 6 and 7 that, i.e. the actual cost of corruption for the MNE is greater than just the size of the bribe thus it would have been less costly for the MNE to invest in a country where the services would have been supplied as a tax service. Further corruption as opposed to a tax does not benefit the government but the individual bureaucrat. The tax income could, if used efficiently by the government, promote growth of direct investment through increasing the stock of human capital or improving market economy institutions. This tax income could also be used to combat corruption through the legal system or by raising the salaries of the government officials. But for taxes to be less damaging than corruption this does not have to be the case. The only necessary condition is that there is less uncertainty involved. Furthermore, companies seldom have the choice whether to pay tax or not so the corruption cost will be something that has to be paid in addition to taxes, ( Dahlstrom and Johnson,2004). 4. 6 Effect of the host country corruption from the analysis The resulting effect of host-country corruption is that the actual cost of conducting business activities in the country is higher than what could be expected based on observable costs such as wages or transport costs. Based on this reasoning, corruption gives rise to extra costs that the MNE has to operate in the host-economy. If MNE presence does reduce corruption while corruption has a negative effect on FDI there might exist virtuous or vicious circles. If there is little FDI in a country the corruption stays high which discourages the MNE to invest, thus decreasing the FDI. Here we have a vicious circle but the opposite is also possible. If an MNE invests in a country the corruption decreases this further improves the incentives for future investments. If one also assumes that both FDI and low corruption encourages growth the country who finds itself in a virtuous circle will have a much higher probability of development than one that finds itself in a vicious circle. We now proceed to try to develop an expression that describes the effect of host country bureaucratic corruption on FDI inflows. We start by introducing a profit function for the MNE: à Ã¢â€š ¬(à Ã‚ ,w,ņ¹)= max { à Ã‚ y c(w,y, CMNE ) where p indicates the world market price of the output y of the MNE, w is the cost of production factors and CMNE represents the MNE cost of corruption as earlier Use of the expression py implies that demand for the good in the host country is too small to have an effect on the price that the MNE receives for its output. This assumption is most suitable for an export-platform type of FDI as described in (Ekholm et al, 2003) where the MNE production in the host-country is exported to third country markets. This type of FDI is most likely to appear in developing economies where small domestic markets exclude market-seeking motivated FDI but with low labour costs. This implies that the profit function is most suitable for MNEs that operate in developing economies. It might be argued that the MNE only starts production in the host country if the expected profit from doing so is larger than some minimum level of profits: E(à Ã¢â€š ¬)=[ E(p)E(y) -c(E(w),E (y),E(CMNE ))] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ E(à Ã¢â€š ¬) where à Ã¢â€š ¬ is the minimum profit necessary for entry. Therefore, a rise in CMNE, the costs caused by corruption, should decrease the amount of FDI inflows that a host-country receives. It is also possible that MNEs that are already established in the host country decide to close down facilities if the costs of corruption become too high. (Cuervo-Cazurra , 2006) Although corruption has a negative impact on FDI because of the additional uncertainty and costs, such costs vary depending on the country of origin of the FDI. With respect to this topic, more FDI is gotten from OECD countries which are the rationale behind a corrupt country like Nigeria decreasing the quantity of its inward FDI because of the costs which the foreign MNC will have to incur to establish business in Nigeria. So therefore results show that the relationship between corruption and FDI is modified by the country of origin of the FDI.

