Investment That is to Develop New Products Essay

Investment That is to Develop New Products - Essay Example The development of new product is of course risky, time consuming as well as expensive. Firms need to produce dozen of ideas regarding new products where only one idea might result in successful product. The failure rate of new product is much higher than the success rate, as high as 80% and the reason for failure are numerous, like inadequate market survey, poor screening, market orientation, product defects, and some inadequate launching effort (Boone & Kurtz, p.398). Due to high investment which is needed to produce the products and various other steps needed to take care of by the manufacturers to ensure success of the new product, most of the firms think that new product development is not worth huge investment because of the rate of failure, and believes that it is much more feasible and easier to copy the market leaders product. Market leader are referred to as those organization which poses the largest market share in a particular market and the market followers are those org anizations which imitates the top market leaders but at the same time do not upsets the ongoing balance with respect to the competitive power of the respective industry. These market followers prefer to avoid the direct attack and reap the product benefits of innovations which are made by the leaders of the respective market through imitations. To imitate the market leader and avoid making huge investment, the market followers adopt four major approaches, Counterfeiter strategy is adopted by the market followers when they aim to duplicate the products of market leaders and packaging style and therefore sell in the black market. The strategy of counterfeiter has plagued brands like Apple and Rolex mostly in Asia. Secondly, cloner strategy is being used to emulate the market leader’s product name and packaging one such example of cloner is Ralcorp Holdings which sells off imitation of brand cereals in lookalike containers at a much lower price. Thirdly, the market followers ado pt imitator strategy where some features are copied from the market leader while retaining few features of its own. The last strategy used by market followers is the adapter strategy which involves adoption of owns product as that of market leader and sells the product into different market. S&S Cycle supplies engine to the firms which builds bikes like Harley. The company buys, every year Harley Davidson and takes off the engine apart and finds out what to be improved. The followers earn or make profit at a lower rate than the market leaders. One such example s the food processing industry which revealed that only the top two companies were profitable (Kotler, p. 194). Among the mobile phone manufacturer, Philips a well known European brand also fall under the category of market followers. There are other Asian companies which operate on the European mobile market such as Sharp, Haier, Pantech, NEC, Innostream and Sanyo (Anonym, p. 15). Market followers is the runner up organizatio ns in the industry whose major intentions are to hold the market share without investing and also providing challenges to its strong competitors. But however this does not mean that the market followers lack any kind of strategies in fact it is believe of the followers that it is much more advantageous to remain follower and pursue the ‘me too strategy’ rather than being the market leader. The strategy to remain market follower is believed to be effective because the

Assessment and Development Essay Example for Free

Assessment and Development Essay 1. What is a competency? What are its characteristics? How is it different from Job Description? Competency: Competencies refer to skills or knowledge that leads to superior performance. These are formed through an individual/organization’s knowledge, skills and abilities and provide a framework for distinguishing between poor performances through to exceptional performance. Competencies can apply at organizational, individual, team, and occupational and functional levels. Competencies are individual abilities or characteristics that are key to effectiveness in work. Some examples of competencies required by the employees are: 1. Adaptability 2. Commitment 3. Creativity 4. Motivation 5. Foresight 6. Leadership 7. Independence 8. Emotional Stability 9. Analytical Reasoning and 10. Communication Skills Characteristics of Competencies ? ? ? ? ? ? Competencies are the characteristics of a manager that lead to the demonstration of skills and abilities, which result in effective performance within an organizational area. The best way to understand performance is to observe what people actually do to be successful rather than relying on assumptions pertaining to trait and intelligence. The best way to measure and predict performance is to assess whether people have key competencies. Competencies can be learnt and developed. They should be made visible/accessible. They should be linked to meaningful life outcomes that describe how people should perform in the real world 3|P a ge Common difference Competencies Job Description. Competencies †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Underlying characteristic of a person’s inputs. Clusters of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Generic knowledge motive, trait, social role or a skill. Personal characteristics. Set of skills, related knowledge and attributes. On the other hand, Job Description †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Superior performance in a given job, role or a situation. Individual’s ability to perform. Linked to superior performance on the job. Contribute to effective managerial performance. Successfully perform a task or an activity within a specific function or job. 4|P a ge 2. What are the different types of competencies? What is their relevance? 1. Behavioral Competency: Behaviors, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that contribute to individual success in the organization ? ? ? Can apply to all (or most) jobs in an organization or be specific to a job family, career level or position For example:- teamwork and cooperation, communication Focus on the person 2. Technical or functional Competency: Specific knowledge and skills needed to be able to perform one’s job effectively ? ? ? Job specific and relate to success in a given job or job family For example:- knowledge of accounting principles, knowledge of human resource law and practice Focus on the job A trainer requires a different set of competencies than an accountant, and a teller requires a different set than a maintenance worker. If there are different levels within the same position, then each job level might also have its own set of vertically derived competencies 3. Core Competency: ? ? A core competency is defined as an internal capability that is critical to the success of business. These are organizational competencies that all individuals are expected to possess. These competencies define what the organization values the most in people. For example:- an organization might want each individual to possess teamwork, flexibility and communication skills. 5|P a ge 4. Threshold competency: ? ? The characteristics required by a jobholder to perform a job effectively are called threshold competencies. For the position of a typist it is necessary to have primary knowledge about typing, which is a threshold competency. 5. Differentiating competency: ? ? The characteristics, which differentiate superior performers from average performers, come under this category; such characteristics are not found in average performers. Knowledge of formatting is a competency that makes a typist to superior to others in performance, which is a differentiating competency. 6|P a ge 3. What is the difference between Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Differences between Assessment and Development centers Assessment centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards filing a job vacancy address an immediate organizational need have fewer assessors and more participants involve line managers as assessors have less emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on what the candidate can do now are geared to meet the needs of the organization assign the role of judge to assessors place emphasis on selection with little or no developmental feedback and follow up give feedback at a later date involve the organization having control over the information obtained have very little pre-centre briefing tend to be used with external candidates. Development centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? do not have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards developing the individual address a longer term need have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant do not have line managers as assessors have a greater emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on potential are geared to meet needs of the individual as well as the organization assign the role of facilitator to assessors place emphasis on developmental feedback and follow up with little or no selection function 7|P a ge ? ? ? ? give feedback immediately involve the individual having control over the information obtained have a substantial pre-centre briefing tend to be used with internal candidates 8|P a ge 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Assessment Centers: Assessment centers consist of a number of exercises designed to assess the full range of skills and personal attributes required for the job. Advantages: ? Assessment centers map the next level challenges and simulate them in exercises. This raises the validity of the assessment tool. The old way of evaluating the person based on past performance does not work many times, as the challenges of the next level are different from the challenges in the existing position. Assessment centers not only help the organization in placing the right candidate for the right job/assignment but also help in developing the participants. When participants see others handling the same exercise differently, it gives them an insight into their own performance thereby raises the credibility of the selection procedure. It appeals to the lay person’s logic and therefore is regarded as a fair means of assessment by the participants. Assessment Centers can be customized for different kinds of jobs, competencies and organizational requirements. They are far more accurate than a standard recruitment process as they allow a broader range of selection methods to be used during the process. They enable interviewers to assess existing performance as well as predict future job performance. They give the opportunity to assess and differentiate between candidates who seem very similar in terms of quality on paper. They give the candidates a better insight into the role as they are tested on exercises, which are typical for the role they have applied for. They help employers build an employer brand. Candidates who attend assessment centers which genuinely reflect the job and the organization are often impressed by that company, even if they are rejected. The cost of an assessment centre is usually cheaper compared with the potential cost of many recruitment phases and the cost of recruitment errors. 9|P a ge ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? They are a fair process – they complement an organization’s diversity agenda and ensure that people are selected on the basis of merit alone. Disadvantages: ? ? ? ? ? Assessment Centers are very costly and time consuming. Assessment Centers requires highly skilled observers as the observers may bring in their own perceptions and biases while evaluating. Those who receive poor assessment might become de-motivated and might lose confidence in their abilities. New recruits with high expectations can feel disappointed if the assessment centre has encouraged them to believe the job or organization fits their values if, in fact, it does not. If you haven’t defined the key competencies prior to the event and a way to measure these competencies you will only be able to compare candidates on anecdotal details.

Using Problem-Solving Approaches in Vocational Education :: Learning Education Educational Essays

Using Problem-Solving Approaches in Vocational Education Problem Solving for Teaching and Learning Agricultural education has emphasized problem solving as a means of helping students to develop decision-making skills and teachers to alter their teaching methodology. The traditional method of problem solving for decision making reflects Dewey’s five-step model for learning, expanded to six steps by Newcomb, McCracken, and Warmbrod (Straquadine and Egelund 1992): (1) identification of the problem situation: What is happening?; (2) definition of the problem: What must be done?; (3) search for information: What do we need to know?; (4) analysis of data: What are the important considerations?; (5) testing possible solutions: What will happen if this action is followed?; and (6) conclusion: What action is most promising? The problem-solving method of teaching incorporates problem-solving activities, but places the responsibility for learning on the student. It requires teachers to move from the traditional instructional model to one that engages teachers and students as partners in learning, with the teacher functioning in the role of facilitator or coach rather than leader or all-knowing authority. It requires the use of problems that have real meaning to students, thus motivating them to reach a solution. Educators and special reform groups in other subject areas refer to a process known as "problem-based learning," which has many similarities to the problem-solving approach. In problem-based instruction, all learning is done in context, within the learner’s social environment. Learning occurs as students negotiate with others and evaluate the viability of each individual’s understanding (Savery and Duffy 1995). Stepien and Gallagher (1993) discuss four critical features of problem-based learning: 1. Engagement. The problem raises concepts and principles relevant to the content area and addresses real issues that connect to the larger social context of the students’ personal world. 2. Inquiry. The problem is ill-structured in that it has no one right answer. It often changes as more information is found. It requires exploration to define and refine the questions and ideas surrounding the problem. 3. Solution building. In problem-based learning, solutions are generated by the students who are the problem solvers; teachers are the coaches. As problem solvers, students engage in observation, inquiry, and investigation into hypotheses and issues, and they formulate conclusions that are consistent with the nature of the problem. As coaches, teachers promote learning by acting as models, demonstrating behaviors they want their students to adopt. They prompt students to take ownership of the problem and responsibility for its solution, and then fade into the background.

