CSR in the Telecommunications Industry

Definition of CSR According to Baker (2004), corporate social responsibility (also known as corporate citizenship, corporate conscience, sustainable responsible business, or social performance) simply refers to â€Å"how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.†Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on CSR in the Telecommunications Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this definition, Baker emphasizes that companies need to fundamentally answer to two major aspects of their operations. Firstly, they must be answerable about the quality of their management and secondly, they must answer about the nature of their operations and the impact to the society. Different regions have their own customized understanding of CSR based on the differences in occurrences and endeavors in their areas. For example, in USA, CSR is mostly viewed in terms of a â€Å"philanthropi c model† where companies conduct their businesses with the aim of making profits and contributing to charitable causes as a showing that they are responsible in the corporate world (Baker, 2004). In Europe, the concept of the ‘end justifying the means† allegedly opined in USA’s CSR practices, is replaced by the exact opposite where â€Å"the means justifies the end† (Lattemann et al., 2009). Studies in Africa and Australia are still inconclusive because only a handful of researches have been done (Idemudia, 2011). In UAE and Asia, however, studies show that there is a hybrid of the US and European Models thus different countries in these regions viewing CSR differently (Ihlen et al., 2011). Notably, all these definitions assert that stakeholders and shareholders play a vital role in CSR practices of any industry. It is with this in mind that the CSR practices in the telecommunications industry (especially in the UAE region) will be discussed. Brief Ba ckground of CSR Practices Just like in most industries, CSR in the telecommunications industry can be historically categorized into two factions which are traditional CSR and modern CSR.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Jamali (2007), in the traditional era, a scholar named Carol l asserted that industries showed their corporate social responsibility to stakeholders and shareholders by conducting their businesses in ways that were economically, legally, ethically, and discretionarily viable to their industries. However, as time went by, Jamali says that the traditional perception of CSR was replaced with a modern one where CSR was majorly viewed economically with companies using it to impose their dominance while their customers using it as a ladder into the economic benefits from these companies. More specifically, Schutter (2008) says â€Å"although its roots are of course older, the concept of CSR emerged in the recent official EU discourse with the Conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of March 2000.† The CSR era that began in the mid 1990’s and evolved to a formidable venture in the early 21st century (starting with this EU meeting) is what most researchers refer to as the modern CSR era (Jamali, 2007). Today, CSR has undergone several changes with the terms being used variably, as was earlier mentioned. In the telecommunication Industry, especially in UAE, CSR encompasses activities such as supporting education, raising awareness on various issues such as sicknesses and environment conservation, and supporting the needy people in communities (Schutter, 2008). Approaches to CSR Practices Theoretically, there are several ways in which scholars approach CSR practices. However, in the industrial world, Tang and Li (2009) say that there are â€Å"three distinctive approaches to CSR: CSR as ad hoc philanthropy, CSR as st rategic philanthropy, and CSR as ethical business conduct.† These approaches are the ones that relevantly apply to CSR in the telecommunication industry in UAE and thus will be our main focus.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on CSR in the Telecommunications Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As an ad hoc philanthropy, emphasis on CSR is laid on â€Å"discretionary rationality, i.e. corporations need to contribute to the welfare of society† (Tang Li, 2009). In the telecommunication industry, involvement in CSR is typified by engagement in activities such as sports, education, disaster relief, cultural programs, poverty alleviation programs, and health issues. The strategic philosophy approach is almost similar to CSR as ad hoc philanthropy except that, in the strategic philanthropy, themes engaged in are mostly based on specializations by the involved companies (Tang Li, 2009). For example, a c ompany concerned with disability can contribute towards education of disabled children. Such initiatives go beyond normal charities as the victims and company both end up benefiting (Jamali, 2007). In the ethical business conduct approach, the ideologies are â€Å"based on economic, legal and ethical rationalities† (Tang Li, 2009). In other words, the major issues dealt with here entail ethical business practices such as good handling of customers, fairness in treatment of employers and professional ethics in the engagements with shareholders or even stakeholders (Neu et al., 1988). More specifically, the ethical business conduct approach encourages transparency and accountability of company operations (Poitevin, 1990).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In most cases, CSR as an ethical conduct is facilitated through industry policies. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches in the telecommunication industry are given below. Importance/Advantages of CSR Practice Most of the advantages of CSR have been partly mentioned in the discussions above. However, in summary, CSR offers the following advantages: CSR is recognized widely as an effective way of managing threats to organizational legitimacy. CSR creates an important social capital that helps societies to adjust to harsh realities while encouraging good interrelations among various people. Helps in attracting long-term capital and favorable financial conditions. Helps in raising awareness, staff motivation and attracting new talent. Encourages utmost responsibility by companies and people in various aspects. Facilitates transparency and accountability by organizations. Encourages innovation and creativity while enhancing one’s reputation. Encourages economic de velopment and environmental conservation. Accentuating social stability and general well-being of the concerned populace. Demerits, Challenges and Limitations of CSR Practices On the downside, the following disadvantages have been found: International corporations are often faced with issues like trade barriers which limit full efficacy of CSR initiatives. If mismanaged, CSR can be a very dangerous tool for negative manipulation by those in power. Acclimatizing to various laws, ethics, regulations and rules can be quite difficult—especially for international companies. The presence of various approaches to CSR makes it a viable subject for misinterpretations. Creating a working framework for implementation of CSR practices can be quite strenuous and costly. Some people or companies tend to be overly and non-deservingly favored by the goodwill from CSR practices. Conclusion In conclusion, it is worth stating that change is a gradual process and whatever steps taken in the r ight direction always add up to something significant. Commendably, a lot has been done by the telecommunication industry in UAE to improve its CSR endeavours. However, there is still more that needs to be done in order for them to find ways of strongly sustaining itself and staying devoid of its challenges. References Baker, M. (2004). Corporate social responsibility – what does it mean? Retrieved from http://www.mallenbaker.net/article/clear-reflection/definitions-of-corporate-social-responsibility-what-is-csr Idemudia, U. (2011). Corporate social responsibility and developing countries: moving the critical CSR research agenda in Africa forward. Progress in Development Studies, 11(1), 1-18. Ihlen, Y., Bartlett, J., May, S. (2011). The handbook of communication and corporate social responsibility. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Jamali, D. (2007). The case for strategic corporate social responsibility in developing countries. Business and Society review, 112(1), 1-27. Lattem an, C., Fetscherin, M., Alon, I., Li, S., Schneider, A. (2009). CSR communication intensity in Chinese and Indian multinational companies. Corporate Governance: An international Review, 17(4), 426-442. Neu, D., Warsame, H., Pedwell, K. (1998). Managing public impressions: environmental disclosures in annual reports. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 23(3), 265–282. Poitevin, M. (1990). Strategic financial signaling. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 4, 499–518. Shutter, O. D. (2008). Corporate social responsibility European style. European Law Journal, 14(2), 203-236. Tang, L., Li, H. (2009). Corporate social responsibility communication of Chinese and global corporations in China. Public Relations Review, 35, 199-212. This essay on CSR in the Telecommunications Industry was written and submitted by user Colleen Wing to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Case for locog workforce Diversity The WritePass Journal

Case for locog workforce Diversityï » ¿ Introduction Case for locog workforce Diversityï » ¿ London Olympic and Paralympic games. Benefits that could accrue from this diversity and implications have been outlined and include improvement in bottom line and workforce relations, resulting in enhanced efficiency, gains in competitive advantage and thus enhanced business performance which would enable LOCOG achieve its objectives and mandate. HR seeks to contribute to the realization of these benefits through deliberate training and development of diversity awareness and culture evaluation, as well as, focusing on workforce diversity in the recruitment and selection of staff. References Foot, M., Hook, C., 2008. Introducing Human Resource Management. 5th ed. Harlow  : Pearson Education Ltd. Mannix, E., Neale, M., 2005. â€Å"What Differences Make a Difference? The Promise and Reality of Diversity Teams in Organizations.† In: Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 6(2), 31-35. McCuiston, V., Ross, B., Pierce, C., 2004. â€Å"Leading the diverse workforce. Profit, prospects and progress.† In: The Leadership Organization Development Journal. 25(1), 73-92. Shen, J., et al., 2009. â€Å"Managing Diversity through human resource management: an international perspective and conceptual framework.† In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 20(2), 235-251. Syeda, J., Ãâ€"zbilginb, M., 2009. â€Å"A relational framework for international transfer of diversity Management practices.† In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 20, No. 12, 2435–2453.

