A Comparative Study of Consumers Prefernce for Big Retailers Against Small Departmental Stores

ASSIGNMENT OF : RESEARCH OBJECTIVE : â€Å"A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONSUMERS PREFERENCE TOWARDS BIG RETAILERS AGAINST SMALL DEPARTMENTAL STORES . † SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY TUTOR BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS REGD NO. 11209876 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ARTS LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTION â€Å"Unorganized retailing† is defined as an outlet run locally by the owner or caretaker of a shop that lacks technical and accounting standardization. The supply chain and sourcing are also done locally to meet local needs.Its organized counterpart may not obtain its supplies from local sources. Indian retail is dominated by a large number of small retailers consisting of the local kiryana shops, owner-manned general stores, chemists, footwear shops, apparel shops, paan and beedi shops, hand-cart hawkers, pavement vendors, etc. which together make up the so-called â€Å"unorganized retail† or â€Å"traditional retail†. â€Å"Organized retail† is nothing bu t a retail place where all the items are segregated and brought under one roof, unlike the unorganized retail where there are different things are sold in different shops.It also aims to bring maximum of different brands making the same type of product together. In India there has been a huge growth in organized retail since 2002-03 and this is associated with the growth in the economy and the attendant rise in consumption spending. The last 3-4 years have witnessed the entry of a number of organized retailers opening stores in various modern formats in metros and other important cities. Organized retailing has begun to tap the enormous market but its share indeed is small. A number of large business houses have entered the retail business with very ambitious expansion plans.Big foreign retailers are also keen to invest in India but their entry depends on changes in the government’s FDI policy regarding retailing. Organized retailing played a significant role in the present-d ay developed countries during their period of high growth. Since the early 1990s, it is also contributing substantially to the growth of developing countries. In India, organized retail is poised to make a mark in the near future. Modern retail sector is at the crossroads where the growth of organized retailing and growth in the consumption by the Indian population is going to take a higher growth trajectory.It is undergoing a major transformation as entry of global players and watchful expansion by major Indian retailers has opened new vistas of joint ventures, tie-ups and franchise offering new formats, services, private labels, locations and recently to diverge from metros to smaller towns, Arvind Singhal Chairman Techno pak Advisors has rightly said that, â€Å"A lot of international retailers and brands are most likely to look at India, as global markets have stabilized and the Indian economy has proved to be better than most other countries†.With the changing retail sce nario the consumers are bound to look beyond traditional retail stores towards organized outlets may be with some reservations. This necessitates study of the factors which influence the consumers to move towards the organized retailing from unorganized one besides most prioritized attributes which attract the consumers towards either of them. Retailing in India is one of the pillars of its economy and accounts for 14 to 15% of its GDP.The Indian retail market is estimated to be US$ 450 billion and one of the top five retail markets in the world by economic value. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world, with 1. 2 billion people. India's retailing industry is essentially owner manned small shops. In 2010, larger format convenience stores and supermarkets accounted for about 4% of the industry, and these were present only in large urban centers. India's retail and logistics industry employs about 40 million Indians (3. 3% of Indian population).Until 2011, Indi an central government denied foreign direct investment (FDI) in multibrand retail, forbidding foreign groups from any ownership in supermarkets, convenience stores or any retail outlets. Even single-brand retail was limited to 51% ownership and a bureaucratic process. In November 2011, India's central government announced retail reforms for both multi-brand stores and single-brand stores. These market reforms paved the way for retail innovation and competition with multi-brand retailers such as Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco, as well single brand majors such as IKEA, Nike, and Apple.The announcement sparked intense activism, both in opposition and in support of the reforms. In December 2011, under pressure from the opposition, Indian government placed the retail reforms on hold till it reaches a consensus. In January 2012, India approved reforms for single-brand stores welcoming anyone in the world to innovate in Indian retail market with 100% ownership, but imposed the requirement th at the single brand retailer source 30% of its goods from India.Indian government continues the hold on retail reforms for multi-brand stores. IKEA announced in January that it is putting on hold its plan to open stores in India because of the 30% requirement. Fitch believes that the 30% requirement is likely to significantly delay if not prevent most single brand majors from Europe, USA and Japan from opening stores and creating associated jobs in India. LITERATURE REVIEW Many studies have been undertaken to understand and analyze the changing consumer preference for organized retail outlet: Baker and Haytko (2000) in their qualitative study of teen girls and their mall shopping experiences, find that the teens are looking for stores that carry specific merchandise, especially the latest fashions. â€Å"Coolness† of the mall is tied to the types of clothes and the merchandise the stores carried. * (Pachauri Moneesha, 2001), attempt to develop a framework for studying consume r behavior by considering the evolution of the field of consumer research and the different theories of consumer buying behavior that have influenced the consumer preference.India is on the threshold of a revolution in its retail industry, and if managed cleverly, it would pay handsome returns beyond retailers' expectations * (Mangleburg et al. , 2004). ) teens like to â€Å"hang-out† at malls and meet their friends Indeed, the social aspects of the mall, such as visiting and shopping with friends, are major activities for teens. * Pan and Zinkhan (2006) found only gender as a key predictor of frequency of store visit—women visit the store more often than men.Other studies also found gender to be a major predictor of shopping behavior, with women playing a more significant role in retail shopping, especially in traditional societies. * (Mishra S. Mridula, 2007). The changing consumption patterns trigger changes in retail styles of consumers, for consumers, the shopping mall or variant of organized retail format is the preferred type of retail store, due to convenience and variety. * Singh (2007) had concluded that production oriented market has been shifting towards consumer oriented market. Traditional consumption pattern has also been facing large-scale changes.The study pointed out that the degree of brand awareness of various food products among urban respondents is more in comparison to the rural consumers. * Arshad et al. ,( 2007) have found that dynamics of the demographics, double income, urbanization and internet revolution tilt the consumer’s preference towards organized retail outlets. * Mathew and Gupta (2008) while studying the impact of organized retailing on traditional retailing observed that with the increase in number of various formats for shopping like malls, departmental stores, hypermarkets etc. the Indian consumer’s preferences are changing towards these. * (Paromita Goswami & Mishra S. Mridula, 2009). Custome r patronage to grocery stores was found to be positively related to location, helpful, trustworthy salespeople, home retail, cleanliness, offers, quality and negatively related to travel convenience. Kiranas do well on location but poorly on cleanliness, offers, quality, and helpful trustworthy salespeople. The converse is true for organized retailers. Tender and Crispen, (2009) studied the influence of in-store shopping environment on impulsive buying among consumers and the results show that among poor consumers, economics factors such as cheaper prices, coupons and helpful shop assistants were more likely to influence impulsive buying. On the other hand, factors with an atmospheric effect such as music, fresh scent and ventilation may have only been important in helping to keep consumers longer in shops although they were unlikely to directly influence impulsive buying. Ghosh and Tripathi (2010), attempted to analyze purchase pattern of customers towards organized retail outlets in terms of merchandise categories purchased, time spent within the store, number of merchandise purchased on each visit, stores switching behavior and store attribute. The results of the study depicted that the younger generation has greater tendency to visit organized retail outlets. The shoppers which remained within a store for at least two hours considered shopping to be a stress releaser and fun activity.The commonly purchased items from a retail outlet are garments followed by groceries, lifestyle products and household appliances. The study further reveals that customers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities evaluate a store on convenience and merchandise mix, store atmosphere and services * Urvashi, Gupta (2012) in her study in Jammu. RNCOS (2009) has stated that as per â€Å"Global Convenience Store Market Analysis†, changing consumer preferences, lifestyle and rising income level, which is heavily influenced by economic growth, remains the major driving force for c-store ind ustry in the Asian region. Purohit and kavita (2012) according there studies that the traditional retailers are not very much clear about the consequences of the modern retailing the traditional retailers are netural or undecided, modern retailing will cut the profit margin of the traditional retailers; the modern retailing will lead healthy competition in the market, modern retailing will reduce the sales volume of the traditional retailers and traditional retailers should improve customer care services in the era of modern retailing.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: â€Å"A comparative study of consumers preference for big retailers against small departmental stores at cc departmental store lpu. † For this study an interview was conducted and for this we visited the owner of cc departmental store at lpu and discussed various problems faced by him. The major problem he focused on was that his sales were declined because of the shifting consumers preferences from d epartmental stores to wanabuy mall located at lpu.He discussed various other problems also like promotion is banned due to policies of lpu, inventory management etc. So to look into this matter this survey is conducted and the results will be analysed later. There is a need to study shifting preferences of consumers towards various retail formats. Whether there is any relation between the demographic profile of the consumers and preferred retail format and does income besides other family attributes play a role in selection of the retail formats are some of the questions require a probe in.One of the objectives set for this study is to identify the factors that influence the choice of organized retail trade. For this purpose, the choice of retail store will be studied along with demographic factors like gender, age, qualification, occupation, annual income and location of the respondents. This present study will be conducted with a purpose of understanding the changes taking place i n the minds of consumers towards modern retail formats and traditional retailers. POPULATION: In my study the population will be all the students and staff embers of lovely professional university. SAMPLE: Primary data will be collected from 60 respondents which will include (40 students and 20 staff members). These respondents will be selected by convenience sampling technique of probability random sampling. Secondary data will be collected from various journals, books, articles, newspapers. QUESTIONNARE: A structured questionnaire will be prepared in which there will be questions asked to respondents related to their visits in departmrntal stores and big retails and various scales will be used i. Likert scale, and the questions wil be of open ended and multiple choice questions. The purpose of this study will be to grab the preferences of consumers, whether they like to visit small stores or big organized retails and what is the main reason for their shifting preferences. It will be helpful for both the organized as well as unorganized retailers. REFERENCES: * Baker, Julie, and Diana Haytko (2000), â€Å"The Mall as Entertainment: Exploring Teen Girls’ Total Shopping Experiences,† Journal of Shopping Center Research, 7(1): 29-58. Pachauri Moneesha (2001). Consumer Behaviour:a Literature Review. The Marketing Review, 2(3), 319-355. * Arshad, S. A. (2007) â€Å"Issues in Retailing†, Research in Management and Technology, Ed. by Aneet and Ramanjeet Singh, Deep and Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd. , pp 109-118. * Singh, H. (2007) â€Å"Consumer Awareness and Consumption Pattern of Food products in Haryana†, Journal of IMS group, Vol. 3, No 1, pp 24-33 * Mishra S. Mridula (2007). The Consumption Pattern of Indian Consumers Choice between Traditional and Organized Retail. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2012, from http://ssrn. com/abstract=994238 * Goswami, P. and Mishra, M. S. (2008) â€Å"Would Indian consumers move from kirana stores to organized reta ilers when shopping for groceries? † Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp 127-143. * Tender, M and Crispen, C. (2009) â€Å"In-store shopping environment an impulsive buying†, African Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 1(4), pp 102-108 * Goswami Paromita & Mishra S. Mridula (2009). Would Indian Consumers Move from kirana Stores to Organized Retailers When Retail for Groceries?.Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 21(1), 127-143. * Ghosh, P. et. al. , (2010) â€Å"Customer expectations of store attributes: A study of organized retail outlets in India†, Journal of Retail & Leisure Property, Vol. 9, No 1, pp 75–87 * Gupta, Urvashi (2012), â€Å"Impact of Organized Retailing on Unorganized Sector†, A study in Jammu Region. International Journal of Research in Commerce, IT & Management, Vol. 2(2012), No 01, pp 112-15. * India Retail Report (2009) â€Å"The India Retail Story† www. indiaretailing. om/in diaretailreport- 2009-detailed-summary. pdf * â€Å"Indian retail: The supermarket’s last frontier†. The Economist. 3rd December 2011. http://www. economist. com/node/21541017 * â€Å"India Goes Wild Over Wal-Mart†. The Wall Street Journal. November 29 2011. http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052970203802204577066501218085104. html? mod=googlenews_wsj * â€Å"A good retail decision badly sold†. India Today. 3 December 2011. http://indiatoday. intoday. in/story/fdi-in-multibrand-retail-congress-cpim-bjpinflation/1/162586. html