Type A Personality Implications with Stress Related Illness

Type A Personality Implications with Stress Related Illness VULNERABILITY OF TYPE A PERSONALITY  TO STRESS-RELATED ILLNESSES  DUE TO THEIR ERRATIC PERSONA Angelica Marie C. Jarabe Outline Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Introduction â€Å"It’s not the stress that kills us; it our reaction to it.† – Hans Selye. Stress is inevitable part of our existence. The self-imposing reaction of our body and mental capacity to different situations, events, and even in our environment is also cause by our different dominant behaviour or so called â€Å"persona.† It is the one that affects our way of coping and perceiving stress. Stress sometimes consumes our inner ability to grasp the essence of living. We feel stress when we get bogged down by problems, deadlines, realistic desires, and uncontrollable events on our lives. They say that it is our choice on how we response to those circumstances. Sometimes we either take it as a negative or positive but the truth is it is natural mechanism of our body. According to a book entitled Introduction to Psychology (Aguire, 2008), â€Å"stress may be the difficult word to define†. It is because we have different way of responding in such circumstances when people experience stress. This response is based on person’s perception and evaluation of oneself to the nature of events. The differences of the way we respond to a situation are cause by our personality. Higher risk of illnesses can be linked with one of the type of personality which so called Type A personality. Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Discussion One of the factors that contribute to the development of chronic diseases and illness is being linked by our repetitive pattern of behaviour and our unique personality. Our personality defined as our pure and total makeup of ourselves which includes thoughts, habits, attitudes, weaknesses, strengths, and deepest fears. (Nevid, Rathus Greene, 2000, p.158) Sometimes we feel and considered that stress is brought by some changes in our environment. In fact, even we are the major contributor of stress. Based on what I found, psychologist stated that people carries a lot of destructive thoughts and unreasonable beliefs which afflicted our normal living. (Morris Maisto, 2006, p. 359) Some features of our unique makeup can have positive and negative effects to our health. A person being optimistic and appreciative can impose a positive effect to one’s health. They tend to see the good things even in worse situation. As a result, they are capable to strive and have a positive outlook in life. Others manifest challenging situation as a negative part of their success. Those personalities being engage to certain erratic persona are so called Type A personality increases the effects of major stress-related health problems. (Morris Maisto, 2006, p. 359) I found out that there are some findings that relate stress to certain illnesses like coronary heart disease, headaches, hypertension and even cancer. (Aguirre, 2008, p. ) Based on observation in 1950 carried out by the two cardiologists Friedman and Rosenman, who are trying to found out the relation of personality to heart disease, those patients who are short-tempered and easily irritated has a higher risk of developing heart disease. This brought to a theory which accompany as a certain type of behaviour – Type A behaviour pattern (TABP). (Saul McLeod, 2011). According to my gathered data, these are the following facet of Type A personality: Ambitious – Type A individual are driven to compete and has a critical evaluation of oneself in terms of achievement and success. They tend to complicate certain situations and being doubt by their irrational beliefs. Time-consciousness – They always set their priorities and task with a timeframe and deadlines. Most frequently, they easily irritated if they encountered certain delays and tight schedule situations. Because of that, they tend to be in a hurry and simultaneously do their work. Aggressive – This is the most dominant behaviour characterized by Type A personality. Due to certain negative perception of any situation they often feel frustrated and angry. This shows direct relation to the development of heart disease. (Adapted from Saul McLeod, 2011) These are the following criteria to test if a person possesses a trait of Type A personality: Usually feel guilty if they used their spare time to relax and do nothing for few days. Competitive in different ways and not being content within themselves. Do their work more than at a time. Move, eat and walk quickly Prefer to read concise concepts rather than the whole content of the book. Lose patience and irritated if they encountered delays, traffic, and unfortunate events. Tend to evaluate their achievement and success by quantities. Make different gestures like fingers drumming, teeth grinding and fist pounding. Things must be done in certain set of time. Over think of their problems even when they doing something or talking to someone. (As cited in Coon, 2006, p. 443) According to Rathus (2007), â€Å"Many health problems are affected by psychological factors, such as attitudes, emotions, and behaviour.† These are the following serious health problems that also being linked to Type A behaviour Pattern: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) – As cited in Rathus (2007), â€Å"It is the leading cause of death in United States.† It is characterized as by the decreasing of supply of oxygen in the heart and result to hardening of arteries (arthrosclerosis). I found that the incidence of having this disease is also cause by our attitudes and emotions to certain situation in life. Severe stress and negative emotional response has a huge impact to our immune system. Based on a research conducted in people with Type A personality, found out that the dominant behaviour which is hostility contribute to the increase of blood pressure in the body, high cholesterol level and clogging of arteries which may be a serious threat to their health. (Rathus, 2007, p. 388) Headaches – According to one study I found, about 53% people are susceptible to migraine headaches showed a Type A behaviour pattern. This throbbing pain of head can be triggered by some psychological factors like anxiety, depression and exposed to extreme stressful conditions. (Rathus, 2007, p. 386) Cancer – Based on my researches, there is no direct evidence that stress can cause cancer. However, stress weakens our immune system and can cause various changes in the functioning of other system in the body. One study conducted to show the effects of emotional stress to the development of cancer cells. The condition of producing and spreading of cancer cells happen in the stage called â€Å"metastasis†. Based on the laboratory results conducted to mice and human which are subjected with cancer. When they are under influence of stress their system produce a hormone called norepinephrine. Thus, that hormone will boost the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body. (â€Å"Psychological†, 2002) Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work.

Smart Growth Initiative in the Face of NJ Landscape Change Essay

Smart Growth Initiative in the Face of NJ Landscape Change The face of the American landscape has undergone a period of fantastic change in recent decades. With an expanding population and innumerable opportunities for economic and physical growth, urban centers and sprawling suburbs have pushed farther and farther into outlying areas causing pressures and development on previously untouched, natural lands. New Jersey has become, in many ways, the focus in dealing with issues of sprawl and development within its relatively small space. The most densely populated state in the nation, New Jersey often acts as a predecessor in both having and dealing with issues of environmental concern and/or damage. Within the past ten years, the issue of urban/suburban "sprawl" has become an issue of much concern among professional and private citizens alike. Characterized by unplanned and unchecked growth outward from urban core areas, sprawl becomes such a concern as it has reshaped the face of the American environmental landscape by fragmenting wild habit ats, overutilizing existing water resources, and building mile after mile of "McMansion" homes on very large tracts of land. The construction of this suburban landscape does not, however, come without a cost to the surrounding environment. To build homes with large areas of fenced in property, open space and natural areas must be tapped utilized to feed the strong market. While some would say that it is not the market fueling the various associations of homebuilders but instead the reverse reaction, neither this, nor the other is of significant concern when attempting to address the physical impacts that this sprawling "suburban-side" has on natural habitats. In the National Associatio... ...opment that present citizens, public and private alike, can help to shape and manage sprawl and growth constructively to help preserve much of the remaining beauty and natural resources that this state affords. Referenced Data "1997 Natural Resources Inventory" Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/index/nri97maps.html Hasse, John & Lathrop, Richard. "New Jersey Landscape Change Research" Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis. http://www.crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc "Land Use/Land Cover Data for 1986-1995" New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis Database "Smart Growth Report: Building Better Places to Live, Work, and Play" National Association of Home Builders. http://www.nahb.com/main_features/smart.pdf

THE BLACK DEATH Essay -- essays research papers

The Bubonic Plague, more commonly referred to as the "Black Death," ravaged Europe between the years 1347 and 1350. During this short period, 25 million people, one third of Europe's population at the time, were killed. Thousands of people died each week and dead bodies littered the streets. Once a family member had contracted the disease, the entire household was doomed to die. Parents abandoned their children, and parent-less children roamed the streets in search for food. Victims, delirious with pain, often lost their sanity. Life was in total chaos. The Plague was a disaster without a parallel, causing dramatic changes in medieval Europe. Coming out of the East, the Black Death reached the shores of Italy in the spring of 1348 unleashing a rampage of death across Europe unprecedented in recorded history. By the time the epidemic played itself out three years later, anywhere between 25% and 50% of Europe's population had fallen victim to the pestilence. Primarily fleas and rats transmitted the Black Death. The stomachs of the fleas were infected with bacteria known as Y. Pestis. The bacteria would block the "throat" of an infected flea so that no blood could reach its stomach, and it grew ravenous since it was starving to death. It would attempt to suck up blood from its victim, only to disgorge it back into its prey's bloodstreams. The blood it injected back, however, was now mixed with Y. Pestis. Infected fleas infected rats in this fashion, and t...

Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

In the summer of 1850 Melville purchased an eighteenth-century farmhouse in the community of Pittsfield in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Berkshire was then home to a number of prominent literary figures such as Fanny Kemble, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and, in Lenox, less than six miles from Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne. The two authors met for the first time in Stockbridge on August 5, 1850, on a picnic excursion hosted by David Dudley Field. Hawthorne was forty-six and was familiar with at least a portion of Melville's work, having favorably reviewed Typee in the Salem Advertiser (March 25, 1846); Melville was thirty-one and had just written or was about to write an exceedingly warm and enthusiastic piece on Hawthorne's Mosses From an Old Manse, a copy of which had been given to him by an aunt a few weeks before. Early in the course of the excursion, a sudden thunderstorm forced the party to take shelter, giving Melville and Hawthorne an opportunity to become better acquainted. The two men took to each other at once, and as their conversation continued were delighted to discover a growing bond of mutual sympathy and comprehension. Two days later Hawthorne wrote to a friend "I liked Melville so much that I have asked him to spend a few days with me." This would be the first of a series of visits, supplemented by written correspondence, that would continue until the gradual cooling off of the friendship late in 1852. In the beginning the relationship was a great source of comfort and intellectual stimulation to Melville, who believed he had finally found the soul mate for whom he had been yearning. As Sophia Hawthorne observed, "Mr. Melville, generally silent and uncommunicative, pours out the rich floods of his mind and experience to [Nathaniel Hawthorne], so sure of apprehension, so sure of a large and generous interpretation, and of the most delicate and fine judgment." Hawthorne's influence, in fact, is credited as the prime catalyst behind Melville's decision to transform what originally seems to have been a light-hearted whaling adventure into the dramatic masterpiece that is arguably the greatest American novel of all time. In August of 1852 Melville wrote to Hawthorne about the true story of a New England woman who had taken in and married a shipwrecked sailor only to be abandoned by him. "The Story of Agatha", Melville thought, would be a perfect subject for the application of Hawthorne's talents; the older man, however, felt little enthusiasm for the project and after a few desultory attempts suggested that Melville write the story himself.