Flash V. Illumination Industries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flash V. Illumination Industries - Essay Example In the matter of the wrongful price quotation of the computerized board, the legal team deems the contact entered into between Flash and Mack as being invalid since Mack does not have express authority to enter into such a contract. This argument is based upon the law of agency in which Mack as a contractor does not have actual authority for actions undertaken. Relevant Rules Under the law of agency, Mack is an independent contractor. Mack is a special agent since he undertakes specific assignments for Illumination Industries upon request. The general principle applied in agency law is that a principal is liable for actions undertaken by the agent if the actions fall within the authority of the agent to enter into such agreements. The issue of authority is thus of utmost importance in determining liability of the principal in contracts or actions entered into by the agent. The agent may have authority as a result of express conferment or through implication. In tort litigation the th ird party cannot claim any damages from the principal unless it can be proved that the agent’s actions were within the scope of authority in the contract. Express actual authority entails that the agent has been explicitly given authority to undertake actions on behalf of the principal. There is also the principle of implied actual authority. This is the authority that the contractor has to have if he is to perform his obligations in the required manner. This is exemplified in Ireland v. Livingstone in which the court ruled that the principal is only liable to actions which are expressly authorized by the contract. The principle of implied actual authority is however subject to personal opinion. In the matter of whether Illumination Industries ought to pay for the negligent acts of Mack, the defense team relies upon the principle of independent contractors. The principal is in law not vicariously liable for the negligent actions of the agent since the principal lacks the crit ical relationship found under employer employee. The principal would not be able to exercise the supervisory and control function in the instance of an independent contractor. There is however exceptions to this rule in instances where the actions of the contractor results into injury to a person in the real property of the principal; the contractor’s work involves potentially dangerous activity; and in instances in which the principal acted in a manner to suggest the contractor was an employee or an agent. Arguments Under the law of agency, Illumination Industries is not liable for actions undertaken by Mack since Mack is an independent contractor. Mack is an independent contractor since the nature of his work with Illumination industries is intermittent and he decides on what kinds of jobs to accept. Mack as an independent contractor does not have the authority to make quotations on the prices of goods which Illuminating Industries is to pay since he does not have the power of agent. The plaintiff may however argue that Illuminating industries had delegated authority to Mack in order to complete the job. In arguing that the job in its entirety had been delegated to Mack the plaintiffs fail to take into consideration that some aspects of agency such as the monetary aspects cannot be implied. This aspect of the independent contractor must be expressly provided by the principal and should not be by implication. In the matter

Maximizing the learning experience for adult learners (Principles for Essay

Maximizing the learning experience for adult learners (Principles for adult learning) - Essay Example Adult learners have unique attributes that affect the ways in which they learn. On reaching adulthood, an individual achieves autonomy and can exhibit self –direction. This aspect influences how they learn because they need to express their autonomy in the learning process. Therefore, an effective adult educator must have strategies of ensuring an involvement of the learners. For learners to express their autonomy in the learning process, it will be crucial for the educator to present them with an opportunity to contribute in the development of study objectives. Moreover, other avenues of engagement in the learning process such as group work and individual presentations will foster autonomy in the learners (Sharma, 2006:45). It is critical for adult educators to have facilitation skills as they will prove effective in providing the individuals with proper guidelines contrary to teaching. Autonomous adults will only need guidelines because they can endeavor in personal studies and research in order to advance knowledge. Moreover, autonomy will require adult learners to establish personal that conform to the objectives of the learning process. The learning experience must provide an avenue for the learners to find self-fulfillment through a successful pursuit of personal goals. Both patients and nurses require having a set of personal goals that can meet an individual’s personal learning needs. Therefore, an educator must exhibit competency in demonstrating the procedure of personal goal setting (Sharma, 2006:45). It is critical for an educator to emphasize the need for the learners to understand the significance of personal goals. In doing this, the educator must highlight the harmony between the class learning objectives and personal goals. Adult learners approach the learning experience with a unique perspective. They anticipate for an opportunity to cooperate in their experiences into the learning

Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Essay Access the Internet to acquire a copy of the most recent annual report for the publicly traded company used to complete the Financial Reporting Problem, Part 1 assignment due in Week Six. Analyze the information contained in the company’s balance sheet and income statement to answer the following questions: †¢Are the assets included under the company’s current assets listed in the proper order? Explain your answer. The current assets should be listed in the order of liquidity. The assets which can be easily converted into cash are listed first. Cash is already in liquid form and thus is recorded first. Next to follow are cash and cash equivalents (like marketable securities etc.) which can be very easily converted into cash are recorded next. The other current assets to follow the list are Accounts receivable, Inventory, Prepaid expenses and other current Assets. Starbucks is following the same while listing the current assets in the Balance Sheet. †¢How are the company’s assets classified? Assets are classified as Current Assets and Fixed Assets. Current Assets are those assets out of which the benefit derived is for a period less than one year. Fixed assets are those assets out of which the benefit derived is for a period more than 1 year. †¢What are cash equivalents? Cash equivalents are investment securities that are short-term, have high credit quality and are highly liquid. Cash and Cash equivalents of Starbucks as of 2013-09-29 is $2,575.70 million. †¢What are the company’s total current liabilities at the end of its most recent annual reporting period? The total Current liabilities of Starbucks as of 2013-09-29 are $5,577.30 million. †¢What are the company’s total current liabilities at the end of the previous annual reporting period? The total Current liabilities of Starbucks as at the end of the previous annual reporting period 2012-09-30 is $2,209.80 million. †¢Considering all the information you have gathered, why might this information be important to potential creditors, investors, and employees? The financial statements provide useful information to various parties for decision making. Creditors: Creditors are those who provide credit to the company. From the financial statements the creditors assess the liquidity position of the company. The current assets and the current liabilities are looked into to know the liquidity position. If the current assets to current liabilities are 2 times to 1, then the creditors would be interested to extend credit to the Company. Investors: Investors are those who provide capital to the Company. The financial statements provide the profitability position of the Company. The investors are interested to know the profit margin, the dividend paid in the recent years, the growth rate in earnings etc. The information gathered above does not provide these details which are helpful for investors. Employees: Employees of the company are interested to know the profitability position of the Company based on which they can expect a bonus from the Company. The financial statements should be thoroughly analyzed for various decision to be taken which are u seful to various parties and situations.

