Earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Earthquake - Essay Example prefectures, as well as 127,290 buildings totally collapsed, with a further 272,788 building ‘ half collapsed’, and another 747,989 buildings partially damaged. The earth is constantly undergoing turbulence and tremors of minor nature are frequent event. However, majority of earthquakes are unpredictable and cause huge damage. Earthquake is a natural disaster which has threatening consequences and government and public need to be more cautious towards it. (Thesis) Earthquakes have put governments and international organization alert on ways to counter it. There are not many precautions one can take to face it. Earthquakes happening at night hours can take many people’s life. It not only damage life but also destroys the whole infrastructure and economy of a country depending upon the intensity. Tsunami is also another aftermath of earthquake and people hence are more scared of earthquake than any disaster. Around the world, Japan, China, Indonesia and India are more prone to earthquakes than any other part. According to the article (Annissimov) , natural disaster is an event with as opposed to human, cause tharesults in large-scale loss of life or damage to property. It could be related to weather, geology, biology or even factors outside the Earth. Examples are earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts and flooding. Disease epidemics are sometimes considered natural disasters, but may be put into a different category. In some cases, natural a nd human factors may combine to produce a disaster. Actually, earthquake occurs due to the movement and pressure on earth’s platonic belts and scientific world has no much ways to predict them. Earth is a planet which is in motion internally and externally. In the internal crust of earth, there is plate – tectonics- the plates at the surface of the earth due to the flow of rock within the earth. The entire surface of the earth is covered with plates. As they are in constant motion they rub against or separate from each

Management style theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management style theory - Essay Example Management style is usually an extension of personal style. As explained by Prucell, management style is an extra dimension linked to wider business policy, and at the least, related to guiding principles which infuse management behavior in dealing with employees (Blyton & Tumbull, 256). Management style also depends upon other factors such as organizational culture, local culture, customs, and social dynamics. Based on different traits and behavioral aspects possessed by the business owners, four distinct management styles have been identified autocratic, paternalistic/consultative, democratic and laissez-faire management style (Calvert, Coles & Bailey, 69). Autocratic management style is considered as one of the oldest styles, and individuals with such style tend to keep most of the authority to themselves. These individuals take their own decisions and tend to give orders. By retaining authority, they take charge of work and are extremely quick in actions. In this management style , delegation is absent because the leaders have very little trust in their subordinates. They do not encourage staff feedback or input on any issue. Individuals with this style accomplish the tasks by using power and depend on others for completion the tasks. This kind of management style is best suitable for fast-paced businesses and even unstable businesses. In such businesses, time is a critical factor that determines the fate of the business in terms of growth, profits and sustenance. Hence, decisions and actions need to be very quick. This management style also works very well while dealing with inexperienced workers because their commitment and motivation will be very low. Besides the benefits of autocratic management, its disadvantages are that it creates bitterness and frustration among workers because they tend to feel that their involvement is not given due importance; they feel ignored. Moreover, autocratic managers tend to take all decisions by themselves, and thus limit other possibilities and even block innovation and creativity from workers. This further leads to lack of employee development, which could otherwise be helpful in organizational development too (G Kishel & P Kishel, 157). From employee perspective, autocratic management helps in creating clear goals and expectations without any ambiguities; and it creates a common understanding to a large extent. The best example of autocratic management is the military. Democratic management style encourages employee participation in most of the decision making processes. However, the leader still retains the final right of approval of decisions. Unlike autocratic management, democratic management style involves strong staff participation. Delegation of critical responsibilities and decision making are the most evident features. Sometimes, democratic management involves staff members in goal-setting activities. Staff members have the authority to control and coordinate activities. Moreover, democr atic managers focus on providing positive feedback. Yet, democratic management also follows a top-down communication method. Too much involvement from staff tends to create ambiguity or delay in decision making process (Statt, 118). Democratic style is best suited in organizations with knowledgeable and skilled workers because

Impact of Corruption on Nigerias Unemployment Rates