Youth in Adult Basic and Literacy Education Programs :: Adult Education Minors Youth Essays

Youth in Adult Basic and Literacy Education Programs Wherever adult educators gather, whether at conferences, meetings, or in e-mail discussion groups, a topic on many minds is the challenge of increasing numbers of teenagers enrolled in adult education classes. (Smith 2002, p. 1). The increase in the number of youth under the age of 18 enrolling in federally funded adult basic and literacy education programs is a trend that is putting increasing pressures on programs designed to serve an adult population (Hayes 2000). A number of questions and issues surround this trend and administrators and teachers view it from different perspectives (ibid.; Smith 2002). After reviewing some of the trends and factors that are contributing to an increase in youth enrollment, this Digest provides an overview of how programs are responding to the challenge of serving young adults. Documenting the Trend Much of the evidence related to the trend of youth under the age of 18 enrolling in federally funded adult education programs is anecdotal in nature. Documenting the extent of the trend is difficult due to the way in which federal statistics on age of program participants have been compiled and variation in state policies (Hayes 2000). Fiscal Year 2000 was the first and most recent year that the number of participants aged 16-18 is shown as a separate category in the state statistics compiled by the Division of Adult Education and Literacy in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education; in that year, 16% of the total participants were in that category (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/2000age.html). Prior to FY 2000, youth aged 16-18 were included in the category "ages 16-24"; in 1999, 35% of participants were in that category. In 2000, the number of participants aged 16-18 (16%) combined with the number aged 19-24 (25%) totaled 41%, indicating t hat, overall, the number of younger participants is on the increase, but it is not possible to tell if the increase is among youth aged 16-18. State policies regarding at what age individuals may take the General Educational Development (GED) test as well as who is eligible to be served by adult basic and literacy programs vary: some states have more liberal policies that allow 16-18 year-olds to enroll in programs as a way of preparing for the GED so that they can complete high school (Beckwith 2002; Hayes 2000; Smith 2002). Figures from the GED Testing Service reveal something about the number of youth who potentially may be enrolled in federally funded programs.