Customer Satisfaction with Self Service Checkout

Customer Satisfaction with Self Service Checkout Chapter 2 This chapter explains about the possible literature review about the self service checkout system and its operation in relation with customer satisfaction and retention. It will introduce you to some of the theories about the self service technology, customer satisfaction and retention. At the end, you will find the critical review of this literature review and possible arguments and recommendations. Literature Review As companies/supermarkets have race to introduced technology that enables the customers to get service on their own (Bitner, M. Amy, L. Ostrom and Matthew, L. 2002). Growing number of customers interacted with the technology to create service outcomes instead with a service firm employee (Matthew, L. Amy, L. Ostrom, Robert, I. And Bitner, M. July 2000). The overall affect model is based on the consumers feelings toward the use of technology (Pratibha A. and Dabholkar 1996). The Supermarkets which introduce self-service checkout systems wish to gain rapid acceptance and usage of these technologies by potential consumers. (Jungki, L. and Allaway, A. 2002) According to Merriam-Websters Dictionary (2008), Innovation is â€Å"a new idea, method or device, or the introduction of something new.†Drejer (2002) argues that innovation is more than just invention, that idea cannot be innovative as a pure, it must be put in practice and be commercialized; otherwise it is too earlier to speak of innovation. Blackmon (1996) provide us with the best summary for a context of this research: â€Å"†¦ technological change is used to describe changes in knowledge that increase the volume of output or allow a qualitatively superior output from a given amount of resources †¦ and thus in driving organizational evolution †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sales profit is a simple conceptual framework chain to linking with the employee satisfaction as well as customer satisfaction and financial performance. This sales profit chain is the relationships between employee and customer satisfaction (Gary, W. and Loveman, 1998). The benefit of the customer reten tion and satisfaction has been characterized by using the repurchase intention or a factor score of quite a few measures repurchase goal, and price tolerance. So that the purpose to use the customers management strategy that is the based on managing both satisfaction and benefit of customer retention (Narayandas, D. 1998). Performance expectation and the actual performance have major significance in the Evaluation process, as we need to determine the dimension of product and service performance. Most customers do not switch from satisfied seller to their competitors, but, there are several factors that could affect customer behaviour to switch to different service provider such as mistake in core service failure, service encounter failures, variable prices, inconvenience, responsive to service failures, attraction by competitors, ethical behaviours and involuntary switching etc. (Hawkins, Best and Coney, 2004) Retailers need to analyze what makes a new product from the point of view by the customer if customers facing problems understanding the reason behind the introduction of new self-service checkout systems (SSC) they will not use the system. As we launch new self-service systems, we need to analyse the consumer behaviour as well. The consumer should be involved in some way or another at most stages in the introduction of self-service checkout system. Every retail or sales companies should take care of customer wants and needs (Wright, R. 2006). Consumers feel a sense of pleasure in understanding that they have found a unique store that they can, and do, frequent. This suggestion is suggested on the notion of value as a function of both worth (Oliver, 1999) and scarcity. People feel good when they find something of worth that is not easily available the feel good feeling from the ordinary and the mundane, is different from satisfaction in that it consists qualitative effects such as enjoyment and happiness. In contract, satisfaction is an evaluative judgment (Oliver, 1997) and more cognitive in nature (Howard and Sheth, 1969). Satisfaction can be defined as a cognitive evaluation resulting from the fulfilment expectations. Satisfaction is a judgment based on either a cognitive or emotional appraisal, made by the customer whether his or her expectations were met (Oliver, 1997). Positive affect is a pleasurable emotional response (Bogozzi, Gopinath, and Nyer, 1999). â€Å"If organizations want to consider total customer experience, satisfaction by itself is a weak measurement† (Barlow and Maul, 2000) As a result, when a consumer experiences more differentiation value in the store, consumer will be more likely to feel more positive responses toward the store (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982) The literature in retailing and customer behaviour has identified commitment as ones â€Å"motivation† to keep a relationship with the retailer (Bendapudi and Berry, 1997 and Fournier, 1998).The self-service checkout system (SSC) into the service come across necessitates research to improved understand customers attitudes toward overhaul providers and technologies, and their intentions to employ technology-based facility delivery systems. In this research, the authors build up and experiment three structural models that include a pecking instruct of consumer attitudes toward together the psychological and the technological factors of the come across to better appreciate their intentions to utilize Self Service Technologies. The result indicates that intentions to exercise self-service technologies options are ambitious by manifold, hierarchical attitudes. In calculation to the direct belongings of attitudes toward exact self-service technologies and individual employees, the findings corroborate that higher direct worldwide attitudes toward service technologies pressure intentions to use self-service technologies. fascinatingly, the findings indicate that heavy self-service technologies users rely more on attitudes toward specific self-service technologies than do light self-service technologies users, who rely more heavily on universal attitudes toward self-service technologies when formative intention to utilize an self-service technologies. (James, M. Matthew, L. Meuter and Carol, F. 2003) Kano Model Analysis: The customer satisfaction model from professor Kano is a marketing and quality management approach that can be used for assessing and establishing customer satisfaction and happiness. Kano model has six categories of customer quality characteristics, but, only the first three specially relate to customer satisfaction. (Kano, 2007) These factors are: a) Basic factors b) Excitement factors c) Performance factors Basic factors The prerequisite factors that will cause dissatisfaction if they are not met, but, do not establish customer satisfaction. If they are fulfilled or cross expectations customer regard this as essential and basic factors contribute to market entrance ‘threshold Excitement factors These requirements if they are met can increase customer level satisfaction, but, if they do not meet the requirements, do not cause customer dissatisfaction. These factors come to customers as surprise and create satisfaction. A company can come out from crowd from competitors in a positive way using these factors. Performance factors These factors are concerned with the performance level. So, we can conclude that customer satisfaction is directly related to the performance level, if the performance level is high, then, customer satisfaction will be met, but, if the performance level is low, cause dissatisfaction. These factors are directly related to customer desires, wants and needs etc. So, company should try to be competitive in a market. Illustration of features or needs vs satisfaction (Adapted from Prof. Kano, 1994) Customer point of view in relation to Self Service Checkout System (SSC) Researcher forecasting about the adaptation of the self service checkout system have been gone against the past recommendation, instead, customers are using this technology more and embrace this technology with open arms. Reasons for Supermarket to adopt this technology: Customers do prefer to use their bank cards in privacy and anonymity. Queue awaiting time reduction; Need for self-service; Quick payment; Shoppers feel empowered; Retail market is shifting towards radio frequency identification which will replace the bar code. However this might be a foundation for increasing working hours, as supermarkets not depending on a cashier. Due it is not many research have been done in the UK practise might be relevant for this research and will be in future referred as a compare base. Theoretical Framework Porters competitive advantage theory is a classical and one of the foundational in business literature, however lately it was criticized by some authors (Day and Wensley, 1988 and Hunt and Morgan, 1995). Therefore some complementary concepts have been suggested. In order to reinforce research the Porters value-chain theory was complemented with the more current Value-Network model of Stabell and Fjeldstad (Stabell and Fjeldstad, 1998). Value-chain theory and the value network model are presenting the different activities of a company where value can be cond and added through SSC systems. This model allows the researchers to investigate the different activities of companies on which the implementation of technology-based self-service as an innovation can have an effect. Theoretical Framework Implication In order to fully understand the impact of introducing Self Service Checkout system (SSC) in ASDA supermarkets it is necessary to look into: role and importance of innovation in a business context, product life cycle connected to SSC; competitive advantage theory and complementary concepts, value chain theory, and finally the importance of customer relationship management in the ‘new self-service economy. Innovation Before we are going to analyze stage it is important to understand what innovation in business context is. The full understanding can be obtained through definition of the term. According to Merriam-Websters Dictionary (2008), Innovation is â€Å"a new idea, method or device, or the introduction of something new.