Impact of Corruption on Nigerias Unemployment Rates Introduction Unemployment has eaten so deep into the Nigerian society to the extent that the citizens have learnt to live with it, with a view that nothing can be done about it. This attitude of Nigerians towards this menace of unemployment however is a negative approach of dealing with such complex and complicated issue that has had tremendous negative impact on the country, some of which are robbery, kidnapping, rapes, oil bunkering etc. According to the Manpower Board and the Federal Bureau of Statistics, the Nigerian youth population is 80 million and this represents 60% of the entire population (Awogbenele and Iwuamadi, 2001). It further explains that 64 million of them are unemployed, while 1.6 million are under-employed. It is very unfortunate that such ugly report of unemployment could be heard of a country like Nigeria with so much natural and mineral resources. According to the statistical rebasing exercise of 2014, Nigeria has assumed the position of the largest growing economy in Afri ca, with an estimated GDP of 502 billion USD (CIA). Such economy ordinarily would have increased the number of industries and attracted foreign investors to the country, thereby increasing the employment rate in the country, but the presence of corrupt practices in the country have been an impediment to the increasing rate of employment in the country despite its enormous resources. According to Transparency International (TI) corruption perspective index of 20013, Nigeria ranked 144 of 177 countries. The high unemployment rate in Nigeria has been attributed to corruption. In a bid to combat corruption in Nigeria, president Olusegun Obasanjo established the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) in 1999 to act as a watchdog for public officials and check corrupt practices, but these commissions have also been plagued by nepotism and the recruitments of mediocre or candidates that are unqualified in preference to qualified candidates. Other measures towards combating corruption have failed as the process also involves corrupt public officials, more like fighting an evil with the same evil. Corruption in Nigeria has become an issue of global discourse and has attracted comments from several scholars; however, this paper seeks to expose the corrupt practices in the country, in a pursuit for a change in the employment status of the country. In achieving this, this paper draw a nexus between corruption and unemployment, going forward to identify and analyse corrupt practices in the country and h ow it has impacted the unemployment rate in the country, thereafter, proffer solutions to the problems of unemployment in Nigeria by suggesting some mechanisms that will help to curb the evil of corruption that is prevalent in Nigeria. Research Question As can be seen from the introduction, the Nigerian situation of high rate of unemployment is unique because ordinarily this should not be the case with Nigeria because of her oil wealth. However, this paper suggests some research questions that if answered adequately will solve the puzzle in our minds and provide a cure to this illness of unemployment in Nigeria. My research questions include: Is there a relationship between corruption and unemployment? How has corruption impacted on the unemployment rate in Nigeria? JUSTIFICATION: It is not a misconception to suggest a high level of employment and an increasing industrial society in a state that is endowed with huge natural and mineral resources. The Nigerian situation is an exception in the sense that despite her abundant resources, the citizens still suffer high rate of unemployment. The increasing rate of unemployment in the country has been attributed to presence of corrupt public officials in the political, economic and social affairs of the nation. The corrupt practices of such corrupt officials which include nepotism, money laundering, mismanagement of public fund, bribery, fraud have increased the unemployment rate in the country. The uniqueness of the Nigerian situation triggered my interest in this paper, with the aim of finding the nexus between corruption and unemployment and thereafter explain how corrupt has impacted (negatively) on the unemployment rate in Nigeria. In answering the above listed research question, I will attempt to analyse the corrupt practices among public officials in Nigeria and evaluate its impact (of these practice) on the unemployment rate in the country. This paper will go a step further to proffer possible mechanism that could curb the menace of corruption, thereby reducing the unemployment rate in the country by adequately utilizing their God’s given resources for the good of the citizens. LITERATURE REVIEW/THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK The variables included in this paper are corruption and unemployment. Corruption is the independent variable that determines the unemployment rate (dependent variable) in the country. Increases in corruption will most likely lead to an increase in the unemployment rate in a country and a decrease in corruption will also mean a decrease in the unemployment rate in the country. However, an increase in the unemployment rate in a country could also cause an increase in corruption because there a high possibility of an unemployed population to indulge more in corrupt practices as a means of livelihood, therefore the dependent variable could also cause the independent variable. I will say however that there is a correlation between both variables because the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria is caused by the increase in corruption in the country. There is also a cofounding variable Z that makes the relationship between both