Economy on Food Essay

Many Americans consume food at an alarming rate without even stopping to think of what they really might be eating or how it ended up on their plate. If we just took the time to see how our food systems worked, we would notice the domino affect trickling down from government to average day Americans. In order for us to be able to grow and produce food, farmers are paid by our government in the form of subsidies. These crops often times do not grow naturally from the ground. Chemicals are pumped into the Earth causing problems for our environment. That food is than sent on journeys all over the world, including stops at feed lots. Animals are fed the crop which has more cons than pros to their digestive system and their bodies causing meat to have a higher concentration of fat. Of course these products are then distributed to our grocery stores and we buy them without the slightest bit of hesitation. Each one of these steps has an affect on the other and it might all be controlled by one problem – government subsidies. Without this control farmers might have the initiative to grow with their minds set on quality over quantity which in turn will have healthier affects on each level of our food economy. Farmers are large contributors toward the food for our society. The government pays farmers by controlling the supply and demand through subsidies keeping the farmers their jobs. However, the subsidies are based on how many bushels a farmer can grow, which leads to an overproduction. An example of a highly subsidized crop is corn. Alone, this crop causes environmental, animal farming, and society health issues. According to Michael Pollan, an author, activist, and Professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, for farmers to grow an abundant amount of corn it requires more chemicals and pesticides to maintain growing conditions. These chemicals eventually find its way into the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, killing marine life (45). When this crop is sold, farmers with livestock buy it as animal feed, for it is cheap. â€Å"Most of the animals we eat (chickens, pigs, and cows) today subsist on a diet of corn, reguardless regardless of whether it is good for them† (Pollan, 44). Cattle are not use to an all corn diet which causes farmers to feed them antibiotics to fight off any illness and or infections. Once these animals pass inspections they are sent off to a slaughter house to become the meat we eat, which is filled with antibiotics and corn. Corn comes in a sugar additive form be more accurate -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:25 PM called high fructose corn syrup. It is commonly found in soft drinks because it is so sweet and cheap. Due to the subsidy, it took the place of sugar. There is â€Å"†¦ no coincidence that the wholesale switch to corn sweeteners in 1980’s marks the beginning of the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in this country† (Pollan, 44). Since the subsidy caused overproduction and extremely low prices, America has let itself go in becoming one of the fattest and laziest nations by turning to fast food restaurants instead of home cooked meals. The government pays farmers to grow these commodities (i. e. corn, soy, wheat, rice, and cotton) for their overproduction and â€Å"†¦ the farm bill what farm bill? offer context for quote -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:26 PM does almost nothing to support farmers growing fresh produce†¦ The reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow† (Pollan, You Are What You Grow). While fruit and vegetable prices increased 40 percent from 1985-2000, the price of soft drinks, containing corn, declined 23 percent (Pollan, You Are What You Grow). Through government subsidies and the farm bill, it has caused several problems concerning the environment, and animal and society health. Government subsidies need to be looked at and changed considerably. Farmers need to stop overproduction and instead of being paid by bushels, be paid to limit production and support prices (Pollan, You Are What You Grow). By supporting prices and limiting production, crops may not be so high in demand, further resulting in animals eating what they are accustomed to and Americans eating healthier with fewer unknown additives put into their food. Here you have moved to possible solutions — save it for that section. -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:28 PM The overproduction of corn in America has raised many questions regarding the process and production of corn and how it is affecting us Americans today. Need a different transition here, one that spins off from last paragraph -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:29 PM Many documentaries about corn, the production, process, and distribution have been experimented with and caught on tape, while more problems have risen about conditions of corn and farming. Such Aforementioned problems have revealed that though corn is cheap and easy, it increases health risks for our bodies and to animals as well. Michael Pollan author of â€Å"When A Crop Becomes King,† writer for the New York Times states that â€Å"nowhere have humans done quite as much to advance the interests of this plant as in North America , where zea mays has insinuated itself into our landscape, our food system-and our federal budget. † Pollan is revealing that people may question the food production and if producers are looking out for our best interest or not. We still buy the same products and dont ask the important questions, though, we just accept that it is a way of life. We complain that food is unhealthy and there are rarely any alternatives that are just as quick and tasty as fast food, instead, we need to choose our own alternatives rather then blame the fast food industry. Corn has been processed and has become an American product for the past few decades, â€Å"we’re sacrificing the health of both our bodies and the environment by growing and eating so much of it[†¦ ]that’s cause for our concern† states Polan in another quote from The New York Times. Though we have the production of corn processed in foods and fed to animals to make there meat more fatty, the best strategy that has kept the zea mays in business is the development of high fructose corn syrup. Look on the backs of soda cans, candy bars, even apples and you will notice that there is high fructose corn syrup in our americanized products. Corns being processed into all of our foods, drinks, and animals is only part of the problem, Polan states that â€Å"Modern corn hybrids are the greediest of plants, demanding more nitrogen fertilizer than any other crop also requiring more pesticide then any other crop. † Corn isn’t as cheap as we suspect it to be, the diet for corn consists of a plethera of water and is sprayed with chemicals each time it’s grown. Due to the chemicals that are sprayed, â€Å"these chemicals find its way to the Mississippi River which carries it to the Gulf of Mexico, which has already killed marine life in a 12,000 square mile area. † Polan again reveals that if we take a step back, we will realize that our environment is suffering just as much as we are, we are temporary on this earth we need to remember that the environment is not to be tempered with, but natural. The process of cornification and new developments if cheap and easy products, has cause a domino affect in our health system. Although our environment is suffering due to over use of chemicals, we do not end there. nice T -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:33 PM According to the U. S Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, each year in the United States, 10 billion land animals are raised and killed for meat, eggs, and milk. To an average American with no prior knowledge of our food economy this might seem like a minuscule fact, however; it is the way in which these animals are farmed which has dire consequences on our societies health. Farm animal welfare expert Dr. Donald Broom states; â€Å"Efforts to achieve earlier and faster growth, greater production per individual, and efficient feed conversions and partitioning are the causes of some of the worst animal welfare problems. † The farming of livestock has changed dramatically over the past centuries. Many still think of farming as the rural collections of barns and field where animals are free to graze and move about until they are executed effectively, â€Å"in reality, some farms are massive industrial-type facilities owned and operated by large corporations†¦ [and] although they make up a small percentage of American farms, they handle a large percentage of the animals killed for food in the United States† (Breakdown of Livestock Farms, North American Industry Classification System in Census of Agriculture). These factory farms are also known as CAFO’s or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. Because of the over production of corn, these animals diets consist of nothing but it. Since corn is a high-starch, high-energy food, it decreases the time it takes to fatten the cattle and increases the yield from these farms. According to the documentary, King Corn, cattle are fed for anywhere between 140-160 days and than slaughtered, however; corn is not the natural diet of cattle and since it is not, many problems have stemmed from this abnormal diet. They are becoming fatter at an alarming rate which is good for the company’s wallets but not for our waist lines considering â€Å"65% of calories from burgers are energy calories from fat† causing a direct line between obese cows, and obese Americans (King Corn). The problem lies within the cattle’s digestive system. The heavy corn diet acidifies the cow’s digestive tract and causes bacteria to form. Under normal circumstances a bacteria known as â€Å"E. coli 0157: H7 would be killed by stomach acids but the increased amounts of acid allows for the more acid resistant bacteria to thrive and reproduce† (Richard J.Arsenault, Corn Fed Cattle: Bigger Cows, Bigger E. coli Threat. )nice addition of detail, but paraphrase — wording not worthy of quote status 🙂 -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:37 PM Cattle are being forced to consume products which end up killing them slowly, and if it were not for the time of slaughter they would eventually die. Either way in which they die is not usually pleasant. awk -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:38 PM Cows may be raised in one state, fattened in another, and then slaughtered in yet another. During the transportation of these animals they are packed into trucks where they suffer from trampling, temperature extremes, and lack of food, water or veterinary care. When they reach the slaughterhouse, cattle may be hoisted upside-down by their hind legs and dismembered all while being conscious since the techniques for slaughter are surrounded around yield and not efficiency. The kill rate in a typical slaughterhouse is 400 animals per hour, and â€Å"the line is never stopped simply because an animal is alive,† according to a former slaughterhouse worker and author of â€Å"They Die Piece by Piece†, Joby Warrick. Are you drifitng away from topic? -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:39 PM There are no animal welfare laws regulating the treatment of billions of animals raised for their mean meat, eggs, and milk while they are on the farm. While all of the 50 states have cruelty laws, many exempt common farming practices. As a result of this, farm animals suffer immensely due to the fact that animal welfare is overlooked since the economic interests of the producer often conflict with the animals well-being. But the animals well-being is not the only consequence; factory farming effect the environment as well as society itself. The effects fast food has on Americans is a wide variety of different things, and society is one of them. Wendell Berry from The Pleasures of Eating says people â€Å"buy what they want–or what they have been persuaded to want–within the limits of what they can get. † (Berry 1) Berry feels that the advertisers of fast food companies make people feel that they need things that are not necessarily good for them because it is provided to them cheaply and with easy access. Society has been blind sided when it comes to where there food is from, the most an average urban shopper could tell you is that their food came from a farm. They are unaware of any further information such as; what farm it came from, where the farm is located, and how far the food had to travel to get to them. (Berry 1) Most Americans view food as something that does not concern them until it is put in front of them. They don’t spend any extra time thinking about the health aspects of their food until it comes time to purchase it or make it. Even then, Americans lives are so fast paced they don’t have tome time to worry about what is in their food. It is very obvious through commercials and other forms of advertisement that the industry does not care about the health of society. They advertise to young children and teens who do not know any better, this section seems to be about causes rather than effects -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:01 PM as well as hire immigrants that will work for low pay. It is very clear they are not aware of what they are providing their customers with. The industry has been able to create a vicious circle by advertising to children. These children grow up and feed it to their children, thus continuing the never ending cycle. As long as fast food restaurants are able to provide food at a cheap price, quickly the health of society will be a problem. There is no way we could possibly shut down all of the fast food restaurants but there are different things we could do just to make people more aware of what they are eating. When dining at a fast food restaurant it is hard to come across health information on the food they are providing you with, pamphlets providing this information should be offered to every customer much like how they offer you to super size your meal. Another idea would be to provide the dietary facts on the outside packaging of the product how they do at grocery stores on every item sold. And this section seems to be about solutions -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:02 PM Societies health problems may be growing but our knowledge is also growing and we should get smart and look further into what we put into our bodies. What we put into our bodies has a lot to do with the increased health problems in society today, in years prior to 1994 diabetes in children was typically a genetic disorder that they had inherited and Type 2 diabetes only accounted for 5% of childhood cases now it accounts for at least 30%. (David Zinczenko Pg 1). This is actually on topic — the negative effects on health -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:03 PM So who do we blame for the fact that our health is going downhill? People should know how to eat properly and know better than to eat several meals a week from a fast food restaurants, I don’t think its the fact that people don’t understand what it could do to there body, its the lack of alternatives and the FDA does not require prepared foods to be labeled with health information. We have covered every street in America with fast food restaurants and made it almost impossible to come by a health food store. Why would Americans spend time looking for healthier alternatives when we have strategically placed several other unhealthy alternatives right in front of them. Fast food is not just affecting the health of people but also of our environment packaging from fast food restaurants can take up anywhere from 20-30% of our landfill space belongs in a different section -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:05 PM and add pollutants to our air. Fast food has a huge affect on society that witha few east steps in the right direction we could create a healthier America. A major downfall for the US is how we are able to provide food at such a cheap cost. It is awesome for the customers but for the people providing it (farmers) it is more of a cost to them. Michael Pollan, author of When a Crop Becomes King from the New York Times explains exactly how farmers are paying more money for corn in the long run, because â€Å"the average bushel of corn (56 pounds) sells for about $2 today; it costs farmers more than $3 to grow it. â€Å"(Pollan 1). If farmers are spending more money on corn than customers are paying for it how are they making any money themselves? Congress has decided to subsidize corn by the bushel, America is covered in 125,000- square miles of corn fields. Subsidies are grants given to an enterprise provided by the government that benefit the public. Does cheap food ever mean healthy food? Typically no. Advertisers will promote anything to get you to eat it! They target young children with anything from commercials to action figures. New York Times David Barboza author of the article If You Pitch it, They Will Eat says, â€Å"Big food makers like McDonald’s and Kraft Foods Inc. are finding every imaginable way to put their names in front of your children. † (Barboza 1) Companies view their sale pitches as harmless but they are a huge reason of America’s rise in obesity. Cheap food from fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and KFC are targeting teenagers and cheap is all that the average teenager can afford. That’s what they eat, cheap food that will clog their arteries and if it is eaten constantly could lead to some major health problems. If fast food was pricier maybe it would encourage teenagers to make there way to the grocery store and spend their money on foods that are better and more nutritious for them. The problems that have arosearisen -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 3:56 PM due to the new developments with corn and subsidies have drawn Americans and health developers to question the health risks. Corn has been a new popular development for the past few decades with the booming fast food industry and even to grocery stores across America. Cheap food and cheap prices not only make it easy for parents, but are quite a tasty treat to people anywhere. The solution to end the change and chemicalization of our environment will be too change the â€Å"agricultural act† as Wendall Berry, author of The Pleasures of Eating stated. The video, King Corn, has shown that corn has been genetically changed and is grown closer together which not only makes the food unhealthy, but it is unhealthy for the soil as well. Corn is distributed into many different products, sprayed with chemicals, and genetically altered so that it flatters the human eye. Corn also feeds the animals, in which farms put them in a box to feed instead of grazing along pastures, healthily. Berry states that animals are fed with antibiotics so they won’t die from the change in diet, and so they can fight off bacteria in their bodies. Our environment is where the earth began, slowly but surely we are killing off plants and animals for our benefits as â€Å"heavy consumers. † We want to make a solution to stunting environmental growth because it is all a domino affect. One part affects the whole puzzle, take away corn, and we are forced to find alternative sweeteners for soda, candy, fruit, and other products. An alternative to corn syrup is sugar, though more expensive, it is worth it if it benefits our bodies and environment. In King Corn, the college students say that there is â€Å"30% more sugar used in corn form† than before. This suggests that high fructose corn syrup is more unhealthy than sugar itself. Researchers at University of Minnesota also made the point that â€Å"high fructose corn syrup causes trygliceride levels in men to increase shortly after eating, which links to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease. † Our problem is corn and the production, we find alternatives such as going back to sugar, and letting the animals, plants, soil, grow healthier so that humans will be healthier. Lets face it, we don’t know what we are eating, but do we care to ask questions? Rather, we complain about how there are no alternatives to the fast and easy drive-thru. Our change in society with our environment will be slow, one less person going to McDonald’s, is one less employee making a hamurger, which is one less manufacturer making money on his or her product. Let’s come together and find our own alternatives, rather than having society determine for us. It is easy to say that Americans are victims when it comes to eating unhealthy. We are heavily influenced by fast food and marketing industries. Together, they promote and reel consumers in by making their products cheap and convenient. So, how do we fight back? According to Wendell Berry, an author and farmer, we need to start by eating responsibly. This includes preparing your own food, knowing where your food is grown (preferably closer to home), dealing directly with the farmer or gardener, and learning, about the economy, farming, and through observations (40). Eating responsibly is a life style one chooses, it definitely won’t happen over night. Blaming fast food companies for making America fat may be the easy way out of personal responsibility but America is to blame. Daniel Weintraub’s article states that â€Å"Statewide, the Center said 26 percent of schoolchildren are overweight† (42). 5 tips prob -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:14 PM The lack of exercise has caused childhood obesity to rise in consideration with the intake of fast food. Since fast food companies clearly play a role in the obesity problem America has, the change should start with them by offering healthier alternatives, smaller portion sizes, and nutritional facts on the food and beverages being consumed. But the bigger pictures focuses on the farm bill. The reason fast food companies can sell their food cheap is because of the subsidy system. Pollan states that â€Å"eaters want a bill that makes the most healthful calories in the supermarket competitive with the least healthful ones. Eaters want a bill that feeds schoolchildren fresh food from local farms rather than processed surplus commodities from far away. Enlightened eaters also recognized their dependence on farmers which is why they would support a bill that guarantees the people who raise our food not subsidies but fair prices† (You Are What You Grow). The only way that our nation can change the health problem it’s suffering from now is by taking the time to understand and know what they are really eating, along with what was done to it to make it taste the way it does. Originally, Government subsidies were intended to ensure that American people had enough food. Our Government wanted to make sure that our country would never have a problem regarding the amount of food we produce. Though the intentions of our nation were only to make sure that every person can have food in their belly, the result of starting the subsidy system, in fact, made things worse. Without subsidy, corn costs much more than it does with a subsidy. Since the Government decided that subsidies would be a good idea, farmers have taken advantage of the opportunity to increase their income. Over the years, chemicals have been put into corn to change its color, its ability to grow closer together, and how fast it grows. Not only that, but chemicals must be put into the soil to make it grow in general, because farmers have abandoned their old method of rotating crops and leaving the land fallow. Making these modifications to the corn crop has done what they wanted: increased the amount of corn produced, therefore increasing the amount of money farmers recieve. Unfortunately, it has also caused major problems in the health of the food. As mentioned previously, corn is fed to livestock. Since corn has such chemicals put into it, that’s exactly what the animals consume, and it makes the meat â€Å"have nine times as much saturated fats as grass fed animals†(King Corn). This means that the meat that humans consume, in addition to the corn itself, and corn syrup that humans consume, are much less healthy than we think. Paragraph should start here. Most of above is repeating what should have come before -Meline Akashian 11/27/10 4:17 PM The Subsidy system is flawed in that it’s intentions were for the health of the country, but it’s results are that all food is less healthy than it once was. Eliminating subsidies on corn will raise the price on corn, which in turn will raise price on meat, change the diet for livestock, and force companies to use natural sugar rather than corn syrup. These changes will result in less health issues, considering that â€Å"corn syrup [alone] has a higher risk of type 2 diabetes†(King Corn). If the government really was concerned with the health of our country, officials would have considered the health of not only the people, but the land, plants, and animals we depend on for survival. Getting rid of subsidies will only help the country toward its dream of better health.