† Drejer (2002) argues that â€Å"innovation is more than just invention, that idea cannot be innovative as a pure, it must be put in practice and be commercialized; otherwise it is too earlier to speak of innovation†. Blackmon (1996) provide us with the best summary for a context of this research: â€Å"†¦ technological change is used to describe changes in knowledge that increase the volume of output or allow a qualitatively superior output from a given amount of resources †¦ and thus in driving organizational evolution †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the following relation, the innovation in a business context is a product, device, service, programme, service provider, or methods of services delivery that are new, unusual, or in other ways different from those previously used and positively reflects in overall output of the organization in form of added value directly to the organization or its customers. In the case of this research, innovation in form of SSC brings changes into service delivery. In order to understand the impact of the innovation it is necessary to understand to which area of service delivery it related. Dabholkar (2003) made a classification of technology in service delivery with three dimensions. †¢ â€Å"By whom the service is delivered and who operates the technology†. †¢ â€Å"Where the service is delivered (at the shop or in customers home); and how the service is delivered†. Depending on which category the service belongs to different factors will affect the customers evaluation of the service quality. This classification can be useful in guiding companies in the development of their marketing strategies when implementing SSC systems. Table At service site At customers place Direct contact Customer goes to service site and performs service using technology at service site. E.g. ATM, self-service at retail checkouts. Customer uses technology from home/office to perform service. E.g. internet shopping. Indirect contact Customer goes to service site and uses automated telephone system to perform service. E.g. automated wake-up calls at Hotels. Customer calls automated telephone service from home/office to perform service. E.g. automated ticket-ordering over telephone. Source: Dabholkar, 1994 in Anselmsson, 2001, page 13. Shadowed cell is the relevant technology for this research. Using this type of SSC, the customer goes to the service site and performs the service by using the technology provided at the service site. This implies a greater importance and wider range of quality issues in the interactive marketing function of the organisation. Product/service life Cycle In a business context everything is going through different level, stages of performance. It is similar to the any life development. From the cell of life to the maturity and death, the products are repeating same way from idea to implementation and ultimately death. Particularly in our case the service as well as product must be planned and introduce to employees, customers and eventually be accepted by them. It is crucial for the managers to adjust and control its performance while it goes through different stages. The effect respectively will be also different on different stages. Therefore, considering the life cycle of SSC systems is important when investigating the effects on company competitiveness. The product life cycle tend to go through the five stages of products: †¢ Service/product development; †¢ Market introduction; †¢ Growth stage; †¢ Mature stage; †¢ Stage of decline. Each stage is different in effectiveness of the product, expenses, revenue, etc. The first stage usually money intensive as there is no sales revenue and all expenses are covered by different organizations activities, in our case no effectiveness gain from reducing cost of operation. Stage two is quite expensive in our case as technological cost is very high. The purchase of the machineries and shops infrastructure adjustments to accommodate it are required. Moreover the staff and customers trainings and special promotions materials must be prepared. The third stage is continuous use of SSC by customers and therefore operational cost reduction becomes positive revenue, which might cover the marketing expenses. The fourth stage is characterised by very low costs of operation as number of customers who is using it increased. The final stage might come as soon as more efficient and productive technology will arrive and current become outdated. (Day, 1981) The progression of a product through these stages is not certain however. Some products may stay in the mature stage forever, for example commodities such as milk, others might not even rich stage of maturity. These products go through their life cycle as marketers â€Å"marketing mix† strategies change. For example, advertising is informative stage of the introduction, maturity stages, winning in the growth and in the decline stage reminder-oriented. In the early stages the promotional budget tends to be highest, and as the product gradually taper off matures and decline. Product characteristics, pricing, distribution also tend to change. (Day, 1981) The concept of product life cycle, applied to Self Service Checkout System (SSC) innovations, has also been introduced as an important concept that also contributes to affecting competitiveness. The Value-Chain Porters value chain framework today still is the ‘accepted language for representing and analyzing the logic of firm-level value creation, and is also a framework for analyzing firm-level competitive strengths and weaknesses. In value chain analysis â€Å"competitive advantage is understood by these discrete activities of the value creation process that contribute to the firms relation cost place and produce a basis for segregation. These activities are the ‘building blocks from which a product or process is created that is valuable to the firms customers. The different activities have different economics and thus contribute differently to the valuable characteristics of the product or process†. The value creating activities in Porters model are divided in two levels. â€Å"Primary activities consist of directly interact to create and bring value to the customer, while support activities facilitate and develop the performance of the primary activities†. The primary activity level consists of five actions: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, promotion and sales and service. The maintain actions are procurement, technology growth, human supply management, and firm infrastructure. It is important to note that the different activity categories are not the same as organizational functions. Using the value chain for analysis, â€Å"costs and assets are assigned to the value activities as a first step, and are further analyzed as â€Å"structural drivers† related to the scale and scope of the firm, linkages across activities, and environmental factors. Cost and value drivers are usually analyzed separately. Moreover, drivers are partly related to internal relationships, partly to external factors, and partly to relationships between internal and external factors as well. The main drivers of value are policy decisions made by product and segment choices when the firm is established or repositioned†. (Stabell and Fjeldstad, 1998) According to Porter, â€Å"the value-creating logic of his value chain with its generic activity categories is valid for firms in all industries. However, he further states that the specific activities that are vital to a firms competitive advantage depend on which industry the firm operates†. (Porter, 1985, 1990) Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) however have investigated the application of the value chain model to a variety of industries and have experienced problems in applying the value chain frame work to more than two-dozen firms. They have found that the value chain is suitable for describing and understanding the value creation logic of manufacturing firms, but that it proves problematic when analyzing activities in service industry firms. They argue that â€Å"problems arise from difficulty to assign and analyze activities in terms of the five generic primary value chain categories proposed by Porter, leading to unclear explanations of value creation†. Therefore, Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) suggest that â€Å"the value chain can be considered as one of three generic value configurations to facilitate the understanding and analysis of firm-level value-creation logic for a broad range of industries and firms†. The additional two value models besides the value-chain are the value network and the value shop. The importance shop model applies to firms where price is created by â€Å"mobilizing income and performance to resolve an exacting customer difficulty†, for example professional service firms dealing with medicine, law, architecture and engineering. The value network model refers to firms that generate cost by â€Å"facilitating an organization relationship among their customers using a mediator technology†. Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) also propose alternative presentation formats for both models that represent their unique value creation logic. For the purpose of this research both Porters value chain and Stabell and Fjeldstads value network is of importance. Although Stabell and Fjeldstad state that according to their findings the value chain is mostly useful for manufacturing firms, for our investigation of supermarkets ‘traditional operations, the value chain is most fitting, with one small alteration. However, in also considering the introduction of a new type of service offering through technology-based self-service checkouts, it is found necessary to complement the value chain model with the value network model in order to be able to capture the value adding activities of SSC. The combination of the different value-creating logics, as suggested for this research, has also been proposed by Norman and Ramirez (1993). Since the main purpose of the research is to investigate the effects of SSC in supermarkets, the value network is of central importance, which is discussed in further detail below. The Value Network â€Å"Value networks use a ‘mediating technology to link clients and customers who wish to be interdependent.