Marketing and Citibank Essay

ACKNOWLEDGMENT Alhamdulillah, first of all i would like to thank God as finally I was able to finish my assignment that have been given by Marketing lecturer to me. Besides that, not forget also a to my friends Muhammad Kharusani because without his guide me assignment cannot be done properly like this. He always gives supports and guide to me how to do the assignment in purpose to produce a good outcome from research that been studied. Credits also are given to friends class HND1B which help each other to complete this task. Topic that been given by me are regarding concept and process of marketing citibank company. Finally, thank to our beloved friend that always stick together and also work hard to produce a good assignment with all afford and responsibility. Hope that all the effort will give a lot of benefits to me . Not forget also for those who help me complete this assignment direct or indirectly. ABOUT CITIBANK Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York. As of March 2010, Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States by total assets, after Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. Citibank has retail banking operations in more than 160 countries and territories around the world. More than half of its 1,400 offices are in the United States, mostly in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Miami. More recently, Citibank has expanded its operations in the Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, and Dallas metropolitan areas. In addition to the standard banking transactions, Citibank offers insurance, credit cards and investment products. Their online services division is among the most successful in the field, citation needed claiming about 15 million users. As a result of the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and huge losses in the value of its subprime mortgage assets, Citibank was rescued by the U.S. government under plans agreed for Citigroup. On November 23, 2008, in addition to initial aid of $25 billion, a further $25 billion was invested in the corporation together with guarantees for risky assets amounting to $306 billion. Since this time, Citibank has repaid its government loans in full. Q1. Present two definitions of marketing and compare both definitions. Provide relevant examples which relate to Citibank case study. Based on Philip kotler definition, Marketing is a social and managerial process whereby individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. In other words, customer will exchange what their value (e.g money), only if their want is met. Based on my opinion, Philip kotler saying that people change what they want is to gain profit and use their valuable item to change it. In daily life also, we need to satisfy our demand by used exchanging process otherwise we cannot improve in a way of how we live. In wanting to possess such a product, we have to pay a price (cost). Hence, in making a decision to purchase an item, the customer will consider both the value and the price. After we have decided on the product, it can then be procured via the process of exchange or transactions. Based on Citigroup, they are using this strategy to satisfy their customer needs and wants. Based on Rochelle Rucker, Citibank faced a few problems to initiate manual fund problems. When they want to send money from their accounts, they call their banker and then fax, phone or mail in requests to have the transaction processed. Because the process was so complicated, customers complained. Most of the complaints lodged with the department dealt with the time it took to complete the process. So, in order to overcome this problem, Citibank use six sigma program methods to solve it. Six Sigma is a business management strategy seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Six sigma used a simple method which is Pareto chart. This chart gives data which has the highest problem occur most often. A team composed of bankers and operations people identified the entire funds transfer process, tabulating defects and analyzing them using a Pareto chart. One of the methods is using internal call-back procedure, which required staff to call the person requesting the funds transfer to make sure that the instructions were correct and hadn’t been altered. So in this way, Citibank can ensure that their customer has no problem and problem solved. By using this six sigma method Citibank strives for perfect processes to satisfy customer. In Citibank Malaysia, they have proved their commitment for their customer and community live. A large aspect of Citibank’s corporate citizenship in Malaysia focuses on helping people of all ages better understand and practise financial management. In 2010, Citibank Foundation allocated grants totalling USD208,000 for their community-based projects. They have worked with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and invited a new collaboration with ERA Consumer Malaysia to launch the second season of the â€Å"Stretching Your Ringgit† program on TV1, TV2 and Radio RTM. The initiative followed encouraging survey findings that showed more than 70% of Malaysians polled realised the importance of financial management, especially those in the low-middle income bracket. According to American Marketing Association Board of Directors Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customer s, clients, partners, and society at large. In this case, AMA said that marketing occur when both of the company involve when there is activity among them. Citibank use the same concept which they provide services to their customer to save the money and make it easier. Citibank also provide bank loan, Credit card, Deposits, Investment, Citigold which gives benefit to customer. Citibank also use communicating to contact with their customer to provide services or solving problem. Citibank provide services to customer which can give both benefit. for example Citibank provide bank loan and this can reduce burden for people which has low income. As for the Citibank also, they make interest for those who borrow bank loan and this will give benefit to the firm. Both of definition gives the same meaning in different way. Philip kotler emphasize of the customer needs and wants. We can say Citibank really care about their customer so they will try the best to overcome any problem that customer faced. In india Citibank care their customer, this can be shown by their customer â€Å"I can safely say that Citi provides the best card services for India, which is why most of my spend is on Citi and I recommend it to my friends. A lot of the success is the result of having passionate, committed, service oriented people like Manish. My kudos to him†. (J sajeev, 2011).American Marketing Association which more to creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society. The difference between this concept is AMA is more to set of activity which no related to customer needs and wants. Citibank satisfy their customer and this is the key of how Citibank more success than the others banker in Malaysia. Compare to Maybank Malaysia, Citibank is much older than the others banker in Malaysia. We can say that Citibank is more experience in handling money. Q2. Identify at least three main characteristics of a marketing-oriented organization of Citibank case study and provide an examples for each characteristic. What is marketing orientation? Marketing orientation is a philosophy focused on discovering and meeting the needs and desires of its customers through its product mix. Unlike past marketing strategies that concentrated on establishing selling points for existing products, market orientation works in reverse, attempting to tailor products to meet the demands of customers. In essence, market orientation can be thought of as a coordinated marketing campaign between a company and its customers. Nowadays, business firm use this concept to make their customer stick with their product. We can say that the idea that companies can create a product and sell its features to an eager buying public is no longer concrete. With an increasingly global economy and more and more choices for consumers, companies must be willing to adapt their mark et orientation to stay competitive. Based on my opinion, nowadays in Malaysia, we can see a lot of bank is available. So the competition becomes higher than before. In order to attract more people to use their services, Citibank has to adapt with current situation. Citibank use marketing oriented business to identifying customer, consumer needs and wants. In Malaysia, Citibank provide Islamic banking way to satisfy their customer. By using PEST analysis, we can say that Malaysian people are majority muslim and the idea of Citibank to provide Islamic banking which satisfy customer are brilliant. So people can enjoy with low interest rates given. Citibank in Malaysia facing a problem regarding high interest rate offered, so they make a research and develop a new system which enable customer use their Islamic banking. Another services that they provide is Citibank Guard Savings is The first savings account in Malaysia that’s enhanced with free Takaful coverage against critical illness. Citibank Home i Partner provide Capped Rate, Flexible Payment and Daily Calculation, Citibank Checking Account I is a system provided by checking account that honours the Islamic banking principle of guaranteed safe custody approved by the Shariah body. Based on the services provided by Citibank, we can conclude that Citibank care about their customer needs and develop a new system according to community lived. Just like the others bank, Citibank online will make all the transactions become much easier as customer can save valuable time and money. No more hassles with long queues, parking and travelling. As we can see, Citibank developing products to meet customer needs and wants. So they come out with product and services which give benefit to their customer Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. So this is basic need in any of bank in Malaysia. What is the differences between Citibank and the other bank? So let’s take an example of Citibank ready card. Citibank Ready Credit is an Unsecured Personal Overdraft with Checking Facility that allows you to access cash easily in any amount in excess of your credit balance up to the approved overdraft limit. With ready card, we can access our balance in credit card even if the amount has exceeds the limits. As a fact, Maybank did not have their owned ready card. Citibank ready card is benefit to their customer as it is convenient to pay, pay for amount that we use. Another