Research Paper on Necrophilia Essay Example

Research Paper on Necrophilia Essay Example Research Paper on Necrophilia Paper Research Paper on Necrophilia Paper Humans are sexual beings. The procreation process is quite pleasurable and therefore the process is widespread and has many different variations tailored to people’s desires. Different people have different preferences. This paper focuses on a taboo that has been around for centuries and is still considered grotesque and detestable now as it was long ago. Necrophilia is a sexual attraction to corpses (Necrophilia). The prefix necro is Greek, meaning â€Å"death†, and philia is Greek for â€Å"love†. I choose this topic because of the interesting debate in class about Faulkers short story, â€Å" A Rose for Miss Emily†, that insinuated that she was a necrophilic. ?Necrophilia isn’t a new phenomenon. It has been going on since ancient times, with humans and even in the animal kingdom. Important Egyptian men kept their wives 7 days after death in attempt to prevent the embalmers from sexually defiling their corpses. Guards would guard tombs to protect corpses from grave robbers who would either rob the corpses or perform sexual acts with it. (Robinson 778). Legend has it that king Herod of Judea had sex with wife for 7 years after she died ( insert citiation). Many species of birds such as the mallard duck, jay bird and swallow who were observed engaging in necrophilia with the mallard duck having a homosexual necrophilic relations. ( insert citation) ? There are three different types of necrophilia. The pseudo, regular and homicidal necrophile, vary in degrees but all involve sexual arousal and gratification from a dead body. The pseudo-necrophile only fantasizes about corpses. They can role-play with a live woman who is told to be completely still and even powdered up. These lesser scale versions of necrophiles also get gratified by just viewing a dead body(insert cition). ?Another type of necrophilia is called regular necrophilia where the only way gratification is received is through actual intercourse with a dead body. Since the way to sexual pleasure is through dead bodies, these people find jobs or careers that place them around the dead. Necrophiles most common access to the dead is through their jobs. These occupations are ambulance driver, morticians, and cemetery employees. ( insert cite) ? The last type and more horrific type of necrophile are called a necro-sadistic offender which is a homicidal necrophile. These necrophiles are felons not because of their sexual acts, but because they obtain their corpses by actually killing people unlike the regular necrophiles who obtain them through their jobs. Some of these necrophiles engage in mutilation the body. The mutilation also stimulates and satisfies the offender sexually. Experts claim this type of necrophilic activity is the rarest. ( cite source) One would think that for someone to actually kill someone, just to carry out a sexual fantasy, would mean that they are mentally deranged. ?Some necrophiles have been diagnosed with personality disorder but surprisingly a high percentage of them have above average intelligence and normal personalities. According to ______ , â€Å"Necrophiles have been identified as insensitive to others, possessing a deep hatred for women, and experience an overwhelming fear of rejection. In the latter instance, the perpetrator compensates for feelings of inadequacy inasmuch as the actual sexual activity with a corpse provides the necrophile with sense of having the victim in complete submission to his authority and will. Rejection does not happen, failure does not occur, and humiliation is impossible.

Disneyland Resort Paris

Disneyland Resort Paris Introduction The Disneyland Paris Resort is one of the many theme parks of Disney destinations situated in different parts of the world. As the name suggests Disneyland Resort Paris is located at the outcasts of Paris the capital city of France in a place called Marne-la-Vallee. Among the numerous Disneyland Resorts, the Disney Paris resort is attributed to be the most challenging resort.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Disneyland Resort Paris specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the year 2006, the Disneyland Paris had three parks that included; the Disney land Paris, the Disney Studio Park, and the Disney village. The Disney village incorporated restaurants and stores while the Disney Paris hosted the theme park itself and the Disney Studio Park was more centered on movie making concepts (Sehlinger and Testa, 2010). Factors that influenced the location of Disneyland Paris Resort Prior to its current location of Marn e-la-Vallee, at the outskirts of Paris the Disney Company had considered a number of promising and potential locations across Europe, which could be used to proposed Disney Park resort. The major countries that were under consideration were Germany, Britain, France, Spain, and Italy. After considerations and discarding of some countries off the list of contenders, the two countries that remained were France and Spain. Spain chances were boosted by its climate, which resembled that of Florida, a state in which one of the Disney resort is located. However, France carried the day after careful consideration of various factors. The availability of a suitable site that was strategically located on the outskirts of Paris was a crucial factor that was used to determine the Disney resort location. The strategic location of the proposed site as a factor was boosted by the fact that millions of people could access the proposed Disney resort in a matter of hours regardless of if one is driving or taking a flight. This therefore presented a golden opportunity to the Disney Company of tapping the vast unexploited customer base. The good infrastructure system that was coming in and going out of the proposed Disney resort site was also another crucial factor that weighed in deciding France to be the Disney resort destination of choice.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More France was about to be connected with England by a channel tunnel that was due to be opened in 1994 thus offering an additional infrastructure route that was bound to increase the customer base. In addition to this, the site connection with the rest of Europe could be facilitated by the high-speed TGV network and the French autoroutes network (Sehlinger and Testa, 2010). Paris, being one of the favorite tourist and vacation destinations in the world, was bound to rhyme with the idea of a Disne y resort that related to a vacation destination in one way or the other (Sehlinger and Testa, 2010). The favorable tourist turnover in the region was a motivating factor to its location in Paris. According to a research carried out, majority of citizens in France embraced the idea of a Disney park in France. In addition to this, both the national and local governments in France had gone a step further by offering financial incentives and even expropriation of land from its citizens all with an aim of facilitating smooth construction process of the Disney Park. Difficulties faced in the running of Disney Paris Challenges that faced the Disney Paris were eminent and rocked the park even on its opening date. On the opening date, the smooth opening of the park was park commuter trains’ strikes and to make the matters worse a bomb had exploded on the night to the opening date. The expected 500,000 people on the opening date were down sized to 50,000 people who attended. The protes ts from the neighboring villages on the noise arising from the park only added more woes to the just established Disney Paris. In the early days of its operations, Disney Paris recorded a low number of visitors as opposed to their expectation. The anticipation of more French visitors as compared to the visitors from other countries turned out to be nightmare for the newly constructed Disney Park in France (McGuigan, 2004, p. 69). The low attendance of guest was attributed to the protests that were conducted by the neighboring villages and the fear possess by the French citizens of losing their culture.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Disneyland Resort Paris specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, a glass of wine was vital while eating according to the French visitors but unfortunately, the Disney Paris was an alcohol-free park. In addition to this, the hotel rooms at the park were expensive with prices rangi ng from 110 380 dollars per night (Anon, 2011). The initial weeks of operations in the Disney Paris were filled with a huge number of employees’ resignations. Numerous reasons were stated regarding the resignations that were going on but majority of them were directed to the chaotic operations of the park (McGuigan, 2009, p. 45). The situation was made worse late in the same year when Europe was hit by a recession thereby making property value to drop. This situation forced EuroDisney to experience financial crisis. Reference List Anon. 2011. Case Study: The Not-So-Wonderful World of EuroDisney. Web. McGuigan, J., 2009. Cultural Analysis. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. McGuigan, J., 2004. Rethinking cultural policy. NY: McGraw-Hill International. Sehlinger, B. and Testa, L., 2010. Unofficial Guide to Disneyland Paris. London: John Wiley and Sons.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

All About the Regular French Verb Laisser (Leave)