† According to Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998), â€Å"the firm provides a networking service through the mediating technology and thus facilitates exchange relationships among customers distributed in space and time†. For the consideration of SSC, the value network idea is modified to mean that the firm is the network itself, linking its customers not to each other but to the firm itself, facilitating a more interdependent exchange relationship between the firm and its customers. Customer Satisfaction â€Å"To measure the customer satisfaction of how your organisation`s `total product` performs in relation to a set of customer requirements.† (Gower, 1999) If you like to measure the customer satisfaction of the customers and you need direction exactly what you are measuring. Understanding the concept of customer satisfaction is very easy and can be done by assuming yourself as a customer in a supermarket. Satisfaction is simple. If you get what you wanted and your requirements are met, you are satisfied. The starting point of a customer satisfaction management is to set the objectives. There are different customer satisfaction objectives that can be set. * Customers` requirements (important ratings) * Customer satisfaction (Satisfaction ratings) * Comparison with other organizations * PFIs (priorities for improvement) * Customer satisfaction index * A track able measure of satisfaction * The internal perspective Firstly, you should identify customers` requirements and there are many things customers want and need but we need to identify most relative of customer requirements. Secondly, you must measure customer satisfaction. Organisational performance is directly related to customer satisfaction and list of customers` requirements. Thirdly, if you could go a bit further to analyse the customers` requirements as compared to other same organisations. (In our example `supermarket`) This will give you the opportunity to get the benchmarking. By using benchmarking, you could analyse the requirements of your supermarket customers` as satisfied or not satisfied. Fourthly, after getting the customers` satisfaction measures, you can use these measures to produce some survey outcomes and the first of that step is to identify the PFIs (Priorities for improvement) Fifth, you will need to measure the overall customers` satisfaction. We call it a satisfaction index and it will indicate us to monitor progress from the one year to the next for the overall customers` satisfaction. Finally, customers` satisfaction survey has to be done inside the supermarket to know about the understanding of employees about their customers` requirements. It will help any supermarket to indentify that if their employees know about their customers` requirements and can indentify gaps. An internal survey can also be used to help the management to make the decision making process and strategic management. (Gower, 1999) Achieving Customer Satisfaction: â€Å"Customer satisfaction is measured frequently. Sampling is extensive. Surveys are quantitative as well as qualitative. The measures are taken very seriously. They are reviewed unfailingly by Top management: the development of such measures is taken very seriously as the development of budgetary measures or product reliability measures. Evaluation of people in all functions at all levels is significantly affected by the satisfaction measures†. (Tom Peter, a Passion for Excellence) Customer delight seems very credible people say things like: In today`s competitive markets customer satisfaction is no longer enough; you have to delight the customers, give them something they did not expect to keep their business. In customer satisfaction, the link between customer loyalty, customer retention and profitability can make get better customer satisfaction. It has been shown that customer retention can boost profit of the supermarket as it is very easy to keep the existing customers than getting new customers. After getting the trend data and established the satisfaction- loyalty ratio in your market for your organisation, you make some models. Some companies now have `business performance models` based on their customer satisfaction management survey results that have quantified the exact links between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, sales and profit. They know that how much one percent improvement in customer satisfaction will improve loyalty how much that contributes to profits. Precisely, this is a very powerful forecasting tool. Customer Satisfaction and the Performance: Customer satisfaction can be defined as more loyal customer and it involves emotional and complicated process. Every customer has certain level of product or service expectation and desire. If customer expectation level increased as a result of using that product or service, then, customer experiences satisfaction. (Simon Homburg 1998, Page 44) However, â€Å"Satisfaction has also recently been described as the emotional reaction to this cognitively defined process of comparison†. (Homburg and Rudolph 1995, page 31) In this context, customer experiences that the outcome of the process of comparison will not always give the correct result about the expected satisfaction outcome and actual level of satisfaction outcome. Instead, direct effect of these outcomes or satisfaction levels also interacts with satisfaction. (Bolton et al. 1991 page 376) The customer satisfaction has been in research for long time, mostly research and investigation has been done on the customer satisfaction, but, not on the customer retention. It is the experience and attitude of the employee in closest contact with customers that customers are satisfied, loyal and customer retention has been achieved. The Satisfaction is an â€Å"a overall attitude of customer towards the service provider† (Levesque and McDougall, 1996) The companies are more successful, later research has showed if they adopt customer retention rather than customer satisfaction. (Knox, 1998) Customer satisfaction brings many benefits. Satisfied customers are fewer prices sensitive; they purchase more items, not go to competitors and stay longer. (Zineldin, 2000) Customer satisfaction is directly related with the customer complaint process management. If customer complains more, then, it increases more customer satisfaction. Customer complains about the product or service he/she receives, then, supermarket can achieve more customer satisfaction (Johnston, 2001) â€Å"The product innovations, staff service, price, convenience and business profile are all determinants of customer satisfaction†. (Athanassopoulos, 2000) Later, Bejou et al. (1998) propose that â€Å"customer satisfaction can be enhanced through relationships, provided they are developed and managed to the customer`s satisfaction† Customer retention is not directly related with the customer satisfaction. Sometime customer do not change service provider because of the alternative circumstances, but, customer satisfaction level remain the same. Sometime customers do not have any choice to change their service provider, so, they stick with their existing provider. Hallowell (1996) argues that customer satisfaction cannot produce life time customer loyalty even though customer satisfaction has been increased, but, retention can be related with customer satisfaction. Retention can be understandable as â€Å"to do business or exchange a commitment to continue with a particular company on an ongoing basis†. (Zineldin, 2000) Retaining old customers are easy and cheap to keep as compared to the new customers because they are more loyal and less price sensitive. They keep their loyalty to their existing service provider and do not change their loyalty to the new service provider. It increases customer retention, satisfaction, lower price sensitivity, higher market share, higher productivity and higher efficiencies. (Reichheld, 1995) The authors suggest that in order to retain customers, companies should always change and developing their product and services to meet the ever changing needs of customers. â€Å"The concept of acquiring, developing and retaining customers from a cognitive and affective perspective†, they provide examples of how cognitive and affects are used to increase retention. (Desai and Mahajan, 1998) â€Å"Customer satisfaction is a direct determining factor in customer loyalty, which, in turn, is a main presentation of customer retention†. (Gerpott et al., 2001) Customer satisfaction can be achieved by customer retention. Customer complaint process can boost the stage of customer satisfaction that result in customer retention. Employee perspective is also very important with relation of the customers. Individual relationship with the customer can boost the level of customer satisfaction. It is direct related with the mental theories of customer and employee perspectives. Managers should be aware of customer wants and needs as well as employee mental perspective. Different employees keep different level of relationship with the customers that could affect the customer satisfaction and retention level. Therefore, Managers must keep eye into employee/customer relationship and set realistic goals to achieve. (Spreng et al, 1995) Customer Retention Customer retention is directly linked with the customer satisfaction. The framework guide managers to decide which part of customer satisfaction has more collision, which part of customer satisfaction needs to be improve and make strategies to retain existing customers. An individual level model of loyalty and customer retention has been developed, that can be used to predict effects of service level improvement at supermarket. â€Å"Customer satisfaction has been changed recently from transactional marketing to relationship marketing†. (Grà ¶nroos, Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1994) â€Å"To all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges† (Morgan and Hunt, 1994) â€Å"Customer satisfaction has been treated as essential instrument for the customer retention has gained significant importance in relational marketing approaches†. (Rust and Zahorik, 1993) Kotler sums this up when he states: â€Å"The key to customer retention is customer satisfaction† (Kotler, 1994) â€Å"The assumption that satisfaction/dissatisfaction meaningfully influences repurchase behaviour underlies most of the research in this area of inquiry†. (Bloemer and Poiesz, 1989) It is the continued repeat shopping with the supermarket, when c