Interaction and Communication Essay

1.1: Explain how different forms of dementia may affect the way an individual communicates: Forms of dementia are all different therefore the individuals will be affected in different ways when it comes to communication, for example; one individual may find it difficult to express their words where as another individual may speak more fluently but their sentences not make any sense. The individual depending on what type of dementia and how far into the stage they are may find other ways communicating such as; using body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and tone of voice. Read more:  Explain How Individuals With Dementia May Communicate Through Their Behaviour 1.2: Explain how physical and mental health factors may need to be considered when communicating with an individual who has dementia: Physical and mental health factors will also need to be considered when communicating with someone who has dementia, for example somebody who is deaf and has hearing aids will need to make sure that the carer has put the hearing aids in correctly, that they are switched on and turned right up. The carer will also need to speak in a loud and clear tone of voice to able the individual to communicate more easily. The carer will need to make sure the individual has their glasses on if they wear any so that the carer can keep direct eye contact with the individual so the communication is better. For physical health factors the carer will need to consider that the individuals may be in pain or have discomfort which will more than likely affect their communication. 1.3: Describe how to support different communication abilities and needs of an individual with dementia who has a sensory impairment: People with dementia may need extra support with different types of communication abilities when it comes to sensory impairment, for example; Vision: People with dementia may experience several changes in visual abilities, for example they may lose their ability to grasp visual images although there is nothing physically wrong with their eyes. People with dementia may no longer be able to understand what they see exactly due to changes in their brain. The carer could support the individual by; Marking the edges of steps with brightly coloured strips of tape. Place brightly coloured signs or simple pictures on important rooms such as the bathroom for easier identification. Smell: A loss or decrease in smell usually occurs with people with dementia. The carer could support the individual by; Having good quality smoke alarms and to check them frequently as the individual may not smell the smoke. Also keep the fridges clean and tidy. Touch: People with dementia may suffer from loss of touch and may not be able to tell someone when something is too hot or too cold or even when they are in pain or discomfort. The carer could support the individual by; Adjusting the water heaters to the correct temperature so it isn’t possible to scald anyone. Colour coding the water taps; blue for cold, red for hot. Placing signs on electricals and to have supervision with the individual when  they need to use them. Removing furniture that is hazardous or putting cushions on the corners to keep them padded. Taste: People with dementia may lose taste sensitivity which could lead them to putting anything and everything in their mouths, also it could stop them from wanting to eat. The carer could support the individual by; Remove/lock up medicine cabinet items such as tooth paste, hairspray, body washes/soaps. To have a child proof lock on the fridge if necessary. Keep items such as salt, sugar or spices away from reach in case of the resident eating too much of it. Hearing: People with dementia may have normal hearing but may struggle with understanding what someone is trying to say. This may result in confusion or over-stimulation. The carer could support the individual by; Avoiding loud noises in the home such as the radio or TV being too loud. Avoid large gatherings in the home if the person with dementia shows signs of agitation or distress in crowds. 1.4: Describe the impact the behaviours of carers and others may have on an individual with dementia: People with dementia can display certain behaviours which can be seen by others as inappropriate or unacceptable such as shouting, excessive screaming, insultive and inappropriate touching. What the carers and other should see this as is this is part of the individual’s dementia and handled in a polite manner, this isn’t the individual’s personal behaviour it is part of their condition. Shouting at a dementia resident because they are screaming will just make the  resident worse as it can cause further distress and confusion to them. By not paying attention to the resident when they make a request can leave the resident feeling like a burden to the system. Somebody with dementia could forget when they need the toilet or even where the toilet is and with a carer or others blaming the individual for continence issues this can make the individual feel sad and ashamed. Carers however should encourage and reassure the individuals. People with dementia should also be encouraged to take part in their daily routines if they are able to do so as this will help the individual to feel useful and helpful and involved. Carers who do everything and don’t allow the residents to get involved can leave the residents feeling useless and like a burden too. Be able to use positive interaction approaches with individuals’ with dementia: 4.1: Explain the difference between reality orientation approach to interactions and a validation approach: Reality orientation and validation approaches are quite different as reality orientation is all about here and now, meaning the time of day, where they are and what they are doing, where as the validation approach is when the carer would accept and take on board what the individual is saying but to not correct them when they are wrong as in the approach the carer is focusing more on the indivdual’s feelings rather that the content of speech. References: Websites: www.caringnews.com www.fightdementia.org.au

How To Basic

Put the pan on stand 2. Put the oil on the pan after that put the pepper 3. Wait,what will happen next. Reaction: -The pepper was added on the oil then a fire suddenly appeared on the bowl the potassium permanganate is an oxidant that added on brick fluid is a kind of fuel. Fuel and oxidant need to release energy in form of heat. Fire is The result of their combustion Experiment: 2 Monster Head ExperimentDry ice Martial and Pestle Rubber Balloon Funnel Bottle with Water Teaspoon 1 . Put The Dry ice on Mortal and pestle then bowdlerized it. 2. Get the balloon and put the funnel on a balloon 3. Put the two teaspoon of dry ice on the balloon,After that get the bottle with water and put the Balloon on the bottles 4. Put the opening of the balloon into the bottle mouth until the dry ice is consumed. Reaction: -The dry ice was put inside the balloon using funnel and the balloon was placed on the bottle filled with water.They let the ice went down and dissolved. A smoke released and the ba lloon became inflated. The Dry ice is a Frozen Carbon dioxide that's hay it is solid became gas and it is called sublimation. This gas is a carbon dioxide that helps the balloon to be inflate. Experiment : 3 Salt Smoke Bomb Wick Aluminum tray Salt peter Lighter Tong Procedure: 1 . Put the aluminum tray on the stand 2. Put one teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of salt peter and then mixed it. 3. Put the wick in the middle of aluminum tray. 4. Light up the wick.The salt peter and sugar with the ratio one is to one as put on an aluminum tray. The wick was put in the middle of it. They put a fire using lighter the smoke release the salt peter and sugar is a reason why oxidation occurred. Salt peter or potassium nitrate is a kind of oxide or chemical that attacks electrons. Sugar is a kind of reducer or chemical that gives electrons when the sugar and salt pepper lightened,the oxygen increased that's Hay the kind of mixtures change. The other molecules released with oxygen and this is t he smoke.Date:November 3, 2013 Experiment: 1 Levitate or Floating CD Materials CD Magnet CD Rack -Theses in The rack are not together because of the magnet placed under the CD. Every magnet has a north and south pole,There are two possibilities its either opposite attracts or same repels. Len our experiment The CD with magnet repels but not attached to each other so there can't attach whenever we push each other, Fountain Of Beads Beads Glass -The Beads put in a glass,then you will remove it inside the glass without using your bare hands.The Science behind the experiment is the centers around the principle of inertia. Lintier is the tendency of all object and matter in the universe to remain still,or if moving continue moving in the same direction. Experiment: 3 In-Attention Experiment -In This Experiment They will test your attentiveness. They have an activity that you need to focus your mind,There is a group of dancer that will dance and one of the member is the one that will focu s on. Reaction Paper In Science Ill Melody Jacobson Ill-David Hilbert (19)

Home work3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Home work3 - Essay Example pend on weighted factors such as cost transaction and the amount of money vis-Ã  -vis the foreign exchange rate that is subject to probable risk of fluctuating. Hedging helps multinational firms mitigate losses from translational and transactional exposures. Unfortunately, it may end up reducing gains as well. If multinationals companies do not hedge their foreign exchange rate risk, they become vulnerable to a myriad of losses, which may affect devastatingly their financial performance across the world. Various determinants motivate hedging. One is factors surrounding the organization operation such as time minimization, cost reduction, and aligning business strategies. The other critical factor is the investment resources used in foreign exchange management, which is used in determining the amount of currencies transacted. The commercial (operational) exposures and financial exposures determine shapes the risks to hedge. For example, GM had to hedge against receivables and payable s, which are operational exposures of at the region and financial exposures such as paying dividend. General Motors foreign exchange hedging policy is streamlined to meet management objectives of efficiency and effectives in hedging e.g. minimize time, cost, and align foreign exchange management to automotive business. It is advantageous as it mitigates losses in transactional as well as translational exposures that are caused by fluctuating fx e.g. minimize cash flow as well as earnings volatility . The policy only controls fifty per cent of commercial exposure of a region as illustrated under the formula: The hedge policy appears to be insufficient to cushion from most exposures. With the implied risk calculated on an annual basis, it is advisable for the company to extend hedging to cover 12 months rather than 6 months. In addition, the company should upsurge the exposure risk to over $ 5 million especially in the regions that have high volatility of foreign exchange rate of their