characteristic of a marketing oriented business is making the product is available to customer at a righ t time and place. We already know about product and services of Citibank as Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. Let’s take an example of Credit cards, before this Citibank only produced normal credit for their customer only. But now, Citibank produced a new credit card Citibank at work. Citibank at Work takes Citibank’s world-class consumer banking products and services right to the doorstep of employees at their workplace. Apart from enjoying customized privileges across a wide range of products including banking accounts, credit cards, loans, deposits and insurance on-site, employees of these companies also have access to financial seminars and lifestyle events, tailored to their specific profiles and needs. By using Citibank at work, business company can do their job efficiently as they have their own business credit card. Q3. Explain four elements of the marketing concept and relate your answer with Citibank case study. FOUR ELEMENTS OF MARKETING ORIENTED ORGANIZATION Production Concept is a concept where goods are produced without taking into consideration the choices or tastes of your customers. It is one of the earliest marketing concepts where goods were just produced on the belief that they will be sold because consumers need them. It holds that customers will prefer products that are widely available and inexpensive. Manager focusing on this concept concentrate on achieving high production efficiency, low cost, and mass distribution. From my opinion, production concept emphasize on distribution of product. This type of concept are easier to use. Based on the case study, Citibank provided more credit card for their customer. Each customer could have more than one credit card. Product Concept holds that consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Managers focusing on this concept concentrate on making superior products and improving them over time. They assume that buyers admire well-made products and can appraise quality and performance. However, these managers are sometimes caught up in a love affair with their product and do not realize what the market needs. Related to the case study, Citibank improved their product to satisfy customer need. Before this, customer got problem to use their credit card where credit card can be used for loan only. But after an improvement, Citibank come out with Citibank Premier Miles card, Platinum, Citi business, Air-Asia Citibank gold. Next elements use is selling concept. It holds that consumers and businesses if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the selling company’s product. Selling concept also is an idea in marketing that if customers are left to themselves, they will not make the effort to buy a company’s products. Therefore, it dictates, companies must be aggressive in pushing their sales. Based on my opinion, if company want to sell their product by using selling concept, they have to be aggressive in promoting their product. Not like the older ways where they promote their product by using agents. As for the Citibank case study, nowadays they advertise their product through internet and media more efficiently. Marketing concept is a business philosophy that combines above three business orientation. It holds that the key to achieving it’s organizational goals consists of company being more effective than competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating customer value to it’s selected target customers. These three philosophies are the product, selling, and marketing philosophies. Even though each philosophy has a particular time when it was dominant, a philosophy did not die with the end of its era of dominance. In fact, all three philosophies are being used today. The best way to meet the organization’s goals is also by meeting customer needs and wants. The marketing concept’s emphasis is to understand the customers before designing and producing a product for them. With the customer’s wants and needs incorporated into the design and manufacture of the product, sales and profit goals are far more likely to be met. What are Citibank do to satisfy their customer needs based on marketing concept is they make swot analysis to know what can be done to attract more customer in Citibank. Citibank (2009) has mention that their customers can have their banking activities in the Islamic principles. This not only able attracts more customer but Citibank are show that they understand their customer need in the daily banking activities. This principle have apply in Citibank branch in Malaysia. â€Å"What are the reasons behind the recent growth in Islamic finance? One is the strong demand from a large number of immigrant and non immigrant Muslims for Sharia-compliant financial services and transactions.† (Low chee hua, 2010) In order to compete in the rising of the demand of Islamic Banking, Citibank has introduced the Islamic Banking to their customers. So basically, marketing concept is satisfy customer problem and solved it by looking of what customer need. The societal marketing concept was an offshoot of the marketing concept wherein an organization believes in giving back to the society by producing better products targeted towards society welfare. Some have questioned whether the marketing concept is an appropriate philosophy in an age of environmental deterioration, resource shortages, explosive population growth, world hunger and poverty, and neglected social services. The marketing concept possibily sidesteps the potential conflicts among consumer wants. Citibank also take part in their societal marketing. Citibank became a major sponsor of the Sydney Swans in 2005, who is play in the AFL. The marketing concept is about matching a company’s capabilities with customer wants. This matching process takes place in what is called the marketing environment. Businesses do not undertake marketing activities alone. They face threats from competitors, and changes in the political, economic, social and technological environment. All these factors have to be taken into account as a business tries to match its capabilities with the needs and wants of its target customers. An organisation that adopts the marketing concept accepts the needs of potential customers as the basis for its operations. Success is dependent on satisfying customer needs. So basically, Citibank use marketing concept to attract more customer to use their services. One of the techniques used is credit card promotion such as Instant Rewards at Shell, Domino’s pizza, Samsung S3, Asia web direct. Before this, if customer wants to pay bill or loan they have to go to Citibank. But nowadays, they upgrade their system to online banking so that customer can pay instantly and reduce waste time. Q4. Provide an indication of the likely costs and benefits to Citibank case study in adapting a marketing approach. In Citibank, there are many advantages and disadvantages of a marketing approach. Customer Satisfaction In customer satisfaction, it refers to which a product’s perceived performance matches a buyer’s expectation. It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. We can see based on their services of Citibank do for their customer. In Malaysia, Even the Citibank atm machine is less than the other bank, but their services to customer is good. Citibank will try their best to solve problem of customer credit card so that they will not lose their customer. Customer Care Customer care is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner. The term is used in place of complaint handling due to its positive focus, and is a reminder that customer satisfaction is a priority. Related to Citibank case study, they care about their customer. we can see that Citibank provide customer services so they will know any problem of customer faced. There is a few customer having problem regarding Citibank delay card. As banks are losing their customer fast, they are coming up with different strategies to retain their customers. ‘When/where was the last time you made the transaction with the card?’; I told him I don’t remember anymore since I have a few cards and I have not been using Citibank Card for a while. He insisted me to answer that question before he can proceed, and I insisted I that I don’t remember and suggested him to ask another verification question†. (Kclau, 2010) Quality of services and products. In company, they must have their own quality of services and products. It is designed to constantly improve the quality of their products, services and marketing concept. In Citibank, their main objective at Citibank is to provide reliable and quality services to our customers. Our customer service policy has the overall aim of ensuring that our customers are provided with services which are reliable and best suited to their needs. They have to manage and ensure that quality control standards for services are met. Citibank also have online credit card services so they can login anytime, anywhere to view their account details and activities. DISADVANTAGES OF CITIBANK There is one reason and one reason only that it’s so easy to get a store credit card: they are confident that they will make money off of customer purchase. The interest charged on store cards, as compared to bank credit cards, is at least several percentage points higher and often as much as 10-15% higher. As well, annual fees or sign-up fees may run twice as much as those of standard credit cards. Means that, Citibank charged is higher than the other banks in Malaysia, so that’s why only businessman use Citibank. It involved high cost in retaining the customers. And also, the target market for Citibank is higher because they only target their customer on businessman. CONCLUSION As overall conclusion, Citibank is one of the multinational companies that successful in online based financial institution that operate in Malaysia. Citibank able to understand the culture of local citizen (promo Islamic Banking Services), able to gain their market share by solved the geographical problem (online banking services), able to cost cutting by promo the online banking culture to their customer, and able to compete with the local financial institution. We know that Citibank is really cares about their customer and try their best to satisfy customer needs and wants. Based on this concept of marketing, Citibank now are well known in all around the world. Although it is a foreign company but Citibank is a good model to local financial institution to learn their strategies to increase their competitive capability to compete in the global market.