Ict In Class Rooms In Rural Areas Education Essay

This undertaking is focused in implementing ICT in rural country, and the instance survey is on fufore local authorities in Yola. As we all know rural countries in Nigeria lack quality and basic instruction, when you talk about instruction in rural country what comes to our caput is low criterion of acquisition, hapless instruction, non good equipt category suites for pupil ‘s instruction or deficiency of proper substructure suited for instruction. Fufore Local Government is settled country in the southern portion of Adamawa with five major linguistic communications known as Fulani ( largest ) , Bata, Verre, Laka and Pere, it consist of 1500 people that live at that place, most of them prosecute in cowss rise uping, domestic fowl, farming etc. When one went to detect these schools i noticed there were at least 300 kids that went to both baby's room and secondary schools, but the job is they lack installations that will do these pupils feel they are larning which makes some pupi ls even drop out of schools and get down prosecuting in house work activities. This undertaking focuses on schools in fufore that need ICT services to better pupil ‘s cognition and ability to larn in order for these schools to hold equal instruction as the pupils in urban schools, if pupils in the rural country are non given equal instruction as pupils in the urban country there is a consequence of inequality. â€Å" Unequal tools in an unequal environment create unequal consequences † ( Ukpe, 2010 ) . Implementation/ Application of ICT in category suites in rural country is traveling to profit both the society as a whole, the instructors, and the pupils. It goes a long manner to assist the society, because when pupils start utilizing ICT in schoolrooms some of their friends at place will besides happen it interesting this will do them besides want to get down schooling and cognize what school is approximately. This survey will besides be used as a instance survey to many parts of rural countries in Nigeria, doing them cognizant of how value ICT is in our coevals and besides doing these local pupils to suit into any schools they find themselves in in urban schools because this execution of ICT will non merely do these pupils concentrate on merely computing machine and information surveies they will besides larn how to use the cognition in their assorted classs. Methodology In order to hold grounds for the execution of ICT in schoolrooms, I will hold to compare this primary/secondary schools in rural country with the one time in urban. The methods I used are personal observation, interview and on-line research ( cyberspace ) . We can see most urban schools have good functioned schoolrooms with good equipped IT services such as utilizing projectors in category suites, computing machines, wireless LANs, File direction utilizing databases. In order to convert these administrations we have to province the grounds why we think ICT is of import for these locals in rural country. Merely looking at an illustration of an urban schools such as Abti Academy in Yola, Capital scientific discipline in kuje, El-Amin International school in Minna ; we can see they all have what it takes for them to hold a well cognition of what IT is all about, they do category interactions, they submit their plants in timely mode particularly the senior pupils, it broadens their heads which they can associate to other classs and use them when necessary, The pupils have full entree to the lab to make research, take classs in computing machine instruction, type paperss and gather information on relevant subjects for their coursework and from every observation I noticed that schools in the urban country have high rankings in their external and internal tests such as mock tests, WEAC exams. In order to cognize what is truly the job of these schools towards their deficiency of ICT knowledge an interview was taken with most principals in these rural schools shown below. Make you cognize what a computing machine is? Make you mean to larn how to utilize it and make you mean to learn these pupils if you have the opportunity to? Make you have a computing machine? And do you cognize how to surf on the cyberspace with it? What do you believe about implementing ICT in schoolrooms? How do you believe it will impact the pupils? Interview Summary The interview was conducted with three different principals of three different countries in fufore, but all their replies were closely the same. They stated they ‘ve had an experience utilizing a computing machine, that it would be great to hold such an chance to utilize computing machines and other IT services in their schools, it will certainly assist the pupils and edify them about what the universe is all approximately now. They stated that they ‘ve all being provided by the school with merely one computing machine and an internet connexion, and in a rural topographic point like fufore I believe there is a limited sum of power supply which makes it even more hard to utilize this computing machine by anyone. They stated pupils in their country are in demand of ICT in schoolrooms in order to doing learning easier for both the instructors and pupils, they besides have a job with their instructors who do n't get computing machine accomplishments, it will be hard for them to learn and steer these pupils through. ICT will greatly impact and hold a positive influence on these pupils, they will hold an chance to be traveling for national competitions because these services will non merely better them in one country, they will besides hold the ability to talk proper and fluid English, they can besides larn how to type by making their class plants on their computing machines and making research on the cyberspace which will even assist the senior pupils in history categories. They besides mentioned that pupils in this country are ever willing to larn, so it wo n't be a job for them to acquire used to it. Development and Implementation of ICT in category suites in rural country: fufore LGA Through ICT in rural schools it will spread out the entree to pupil ‘s instruction, now that engineering is one of the things that helps us develop in this universe. So we have to do the rural schools aware of that which will greatly impact both the pupils and their talks, it will besides do them aware of what is go oning in our universe today ( News ) by shoping on the cyberspace, besides assist them better interactions in footings of picture conferencing and distance acquisition ; through picture conferencing it will enable to portion thoughts and know about other classs that are non offered in the school. ICT is an extensively strong engineering for widening and spread outing educational chances in formal and informal ways, in this instance rural schools. â€Å" ICT is a technological development that reflects the new society and has its topographic point within instruction. However, as with many new enterprises, ICT evidently has its jobs that over clip will be addressed. Meantime, ICT should go on to be promoted to help with instruction and acquisition. I will heartedly hold with anyone who states that ICT is a valuable tool for both instruction and larning – speech production as person who got the last lessons program for my instruction from the Internet- but I ca n't assist feeling that the accent on the usage of ICT detracts from other current ‘sexy ‘ instruction issue – socialization. I believe that developing instructors ‘ societal and reding technique is a greater precedence than their ICT accomplishment † ( Sime & A ; Mark, 2005 ) Entree to remote learning resources: Teachers and pupils no longer hold to trust on printed text editions or even purchase them due to how expensive they can be, they instructors can merely happen text editions on the net and direct the pupils to entree them excessively. With the Internet and the World Wide Web, a wealth of larning stuffs in about every topic and in a assortment of media can now be accessed from anyplace at any clip of the twenty-four hours and by an limitless figure of people. This is important for many schools in developing states. Students will hold control towards self acquisition: For illustration, instructors can merely give a research paper as an appraisal for the pupils, during that research they besides learn a batch through seeking and shoping different articles. This besides broadens their heads to besides believe fast, detect the state of affairs of the research, leting their heads to take over and hold control of what they are making and besides doing their ain sentiments and what they think. Motivation to larn: the usage of multimedia computing machine package that include sound effects, images can be used in larning procedure for people in rural countries, besides as synergistic wirelesss and other public presentation. This will actuate the locals to larn because it ‘s new to them and so i believe that some locals tend to understand images or artworks instead than reading them that manner they understand better. Use of modern instruction tools: in rural countries they still have an old manner of learning their pupils ; some do n't even hold notebooks, or other writing stuffs. Through ICT, pupils can larn how to pull off their files on computing machines instead than composing notes in their notebooks, besides instructors have PowerPoint to show to the category by that they can merely compose short notes on what the instructor is speaking about. In order to better the school from my ain point of position it needs these demands for pupils to hold a basic thought of ICT is approximately. Provision of hardware resources for internet connectivity such as WAN, LAN, MAN. Software bundles for larning or academic related Cadmiums which they can put in in their computing machines to better ego acquisition. Television for the nursery school pupils because kids in nursery school learn faster with images instead than utilizing books, and Projectors for the primary and secondary pupils. A well functional and equipped computing machine that contains at least 15 computing machines. Power supply via solar energy, because electricity is n't that dependable and effectual in rural countries, and besides this execution is based in fufore which is ever cheery every twenty-four hours. So solar would be a good beginning of electricity. These executions can be done with the aid of private administrations and even the authorities, we all know nil is free ; these administrations can acquire net income out of this successful execution and undertaking. They will maintain implementing ICT and bettering other schools in this country. Since I noted that non all instructors have enough computing machine accomplishments to manage the pupils larning or to command these equipments, the administrations besides have to provide the schools with good trained teachers/experts to demo them how to take attention of things merely for some clip. This is an expensive and critical undertaking due to many resources that are needed, power supply because without power supply these resources are merely traveling to stop up being at that place without no 1 utilizing it and besides this is the hereafter of our kids to edify them and doing them hold a cognition of IT, doing them have the same and equal instruction the urban schools are holding so they wo n't experience left out. From all observations we can see how value instruction is and rural instruction can non be compared to the urban because they have more experience in ICT than the locals have. ICT in category suites has a batch of advantages and benefits to our day-to-day life now, makes pupils get accomplishments, accomplishments that will take them to the following degree, skills that will better their manner of thought and will besides alter their lives because after school they can travel to these urban countries and acquire a good occupation alternatively of remaining in their country and making the basic business such as farming. Technology is portion of our universe now and its used in our day-to-day activities, with the assistance ICT in category suites they will hold entree to distance larning which will heighten their acquisition accomplishments and ability, non merely within the category room but globally or worldwide. In order for these pupils to be equal with pupils from other developed schools, they need to be given a opportunity ; they need to be given the chances that are being given to the more fortunate schools/students. Nigerian Government, private administrations and private beginnings have to come together to do this possible for our coevals and besides to assist the state.