Compare the role of voice-over narration in any two (or three) films Essay - 2

Compare the role of voice-over narration in any two (or three) films screened in this course (Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orang - Essay Example One such device is the effective use of the voice-over narrative. This technique has been employed to varying degrees since film gained a foothold as an art form. The classical Hollywood film noir tradition relied significantly on voice-over narrations, as they were particularly popular with the audiences. The voice-over narrations in the classical tradition featured prominently where mysteries of murder were concerned. These voice-overs were also efficient in films that featured significantly high levels of tension. Directors of classical films on women also preferred to use the voice-overs to highlight certain themes that revolved around the element of women. These were classical films whose central characters were women protagonists. Some of the classical films that relied on voice-over narrations sought to bring out the plight of women within the domestic space. Before the voice-over narrative, silent film used similar mechanisms. The director, or a responsible entity, would use words flashed on the screen to allow the audience a brief glimpse into the action from an omniscient perspective. Such a film device is not in any way new or inventive; it is a story-telling technique used by directors to elaborate on a plot, based on the needs of the plot and the messages they wish to convey to the audience. This analysis will track and consider the ways in which directors of three distinct films—Dr. Strangelove (1964), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and The Big Lebowski (1998)—employ this technique. The analysis will reveal the different nuanced levels of meaning that the individual directors hope to invoke using story-telling techniques, such as the voice-over narrative. Kubrick himself, when discussing how he would cast and direct a satire on the lunacy of the Cold War, noted that it should be presented to the audience in a form of dark humour. In this way, it could more readily convey the levels of truth and the different meanings that are p ortrayed (Bilandzic & Buselle, 2011, p. 30). To accomplish this end, Kubrick employed many techniques that sought to mirror elements of true life that the audience would readily identify with, and appreciate. One of the most powerful mechanisms that he employed, was presenting stories to the viewer in factual way, regardless of how utterly insane they might be in content. Kubrick further sought to provide a type of societal commentary that housed the work in a convenient, yet detached framework. Rather than allowing the individual characters to stand out, ultimately diminishing Kubrick’s message, the director used a central, omniscient or seemingly omniscient, narrator as a better mechanism. Kubrick was able to present serious and gripping subject matter in a satirical way, from a detached standpoint. The effect of the monotone voice-over narration, impressing an influential point of view on the viewer, further compounds the detachment. It was only necessary for the director to add elements of realism into a script already tinged by elements of absurdity, since the satire engaged the viewer with the preposterous nature of the Cold War and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) (Kirshner 2001, p. 40). In this way, the voice-over narration provided the necessary ethos that Kubrick required to accomplish a sense of realism and authority. Iguarta (2009, p. 58) offers a

Difference between British Sign Language and English Essay

Difference between British Sign Language and English - Essay Example This is because everything in BSL including the phonetics defines elements such as the hand shape, location, motion, and orientation. However, in English, it is different in that the phonetics of English language are defined by the phonologic characteristics like voicing; that which makes the sounds either silent or voiced, also the lip shape, and the position of the tongue. From other studies in linguistics, people have also established that the English language follows a given order of the three main components of a sentence; subject, object, and predicate. However, the grammar of BSL is different whereby the order used is the topic-comment structure of a sentence. In BSL also, some words are treated as different parts of the sentence as it ends up splitting a sentence into different parts. For example, in a sentence like; why was the brown cow eating grass in your garden yesterday? When we translate this into BSL, then the order of the sentence will follow the order of; timeline, location, object, subject, verb, and finally the question. Thus in BSL, the sentence will be, yesterday your garden grass brown cows eat why?, These are some of the differences between BSL and English. It is said that at there is a significant difference between the British sign language and the English language. According to( Sutton-Spence and Woll 1999) an example like; I take some plates from the table if this sentence is translated into English, the order of the sentence changes. As stated earlier, BSL has the structure of topic-comment whereby the main topic is placed first, and the doer comes at the end of the sentence. In this sentence then, the main topical subjects are a table’ and plate’ and the doer of the action is ‘I’. the I in the sentence comes at the end of the sentence, and it is equal to pointing in BSL.  Ã‚  

Managing for the Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Managing for the Future - Essay Example It is also the co-owner of Sainsbury’s Bank along with Lloyd’s Banking Group (J Sainsbury Plc, 2012). Besides that, it has also owns property joint ventures with The British Land Company PLC and Land Securities Group PLC. What started off as a small retail store on London’s Drury Lane around the year 1969, Sainsbury’s has developed a huge history behind him over the years. Sainsbury holds more than 15% of the market share of the UK retail markets. Sainsbury hold the second position in the UK online retail market and is only behind Tesco. Sainsbury’s follows a simple passion of offering great food at fair prices to its consumers and this has been treated as one of the reasons for their success. By the year 2020, they have a target of sourcing all necessary raw materials and commodities in a sustainable manner (J Sainsbury Plc, 2010). Forecasts and Strategic Plan: Sainsbury is focused to provide healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food at fair prices. The chain continues to operate on five areas, which makes the chain differentiate itself from the retailers. The chain’s current focus plan is on: Growing space and creating property value Providing great food to the consumers Compelling general merchandising and clothing Developing new business channels Providing complimentary channels and services. Strengths Sainsbury’s has won numerous awards in the industry for its superior product quality over the past few years. Some of the awards comprises of fresh produce retailer of the year, honest food award and even wine retailer of the year. So it has clearly maintained industry standards and gained recognition in the industry The chain has made considerable amount of effort in order to modernize the brand by integrating technology at the point of sales (POS). Has tie ups with Nectar, a loyalty programme with an active user base of over 11 million. The chain has got high points on a regular basis in the industry’s most respected basket survey (J Sainsbury Plc, 2012). Weakness Their strategy is very puzzling at times. At times, they are targeting to appeal to mass markets which may result in tempting to go on an acquisition spree and then landing up with failed takeovers. Yet to recover the leading position of being the most preferred retailer in the UK region from the rival leading retailers. Opportunities Sainsbury’s ranking as an UK based online grocery provider is strengthened with higher sales on a year on year basis. With the increase in internet usage among the consumers, this segment can provide more sales to the retail chain. The addition of floor space in all new and existing stores for introducing the chain’s new health, beauty and household line of products will benefit the chain in the upcoming days and may provide greater share of revenue (J Sainsbury Plc, 2012). Threats Sainsbury’s is less committed to reinvest the capital generated in the business. This can spel l danger for the chain as Tesco who is a stronger competitor in this segment is more focused on committing a large amount of capital for maintaining their long term growth oriented strategy. Have high reservations in establishing the brand of Sainsbury’s overseas and in foreign locations, which provides them with a disadvantage of being

The economics of Exhaustible Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The economics of Exhaustible Resources - Essay Example This essay discusses that without a doubt, economists’ description of exhaustible resources is based on the prediction of production and price trajectories and the likelihood of resources exhaustion. This is because; exhaustible resources have limited life span considering the optimal exploitation of resources at the both individual and industrial level. As a result, focus on Harold Hotelling explanation on maintenance of exhaustible resources is based on the importance of sustainability of a production–consumption system as a way of controlling extinction of exhaustible natural resource without getting comparative advantage from it as compared to its future demand. More significantly, it is imperative for exploitation of non-renewable resource to be undertaken for the benefit of the people and a country’s economy considering the level of extinction and financial value derived. Considerably, it is essential to make decisions considering the economic models that f ocus on sustainable economic growth taking into account resource constraints. As a result, it is decisive to evaluate on whether or not it is viable to carry out exploration on the extent in which resource constraints can be overcome by substitution and technological change. Nonetheless, the influence of the extinction of natural non-renewable resources is focused on the current initial stock of the resource considering the amount of the resource to be extracted within different periods with the main aim being on the maximization of profits. (Hotelling 139). However, it is difficult for a country to avoid exploiting its exhaustible resources especially when there is a high demand for the commodity. More so, it is essential to consider that non-renewable resources provide a comparative advantage because countries could be the sole producers of valuable non-renewable resources. As a result, such country’s take advantage of their monopolistic position in the resource market, as it lacks competition in the production of the exhaustible resources thus, positioning itself strategically in the world market (Martinet 17). In addition, a country makes a decision on price that the exhaustible resource would be sold as it gains competitive advantage, when negotiating for the prices being the sole producers of such extinct natural resources like oil. Thus, the duty of a government is to create ways in which the non-renewable resources can be sold in the world market resulting in a country getting a chance to exploit the non-renewable resources it has by using the best-suited strategies of price maximization. Although, exhaustible resources bring international trading to a country it also creates issues in terms of international development in the world. More so, exhaustible resources are predicted by production and price trajectories thus it becomes difficult for countries to make viable decisions considering the fact that the resources become scarce leading to inc rease in prices of non-renewable resources. However, such decisions of taking advantage of the prevailing high prices does not take into consideration the international development issues including effects resulting from the extinction of most of the natural resources that are in the risk of extinction because they are non-renewable (Solow & Wan 360). More significantly, the dominance in the monopolistic market of different natural resources have seen organizations that are establish by countries join to create a common stand in the provision of higher prices of the exhaustible resource they produce. For example, oil producing and exporting countries (OPEC) that deals with the oil