Walt Whitman Poetic Devices

Poetic Devices Walt Whitman: Parallel Structure – In â€Å"I Hear America Singing† lines 2-8 are the best examples of Parallel Structure. Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutter’s song, the plowboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Free Verse – Free verse is a poem that is written without any type of rhyme in it and â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider† is a perfect example.It doesn’t rhyme, but to make the poem make sense he uses repetition, metaphor, all iteration and personification. Apostrophe – An example of apostrophe in â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider† was when the narrator addresses his soul. Mood – in the beginning mood of the poem â€Å"When I Heard the Learned Astronomer† was kind of tired and sick. But in the second part of the poem his mood changes it to kind of romantic. Catalog – Catalog is like to make a list, and Whitman makes a list of worker like carpenter, mason, wood maker, etc. in the poem â€Å"I hear America Singing†

American Jail Systems

The American jail system is said to be one of the most overcrowded in the world something that hampers the rehabilitation process of the offenders. Due to this fact, managing jails have become an uphill task. The American government in trying to make these systems to be effective has come up with a plan of building more prisons and jails but this has also proved to be ineffective. For this reason, this system incarcerating offenders has greatly been criticized. It is nit the best way of controlling crime infact, there is not any evidence that proves that is so.Because of this it should be replaced with other alternative methods such as community service, parole, death penalty and putting them in rehabilitation institutions such as probation schools. According to a report that was released by the Bureau for Justice Statistics revealed that in US, the number of prisoners has almost doubled recently and this has been witnessed even in the past period. For example in 1996, there was an i ncrease in the number of inmates in United States by 55,900 criminals and by the end of that year; the carrying capacity was already exceeded by 16-24 percent.The most affected prisons were the federal ones which had a 25 percent increase of inmates. Today despite the fact that the US government has constructed more and more prisons the problem still persists as the jails are still overcrowded. There are dangers that are associated with overcrowding and some of these are; escape attempts increase, the states’ budget is further strained, the prisons become understaffed this is because the inmates – staff ratio goes down as the number of prisoners outdo that of the staff.Overcrowding in prisons leads to the release of unhabilitated dangerous criminals before their due period is over. This causes these criminals to turn to be recidivists for they are released before they have completed their jail term. (Romano J. 1991) This problem has a domino effect on other government sectors for example the tax payers become overburdened with taxes so that the government can meet the need of those imprisoned though they are considered as social misfits and yet this money could be used in other sectors that of the government that are in dire need of financial assistance.These are institutions such as hospitals, schools, libraries and parks that are in dire need of assistance. The government spends a lot of money in building more jails in an effort to address the issue of overcrowding for example in 1992 it spent 94 US Dollars on civil and criminal justice. (Cornell, G. December 1, 1990) This domino effect results because when overcrowding becomes a common thing, the effectiveness in correcting the behaviors of the offenders goes down. Many people repeat the same mistakes and end up in the same jails.This tends to overburdening of the prosecutors, juries, public defendants and other support agencies. The overburdening of cases leads results to commitment of seriou s mistakes in the judicial execution process something that causes dissatisfaction, anger and tension to the citizens. In turn, this results to them committing even more crimes. The overcrowding problem in the uni9ted States is caused by the high rate of recidivism which is caused by ineffectiveness of the jail systems. There are various correctional methods that if used then 5the rate of recidivism would scaled down.This could be achieved if and only if the issue of overcrowding is properly addressed and this cannot be solved by building more prisons and jails as this has already proved not to be effective in the past. The best way forward is to use other alternative correctional methods such as community service, fines, parole, counseling the offenders, use of more harsh punishments and finally use of capital sentence punishment rather than life sentence. I believe the future of reforming criminals lies with other alternative methods but not in incarcerations.One effective method that should be used is assigning offenders to the community service. If some of the offenders who are taken to the prisons and yet they have not committed some serious crimes are given some work to do in the society, the rate of overcrowding in the prisons would be reduced. This is based on the fact that some offenders who are convicted with very minor charges end up in jails and that is why in US today there are about two million people in jails and this number keeps increasing.By assigning offenders to community service will not only help the government in resolving the problem of overcrowding but will also help in cutting the cost it spends on hiring people to work in hospitals, cleaning streets and slashing grass on the compound. This would be beneficial in that these offenders would do that work there by helping the government to save some money. Another method is use of parole. This is a system where by the first offenders who are convicted of committing small mistakes instead of them being jailed, they are released on condition that they would not repeat the same mistakes.Though they are released they are closely monitored by the government officials who are assigned to them just to monitor their moves. If it is noted that they are not keeping the promise, then they should be arrested and imprisoned. (Marek M. K. 2004). The other method that should be used as an alternative method to incarceration would be the use of capital sentence as opposed to the current system of life sentence. Most states in the United States do not advocate for capital sentence but if other methods have proved not to be ineffective then it should be used as the last option.The prison statutes should be amended to allow die hard criminals such as robbers, rapists, murders and terrorists to be executed. If this is implemented then the current stalemate would be solved for once and for all. Se of death sentence would be like killing two birds with one stone at the same time as the government would cut the cost that it spends on maintaining these prisoners would be reduced. Still another method that should be used as an alternative to incarceration is the use of fines.Offenders who are convicted of committing less serious crimes should instead of being incarcerated be fined heavily. This would address the problem of overcrowding and at the same time deter crimes. This is why the Hudson County has introduced use of fines as an effective means of collecting revenues as the traditional methods have proved to be ineffective. (Romano J. 1991) Counseling of offenders would also be an effective method of reducing overcrowding in the United States prisons. This method would also address the problem of recidivism.When the offenders are properly counseled they get reformed and the prospects of them repeating the same mistakes are reduced for many turn to crimes due to being frustrated in life. Indeed the American jail system has failed in correcting the behaviors of the offenders. These people are released when they are halfway reformed and that is why they turn to be recidivists. There are other alternative methods that are more effective than incarcerating prisoners that should be applied. If these are applied, then the problem of overcrowding and of recidivism would be addressed and the crime prevalence would go down.Reference: Cornell, G. December 1, 1990. Rehabilitation Statistics: Study on Effectiveness of Prison Ministries. The Wilson Daily Times. Accessed on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at http://www. prisonministry. org/stats. htm Marek M. K. 2004. Games Prisoners Play. Princeton University Press. Romano J. October 27, 1991. County Uses New Tactic On Criminals' Unpaid Fines. New York Times. Accessed on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9D0CE7D8113DF934A15753C1 A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Why slavery was abolished