Ice-Fili

Ice-Fili â€Å"A storied market leader facing competitive pressures† To: Senior Management, Ice-Fili February 12, 2012 Current Situation Ice-Fili was able to maintain its leading position in the Russian ice cream industry during volatile times. However, it now faces even tougher challenges that threaten its future prospects: reduction in ice-cream consumption, emergence of cost-efficient regional players, and the lack of a quality distribution system. After analyzing the situation, we recommend a strategy that aims to grow sales through the earning of market share, and improving the distribution network.Porter’s Five Forces’ Model Industry Rivalry Industry rivalry is high. The ice-cream industry is fragmented; 300 producers compete in the market. Ice-Fili is an industry leader with 5% market share. Regional producers threaten Ice-Fili with their significant cost advantage and flexible production system. In addition, foreign companies such as Baskin-Robbins and Ne stle are expanding through relatively untouched segments such as cafes and restaurants. Threat of Entry Threat of entry is high.Numerous frozen imports companies have emerged as regional ice-cream producers with their cold-storage and production capabilities in pursuance of relatively high profitability in the ice cream industry. Economies of scale are not required for those small regional players. In addition, new entrants can enjoy significant cost advantages over Ice-Fili through more cost efficient equipment. Threat of Substitute Products or Services Threat of substitute is high. Ice-cream is not perceived as a family product that people can enjoy at home as a dessert.Impulsive purchasing consists of a large portion of ice cream sales in Russia, mainly through kiosks or street stalls. In 2000, ice cream consumption declined 3. 5 % from the previous year; in contrast, its substitutes such as beer, soft drink and confectionery products experienced strong market demand growth indic ating a change in consumer behaviour on the back of strong advertising. Bargaining Power of Buyers Bargaining power of buyers is high. Since Ice-Fili contracted with dozens of small distribution companies, no single firm has a significant bargaining power.However, there is a potential downside risk due to the absence of exclusive contracts. For example, Service Fili, an independent affiliate, can carry its competitors’ products without restriction. No binding provision exists to enforce Service Fili to carry Ice-Fili’s products. A potential risk arises when competition becomes severe. Ice-Fili could lose distribution volumes if competitors offer more favourable deals to its distributors. Lastly, when thinking about the end consumer as a consumer of ice-cream, we see low switching costs. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers is low.For each of its major ingredients, Ice-Fili has 3~ 4 different suppliers and it is not hard to find new one. Thus, swi tching costs are low. Internal Environment Ice-Fili highly value employees, as shown by its financial director quoting Stalin’s â€Å"Human resource capital decides everything†. Ice-Fili understands its struggle in establishing itself in the open-market economy, so it actively seeks young and talented managers to help revive the company. Strategy & Key Success Factors Ice-Fili employs somewhat of a focus strategy as a few products make up a significant portion of revenues.However, they do have a very large product offering even though some products make up a very small portion of revenue. Thefore, Ice-Fili does not fully employ a focus strategy. Most of Ice-Fili’s ice cream products are priced at 6 rubles per portion, making it more expensive than products of regional producers and Nestle and at the same time a lot less than premium products which could be as much as 15 rubles per portion. Ice-Fili’s commitment to only using high-quality natural ingredien ts and eliminating the use of any artificial preservatives or colorants makes it clear its strategy is not low cost.Ice-Fili also does not directly compete with premium brands such as Baskin-Robbins and Haagen-Dazs which have twice the price and compete intensively in restaurants and cafes. To succeed in this strategy, Ice-Fili needs to do two things. First, it needs to broadcast its commitment to follow the legacy of the traditional Russian ice cream makers and inspire consumers to cherish and value traditional Russian ice cream making method, thus creating stronger brand equity. Second, Ice-Fili needs to restructure its current distribution system. Nestle already has its products twice as available as Ice-Fili. Summation of Key Problems ) Competition: Baskin & Robbins and Haagen-Dazs have already become incumbents in the premium ice cream space. Regional players have a big cost advantage so a price war or a move into a low cost strategy would be difficult. 2) Distribution: Ice-Fil i’s products have fairly limited availability. Distribution was also highlighted as a factor for the failure of other players in the Russian ice-cream market Reccomendation Possible Strategies The main goal of our recommendation is to stop the decline of Ice-Fili’s return on equity which has fallen from 27. 3% in 1996 to 14. 4% in 2001 (Figure 1, Appendix).We will look to do this through a combination of sales growth and margin expansion. We outline several possible options, and choose one which looks to be the most optimal: 1) Focus on a low cost approach to grow sales 2) Focus on restaurants and cafe’s to improve margins 3) Focus on a few key products and improved distribution system to grow sales Analysis of alternatives and final recommendation 1) Ice-Fili currently still has 25% of their products produced with old machinery which results in higher costs in relation to regional players who have recently emerged and structured their operations around more eff icient machinery.Ice-Fili could firstly invest in their equipment to modernize the rest of their machinery and improve the cost structure of their whole operation. They would then need to lower their pricing from the current 6 rubles closer to 1. 5 rubles to improve volumes. This could potentially be a lucrative strategy. However, the main problem we see with this is the possible reduction in margins that could emanate from this (although it could be made up through increased volumes and lowering of costs). Also, since almost 80% of sales come through Gastronoms and Kiosks with limited space, sacrificing price for volume may not be optimal. ) If Ice-Fili focus or even just expand into restaurants and cafes, they could potentially improve margins due to the higher price points seen in this space. Ice-fili is a market leader with the number one market share in the industry as a whole, and they have also been around for much longer than both regional players and foreign competitors. Th is bodes well for their ability to still sell significant volumes at higher prices. The downside to this strategy that we foresee is the fact that Ice-Fili is not the incumbent in this high end space with foreign competitors like Baskin-Robbins already fairly established.Secondly, we see that Baskin-Robbins’ factory utilization for 2001 was very low at 7%-12%. Although this may not be representative of the high end industry as a whole, it is still a concerning sign. 3) Our final alternative, and the one we recommend is the focus on a few key products, and the improvement of Ice-Fili’s distribution chain. Ice-Fili’s Lakomka was one of the three most recognized brands of ice-cream in Russia, but Ice-Fili was not able to trademark it. However, the industry has not historically spent much on advertising, and Ice-Fili is still a market share leader.This means there is still time to brand Lakomka as Ice-Fili’s product, just like how people think about Coke when thinking about Cola drinks or â€Å"Googling† something when thinking about doing an internet search. By focusing on a few key products, Ice-Fili can capitalize on their storied tradition, and take advantage of the limited space in their main distribution channel (kiosks). Along with this strategy to grow sales through taking of market share, we also recommend growing sales through improving availability.There are heavy capital requirements for building a strong distribution channel alone, but a joint venture with Baskin Robbins would be an efficient way to achieve this since these companies compete in different parts of the market, and a partnership with an international company will make foreign debt and equity investors more open to financing Ice-Fili. Appendix Figure 1. Financial Calculation (in thousands of U. S. dollars) Figure 2. Ice-Fili’s Current Market Position Price Price Brand Equity Brand Equity