The US Patriot Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The US Patriot Act - Essay Example ng the tools by which law enforcement agencies fight crime and improves communication capabilities between these government agencies and in spite of the prevailing majority opinion, protects, not degrades civil liberties. According to the Justice Department, the PATRIOT Act gives support to and encourages enhanced sharing of information among various law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, this law assists law enforcement in their efforts to â€Å"connect the dots† from a wider scope of agencies when assembling evidence so as to â€Å"develop a complete picture† regarding possible threats from terrorists. The Act also allows law enforcement officials more latitude when attempting to intercept transmissions of suspected terrorist’s discussions via electronic surveillance. (Ward, 2002). Since the PATRIOT Act was enacted in October of 2001, it has been an essential instrument in ensuring the safety of American citizens in the ongoing ‘War on Terror.’ The more conducive sharing of information augments the same, constitutionally lawful, forms of law enforcement that had been employed to apprehend and prosecute criminals prior to 9/11. In addition, the legislation has increased the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Justice in its efforts to interrupt terrorist actions while simultaneously and earnestly defending the civil liberties of American citizens. â€Å"America still faces dangerous enemies, and no priority is more important to the President than protecting the American people without delay† (â€Å"US PATRIOT Act†, 2006). According to President Bush, â€Å"The Patriot Act defends our liberty. The Patriot Act makes it able for those of us in positions of responsibility to defend the liberty of the American people. It’s essential law† (Allen, 2004). Paul Rosenzweig, a senior legal research fellow at Heritage is convinced that Ronald Reagan, the champion of modern-day conservatism, would support the PATRIOT

Coporate Governance and Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coporate Governance and Business Ethics - Essay Example In short, 'all you ever wanted we have right here' kind of concept. The convenience division includes Sainsbury's Local stores, Bells Stores in North East England, Jacksons Stores across Yorkshire and the North Midlands, and JB Beaumont in the East Midlands (Company's corporate website). Sainsbury's Bank aims to make finance easier to understand and manage and has built a reputation for offering excellent value products with extra benefits, delivered in a simple and accessible way. The current product range includes: car insurance, life cover, home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, Visa credit cards, Child Trust Fund, internet savings account, instant access savings account, direct saver account, personal loans, and a car purchase scheme. Sainsbury's to You is the internet-based home delivery service. It covers around 77 per cent of the UK. Herein customers place orders online and freely choose time of delivery. The online service also has Sainsbury's Entertain You, which offers thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, videos and computer games and a DVD rental service with over 28,000 titles. Flowers, wine, gifts, kitchen appliances and electricals are also up for online buy. Sainsbury's had a wide network of 727 stores in the UK at the end of 2005. Its market shares in various regions were very impressive, ranging from a high of 18.3 % in London to a modest 3.6% in Scotland with an overall UK market share of 10.4 %( TNS data for 52 weeks to 17 July 2005). Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility to Stakeholders"Today's modern organization in many instances is the institutional centrepiece of a complex society made up of many people with a multitude of interests, expectations, and demands as to what organizations ought to provide. The social contract between organizations and various parties has continually changed. Organizations that have been able to survive and thrive have found ways to respond to ever-changing expectations" (Ronald, 2003). Sainsbury's approach to corporate responsibility is an exact recognition of the above fact. Sainsbury is a multiple activities company and has delineated its all possible immediate stakeholders in its customers, employees, communities, share holders, suppliers and the environment within its holistic corporate responsibility (CR) plan. Further Sainsbury recognizes another set of not so actively recognized stakeholders in government, politicians and regulators in the UK and Brussels, e.g. non-g overnment organizations (NGOs) etc.However, for the present, we would not cover this set of stakeholders in this paper as their link with the company tends to be tenuous and long. It is important to examine Sainsbury's views of the expectations of each of the above active groups of stake holders and efforts to meet them. Ethics is concerned about value judgements. Business ethics deals with such judgements encourse doing business. Sainsbury's business has set for itself a code of business ethics focussed around its active stake holders, as above. It is important to realize that the combined code for corporate governance contributes actively to business ethics in a compliable form. Ronald further suggests that if an organization institutionalises ethics, it is unlikely to find itself trying to recover from a fall or

Homosexual Couples Essay Example for Free

Homosexual Couples Essay Children adopted by homosexual parents will become targets of homophobic bullying. According to a teacher’s association in the United Kingdom specializing on teaching issues, homophobic bullying â€Å"can affect any young person, for example, someone with gay family members† (Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 2006). The teacher’s association points out that having homosexual parents is enough to engage homophobic behavior. This form of bullying not only persists but worsens throughout the child’s schooling because it is one of the most difficult forms of bullying to notice. The effects of bullying are well known. Leading psychologist Victoria Clarke, among others, notes that homophobic bullying in particular â€Å"is a serious problem that carries many severe psychological consequences† (Clarke, 2006). Victims of teasing and bullying often are often shy and keep to themselves. Most victims of bullying have a hard time communicating to others and have many relationship problems, as a direct result of the the violence that they experience. What these children actually learn from their experiences is that self-expression can lead to actual physical harm. This necessarily puts a financial strain on the family of those suffering from bullying. It frames the self-esteem of these victims to such an extent that they fail to overcome a mindset where they think that they are victims. They then fail to take positive control of their lives and often spiral into depression. Those who support adoption by homosexual parents center their argument on studies that show that homosexual parenting has no negative effects on children. These arguments overlook the fact that what is important is the best interest of the child. These studies do not take into account the other indirect negative effects of being raised by homosexuals, like being more vulnerable to sexual abusers – not that the parents themselves would abuse their children – but these children are more likely to come into contact with other homosexuals who are sexual predators. According to the Family Research Institute, â€Å"all to almost all childhood molestations of boys are made by adults of the same sex with homosexuals accounting up to more than one third of the pedophiles under studies made as early as 1948† (Cameron, 2006). It is not far to imagine that of the many homosexuals that these children may be exposed to, at least one may try to sexually abuse them. This is a scary number that should not be ignored. Although I do not suggest that all homosexuals are pedophiles, it cannot be ignored that these pedophiles are almost entirely gay. This link between homosexuality and sexual abuse is well-documented by critics such as Charles Coughlin, who claims that â€Å"[a]s early as 1948, the Kinsey survey revealed that 37% of homosexual men admitted to having sexual relations with underage boys; and if gay men were admitting these crimes in 1948, when society was far more conservative, what would the numbers be today when people are more tolerant of gay relationships? † (Coughlin, 2006). The increasingly liberal attitude society has taken since 1948 points toward an even larger number of sexual predators who come into contact with our children. Thus, more lives are at stake than what we realize. We have to remember it only takes one encounter with a sexual predator before an innocent child’s life is changed forever. It is clear that allowing homosexuals to adopt children is not in any child’s best interest and should be disallowed. In no instance should a child be exposed to sexual predators. Children deserve to be brought up in a home environment where there is a balance of male and female influences. Finally, being adopted by homosexual parents exposes the adopted child to homophobic bullying which is not only traumatic, but harmful to a child’s proper physical, emotional, and psychological development. Sources:Hayton, Bradley, 1993. To Marry or Not: The Legalization of Marriage and Adoption of Homosexual Couples at http://radiance. m6. net/myrrh/doc-samesx. html Cameron, Paul, 2006. Child Molestation and Homosexuality. at http://www. familyresearchinst. org/FRI_EduPamphlet2. html Coughlin, Charles, 2006. 37% of Gay Men Admit Molestation at http://www. whitecivilrights. com/37-of-gay-men-admit-molestation_611. html Dailey, Timothy. â€Å"Homosexual Parenting: Placing Children at Risk,† Insight 238, Family Research Council, http://www. frc. org/get. cfm? i=IS01J3. Wardle, Lynn D. 1997. â€Å"The Potential Impact of Homosexual Parenting on Children. † Universityof Illinois Law Review 1997:833–919. p, 860 cited in (How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter? † Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz at http://www. e-noah. net/ASA/MO/articles/stacey. pdf Sotirios Sarantakos. 1996. Children in three contexts: Family, education and social development, Children Australia, Vol. 21, No. 3, (1996): pp. 23-31 at http://www. acl. org. au/pdfs/load_pdf_public. pdf? pdf_id=586from=SEARCH Clarke, Victoria, et. al. 2004. Kids are just cruel anyway: Lesbian and gay parents talk about homophobic bullying. British Journal of Social Psychology, Volume 43, Number 4 Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 2006. Different forms of bullying. http://www. new2teaching. org. uk/tzone/Behaviour/pupil_bullying/different_forms. asp

Teaching Assistant’s Essay Example for Free

Teaching Assistant’s Essay Teaching Assistants work in Primary, Secondary and Special Needs Schools. Individual duties and responsibilities can vary greatly but will be outlined in their job description. A TAs role is to support – this can be in a classroom situation, with groups or individual pupils and can often be all three. Support in the classroom (Classroom Assistant) involves more general duties helping the teacher with tasks in the classroom and pupils learning and development. TAs can be assigned to children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who will benefit from help on a one to one basis or in smaller groups. Responsibilities can be as a Learning Support Assistant, supporting children with learning difficulties or as a Personal Care Assistant those needing help with day to day personal care. In 2003, the National Workforce agreement was established which acknowledged the need to raise standards in schools and address workloads. From this Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) evolved. This higher level status gave additional responsibilities that previously only teachers could do, for example, developing support materials and assisting in lesson planning. Some schools, especially large or special needs schools, have TAs with additional, more specific roles. This ensures that all pupils and members of the team are supported adequately. Although there are many different roles a TA can have there are fundamental aspects of the job which will be the same. These can be categorised into four areas. 1. Supporting the Pupil. Support for the pupil is support for all pupils the TA comes into contact with in the school. Even if they are assigned to an individual child they will still interact with other pupils whilst in the school environment. It is the responsibility of a TA, as all members of staff, to maintain safe and healthy surroundings for children endorsing equal opportunity for all pupils to learn and grow. TAs must not show prejudice and be alert to, and aware of, discrimination within the school, encouraging non prejudicial attitudes. It is equally important to show appreciation and acceptance of the differences between people and help children understand that everyone has different qualities. Another aspect of a TAs job is to aid the development of pupils life and social skills. They should encourage inclusion and integration of pupils particularly when children have been taken out of class for extra help or after long periods of absence, due to illness for example. Listening to pupils and showing interest in what they do in and out of school, lifting their self esteem and building confidence, therefore encouraging independence. Whatever job description a TA has they should set a good example to pupils and be a good role model. 2. Supporting the Teacher. TAs need to be able to forge good working relations and work within structures that the teacher has outlined. Whatever specific role they have been employed for it is of great importance to be fully aware of the lesson aims and learning targets to enable the pupils to achieve their best. A TA is in a strong position to help the teacher observe, assess and record pupils learning and behavioural progress and offer feedback on these issues. 3. Supporting the School. All members of staff, including Teaching Assistants, are part of a team and when working effectively together can only benefit the school and consequently the pupils. TAs need to be aware of and work within school policies and procedures. These policies will include matters relating to Child Protection, Health Safety, Confidentiality and the Curriculum. It is essential to work within these policies procedures to ensure issues, such as bullying, are reported correctly and dealt with quickly and effectively. It gives a consistent framework to deal with issues fairly and equally. TAs support the school by acknowledging and using their skills and being prepared to learn and develop new ones. 4. Supporting the Curriculum. To support the Curriculum TAs need to have knowledge and understanding of ways in which children think and learn, progression of expected development and factors that inhibit learning. The National Literary and Numeracy Strategies have given TAs more involvement in these aspects of the curriculum, especially in primary schools. They are frequently engaged to work in other areas of the curriculum such as Physical Education (PE) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). With these increasing responsibilities it is helpful to have knowledge of National Curriculum documents and planning processes. A Teaching Assistant, as the name suggests, is there to help pupils achieve results whilst attending school. This is where the most differences in roles can be seen. In primary schools, a Teaching Assistant assigned to a class is responsible for assisting all pupils in that class. There are many tasks this involves including: †¢ Checking work and encouraging pupils to correct mistakes. †¢ Listening to reading.   †¢ Helping with practical work e.g. Crafts, outdoor activities/outings. †¢ Repeating instructions the teacher has given and ensuring the children understand what they need to do. †¢ Working with smaller groups of children.