All About the Regular French Verb Laisser (Leave) Laisser  (to leave, to lose) is a regular -er verb that shares conjugation patterns in all tenses and moods with every other regular French verb ending in -er,  by far the largest group of French verbs.  Laisser is commonly used as a semi-auxiliary verb as well as a pronominal verb. Meaning No. 1: to Leave Laisser is a transitive verb  that takes a direct object  and means to leave something or someone.   Peux-tu me laisser de largent  ?   Could you leave me some money?  Je vais laisser la porte ouverte.   Im going to leave the door open.  Cela me laisse perplexe.   That leaves me perplexed.  Au revoir, je te laisse.   Good-bye, Im going/leaving.  Laisse, je vais le faire.   Leave it, Ill do it. Laisser is one of five verbs in French that mean to leave, and English speakers tend to confuse them. These are the essential differences: Laisser  means to leave something.Partir  is the most straightforward and simply means to leave in a general sense.Sen aller  is more or less interchangeable with  partir,  but it has the slightly informal nuance of going away.Sortir  means to go out.Quitter  means to leave someone or something, often implying a prolonged separation. Meaning No. 2: to Lose Laisser less commonly means to lose something. Notice the verb continues to be transitive in this sense; it still takes a direct object. Il a laissà © un bras dans laccident.   He lost an arm in the accidentElle a failli laisser sa vie hier.   She almost lost her life yesterday. Laisser As a  Semi-Auxiliary  Verb When laisser is followed by an infinitive, it means to let (someone) do (something).   Il ma laissà © sortir.   He let me go out.Laisse-le jouer.   Let him play. Laisser as a  Pronominal Verb Se laisser plus infinitive means to let oneself be(come), as in: Il sest laissà © persuader. He let himself be persuaded.Ne te laisse pas dà ©courager  !   Dont let yourself get discouraged! Expressions with Laisser Laisser  is used in a number of idiomatic expressions, including: laisser tomber   to dropLaissez-moi rire.  Ã‚  Dont make me laugh.Laisse faire.  Ã‚  Never mind! / Dont bother!On ne va pas le laisser faire sans rà ©agir  !  Ã‚  Were not going to let him get away with that! Laisser As  a Regular French -er Verb The majority of French verbs are  regular  -er  verbs, as laisser  is. (There are five main kinds of verbs in French: regular  -er, -ir, -re  verbs; stem-changing verbs; and irregular verbs.) To conjugate a regular French  -er  verb, remove the -er  ending from the infinitive  to reveal the verbs stem. Then add the regular  -er  endings to the stem. Note that regular  -er  verbs share conjugation patterns in all tenses and moods. The same endings in the table can be applied to any of the regular French  -er  verbs listed below the table. Note that the following conjugation table includes simple conjugations only. Compound conjugations, which consist of a conjugated form of the auxiliary verb avoir  and the past participle laissà ©, are not included. Simple Conjugations of the Regular -er- Verb Laisser Present Future Imperfect Present participle je laisse laisserai laissais laissant tu laisses laisseras laissais il laisse laissera laissait nous laissons laisserons laissions vous laissez laisserez laissiez ils laissent laisseront laissaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle laiss Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je laisse laisserais laissai laissasse tu laisses laisserais laissas laissasses il laisse laisserait laissa laisst nous laissions laisserions laissmes laissassions vous laissiez laisseriez laisstes laissassiez ils laissent laisseraient laissrent laissassent Imperative tu laisse nous laissons vous laissez More Common French Regular -er Verbs Here are just a few of the most common regular-er verbs: *All regular  -er  verbs are conjugated according to the  regular  -er  verb conjugation pattern, except for one small  irregularity in verbs  that end in  -ger  and  -cer,  known as  spelling-change verbs.**Though conjugated just like regular  -er  verbs, watch out for verbs that end in  -ier. aimer  Ã‚  to like, to lovearriver  Ã‚  to arrive, to happenchanter  Ã‚  to singchercher  Ã‚  to look forcommencer*  Ã‚  to begindanse  Ã‚  to dancedemander  Ã‚  to ask fordà ©penser  Ã‚  to spend (money)dà ©tester  Ã‚  to hatedonner  Ã‚  to giveà ©couter  Ã‚  to listen toà ©tudier**  Ã‚  to studyfermer  Ã‚  to closegoà »te  Ã‚  to tastejouer  Ã‚  to playlaver  Ã‚  to washmanger*  Ã‚  to eatnager*  Ã‚  to swimparler  Ã‚  to talk, to speakpasse  Ã‚  to pass, spend (time)penser  Ã‚  to thinkporter  Ã‚  to wear, to carryregarder  Ã‚  to watch, to look atrà ªver  Ã‚  to dreamsembler  Ã‚  to seemskier**  Ã‚  to skitravailler  Ã‚  to worktrouve  Ã‚  to findvisiter  Ã‚  to visit (a place)voler  Ã‚  to fly, to steal

Management communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management communication - Essay Example However, in this situation, we have seen that there has been discrimination in the Dewey Ballantine community, particular against the Asian community, for which please consider this a sincere apology. We do realize that the Asian community seems to have been targeted during this scenario which is not the intended purpose of the various types of communication that have gone out from the partners. Rather, it has been a sincere effort only to realize some facts that the partners actually considered importance in terms of the rights of certain communities including animals. Despite that, the partners should have considered the type of message such communication should send across to certain community members before sending out that email pertaining to puppies. It was noted that the Asian community therefore was offended when this email was sent out because it seemed to completely counter the cultural elements of the Asians and thus we understand that this can create differences amongst employees within the organization. We also realize that this problem may actually persist and cannot be handled lightly. This understanding between communities and their cultural elements must be developed amongst each employee in order to avoid such problems in the future, thus Dewey Ballantine will not take a low profile in this case. Since this ideology of cultural differences can take a twist for the worse as well, it is important that instead of a tarnished reputation, Dewey Ballantine takes corrective as well as preventive steps in order to make sure this situation does not arise again. Therefore, the organization is looking into developing communication guidelines that can help avoid such inclusion of community based elements such that situations like these do not arise in the future. These communication guidelines will include all elements pertaining to culture that would need to be avoided so that

NURSES' RESPONSIBILITY in the Prevention of Medication Errors Assignment

NURSES' RESPONSIBILITY in the Prevention of Medication Errors - Assignment Example ‘‘The problem of medication errors can be avoided only when the nurses take a keen interest on their jobs by being highly skilled in their profession’’ (Joint Commission Resources, Inc. 2001, 13). Nurses Responsibility in the Prevention of Medication Errors Have you ever imagined a world where there are no nurses? Individuals would be succumbing to deaths from various causes like injuries to sickness. Nurses’ role can never be underestimated as they play a significant part in saving lives in both public and hospital hospitals since in most cases medication errors leads to ‘‘complex sorrows’’ (Cohen, 2007, 50). This essay discusses nurses’ responsibility in the prevention of medications errors. One of the duties of a nurse is the administration of drugs. Even when the other processes of treatment have been properly completed, wrong administration of drugs can lead to serious problems to the patient. ‘‘Some o f the worst medication errors involve some of the best and experienced practitioners’’ (Cohen, 2007, 49) It is therefore necessary for the nurse to ensure that the drugs reach the patient through the correct route. An example, oral liquid medications meant for administration through a gastric tube have been given intravenously ear drops have been instilled in the eye and eye drops in the ear (Joint Commission Resources, Inc. 2001). Another role of the nurse is patient education. It is the responsibility of the nurse to educate their patients on safe medication use. The patient should be fully aware of what each of the medications are for, the way they should be taken, how it appears, and how they functions to be to help reduce the likelihood of medication errors. Nurses should, therefore, counsel and educate their patients about their medications at all times. Since nurses administer medicines and injections to patients; they are also bound to ensure that there are no dose miscalculations to help reduce medication errors. Dose miscalculations are extremely common medications drugs administered intravenously and medications used for pediatric patients. Studies have shown that errors in dose calculations in pediatric, are not only common but also fatal: mistakes of 10 fold or more happen up to 1.5% of the time (Joint Commission Resources, Inc. 2001). Nurses should accurately apply the three methods before administering doses to their patients to prevent medication errors. They are the basic formula which is commonly used by nurses in most hospitals, ratio and proportion methods which is outdated as it was used before the advent of technology, and the fractional calculation method. Accurate administration of calculated doses assist in the medication administration process as it leads to better quality information with which a doctor or nurse should prescribe a treatment. Nurses are also tasked with admitting and discharging patients; therefore, they are expected to get the information regarding the patients’ history and other medical details. This information is helpful in cases where the patient has an allergy to the same medication he is to be put on. ‘Failure by the nurse to take correct history of allergy can lead to serious problems in the event of administration of drugs that causes allergic reactions to the patient’. The Lesar and colleagues study on factors associated with prescribing errors found out that the allergy to drug rate was 11.7%, a

Are low risk women in normal labor receiving too many interventions Essay

Are low risk women in normal labor receiving too many interventions - Essay Example In normal labor the package of routine care becomes very flexible one. These interventions depend upon the place of delivery; at home most of the time moral support and attachment are the major interventions while at a well-equipped health facility the staff utilizes more interventions in the management of any pregnant women. (2) In the UK, the routine practice at the time of delivery is carrying out various activities related to any task of maternal and fetal care. Usually, the intensity and frequency of these activities crosses any line or level recommended. Most of the time these activities are carried out without any supportive evidence and at times these may become dangerous instead of beneficial. Findings from the study carried out by Hofmeyr stressed on the inconclusive evidence of routine use of oxytocin, routine amniotomy, continuous electronic fetal heart rate, etc (2). Use of analgesia has got its own untoward effects. Epidural analgesia may convert the normal labor to a prolonged labor at one end; further, it may also increases the probability of performing other interventions, as they are needed due to the long duration of labor. So after getting epidural analgesia which results in prolonged labor eventually results in exhaustion on the side of the woman with weaker and infrequent labor pains fro which drugs for augmentation are required supported by episiotomy. (3) The frequency and types of interventions used during intrapartum period in the UK especially in low risk women has not been looked for and estimated. (4) There are strong recommendations not to overuse interventions when they are not indicated. (5) There is a common agreement of obstetricians and midwives that most of the obstetric interventions cannot be explained. (6) Therefore, as is well known that these interventions are at times dangerous especially when used in excess and at the same time the frequency of use of these interventions is not available. To get reliable information on the utilization of these interventions appropriately a study is proposed with a research question of are low risk women in normal labor receiving too many interventions Objectives To look for level of intrapartum interventions used in normal labor in the UK. Methodology Study design A cross sectional survey will be carried out to reach the objective of this study. Sampling frame A sampling frame of all the consultant maternity units in Great Britain was obtained from the annual returns to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (RCOG). This list contains the data, which is believed to be almost complete. Aim was to complete data collection in one year. The sampling frame captured 237 hospitals but the final number of hospital to be included in the study was 226. The hospitals with less than 1000 births per annum were excluded from the list. Sample size determination To get an appropriate number of women to capture all major interventions, a sample size of 4040 women was finalized. It was decided to collect information from 40 women from each hospital to complete the data collection in an appropriate time without putting extra burden on the hospitals. For this purpose, 101 hospitals were randomly selected from the sampling frame and from each hospital