Bearing Arms Responsibly essays

Bearing Arms Responsibly essays Gun control is familiar to everyone in society, especially with our youth and it's become one of the most debatable issues in the prevailing society. America's youth seem to be more interested in the gun control issue than youth of previous generations; this is due to the recent tragic crimes that are being committed in schools, malls, places of business and homes. Although many try to argue for stricter gun laws, I feel that guns are only as bad as the person behind the trigger. Stricter gun laws will only drive guns in to the hands of criminals, and I believe that individual citizens have the right to bare arms and protect himself or herself and their property. The first rule of weapon safety is to never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill. I feel most of the people who kill the innocent today do not truly understand what it means to take a life. This does not make guns bad, just a bunch of uneducated citizens with access to guns that will harm others just with a simple squeeze of a trigger. Educate the public better and get the youth more involved in hunting so that everyone understands the true meaning of taking a life, and the respect that one should have with the power that comes with that. This goes back to no gun has ever pulled its own trigger, just someone that was not capable of handling the firearm responsibly. Secondly, if gun laws become stricter you will only be driving criminals to go out and get deeper into running guns. When the government gets tighter on gun laws, the prices for firearms will only go up. With the market already flooded it just does not seem to be a realistic option at this point. So once again criminals will always find a way to get want they want no matter the cost. Finally, I feel as a citizen of the United States of America, I have the right to protect my family and my property. The government should not be allowed to regulate how I, as a private citizen, decide to arm m...

3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation

3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation 3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation 3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation By Mark Nichol Each of the following sentences is compromised by the lack of one or two punctuation marks, resulting in a potential for confusion among readers. Discussion following each example explains the flaw, and a revision demonstrates clearer sentence composition. 1. Move over millennials- this group is taking over the rental market. The imperative â€Å"move over,† followed by a word identifying who is to act according to the imperative to step aside, reads as if an unspecified audience is being told to change their location at a position above a certain demographic group. When a sentence begins with a directive and a modifier, separate the two sentence elements with a comma: â€Å"Move over, millennials- this group is taking over the rental market.† 2. This paper introduces a methodology based on industry-accepted frameworks that details all the steps firms need to take to conduct a comprehensive and compliant risk assessment. Here, the lack of agreement between frameworks and details signals that the verb does not apply to the noun, but their proximity still introduces a signal-to-noise obstacle, which would be amplified if the noun and verb did agree. To clarify that details pertains to methodology, not frameworks, bracket the modifying phrase â€Å"based on industry-accepted frameworks† with commas: â€Å"This paper introduces a methodology, based on industry-accepted frameworks, that details all the steps firms need to take to conduct a comprehensive and compliant risk assessment.† 3. Distribution and routes to market can be helped by implementing an automated digital portal although this is a bit more complex since it can have an impact on commission. This breathlessly barreling sentence benefits from a couple of inserted commas to signal nested subordinate clauses- the phrase beginning with since is subordinate to the one beginning with although, which in turn is subordinate to the main clause: â€Å"Distribution and routes to market can be helped by implementing an automated digital portal, although this is a bit more complex, since it can have an impact on commission.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Woof or Weft?

Building Customer Connection with Old Spice Essay

Building Customer Connection with Old Spice - Essay Example The brand attempts to illustrate that it can alter the lifestyle dynamics of the consumer, transforming their environment from one of mundane and commonplace living to one of excitement and thrill. â€Å"Old Spice† focuses on the tangible benefits of the product, unlike other product brands that position on pricing or premium quality, to illustrate the relationship between product and consumer needs fulfillment. The brand does an excellent job of blending lifestyle marketing, relationship marketing, and elements of logic to appeal successfully to its target market. The advertisement (Appendix A) illustrates a typical, overweight male librarian in a split figure format, illustrating a transformative process from an ordinary, rather unattractive consumer to a stimulated and electrifying rock superstar. Under the VALS 2 model of psychographics, one of the main consumer segments is referred to as the Striver, one with generally low financial resources, but one who maintains a desi re to attain wealth and achieve higher status in society (Boone & Kurtz 213). The Striver profile is one that is very trends-focused and action-oriented, meaning they seek fun and excitement in their lifestyle (Boone & Kurtz 213). Strivers believe that money is a significant justifier for better social status, often seeking to purchase products that are considered premium in an effort to emulate those in society with more financial resources.... The tagline, â€Å"Somewhere in there, there’s a man in there† both chastises and applauds a consumer that reaches for â€Å"Old Spice†, using pathos as a rhetorical appeal to gain consumer attention and interest. Essentially, the â€Å"Old Spice† brand attempts to act as a social critic of the mundane consumer lifestyle and also an advocate for transformation from a boy to a man through the utilization of the brand. In society, the stereotype of the typical librarian is one of stuffiness, unsightliness, and generally unappealing. Because the Striver is greatly concerned about the sentiment and opinion of peers and others in society, â€Å"Old Spice† uses this psychological characteristic to its advantage to effectively promote the product. â€Å"Old Spice† cleverly uses this subconscious ploy to create an emotional response of self-rebuke or self-punishment for the consumer that lives a similar routine and unexciting lifestyle where the cons equences of potential social rejection becomes a factor in prompting purchase intention in favor of this brand. The library environment chosen for this advertisement is laid out much like an oppressive and old-fashioned library of a conservative statesman, further showing the danger of social conformity that can occur by not seeking adventure and thrill. The brand statement in the advertisement, â€Å"Smell better than yourself†, clearly links product benefits to expected outcomes to the consumer by choosing â€Å"Old Spice† over competition. The main goal of this advertisement is to illustrate that a prim and uneventful lifestyle can be changed if the target buyer selects this particular

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Germany - Essay Example The listener does not understand the gravity of situation when listening to a speech full of words like â€Å"please† and â€Å"may†. On the other hand, German expression also has its cons. It is quite likely to offend the listener, though I like their expression because it is straightforward and truthful. I like the sense of responsibility Germans display in their work. Whatever task they undertake, they try their level best to accomplish it within the deadline. Also, Germans try to do the work rightly and do it with utmost sincerity, so that the final product comes out nice, though Americans are also no less sincere with their work. However, Americans are not as respectful towards the deadlines of work as Germans are. Germans respect their elders. It is part of their culture. Elders are given due respect and reverence and they are taken care of. Although most Americans do this as well, yet Germans are generally more prudent than Americans in this respect. Works cited: â€Å"Truth and Duty.† Culture Smart! Germany. pp. 41-42.