A Case Study Of Barclays Bank Ghana Marketing Essay

A Case Study Of Barclays Bank Ghana Marketing Essay Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a broadly used and accepted strategy for nurturing a firms relationship with clients and business prospects. It involves the use of globally accepted technological tools to technically organise and synchronize work procedures, especially in the area of sales and marketing and technical support. The principal aim of CRM is to search, attract, and keep customers, grow and retain already existing ones and try to win back lost customers as well as cut down on costs of business service. For any firm to start, grow and remain in business the customer is vital and as such CRM is of key importance. Business success means that firms must see CRM as an area to invest in it is an investment and not be counted as a cost. However, if CRM is not handled properly it can be costly and detrimental to any firm. On the other hand, if well applied it will go a long way to enable any firm retain its clients base and subsequently grow its business. CRM to a very large extent affects the movements rate of customers in any industry, for the purposes of this research; the banking industry will be examined. Attrition rate is hugely dependent on CRM; customers in the banking industry have grown in terms of choice and control. A company therefore needs to strategise critically in its bid to retain customers. Of key importance in CRM is not just smiling faces but value in service delivery or superior product, leading to customer satisfaction and therefore customer loyalty and retention, which is the pivot of financial performance (Reichheld et al 2000; Hesket et al 1997, Reichheld, 1994). 1.1 GHANAS BANKING INDUSTRY ANALYSIS The Banking industry is highly competitive industry with 26 Banks currently competing for Corporate and Retail Clients. The industry is vastly capitalized with a total share holders fund of over One billion, Eight hundred thousand (GH ¢1,854,648,000), culminating to an average of over seventy one million of share holders fund per bank (GH ¢71,332,620.00). This may seem adequate per bank, regarding the upward adjustment of the Stated Capital by Bank of Ghana by 2012. The average share holders fund is however misleading as a number for banks are still struggling to even meet the twenty five million minimum capital requirement by 2010. In reality, it is only just about eight Banks whose capital is meets the Sixty million required by 2010. The Regulation to increase the minimum capital requirement of the banks comes on the back of the discovery of Oil in Commercial Quantities. This is required to position the banks strongly to take be able to take up larger transactions. While only f our (SCB, BBG, GCB and EBG) banks control almost 50% of the total assets held by the banking industry, the other twenty two banks are competing to increase their asset base to enable them compete with the larger banks. Profitability in the industry is quiet competitive as only four banks (BBG, FAMB, UTB and BSIC) made losses. The rest of the Banks made profit. With the developing new oil economy and the resulting expansion in the Ghanaian Economy, Banks are faced with a better opportunity to increase their profitability and consequently, their asset base. They are however faced with loan recovery difficulties resulting in an average of 18% of loans disbursed going bad. The Continual reduction of Inflation to 9.44% and the Policy lending rate of Bank of Ghana, has forced the base lending rate of the Bank Interest rates downwards. This however has ignited a price competition in the industry culminating into a debate on whether interest rates should reduce any further than it has, espe cially when loans default rate remains high (www.ghanaweb.com,www.bft.com) 1.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON BARCLAYS GHANA Barclays Bank Ghana is one of the biggest and first foreign banks to enter the Ghanaian economy at a time in which the three major banks namely Barclays, Standard Chartered and Ghana Commercial Bank and enjoyed oligopolistic positions before other banks entered the industry. Barclays has operated in Ghana for ninety four years. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barclays Bank PLC. Its vision is to become the best bank for every customer, in every branch, for every product and every time. Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited has an expansive retail and commercial banking network in the country with 92 branches and over 130 ATMs in all regional capitals and major towns. Its products and services are targeted particularly at the business and corporate, as well as retail customers. Barclays offers a wide range of commercial, Retail and Treasury products and services. It also offers local business banking product and services for Small Medium Enterprises and indigenous businesses (http://www.ba rclays.com/africa/ghana/barclays_in.htm). The Bank of Ghana in February, 2010 named Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited the biggest foreign bank and also the largest bank in terms of capacity to handle transactions in Ghana. In June 2009, Barclays launched its Bancassurance proposition in partnership with Enterprise Life Assurance Company Limited (ELAC) to enhance our product range with insurance product such as Term, Family Funeral Plan and Education Plan for the convenience of its customers. The Banks Premier Banking offers tailor made solutions and one-on-one banking to its high net worth. The Premier proposition amongst others offers; dedicated banking suites, financial planning, lifestyle alliances, global access to Premier lounges (airport) etc. In addition Premier Life, a new service proposition to replace Prestige Banking has been introduced. It is targeted at customers who require convenient banking, quick and efficient service as well as a level of privacy and recognition. The Barclays Offshore Banking Unit, the first of its kind in Ghana and indeed Africa South of the Sahara, continues to offer world class banking service to non-resident private clients and corporate. Industries financed by Barclays include cocoa, the backbone of the countrys economy; timber; gold and other minerals as well as business in the manufacturing sector and commerce. The banks sustainability programme focuses on three pillars. Banking for brighter futures; Looking after local communiti es and Charity begins at work. Barclays uses these key pillars to support developmental projects across Ghana. More than 80% of staff are involved in voluntary community programmes annually. Dubbed Make a Difference Day, it is the biggest corporate voluntary activity in Ghana. Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited is part of the Barclays Africa Group comprising ten (10) African markets under Barclays PLC(http://www.barclays.com/africa/ghana/barclays_in.htm) 1.3 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift from transaction focused policies to customer relationship focused policies. This is because the fundamental task of business is to create and keep a customer in a sustainable way and at an acceptable return to a shareholder. Levitt, Marketing Myopia. Majority of industries all over the business world have made varying efforts to go along with this shift in order to be able to retain the largest customer base possible. Some have managed it successfully whiles others are still woefully behind, and as such unable to break even. This dissertation is therefore aimed at examining the impact of CRM on customer attrition and also uncovers most appropriate methods of application. As a matter of fact it has become necessary to pursue this field as research to boost efforts of industries in their bid to uphold CRM in their business operations in order to retain and grow their customer base. An in depth knowledge of CRM and its appropriate use re veals that it reduces attrition. Thus the aim of this research work is to critically investigate the strategies of CRM and how it can be used to boost customer retention. The outcome of this research will establish CRM as the lifeline to any industry and hopefully get firms to adopt to it and grow their business. 1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Based on previous study, it has been established that bad CRM practise can be very damaging for any business. A recently released Harris Interactive study confirms that a bad customer service experience with your company is enough to make a majority of consumers run for the hills. The study reported that 80% of 2,049 US adults surveyed decided never to go back to a business/organization after a bad customer service experience. The study clearly indicates that an organizations customer service level is a defining factor that will make or break a company (www.crm2day.com/library/50483.php). Thus it is no doubt CRM is one of the main factors contributing to the rise or fall of an industry. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The purpose of this research work is to; Understand clearly the concept of CRM Provide reasons why industries need to invest in CRM Explore the extent to which industries focus on CRM Establish the merits and de-merits of CRM Suggest the methods of application of CRM 2.1 RESEARCH QUESTION As a follow up to the aims and objectives of this research, certain questions will be examined using the findings and suggestions of some experts in this field as background. Jankowicz (2000) advocates strongly that knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, thus the present research only has value in relation to the work already done by other people. With the above as a basis, this research work will aim at finding answers to the questions below; A definite description of Customer Relationship Management( CRM) How does CRM boost business success? What are the various ways of CRM application? Is CRM a field to invest in at all? How important are customers to any industry? Why do banks need CRM? 2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY With recent developments in the concept of CRM and its impact on business industries Huber et al.(2001) state that many marketing strategists and industrial-organization (IO) economists emphasize that creation of superior customer value is a key element for ensuring companies success ; it has become crucial to re-examine by research work the whole area of CRM establishing its importance and highlighting reasons why industries need to give more focus to this area. The results of the research will significantly achieve the following: Contribute to the knowledge providing good understanding of the key factors in CRM Establish CRM as a field to be invested in Assist industries that want to adapt CRM strategically Constitute a useful addition to work already done in the field Provide a basis for further research 2.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY This research will be limited to the banking industry with specific focus on Barclays Bank. It would have been profitable to include other service industries but this will not be possible considering the broad nature of CRM and the costs and time constraints which relates to the time frame within which this results needs to be submitted. CHAPTER THREE 3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 INTRODUCTION Customer relationship management (CRM) is bringing together of people, processes, and technology seeking to provide understanding of customer needs, to support a business strategy, and to build long-term relationships with customers. Successful usage of the integrated technology requires appropriate business processes and organizational culture to adequately address human behavioural elements. Because it is not simply a technology solution, success in CRM business is largely dependent on people. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a combination of people, processes, and technology (Chen and Popovich, 2003) that seeks to provide understanding of customer needs (Stringfellow et al., 2004), to support a business strategy (Ling and Yen, 2001; Bull,2003), and to build long-term relationships with customers (Wayland and Cole, 1997). Although enabled by information systems, CRM is not a technology solution (Rigby et al., 2002; Chen and Popovich, 2003). The core processes are handled b y people and requires clear understanding of the goals of key decisions and system-people interactions. To appreciate the concept of CRM an evolution of it needs to be highlighted. 3.2 EVOLUTION OF CRM From the 1980s to the 2000s the research of CRM have progressed tremendously (Ling and Yen, 2001; Goldenberg, 2006). The evolution of CRM started from target marketing (Prabhaker, 2001) and sales force automation (West, 2001) to relationship marketing (Gronroos, 1994) and has increased the demand for customer information management. However, as the scope of CRM grew, comprehensive emphasis on technology has become the focus. At the same time, the increased interest in CRM technology management has downplayed the importance of people issues, which are intimately responsible for successful CRM implementations (Goldenberg, 2006). New forms of competition and structural modifications of exchange processes have led to the emergence of the relationship paradigm for creating long-term relationships among customers and suppliers. This is partly due to the globalisation of business, internationalisation, deregulation, information technology advances, shorter product life cycles, and the evolv ing recognition of the relationship between customer retention and profitability (Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Zineldin and Jonsson, 2000; Chandra and Kumar, 2000; Sahay, 2003; Stefanou et al., 2003). Relationship paradigm refers to all activities directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges (Gro ¨nroos, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997; Gummesson, 1994; Morgan and Hunt, 1994, cited in Donaldson and OToole, 2002; Sahay, 2003). Through out the 1990s, in many organisations strategies, there was a shift from the need to manage transactions toward relationship management (Light, 2003). While enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages dominated the transaction management era, customer relationship management (CRM) packages lead with respect to relationships. The relationship between marketing strategies and performance has been studied from numerous theoretical perspectives, for example, transaction cost economics (Williamson, 1985, 1993; Park and Kim, 200 3), market orientation (Jaworski and Kohli, 1993; Harris and Piercy, 1999; Martin and Bush, 2003; Nielsen et al., 2003; Stefanou et al., 2003; Shapiro et al., 2003; Bigne ´ et al., 2004), and profit impact of marketing strategy (Kumar et al., 2000). The focus on the content of marketing strategies has been valuable in identifying performance-enhancing strategies (Goodhue et al., 2002; Plakoyiannaki and Tzokas, 2002; Chen and Popovich, 2003). While the concepts presented and discussed in the