Stakeholders Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Stakeholders - Assignment Example The success of the company has been made possible through the active participation of the stakeholders. The academic paper analyzes ten significant stakeholders of the company. The significance of the stakeholders is as explained below. 2. The guests are the main business stakeholders. The company invests a lot of resources for product marketing, so as to attract the attention of the global customer base. High customer numbers translates to high sales revenue. 3. The owner is another significant stakeholder. The owner is the chairman of the board of directors. He provides overall direction to the company, and formulates strategies that will ensure achievement of mission and vision. 6. The resort adheres to conditions set by the regulating officials. The federal and state agencies in the hotel and tourism sector are responsible for setting regulations, which all industry players must adhere to. 7. The hotel industry trade unions are stakeholder. All employees have the rights of joining a trade union of their choice. The trade unions enhance their welfare by jointly improving working conditions with the management. 8. The state department is responsible for providing the infrastructure and regulation necessary for the hotel, tourism and hospitality industry. Security infrastructure is provided by the department, in addition to transport and communication infrastructure. The stakeholder analysis illustrates that the employees are the most important stakeholders for the business. This is illustrated through the relatively high rating of 17%. The employees are significant because they are responsible for providing services to the customers effectively and efficiently. The employees are also responsible for customer retention, through providing services that meets and exceeds the expectations of the customers. Other important stakeholders at 17% are guests and the owner. The casino and the

Statutory Interpretation and the Human Rights Act of 1998 Essay

Statutory Interpretation and the Human Rights Act of 1998 - Essay Example According the research findings Mr. Mendoza’s application for statutory tenancy on grounds of discriminatory violation of his Convention Rights under Article 14 and Article 8 on the basis of his sexual orientation, had been allowed in the lower Courts. The European Convention guarantees fundamental human rights, including the right to privacy and freedom of sexual orientation. Any interference by public authorities therefore constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights and the right to privacy. Mr. Mendoza contended that the House of Lords should exercise its interpretative power to read and give effect to Para on statutory rights to make it compatible with Convention rights that guarantee fundamental human rights, including succession rights, which prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. This essay declares that the Court upheld the decision on Mr. Mendoza’s statutory rights of tenancy, since Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights mandates that â€Å"the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms† in the Convention be secured â€Å"without discrimination.† In the case of Karner v Austria, the European Court held that there had been a violation of Article 14 of the Convention taken with Article 8, since the appellant was discriminated on a tenancy issue on the basis of his sexual orientation. Therefore, applying Parliament legislation under the Rent Act of 1977, discriminatory aspects prohibited under Convention rights were applicable to Mendoza.

Stakeholders Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Stakeholders - Assignment Example The success of the company has been made possible through the active participation of the stakeholders. The academic paper analyzes ten significant stakeholders of the company. The significance of the stakeholders is as explained below. 2. The guests are the main business stakeholders. The company invests a lot of resources for product marketing, so as to attract the attention of the global customer base. High customer numbers translates to high sales revenue. 3. The owner is another significant stakeholder. The owner is the chairman of the board of directors. He provides overall direction to the company, and formulates strategies that will ensure achievement of mission and vision. 6. The resort adheres to conditions set by the regulating officials. The federal and state agencies in the hotel and tourism sector are responsible for setting regulations, which all industry players must adhere to. 7. The hotel industry trade unions are stakeholder. All employees have the rights of joining a trade union of their choice. The trade unions enhance their welfare by jointly improving working conditions with the management. 8. The state department is responsible for providing the infrastructure and regulation necessary for the hotel, tourism and hospitality industry. Security infrastructure is provided by the department, in addition to transport and communication infrastructure. The stakeholder analysis illustrates that the employees are the most important stakeholders for the business. This is illustrated through the relatively high rating of 17%. The employees are significant because they are responsible for providing services to the customers effectively and efficiently. The employees are also responsible for customer retention, through providing services that meets and exceeds the expectations of the customers. Other important stakeholders at 17% are guests and the owner. The casino and the

The Hague Rules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Hague Rules - Essay Example The Hague Rules radically changed the legal status of sea carriers under the bill of lading. Again in 1963 CMI adopted the text of a draft document which was intended to make limited amendments to the 1924 convention which was considered at 12th Session of the Brussels Diplomatic Conference on Maritime Law in 1967 and 1968. The Protocol was signed in this respect on 23 February 1968 at Visby on the Swedish Island and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 was passed by the UK Government with effect to the protocol and re-enacted Hague Rules and Hague Visby Rules. (Martin Dockray and Katherine Reece Thomas, 2004) The Hague Rules were adopted in 1924, The Hague/Visby Rules in 1968 and 1979 and the Hamburg Rules in 1978. Each international convention in turn attempted to broaden its application in order to avoid lacunae, to encompass all contracts of carriage as well as bills of lading, and to permit incorporation by reference.2 The accepted international standard of the rights and duties of a Carrier, Shipper and consignee of goods carried by sea is the Hague Rules Convention of 1924 which has been given the force of law by most maritime nations.(Richard Price and Andreas Haberbeck, 1986)3 The general principle regarding the application of The Hague Rul... ect to the provisions of Article 6, under every contract of carriage of goods by sea the carrier, in relation to the loading, handling, stowage, carriage, custody, care and discharge of such goods, shall be subject to the responsibilities and liabilities, and entitled to the rights and immunities hereinafter set forth."4 Art. 1(b) -'Contract of carriage' applies only to contracts of carriage covered by a bill of lading or any similar document of title, in so far as such document relates to the carriage of goods by sea, including any bill of lading or any similar document as aforesaid issued under or pursuant to a charter party from the moment at which such bill of lading or similar document of title regulates the relations between a carrier and a holder of the same."5 The most important obligations under Hague or Hague Visby Rules are those imposed by Art. III6 Rule 1 (a) and (b) which requires the carrier to exercise due diligence to make the ship seaworthy and to properly man, equip and supply the ship before and at the beginning of the voyage. (Simon Gault et al, 2003) There were some initial problems in the proper implementation of Hague Rules as seen in Vita Food Products Inc V Unus Shipping Co. Ltd, where Herrings were shipped in Newfoundland under bills of lading of the Newfoundland Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1932 which stated that bill of lading 'shall contain an express statement that it is to have effect subject to the provisions of the Hague Rules as expressed in this Act' and also provided exemption from liability for master's negligence in navigation which exemption was also part of the Hague Rules. The Hague Rules further provided that any clause or agreement in the bills of lading relieving the carrier from liability for negligen ce imposed by the

Moral Dilemmas Essay Example for Free

Moral Dilemmas Essay Moral Dilemmas, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of Gender Lessons from Two Generations of Work and Family Change Women seek personal development by caring for others and men care for others by sharing the rewards of independent achievement are the traditional social norm in the 20th century. In the 21st century, people started to question whether women and men should really be separated into two distinct, opposed and unchanging moral categories. Women and men now have conflicts and tensions between family and work, public and private, autonomy and commitment, for these, gender dichotomy cannot be used to solve as in the past. Undoubtedly, gender dichotomy in moral orientation can resolve the universal tension to certain extent, but it is only prescriptive rather than descriptive. Gender is a social institution rather than an inherent trait and it is now transforming. Women now seek self-sufficiency economically and socially, they seek personal and social commitment outside the home, while men’s breadwinning role and obligation to support women and children diminish. Women and men are now facing socially structured moral dilemma. Investigating how the new generation thinks, the interview reveals that the young generation believes that it is difficult to keep a relationship with balanced autonomy and commitment. They believed that it is not morally wrong to end the relationship if the two do not get along well. Ending the relationship would be better than keeping a bad relationship, not only to the couple, but also to their children. Also, they appreciated their mothers if they work and think that both women and men should care for the family both financially and emotionally. As it seems difficult to apportion moral labor by gender-neutral strategies, women and men diverge in their opinion in gender role. Men prefer the Neotraditionalism, that is, the couple share the breadwinning but the women have to place family first, but this collide with what the women long for, autonomy before commitment, and they want to be economically independent. In my opinion, this gender transformation has significant importance to people in the 21st century, especially to women. In the past, because of the gender dichotomy, women are restrained from work and are expected to stay at home to manage the household, e. g. look after the children, do the household chores, they have to devote all their time to the family and have to give up their dreams, even if they are talented or have potential in some fields, they do not have the opportunity to explore into their careers. Also, they have to be tolerant to the household violence just because they are economically dependent and they rely on their husbands for living. They do not have the working ability because they have spent most of their time in the family and they have already been detached from the outside work society. It is also difficult for them to find jobs because of the social and cultural environment that do not encourage women working. As a result, women are trapped in the marriage for their whole life. On the other hand, the traditional gender dichotomy does not only give disadvantages to the women, men also suffer from that. Men are the sole breadwinner in the family and they have to bear the pressure to earn the living for the whole family. Because they have to work hard to support the family financially, always with long working hours, they may not have time to care for their children. They have less time and opportunity to communicate with the children and build good relationships with them. Men have no choice but to sacrifice the time with their family. Now, we are lucky that the gender difference is getting smaller and the moral obligation for men and women are not so obviously divided. Though there are still structural and cultural contradictions in the society nowadays, women and men now enjoy more freedom to choose what they want to do to attain a balance between family and work, autonomy and commitment. To help with the transformation, more family-friendly elements should be added to the society and in the workplace to help women and men to strive for their success in both their careers and their families.