There are many things that have created slavery but also many things to abolish it. Historians have identified a number of factors that contributed to the abolition of slavery, but here are the most important ones that I will talk about in this essay; middle class whites, black slaves, working class whites and economics. The white middle class people played a huge part in the abolition of slavery. William Wilberforce was a highly respected MP; he played a huge part in the abolition by forming a group opposing slavery. He campaigned by making lots of speeches and studied the terrible conditions on board the slave ships. Granville Sharp was a surgeon in east London, when he met a slave named Jonathan Strong. Strong had been whipped and badly beaten by his master David Lisle. Sharp took him to hospital where he recovered. Strong was working as a healthy messenger boy when Lisle had him recaptured. When Sharp heard of this, he took Lisle to court to regain Strong his freedom. Sharp won the case and it got him a lot of good publicity, which Sharp later used, for his further campaigns. William Pitt was a prime minister at the time and he also heavily opposed slavery, he got parliament to make the law that to improve conditions on the plantations in the West Indies but unfortunately this had very little effect. Josiah Wedgwood was the younger son of Thomas Wedgwood. Josiah created a plaque to try and change people's minds about slavery, the plaque was of a black slave in chains and around the sides read: ‘Am I not a man or a brother?' This saying helped abolish slavery because it made people realise that slaves are human beings and are men or brothers not cargo. He also joined with Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp to form the society for the abolition of the slave trade. It was not just the middle class whites but also the working class whites too, they signed thousands of petitions to abolish slavery and in 1814 1.5 million people signed a petition. Lots of speeches were made after work outside on the streets. Usually there would be huge groups of workers all gathered round to hear debates. After the law in 1807 abolished the slave trade, middle class whites still kept on protesting until slavery was abolished altogether. Slavery was also abolished because the money that was being made from it was decreasing rapidly. Adam Smith who was an economist said that slaves who are forced to work for free would put very little effort into there work but if they had something to be motivated by like a pay check they would want to work harder for more money, this results in better business because more work is being done. As time went by places apart from the West Indies, started producing sugar. Places like Cuba and Jamaica made their sugar very cheap and did not have slaves to do the work. This forced a lot of the British sugar plantations in the West Indies to close down, which brought a reduction in the demand for slaves. The black slaves themselves also took upon there human rights and helped to abolish slavery. Lots of black slaves who worked in Britain started to demand wages from their owners and to be treated like normal servants. Some slave owners would have taken this badly and the slave would have been beaten. This would have only caused the slave owner more trouble by being taken to court by his slave so the slave could fight for his/her freedom. The slave would do this by getting help from someone like Granville Sharp. In every case the judges made a different decision each time because the judges did not want to seem biased. The black slaves who worked in the sugar plantations in the West Indies, did not have the chance to go to court so they rebelled! One of the biggest rebellions was at the British plantation of St Domingue; the slaves killed their owners and set fire to all the sugar canes. British troops were sent out to stop them but the slaves defeated them. This made the British see how badly the slaves wanted freedom. Olaudah Equiano probably had the biggest impact on the abolition of slavery. He was a slave who brought his own freedom and wrote his autobiography on his past experiences as a slave. This turned many people against slavery and Olaudah soon found he working with the likes of Wilberforce. He also helped slaves gain their freedom and brought cases like the zong to the public's attention. Some people like Elizabeth Heyrick only played a small part in the abolition but they still got something done. In 1824 Elizabeth Heyrick published her pamphlet immediate not gradual abolition. In her pamphlet Heyrick argued in favour of the immediate freedom of the slaves in the British colonies. This was different from the official policy of the anti slavery society that believed in gradual abolition. The leadership of the organisation attempted to stop information about the existence of this pamphlet and William Wilberforce gave out instructions for leaders of the movement not to speak at women's anti-slavery societies. At the conference in May 1830, the anti slavery society agreed to drop the words â€Å"gradual abolition† from its title. It also agreed to support Elizabeth heyrick's plan for a new campaign to bring about immediate abolition. The following year the anti slavery society presented a petition to the House of Commons calling for the â€Å"immediate freeing of newborn children of slaves†. As you can see slavery was abolished for so many reasons but what I think the most significant are a combination of the middle class whites and Olaudah Equiano. These were what I think the most important factors where because firstly the middle class whites like Wilberforce where very highly respected people and were the sort not to be ignored at parliament. I think especially Wilberforce because him being an MP meant that parliament would listen to what he had to say which they would not do with a working class white for example. Olaudah Equiano played a big part because he spoke about slavery from a personal experience and when something as bad as the horrific tales of slavery has come straight from a person who has experienced it has a greater effect rather then if it came from a MP who had not experienced it.