above perspectives are clearly valuable and have clear meaning, they also reflect a lack of accurate operating elements. Efforts made in this direction have failed to provide the concepts with sufficiently accurate and indicative operating elements (Grisi and Ribeiro, 2004). It is our view that past attempts of extant literature on implementation of customer relationship strategies have been insufficient and not gone far enough in the transition from the old to the new. According to Narayandas and Rangan (2004), empirical research in relationship management has tended to take a snapshot of a relationship at a given time and then attempted to project its trajectory (Croteau and Li, 2003). This gap has prompted researchers such as Anderson (1995), Jap and Ganesan (2000) and Lambe et al. (2001) to call for more field-based research based on case studies that draw on material from the multiple exchange episodes that constitute relationships and that offer insights into the processes of relationship initiation and maintenance (Narayandas and Rangan, 2004). Work on implementation of CRM strategy has focused on database management, direct marketing techniques, e-commerce and customer relationship mechanisms (Ling and Yen, 2001; Winer, 2001; Shoemaker, 2001; Gefen and Ridings, 2002; Fjermestad and Romano, 2003; Apostolou and Mentas, 2003; Croteau and Li, 2003; Bull, 2003; Park and Kim, 2003; Chen and Popovich, 2003; Kotorov, 2003; Scullin et al., 2004). This has been most noticea ble in business to consumer markets, and in services and financial services in particular. Donaldson and OToole (2002), indicated that though not all, many schemes are little more than sophisticated selling. According to Hertz and Vilgon (2002), many CRM implementation projects are fraught with difficulties in terms of technically not delivering the anticipated business benefits. Hertz and Vilgon (2002) indicate that up to 60 per cent of CRM implementation projects fail to live up to expectations. The study reported in this paper aims to contribute to the existing literature on the relationship marketing paradigm and the implementation of customer relationship strategy by examining both of these issues. This is accomplished by providing a better understanding of the components of CRM on the one hand, and the implementation of CRM strategy on the other. CRM systems have been used for a long time to automate processes (Ngai, 2005). However, the system process cannot manage customer re lations (Rigby et al., 2002; Chen and Popovich, 2003) because customer knowledge needs to be comprehended by business managers (Bueren et al., 2005), the face-to-face communication needs to be performed by front-line operators (Stringfellow et al., 2004), and a customer-centric culture needs to be formed by organization architects (Oldroyd, 2005). Although critical to the firm and dynamic in nature, the human side of CRM processes has gained little attention in CRM studies. Indeed, superior value of products/services delivered to customers leads to customer loyalty, the real driver of financial performance (see Reichheld et al., 2000; Heskett et al., 1997; Reichheld, 1994). Reichheld and Sasser (1990) show that, on average, a five percentage points increase in customer retention leads to between 40-50 percent increases in net present value profits. A few years later, Reichheld (1994) reports that a decrease in defection rate (or an increase in retention rate) of five percentage poin ts can increase profits by 25-100 percent and that this result is consistent across a wide array of industries. Satisfaction is a state of mind and it is only important as an indication of the intention of the most important behavior of repeat purchase, favorable word-of-mouth, and referrals. Reichheld (1994) states that customers who describe themselves as satisfied are not necessarily loyal. A cost benefit analysis reveals that huge resource allocation to CRM by businesses world-wide (estimated at $100 billion to date at the time of writing, see www.CRM-forum.com) has been primarily IT driven, not marketing driven. While CRM is meant to be about enabling a customer orientation, often it is not marketers pulling the strings: The serious question for the marketing profession is whether to respond to the challenges raised by new technology. The authors are not suggesting that one size fits all. The assertion by OMalley and Mitussis (2002), that where the ethos of relationship marketi ng does not exist in an organisation, it may be prudent for marketers to limit their CRM ambitions to advanced database marketing, is very sensible. But the disruption of new technology gives marketers, at the very least, opportunities to improve their internal influence. Many respondents in this research doubted whether CRM can control attrition rate in the business industry. My hypothesis suggests that CRM powered by technology and human involvement can control attrition rate in the business industry specifically banking where fierce competition is fuelling switching from bank to bank by customer. Are switching costs too low to dissuade clients from staying loyal to a particular bank? CHAPTER FOUR 4.0 METHODOLOGY The research seeks to explore the topic through the use of qualitative data. The choice of methodology will give the researcher an in-depth view, Easterby-Smith et al (2002), (Deshpande ´, 1983) on the extent to which CRM could go to control the attrition rate in the banking industry. This section extensively considers the research methods, tools and techniques available to achieve the aims and objectives and also to justify the use of the research method that will be employed in this study. Jankowicz (1995) describes methodology as the analysis of and justification for the part method(s) used in undertaking research. Furthermore, methodology seeks to explain the research procedure adopted by a researcher and should consist of the following: research design, data collection methods, sampling, field work, analysis and interpretation of data (Boyd, 1981). As asserted by Oppenhein (1992) for every social research there is the need to examine appropriate methodologies necessary for con ducting a particular study. As further stated by Oppenhein (1992) it is often seen that as research takes shape the aims of the research undergoes a number of subtle changes as a consequence of greater clarity in thinking, such changes may require a new or better design, which in turn will lead to a better specification for the instruments of measurement. Sources of data are the carriers of information and basically there are two sources of data- primary and secondary (Ghauri et al., 1995). Saunders et al, (2003) identified a third source as tertiary. However, it must be emphasised that while tertiary and secondary sources of data form the basis of the literature review, primary data sources are linked to the empirical research. As suggested by Kinnear and Taylor (1996), when research objectives include identifying problems or spotting potential opportunities, the use of exploratory research is the most suitable method. Easterby-Smith et al. (2002) argue that the knowledge of differ ent research traditions enables one to adapt a research design to cater for constraints. A qualitative research approach is used because it is a valuable means of finding out what happened; to seek new insights; to ask questions and assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002). It great advantage is that it is flexible and adaptable to change, as in conducting exploratory research the researcher must be willing to change direction as a result of new data that appears and new insights that occur to the researcher (Saunders et al., 2003). As further reinforced by Adam and Schvaneveldt (1991) flexibility is inherent in exploratory research which does not mean there is no sense of direction to the enquiry but rather that the focus is initially broad and becomes progressively narrower as the research progresses. However, qualitative biases can also occur and result in inaccurate measurement and findings. 4.1 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION/ SOURCE Both primary and secondary data will be used in this research. The primary data will be obtained from the semi-structured telephone interviews with some Barclays customers in Ghana. A semi-structured interview is suggested so as to obtain relevant information through the use of open-ended questions thus encouraging the interviewee to emphasize his/her point of interest (Easterby-Smith et al., 2002; Healey, 1991; Jankowicz, 2000). Individual in-depth interviews are deployed to provide the anonymity essential in allowing sensitive internal material to be revealed. It is also the most practical way of getting participation from busy Barclays customers. The interviews were semi-structured with a topic guide to provide some structure and consistency to the interviews, as advocated by a number of researchers (Miles and Huberman, 1989). The secondary data will be obtained from the companys website, published materials such as, academic journals, newspaper articles, search engines and books. Ghauri et al, (1995) says it all that the purpose of secondary data is to frame the problem under scrutiny, identify relevant concepts, methods and techniques and facts to position the research. 4.2 SAMPLE FRAME AND STRATEGY There will be sample size determination on the data collected. A total of 100 Barclays Bank customers will be interviewed. Also, due to time and budget constraints involved with the research, the sample would be a convenient size. Indeed. The interviews will be transcribed and analyzed with the use of a simple median. Thus the software Microsoft Excel will be used to calculate the percentage and numbers to clarify the data. It is worth emphasizing that due to the small size of the study, a deviance may appear in the result. CHAPTER FIVE 5.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING PROBLEMS As said above, there are limitations associated with the data collection through the means of semi-structured interviews. It is necessary to consider data quality issues such as reliability, bias, validity and generalizability which are seen as important to any qualitative research. According to Easterby-Smith et al. (2002) reliability in qualitative research is concerned with the probability of whether another researcher who has the same research will come up with similar information and findings. According to the authors (pp 53) reliable research tries to find answers to three questions. The first is will the measure yield the same results on other occasions? Secondly will similar observations be reached by other observers? Thirdly is there transparency in how the raw data will be analyzed? Thus for this study the researcher believes that reliability will be dealt with as previous research has been carried out on the small business sector which the researcher will be making use of including some materials through secondary data. Also, with the use of qualitative, non-standardised research, the result of the study implies that findings are not intended to be repeatable, as they reflect the reality at the time of collecting the data, which might be subject to change (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). In addition, bias on the side of the interviewee or interviewer can also affect the quality of the research; hence it should be noted that being aware of this, the researcher will ensure in the design of the interview questionnaire and also in terms of asking the right questions to get the required answers in line with the aims and objectives of the research. The researcher at all times Endeavour not to use any verbal or non-verbal behaviour that could affect the quality of the interview. Also a lot of readings will be undertaken in terms of text books, as well as obtaining guidelines from a professional interviewer and through practice. According to Saunders et al. (2003) validity is concerned with whether the results are what they appear to be. Oppenheim (1992) also notes that sample accuracy is more important than its size, in that there is a compromise between the theoretical sampling size and practical limitations such as time and costs. In terms of validity the researcher deems this to be high as the method used, that is, the in-depth interview will give the researcher a hands-on experience and the ability to see the reactions of the respondents through their interactions. The last issue will be the generalizability which according to Saunders et al., (2003) is the situation whereby findings of a research are applicable to other research settings. 5.1 ETHICAL ISSUES / CONSIDERATION Ethical issues occur when undertaking any kind of research and these have to be taken into consideration. Research ethics refer to the acceptability of a researchers behaviour towards the rights of subjects of research. To ensure this, researchers behaviour is guided by the code of ethics appropriate to academics and the profession or association of the researcher (Saunders et. at, 2003). The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). According to Easterby-Smith et al. (2002) the ability to explore data or to seek explanation through qualitative methods will require a greater scope for ethical issues. This is particularly important when the data collected during interviews for example concerns sensible subjects or private stories, etc (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998). This issue is relevant in this research, as Barclays Bank customers will be asked about their finances and other privat e issues regarding possible attrition. The researcher however, is aware that when it comes to issues about finance, people are reluctant to give information. Hence the researcher will take the necessary action to avoid any such issues. Thus this research will consider the anonymity and privacy of respondents and accordingly would be based on the consent of respondents who will be provided with a cover letter, informing them of the purpose of the research and also providing assurance of the confidentiality of information given. Also, the name of the researcher as well as the University will be given in order to avoid any ambiguity. As a result, the researcher will be conversant with ethical considerations and both the researcher and respondents will be protected. 5.2 RESEARCH TIME TABLE 2010-2011 SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY Identification of research area 1ST    4th Formulation of research questions 6th Formulation of research strategy, 9th research design and selection 15th   methods Writing of the research proposal 20rd Negotiation of access 26th Literature review 29th 5th 27th Data collection 8th 24th Data analysis 28th 19th Writing the first draft 2nd 15th Writing the second draft 20th 2nd Writing the final draft 15th Dissertation due date 30th BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafaeli, A. and Sutton, R., (1987) Expression of Emotion as Part of the Work Role, Academy of Management Review, pp. 23-37