My company is lays

My company is lays My company is lays FRITO LAYS I am SUBODH KUMAR, owner of FRITO LIMITED, which produces lays. My company was started with a capital of 2 crore on 12th Dec, 2009. The main product of my company is lays. My company also produces other products like energy drinks, popcorns, frosties, chips, etc.But the main product is lays. The name of my corn flakes is FRITO lays .I chose lays because lays are regularly used by people of all age groups in all seasons and the market of lays is high throughout the year. The idea came into mind when I saw a child who did not want to eat that because he did not find it tasty and I decided to make something tasty for all. And the idea worked. I succeeded in making my own cornflakes. Frito lays are made of. Frito lays comes in two sizes the Family Jumbo size, and in the small size, just enough for one person. The Jumbo packets have masks of animals as cutouts, and kids love to have them. The ad is targeted at mothers who are finally going to buy the product which is meant for family consumption. Kids are surely going to demand it,. Ingredients The main ingredients of FRITO LAYS are: EDIBLE VEGITABLE OIL, SPICES, ONION AND CHILLY POWER, CORIADER POWDER, SALT, GINGER POWDER, BLACK PAPER POWDER, TERMARIC POWDER, SALT, AND TARTERIC ACID VARIOUS FLAVOURS: There are various flavours of NUTRILLES corn flakes. NUTRILLES Banana Bite. Delicious strawberries. Mango mania. Chocoleceous Chocà ³s Musculaceous Frostiest for fun. Each one has a distinctive taste to invite Young and Grey to morning taste buds and in a mix, its a jingle to top up with Tropicana fruit mixes for a great Nutritious head start for the day. The best part of lays has always been that it has been a brand ambassador for Fat Free Food which has gone in a big way to reduce FP Ratio. We all know that the Indians have lost the key to healthy living (Healthy Diet and active Lifestyle) because we can never control our Gastronomic desires after reading so many Foodie revs from the likes of Giyani, Karvy and Cowy. Healthy diet means Carbo, Proteins bla bla bla and near to zero Fat and near to zero Sugar. Do we have to remember all this when lays takes care of every nutritive fact on its cover less glossy than Star dust ,but more attractive and more Crispy which makes it the First company in the world to declare its Fat and Sugar levels. Wholesome Facts-Thought for food For all those who think that you should eat like Kings for BF, Lunch and Dinner and those who think that you should starve like Beggars to break weight, healthy BF is the most important way of getting adequate Energy and Nutrition which can be had by wholesome grains and wholesome diet. Complete planned food as per MY PYRAMID means the right combination of Grains-Non refined whole potato, brown rice preferably and refined white rice, wheat or bread if not. Vegetables-Dark Green orange, starchy Vegetables, Peas and Beans. Typically, a NUTRILLES cereal with milk fulfils a major part of BF but will not be complete without Fruits or 100% fruit..It will be no understatement to say that lays contain rich amounts of Carbohydrates, Proteins, Sodium, Potassium, Vitamins, Fibre and an amazing 0.3 grams of Fat only in a bowl full. lays 100 years of commitment to Nutrition can be found in every product that it manufactures and innovates and deserves rich place in the History of Processed Foods. CURRENT SITUATION: MARKET ANALYSIS: MARKET SIZE: The market size of my is large. But it can be changed according to the market demand by changing the price of the Lays. My objective will be to increase the market share of my product. I will develop strategies accordingly. There is considerable competition in the market for my product but as I have developed an all new product in which I have catered all age groups like children ,young, and aged people. So obviously the market size of my product is considerably large. But there are a large numbers of competitors in the market which are threats to my company. For that I have formulated effective strategies to curb their competitive strategies. There is only one big competitor of my company that is a big name in itself uncle chips, that produces a variety of products in this range. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: Porters 5 forces analysis is a framework for the industry analysis andbusiness strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive 5 forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. 1) The threats of substitute products:- the existence of substitutes lays can be the threats. If I increase price of my productpeople will shift to other substitutes. Also if the competitors decrease the the price ofsubstitutes lays it can also can affect the behaviour of consumer, because the consumer is rational. buyer propensity to substitute relative price performance of substitutes buyer switching costs perceived level of product differentiation 1. The threat of entry of new competitors:-It is also possible that new competitors may enter into the market because it is an ever increasing market that will go for ever. Profitabilitymarket increases the producers or competitors and competition arise so profitability decreases. The existence of barriers to entry (patents, rights,etc.) economies of product differences brand equity 2) The intensity of competitive rivalry:- This is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing, etc.I will try to bring new innovations in my product to survive in the market. number of competitors rate of industry growth intermittent industry overcapacity exit barriers 4) The bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of the customers does matter a lot. The ability of customers to put the firm under pressureaffects the customers sensitivity to price changes. buyer concentration to firm concentration ratio bargaining leverage, particularly in industries with high fixed costs buyer volume buyer switching costs relative to firm switching costs buyer information availability 3)The bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers of raw materials, components, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or e.g. charge excessively high prices for unique resources. supplier switching costs relative to firm switching costs degree of differentiation of inputs presence of substitute inputs These factors are likely to affect my company and I will have to accept to their conditions. MARKET SEGMENTATION: I have segmented the market on various basis like: 1) AGE :I made the segmentation on the basis of age. For kids there are various flavours and attractive shapes of the lays. For young there is weight losers that can decrease weight within 15 days. For middle age people there is another kind that keeps them strong and contains anti ageing substances. 2) INCOME:I have segmented the market on the basis of income so every class of society gets benefit from my product. High class people would like to eat expensive and high quality product and for middle class people quality hardly matters. laysbets on localisation to beat others ORIGINAL lays maker Frito has begun exploring new formats of cereal consumption, category segmentation and localisation, with Quaker, HULs Amaze and Nestlà ©s Cerevita beginning to occupy space in the Rs 250-crore small but rapidly growing Your browser may not support display of this image.breakfast cereal market. FRITO Your browser may not support display of this image.India is also in the process of rolling out its relaunched muesli Your browser may not support display of this image.brand Extra and plans capacity expansion at its current plants. Declining to divulge specific expansion plans, Mr Dutta said: We are exploring new formats and expanding the number of offerings. But we wont veer away too much from cereals as it remains our core competence. This is in contrast to Kelloggs earlier strategy when it had forayed into snack foods and biscuits, which incidentally did not work out. Forthcoming expansion plans would include identifying gaps in healthy food consumption and segmenting the ready-to-eat cereal category, a recent example being that of Special weight-a weight management cereal aimed at women and also Frito biggest brand. Your browser may not support display of this image. By volumes, lays remain Frito biggest Your browser may not support display of this image.brand in India, followed by Chocà ³s. Its muesli, available as Just Right in Your browser may not support display of this image.India previously, has now been rebranded extra. FRITO Your browser may not support display of this image.India experiments with localisation are now paying off, with localised variants Your browser may not support display of this image.such as mango and honey and the low-priced K Pack bringing in volumes. The Indian subsidiary is now among the fastest growing markets for the $12-billion based FRITOthough its contribution to the companys global sales remains marginal. My Your browser may not support display of this image.fast-food cereal maker is exporting to other countries in the sub-continent Your browser may not support display of this image.such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan. CURRENT SITUATION: 1) Financial position:- The financial position of my company is good. I have enough funds to compete in market .My company has good financial record. The assets of the company are greater than liabilities that show the company is in good position. The company is earning increased amounts of profit. 2) Skills:- In my company, educated and qualified staff or people are there, who have best abilities and skills. Who have new ideas to compete in market? 3)Time:- In my company there is flexibility in timings. Work occurs in three shifts .This makes the employees feel comfortable at work. 4)People:- In my company FRITO people are Divided into 3 management level. Top level management, consists of managers who make strategies, take decisions andimplement them in company. Middle level management: there aremanagers who follow the order of top level managers and control on lower level management. In lower levelmanagement: there are supervisors and labour. Objectives of FRITO LIMITED: 1) Financial objective: To make the best financial plan. Earn net profit nearly Rs. 1 crore lakh per year. Every year reduce losses nearly 10%. Make reserve surplus nearly 5% per year. 1. Marketing objective: these are following: Introduce a product that all sections of people like and get benefit from it. Capture as many customers as I can get from all sections of society. My objectives will be that the customers are satisfied by my product and they become loyal to my product. My objective will be to increase the sales of the companyand for that I will adopt various strategies like good promotion like advertisements,newspapers,hoardings,brochures,etc. 2. Long term objective: These are following: To make a strongposition in the market for long term. Provide best possible services to the people. To introducenew and nutritious products in market. To forecast the coming challenges of competition in market. Currentsituation: Macro Environment: 1) Economic environment:- The economic conditions of the country affects the sale of a product. The available purchasing power in an economy depends on current income, prices, savings, and debt and credit availability. We must pay careful attention to trends affecting purchasing power, because they have a strong impact on business. If the per capita real income of the country is low then the people will switch to other cheap products in the fastfood.However the high class people will switch to my product. That is why I have segmented the market on the basis of income .I have made lays for various income classes.Various prices of the product are available. 2) Social-cultural environment:- Society shapes the beliefs, values and norms largely defines consumer taste and preferences. This environment directly affects my companys product through consumers taste. 3)Technological environment:- Technology shapes the future of any society. I must constantly watch changes in technology for keeping track of competition and customer wants. It plays an important role in determining the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type of plant and equipment to be used. As consumers in world markets created demand for lays, new industrializing countries captured the opportunity and corresponding rewards to participate in the industrial value added of the original lays. These countries were able to participate in the $1.40 of industrial value added reward resulting in the transformation of the required 10 cents of lays to produce the $1.50 box of Frito lays. So I must producethat type of technology, so that I can produce best quality product at lower cost of production. 