Strategy-driven management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategy-driven management - Essay Example As Chang and Platt have it: Management needs a new, more powerful means of responding to changes while learning to adapt in a very different business environment. Strategy-driven management is the answer. Strategy is defined as a disciplined way of thinking and managing. No organization can succeed long without having clearly defined purposes and objectives, the means to deploy its forces and resources, and the power to motivate its people to forge ahead. (Chang & Platt 1987, p. 52) Every aspect of the company's activity - from organizational structure and culture to its strategic goals - needs to be correlated all the time with the current situation on the market. Continuous change is an integral part of any organization's activity, and in order to remain competitive, managers should "learn to respond to a growing number of changes in how they structure companies, conduct business, implement technology, and relate to customers and employees". (Suresh, 2001, p. 3) Situation analysis helps to correlate the organization's resources with its opportuni

Operational Planning Coursework 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operational Planning Coursework 1 - Essay Example The situation where executive protection is needed: The situation for which security arrangement is required is the visit by one of a renowned author from the US to Peshawar in Pakistan, which has recently undergone severe security problems and has been labeled as a terrorist country. The author is a renowned dignitary and, thus, has an executive status. Therefore, he requires executive protection. â€Å"Executive protection is an approach, using common sense, awareness, personnel, procedures, systems and advanced technology to protect an individual or group of people. Executive protection is not a confrontation driven program, but rather an anticipated and projected response to an unavoidable situation. Stopping an attack, avoid confrontation and keeping the principal out of danger and harm’s way is the task of the executive protection officer† (Hunsicker, 2007, P.160). Even though Pakistan is known as a country which cherishes literature and poetry, and has a large nu mber of renowned authors and poets in the country, the recent terrorist activities require that executive protection should be provided to the author. Here, the client is a VIP as he is a well known personality. Therefore, he requires executive protection. ... The task of providing security begins from the New York Airport, from where the author begins his trip to Pakistan on March 1 2011 and last till March 5, 2011. The executive protection service needs to be maintained till the March 6, 2011 when the author is out of the New York airport at 8 am in the morning. Pakistan has the record of terrorists targeting foreign dignitaries’ and, therefore, executive protection is mandatory for the author who visits from the US. All expenses for the executive protection will be paid by the client himself and the author’s circle that he runs. Therefore, the security advisor’s role is imperative and it is very important to prepare an operational plan in order to execute the task in an organized manner. The task of providing executive protection needs careful planning and meticulous operation. This operational planning calls for an appropriate integration of manpower, equipments and carefully designed guidelines for execution. Defi nition of the Operational Plan: The operational plan is a portrayal of the mission, vision and goals of a task or an organization. In brief, the operational plan should have clear and well defined objectives of the task. The activities which are necessary to accomplish the task must be mentioned in detail. The operation plan contains the resources needed in order to complete the task like the manpower and other resources needed to complete the task. The operational plan also needs to analyze the risk involved in the successful completion of a task. Such a plan is the most important element of a business plan. It is also a strategic plan which explains to the reader in what steps, using what resources, the estimated

Direct Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Direct Marketing - Essay Example It is a system of interactive marketing which is aimed at maintaining and building long term relationships with customers through the products and services offerings (Koekemoer & Bird, 2004, p.332). On the other hand, mass marketing aims to target the total market without emphasising on specific market segments. In such a case, the marketer believes that the entire market would be satisfied through the single product offering. The product is offered in the market with minimum or completely no variation in the marketing. It includes a single price, one single promotional campaign targeting the entire market and also a single method of distribution (Strydom, 2001, p.61). This is a relatively less costly affair which includes only a single standard package using one promotional message. Some of the common differences between the two are discussed as follows. The traditional advantages associated with mass marketing are that the production costs remains low because of a single production run for a product which is homogeneous in nature. The advertising cost also remains low because of the launch of a single campaign. It also does not require extensive market research which is why the cost associated with market research also remains low (Strydom, 2001, p.62). ... It is said that the strategies for direct marketing must be in alignment and should be guided by the marketing strategy of the organisation on the whole. It shows the way in which the customers can be reached on a one to one basis. This includes determining the product strategies, setting the price and arranging for the distribution. The L. L. Bean Inc. targets the outdoor apparel niche by the use of catalogue marketing. Many companies have used direct marketing to communicate with the target market. For example, Dell Inc. employs sales contact directly with the business customers, internet sales and telephone sales (Cravens, 2009, 377). Dell Inc. is also said to be using the internet for providing customers with the necessary information prior to taking an order over the telephone. The following paragraph discusses some of the common features of both forms of marketing. In term of the costs involved, direct marketing is said to be less costly as compared to mass marketing because it targets less number of people and is carefully aimed at a selected few. It would be more applicable for businesses which have a small or medium target market and which has string prospects. For example, the TV home shopping channels, like Home Shopping network is one the modes of direct marketing (Kennedy, 2006, p.3). In other words, direct marketing involves an one to one customer relationship on the basis of personalized communications (Stone & Jacobs, 2007, p.10). Another basic difference between the two is that direct marketing has a greater conversion rate than mass marketing. It is likely to be surer of converting the first person it targets before moving to its next target. Also,