Sullivan vs. Bennett Essay -- Gay Marriage Homosexuality Essays

Sullivan vs. Bennett The two texts examined within, present the opposing extremes of views regarding gay and lesbian marriage. The first text entitled Let Gays Marry by Andrew Sullivan examines the intricacies of same sex relationships and why homosexual couples should be allowed to publicly show affection for one another. The second text that will be examined is titled Leave Marriage Alone written by William Bennett. Bennett gives his views on why couples of same sex nature should not be allowed to engage in marital relations. These two authors, although very different, each has a view of the ideals of marriage, and how it should be presented to the public. Sullivan, a proponent of same sex marriages is a firm believer that gay and lesbian couples should be treated as equals in society and no different than anyone else. Many people are afraid of the effects that same sex marriages may have on our culture, and Sullivan explains that gay men and women are no different from anyone else in society as far as political and moral beliefs are concerned. These people are not out to change America as a whole, they just want the freedom to decide and to do as they wish. Sullivan explains that homosexuals want the right to marry for the same reasons as anyone else and that the lobbying of gays in America, for marriage, is not to destroy our moral system or who we are, they just want to be able to devote to one another as a regular couple does. Same sex marriage may seem, to some, a crazy idea as marriage in this country is built on the foundation of a man and a woman marrying, but Sullivan points out that until recent centuries marriage was a contract into which a woman entered so that she would be controlled by her husba... ... to agree on the fact that the issue at hand is one of religion. Religion seems to be the deciding factor right now when it comes to the question of what is right and what is wrong. Both authors see religion as the main concern when the question of homosexual marriage is brought up. So as each has very different ideals for society as a whole, both Bennett and Sullivan try to represent the happiness of the people as a whole, in their own ways. The two authors present very different points of view and each has well thought out reasoning behind what he has to say. Although the authors feel very different about how marriage should exist and how it should be regulated, there is some common ground between the authors. Citations †¢ Sullivan, Andrew. Let Gays Marry. United States: Random, 2002 †¢ Bennett, William. Leave Marriage Alone. United States: Random, 2002

The Controversy Over Harry Potter Essay -- Harry Potter Essays

The Controversy Over Harry Potter The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling has created quite a stir among public schools and churches. Some parents and ministers are afraid these books are teaching wizardry, witchcraft, and evil to their children, while others think they are books of harmless fantasy. There are two sides to this controversy, but I believe that these are just a way for kids to make-believe and imagine. The Harry Potter books are about a boy who learns he has special powers and attends a school called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here we find trials against good and evil, where good triumphs. There have been some parents who have protested these books and have been trying to get them banned from schools. In Clarence, New York, at Ledgeview Elementary School, Eric Poliner isn’t allowed to listen when his teacher, Mrs. Cusack, reads Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone aloud to her fifth grade students. His mom has him sit in the library and study while the other students listen to the story. Eric says, â€Å"There’s a lot about witchcraft and...

Free Admissions Essays: This Beautiful Life :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

This Beautiful Life    " We go AIDS unit now." These words were spoken in fragmented English by a tiny Thai woman dressed in a crisp white nurse's uniform, complete with a stiff little hat perched on top of her overly styled black hair, teased and sprayed to perfection. I looked down at the nurse, somewhat startled. I certainly had not expected to be permitted to see into the gruesome reality of taboo Thai culture.    I had come to Lampang, Northern Thailand with nine other American students on my first of several community service programs to the country. By the time we reached the Kanyalyani hospital, we had already experienced our fair share of encounters with the peculiarities of the Thai people and their constant struggle "to keep face" for their country in the eyes of these young farangs (foreigners). Perhaps the reason the Lampang Kanyalyani hospital proved different was because they recognized the hospital lacking in superficial beauty to show off, I reflected, as I glanced at the peeling white walls of the hall, mold formations prospering in the damp corners, and then over to the disarray of rickety wooden chairs cluttered in the center of the cramped room full of sickly people, many of whom would not be treated for hours. "This OK?" confirmed the little nurse. I looked over to my friend, Alex, who was furiously nibbling on his fingernails, a sure sign that he too was nervous. We both nod ded with false enthusiasm, plastering huge fabricated grins across our faces, a habit that we had acquired since arriving; a method for concealing emotion. I took Alex's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as we turned to follow our guide across a courtyard overrun with weeds and cluttered with piles of rocks, into a separate building. The sagging roof and high windows, splattered with mud, ( a far cry from the Four Seasons) was not a place I would want to wait to die. I took a deep breath, trembling with both fear and anticipation, and walked through the door that Alex held for me.      When I first scanned the room, it was as if with selective vision. I saw things, but not the people to which they were attached. The high metal beds, the IV drops, the rasping respirator impacted me. I moved in closer, hoping to overcome my reservations.