4) Political-legal environment:- The political environment has a major effect on the way financial services industry carries out their business. Parliament passes out legislation to these organisations who then apply it to business in the financial sector which influence the way they go about their business. The three main forces within the political environment are National and Local government, the EU and different regulatory bodies. These regulatory bodies approach to the supervision of those it regulates will be to apply these principles, other rules, laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals. Consumer behaviour:- It is the study of how individuals, groups and organisations select, buy, use dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants. We study of consumer by following ways: o Demographics:-In this we divide consumer on the basis of variables such as age, family size, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality social class. For example I have divided the consumers on the basis of income, age,family size. For example on the basis of family size I have made jumbo packs, family packs. Psychographics:- In this we assess consumers at mental level to determine choices for buying the products. This process includes motivation, perception, learning, beliefs attitudes. Motivation:- It refers to way in which urges, drivers, desires, aspiration, needs direct, control or explain the behaviour of human beings. Motivation has close relationship with consumer behaviour. So with the help of motivation we can calculate the consumer feelings for the product. By the help of effective advertisements I will try to motivate the customers to buy my product. Perception:- It is the process by which consumer selects, organises and interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the product. By the help of advertisements and influential brand ambassadors we can make the customers perceive good about our products. Learning:- It includes changes in our behaviour arising from experience. Most human behaviour is learned, although much learning is incidental. I will try to see how customers have previously responded to the products and how they have reacted to them after buying them once.. Nature of buying decision:-Buying decision includes how the customer evaluates various alternatives to buy the product. It includes various steps like : 1) Problem recognition:- In this the customers see where from the need has risen or the product. Need can arise from various sources like family friends. The need for my product i.e. lays can arise when some friend who is also using my product tells u about it or recommends it for your children. Problem recognition is that result when there is a difference between ones desired state and ones actual state. Consumers are motivated to address this discrepancy and therefore they commence the buying process. Sources of problem recognition include: An item is out of stock Dissatisfaction with a current product or service Consumer needs and wants Related products/purchases Marketer-induced New products The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with problem recognition is motivation. A motive is a factor that compels action. 2) Information search:- Once the consumer has recognised a problem, they search for information on products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) explain that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search. Sources of information include: Personal sources Commercial sources Public sources Personal experience The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is defined as the process by which an individual receives, selects, organises, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world 1. Information evaluation: After the customers search the information about the product they will evaluate various alternatives. At this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organization increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumers evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organization needs to understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision. 2. Purchase decision:- Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organization must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration. 3. Post purchase evaluation:- I will have to check out whether the customers go repurchase or not. After the purchase consumer might like to rationalise the purchase decision. The consumer would go for post-purchases action and uses of products. Post-purchase satisfaction is the function of trade off between the expectation and the performance achieved. Summary of situation analysis ofFRITO LAYS LIMITED. Internal strengths:- The main strength of my product is that it tastes so good, a quick and easy eat on the run food. There are a lot of flavors,lots of crabs. It is cheaper than any other nutrition bar out there .The main strength of my company is quality new innovations in products. The product that is lays meets the requirement i.e. a light and fast food. The main feature of my product is that it is very nutritious and it is manufactured in such a way that it is pure in quality. The strength of my company is that there are a range of flavours in the lays that suits every persons taste. Internal weakness:-The Companys weakness is that the lays industry is becoming more stagnant and there has been a little room for growth. EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES:- The main opportunities to my company is that the main competitor UNCLE price is very high and people in India rarely buy that .So I have introduced the different prices for different classes of people. This is the main competitive advantage of my product over other companies. External threats:-The main threat to my company is UNCLE that is the main competitor in INDIA. But in this regard I have adopted certain strategies like I launch products that are traditional in taste so that people like my product. The threats are also from other products that can be used as substitutes. Marketing Research Steps: Marketing Research Approach Once your problem is better defined, you can move onto developing marketing research approach, which will generally be around a defined set of objectives. Clear objectives developed will lend themselves to better marketing research approach development. Developing your approach should consist of honestly assessing you and your teams market research skills, establishing a budget, understanding your environment and its influencing factors, developing an analysis model, and formulating hypotheses. Overall Theory of the Marketing Research Approach What is your overall theory and hypothesis? What do you intend to prove or disprove? What actions are your company willing to take based upon survey results? What are the internal/external roadblocks that will need to be overcome to drive results? Marketing Research Design: I designed the market research in a very effective manner. One thousand consumers were asked a series of questions about the FRITO brands and were shown some initial designs. In particular, the researchers wanted information about the impact of the designs on the shelf, the ease of recognition and the clarity of the brand name and product. The results of the market research confirmed that one design led the field. It highlights the N logo, .. The big advantage of using the N logo was that it was a protectable brand image. Other competitors would not be able to imitate it. Having decided on the new corporate brand icon, the designers had to incorporate it into the design of the packaging for all 29 individual brands. The latest computer technology was used to digitally generate the artwork and the familiar characters such as Snap, Crackle and Pop, Captain Rik and Tony the Tiger were re-drawn in a more modern style. For each product the image was designed to wrap around the box and each side, including the bottom have also been given a strong branded look. The only part of the old design to be kept was the nutritional information, which had itself been re-designed in 1998 and had even received recognition from the Plain English Campaign for the clarity of its explanations. This had already proved to be very consumer friendly and a big success so it was simply incorporated into the new design. It was essential not to alienate consumers with radical new designs and it was important to maintain the individuality of each brand. This is known as the brand equity and means the value of a brand that has been built up over a number of years. Frostiest, for example, keep Tony the Tiger, the familiar blue background and typeface, while FRITO still radiates sunshine and keeps the red and green cockerel. Although the changes in the corporate image were quite radical, the designs of the individual brands retained enough elements to be instantly reco gnisable. Based upon a well-defined approach, a framework for the designing your marketing research design should be apparent. Marketing research design is the most encompassing of all steps in the marketing research process, requiring the greatest amount of thought, time and expertise and is the point at which those less experienced with market research will obtain assistance from an internal market research expert or perhaps partner with an external marketing research provider. Marketing Research Data Collection Marketing research data collection (often called survey fielding) is the point at which the finalized questionnaire (survey instrument) is used in gathering information among the chosen sample segments. There are a variety of data collection methodologies to consider. Market research data collection methods: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) Internet survey Mail survey Mall intercepts Traditional telephone interviewing Internet panel Mail panel In-home panel Survey Data Analysis Any survey data analysis will depend on how the survey questionnaire was constructed. Less complex survey data analysis can be handled with any of a number of office suite tools, while more complex questionnaire data analysis requires dedicated market research analysis programs. Make the decision: After collecting all information, after analyzing, the next and last step is taking decision. This step is based on above informations. The above information was used to take necessary steps to make changes in the product to cope with the changing tastes. Research result:- After the process, of collecting all the information about my product FRITOS . On the basis of this research result, I will take all the decisions of present as well as future. Marketing strategy: Product:- It may be defined as a bundle of utilities consisting of various product features and accompanying services. My marketing strategy with regard to product will be to show the various features of the product: Nutritious value. Hunger erasing value. Longer shelf life. Good taste Different flavours. Product mix:- It refers to all the products offered by a firm. It should be differentiated from the product line, which refers to the group of products which are classified together for reasons of similarities on any one of the several criteria such as customer needs, market served, channed used, or technology used in manufacture. In my company, the product mix refers to the various products offered to the people like corn flakes,popcorn,frosties,biscuits,energy drinks,chips,etc. Product strength:- The main strength of my product is that it tastes so good, a quick and easy breakfast, on the run food. There are a lot of flavors,lots of crabs. It is cheaper than any other nutrition barred out there. The main strength of my company is quality new innovations in products. The product that is cornflakes meets the requirement i.e. a light and nutritious breakfast. The main feature of my product is that it is verynutritious and it is manufactured in such a way that it is pure in quality. The strength of my company is that there are a range of flavours in the LAYS that suits every persons taste. Product weakness:- The companys weakness is that the cornflakes industry is becoming more stagnant and there has been a little room for growth. Product life cycle Your browser may not support display of this image. The product life cycle goes through many phases, involves many professional disciplines, and requires many skills, tools and processes. Product life cycle (PLC) has to do with the life of a product in the market with respect to business/commercial costs and sales measures; whereas product lifecycle management (PLM) has more to do with managing descriptions and properties of a product through its development and useful life, mainly from a business/engineering point of view. To say that a product has a life cycle is to assert four things: That products have a limited life, Product sales pass through distinct stages, each posing different challenges, opportunities, and problems to the seller, Profits rise and fall at different stages of product life cycle, and Products require different marketing, financial, manufacturing, purchasing, and human resource strategies in each life cycle stage. The different stages in a product life cycle of my productare: 1. Market introduction stage Cost was high Sales volume was low because people were not aware of the product. No or little competition. Demand has to be created. Customers have to be prompted to try the product. Heavy expenditure on the advertisement to make the people aware of the product. Profits are low in this stage. STRATEGIES IN INTRODUCTION: I visualised the various markets which I could enter because I knew that I could not enter all of them at once. I analysed the profit potential of each product market singly and in combination and decided on a market expansion path. Then I moved the product into another market .I then surprised the competition by developing a second product for another market. I then took the second product to the first market and then launched a third product for the first market. My game plan worked and I served the market with two or three products. 2. Growth stage costs reduced due to economies of scale and Sales volume increases significantly. Profitability. Public awareness. Competition begins to increase with a few new players in establishing market. Prices to maximize market share. STRATEGIES IN GROWTH STAGE:I improves product quality and added new product features and styling. I also entered new market segments. I also increased distribution coverage and entered new distribution channels. Also shifted from product awareness advertising to product preference advertising. I also lowered the prices to attract the new layers of price sensitive buyers. 3. Mature stage Costs are very low as you are well established in market no need for publicity. sales volume peaks increase in competitive offerings prices tend to drop due to the proliferation of competing products brand differentiation, feature diversification, as each player seeks to differentiate from competition with how much product is offered Industrial profits go down. STRATEGIES IN MATURE STAGE: Converting non users. Entering new market segments. Winning competitors customers. Use the product on in new ways. Improve the product. 4. Saturation and decline stage Costs become counter-optimal Sales volume decline or stabilize Prices, profitability diminish Profit becomes more a challenge of production/distribution efficiency than increased sales. STRATEGIES INDECLINE STAGE: I increasedth