The role of Marketing as being an ‘Initiator’ in identifying, evaluating, recommending and implementing overall retailing strategy

We suggest that marketing, along with Finance, Operation, Human Resource management, Property and System are functions that all contribute to the overall retail strategy. We would develop a strategic marketing plan that will identify customer's based opportunities. The central thrust is to positioning of the company in term of its Merchandise, Services and trading environment offer such that it is clearly recognizable by the customer group to which it is directed/targeted. At the same time, the fundamental requirements of the company can be identified and established as a performance requirements which need to be meet and the critical success factor can then form a planning structure for the company strategy decision. CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS 1. Increase sales revenue in real terms. 2. Increase gross profit in real term 3. Containing operation costs throughout the business 4. Increase the productivity of physical & human assets 5. Adding value to the customer offer 6. KEY VARIABLES. Key Variables. 1. Merchandise selection reflects customer requirement for choice, quality, exclusivity etc. 2. Co-ordinate merchandise ranges. Merchandise availability in stores and distribution centers. 3. Merchandise reorder/replenishment 4. Pricing/price competitiveness. 5. Customer perception of total Retail offer. 6. Provision of sales data. 7. Merchandise spaces planning & control. 8. Improve sales forecasting. 9. Research customer expectation. 10. Monitor customer responses, attitude and perceptions of competitive offers. Marketing Activities 1. Increase awareness of the ‘offer' among existing customers and potential customers—create positioning strategy. 2. Increase number of customer visits 3. Influence percentage of visiting customers to buy, 4. Increase size of purchase (buy more) 5. Increase range of purchase 6. Influence those who buy to return regularly and more frequently

Nintendo Case Study

Case Analysis Part 1 Introduction Case 7 of the textbook titled Essentials of Strategic Management looked at the video game pioneer Nintendo. The title of the case is Nintendo's Strategy in 2009: The Ongoing Battle with Microsoft and Sony and was written by Lou Marino and Sally Sarrett. The case begins by describing how Nintendo faced serious competition from Sony and Microsoft in the video game market. As Sony had created the Playstation and Microsoft came out with the Xbox, Nintendo had taken a backseat in terms of new video game consoles.Through the years however, Nintendo had created many popular devices used for gaming such as the Nintendo 64 and numerous versions of the DS. As Nintendo prepared to release the Wii game system, many said that it lacked the graphics and user experience that their rivals had and it appeared as though it would be a market flop. To the surprise of many critics and competing companies, the Wii was a huge success setting records for total sales.Current ly Nintendo is seeing reduced demand and reduced sales due to the recession but they continue to release new features and games and analysts say that â€Å"the only limitations of the system were the limitations of the designer and the user-leading most to believer they considered the possibilities endless† ( ). Nintendo's Strategy In it's early years, Nintendo's strategy was to bring video game experience most commonly found in public venues such as the Donkey Kong arcade game into the users home.This differentiation strategy proved highly successful for Nintendo as they were the first to give the user an affordable gaming console with many different games available for the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES. This continued with the release of numerous versions of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS as users could take their games with them anywhere they went which was unheard of from rivals such as Sony and Microsoft at the time. As competition grew with Sony, Sega, and Microsof t, Nintendo's strategy seemed to move towards a cost strategy. They began creating onsoles such as the GameCube to compete with disk operated consoles by their competitors but at a cheaper price. This move turned out to be unsuccessful for a number of reasons, the main one being their lack of graphic capabilities. From here Nintendo began differentiating themselves again. Nintendo set out to design a console that would revolutionize the way people played games and the Wii was born. People that had never played video games before such as women and the elderly could now find games suited for them that were easy to understand and fun to play.Users could play games that got them up and moving to promote a healthier lifestyle as well as interact with others. For Nintendo to be successful in the future, this differentiation strategy appears to be the best route to follow. Strategic Leadership The strategic leadership surrounding the Nintendo organization appears to be ahead of their time in some aspects. Although they are not coming out with consoles directly aimed at competing with that of Sony and Microsoft, they are however releasing cutting edge technologies into their products.From the dual screen on the DS which allows users to sync up with others to play head to head to the Wii with a Bluetooth activated controller, Nintendo is constantly changing the video game industry. The marketers at Nintendo understood that â€Å"too many powerful consoles can't coexist† because they would eventually lead to their own collapse ( 375 ). By creating something completely new for users that rivals aren't reaching, Nintendo was able to gain control of a relatively untouched market segment. Nintendo is known for its differentiation from the normal gaming systems and this attracts a completely different crowd than Sony and Microsoft.Stakeholders in the Nintendo company know this and this is what ultimately attracts them to their organization just as the stakeholders for Sony or Microsoft are attracted to the strategies of competing to be the best in terms of graphics and realistic gaming experience. If Nintendo was to change and try to compete on the same levels as Sony and Microsoft, they would more than likely lose many of their investors because this differentiation is what keeps Nintendo ranking among the top gaming companies.

Love in the Time Essay

The actions of human nature with regards to sexual drive and concepts of love are not easily explained using only conventional conceptual studies such as Evolutionary Sociology. For instance it is some how difficult to explain human behaviors such as celibacy, homosexuality, and adoption from these aspects. However, the evolutionary process is used to describe how humans came into being by a process of change over a substantial period of time. In this case, some human actions is viewed as direct results of certain behavioral evolution, which makes use of thorough studies of other primates and many other animals in the animal kingdom, with the aim of discovering linking keys to unlock some behaviors. On the other hand, some of the strongest concepts can be linked to Evolutionary Sociobiology where the evolutionary past of humans is a vital tool for the explanation of their present actions. Additionally, all concepts that humans act upon, not easily explained with evolution in today’s world, can be shown to be results of the interactions of an information pattern, held in each individual’s memory and which is capable of being passed to that of another individual. Thus, these ideas can be stored biochemically in human brains, but also can be transmitted in visually or orally, in writing, music, or TV for example. These facts are fundamental to the views of this paper, which is a stringent account aimed at exposing the influences of two seemingly dicey elements of human interactions, namely; love and lust. This paper presents its views with vital emphasis on the lessons inherent in two of Scott Fitzgerald’s publications; that is ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Offshore Pirate’, as well as other vital resources which were consulted during this research. Introduction. Love can be defined as a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection. It can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, including pleasure (for example, one can be in love with a substance such as fashion, life style, car and so on) and in interpersonal attraction (such as falling in love with someone). The circumstance in which one falls in love with a particular entity can some times be strange. An instance of this is found in the fiction story ‘The Offshore Pirate’, in which one the characters (Ardita) fell in love with a stranger whom she met under an unforeseen circumstance, thus she didn’t hesitate to confess her feeling to him (Fitzgerald 29). Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what isn’t love. As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like), love is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy); as a less sexual and more emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, although other definitions of the word love may be applied to close friendships in certain contexts. On the other hand, lust is a shallow type of love known as Eros. Recent critics have tended to prefer desire or Eros over love not only because of the latter word’s association with sentiment but also because an earlier generation of Shakespeare scholars identified it with a state in which characters rise above the trammeling conditions of social, political, and economic relations (Schalkwyk 76). Thus, Lust is merely a variation of consciousness’s project to become its own foundation, a project that necessarily fails. How Can Love Be Identified? Love between humans can be identified in many ways, but the most common way is that it connotes a sense of steady friendship and faithfulness as well as the spirit of forgiveness even in the face of faithfulness. Just like the couple (Tom and Daisy) in Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ forgave each other’s flaws. Love is a subset of desires of which sexual acts such as kissing is an integral part. So it is not strange for one to develop such desires at first sight of what he or she wants or would love to have. Thus, the case of the nineteen year old ‘Ardita’ expressing her feelings for the young stranger she met (Fitzgerald 30). Love tends to bring together things that would naturally be in diversity, forcing these to rather identify what they have in common (Fitzgerald 23). Hence, it is a gateway to romantic relationships. A romantic relationship is an important part of many people’s lives, but not the whole. Balance is about understanding where your relationship fits into the life you have. A person who’s working 80 hours a week may genuinely not have time or energy for any kind of relationship at all. A person who’s raising children must consider their needs as well as his or her own. Emotional honesty (starting with that first time you confess love) isn’t achieved simply or quickly. It takes work, work that will go on for the rest of your relationship, both with yourself and with your partner. It also brings deep rewards in the form of closeness and trust. Signs of healthy relationships include being open to change, to the process of facing and accepting uncomfortable emotions. More than any other part of a relationship, the work of emotional honesty is founded in love. It takes a leap of faith to drop your defenses and trust your partner with the feelings, thoughts, dreams, ideas and words that are most essentially yours. Human Actions mentored by Love. Responsibility; this act includes having the time to devote to the physical capacity to carry out certain tasks. This requires a lot of time and sacrifice from all parties involved. Time, more often than not, is something that gets in the way of being able to devote oneself. Commitment; this involves boycotting all nefarious acts such as unfaithfulness, which tends to breach the contract instituted by love. Achieving Goals; this includes the ultimate goal of mastering the art of love as well as all the stepping stones along the way. Staying focused on the present is important, yet without an idea of where one is heading it’s easy to get lost. Confidence; love serves as an instrument that bestows confidence among it participants Patience; hand-in-hand with confidence, patience is needed to persevere through the low points. If martial arts were easy, everyone would do it. The same goes for love. Truly opening yourself to another, being vulnerable, and accepting the other unconditionally takes a lot of effort. It is a common misconception that â€Å"love should just come naturally. † Persistence; working closely with confidence, persistence requires having faith in the process of learning. That even though you don’t get it all now, if you keep at it, eventually you will. Action that Depicts Lust. Lust is a physical emotion that humans act upon in the heat of the moment. Yet few would fall in love with someone who didn’t turn them on, and that can lead to problems. Here are some tips to identify lust; †¢ If one only want to be with another person just to have sex, it’s lust. †¢ If one tries to describe his or her friend and can only talk about physical appearance and body parts, that’s lust. †¢ If a person doesn’t call or converse with the other party except when he or she wants physical pleasure, that’s lust. †¢ If one lies to someone in order to get into bed with him or her, that’s lust. It’s possible for an affair based purely on lust to develop into a healthy relationship based on love, but it doesn’t occur often. You may be better off spending your time with someone who sees and appreciates you with clothes on. Conclusion. Real love exists between equals. Neither partner is considered inferior or superior, though different roles may be assumed. One party’s wants, needs and fears are no more or less important, though they may at times be more or less urgent, than those of the second party. Both deserve time, energy, and resources. In summary it is important to note that humans are all animals being controlled by a conscience in one form or another. Its hard to have any proof of what it is actually. However, it is some form of a soul or divine presence or just a series of memes that have dominance in our minds taking over some of our functions to insure that the meme itself is able to survive as long as possible and to reproduce itself, spreading to other minds and trying controlling them in much the same way, truly acting like a virus for the computer that is our brain. Thus, memetics may basically provide a partial answer to how love or lust mentors our behaviors, just as evolutionary sociobiology, but do these two concepts complete the picture of human behavior? Maybe there is a part to us that is non-material a spirit or such that instead of being memetics controlling us, it controls us and memetics influences that. Something has to select the memes, decide between them and there maybe something beyond our comprehension to explain this. Works Cited John Armstrong, Conditions of Love: The philosophy of Intimacy. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Diane Ackerman, A. Natural History of Love . New York: Random House, 1994. Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Offshore Pirate. Kessinger Publishing,2007. Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Great Gatsby. Schalkwyk, David. â€Å"Love and Service in Twelfth Night and the Sonnets. †Byline56(2005) p76.