variables spurious because there are states that are corrupt an d yet witness low unemployment rate and there are also states that have reduced rate of corruption and still experience high rate of unemployment. This existence of these states with exceptions shows a spurious relationship between corruption and unemployment. Definition of Concepts The term corruption has been defined conceptually and operationally by different scholars and institutions. Corruption as defined by Transparency International (TI) is â€Å"the misuse of entrusted power for private gains†. Corruption is a menace that occurs not only in developing countries, but also in the first world countries, however, it is prevalent in developing countries of Asia and Africa. Corruption is not limited to a particular political system, but as a regular phenomenon, it exists in all forms of political system. Closely related to the definition of corruption by Transparency International, the World Bank definition of corruption goes thus â€Å"the misuse of public office for private gain†. According to Brooks, corruption is intentional because public officials are aware of their duties, but they neglect it for reasons that are not intended by the state (Brook 1970). Corruption is referred to as â€Å"mother of all crime† and is included in four f orms which include bribery, graft, nepotism and prebendalism (Akinseye 2000). Conclusively, I see corruption as an illegal extra benefit that is sought by public officials at the detriment of public. I call it â€Å"illegal extra benefit† because they not legally entitled to it. Unemployment however, can be described as the condition of persons who are willing and able to work, but are not able to find job. When the supply of labour is more that the demand for labour, this could cause unemployment and joblessness as a result of lack of employment, youths may be forced to indulge in illegal means of livelihood and this may result in unemployment (Echebiri 2005; Onah 2001). The various forms of unemployment include frictional, structural, seasonal and cyclical employment. According to a report by the International Labour Organisation, the global rate of unemployment is increasing steadily and the number of people without job has increased to above 195million, which is 6.3% in the world (ILO 2007). An increasing per cent of this figure are found in the developing countries of Asia and Africa. According to Todaro, the increasing rate of unemployment is geared by the transfer of movement and economic activities from rural to urban areas (Todaro 1992). The unemplo yed is defined by the International Labour Organisation as the amount of a population who are economically active and are without job, but are willing and are seeking jobs including those that have voluntarily dropped their work and those that have lost their jobs. (World Bank 1998:63). Unemployment in Nigeria however can be divided into two: those that have lost their jobs and those that have not ever been employed. In this paper, I subscribe to the Huntington theory of modernisation that focuses on the process of change and the reaction of states to such changes. This however forms my theoretical base for the purpose of explaining the problem of corruption of which unemployment is a product. The modernisation theory also implies a transformational process from a traditional society to a modern society through the introduction of modern practices. According to Adefulu, modernisation theory is one of the theories of corruption. He argued that political stability, inequality and corruption were breaded by the political and economic process of state modernization (Adefulu, 2007). The transformation from traditional states to modern societies left some loop holes for corrupt practices. This has further increased the unemployment rate in Nigeria. In the society before modernisation, public officials were not as corrupt as in our contemporary days. Companies like the African Timber and Plywood, Sapele , Nigeria, the Delta Steel Company, Delta state, Nigeria and several other big industries and companies in Nigeria that employed thousands of Nigerians were functional and active until this modernisation process started, where Nigeria started modernisation practices as opposed to the previous state system where top leaders and rulers owe allegiance to the traditional institution. The consequence of corrupt practices in public offices in the traditional institution was death and the fear of this consequences reduced corruption to the barest minimum. Public officials then were accountable and responsible in their operations and the society experienced a very low rate of unemployment because of the reduced rate of corruption. The transfer to a modern state system has increased the corruption rate, thereby increasing the rate of unemployment in the country. HYPOTHESES. Given the above mentioned theoretical framework, my hypothesis in this work is. There is a correlation between corruption and unemployment. Corruption has impacted negatively on the unemployment rate in Nigeria. DATA AND METHODOLOGY My research data (collection of information) will include both primary and secondary sources. Primary Sources: Data that will be collected from primary source will include personal interview. Secondary Sources: Secondary sources for my research will include Transparency International Corruption Index (TI), CIA World Fact book, World Bank data etc. these sources have provided adequate, accurate and reliable information that have been of help to researchers, hence I consider them worthy of reference. Academic journals and articles will also be consulted in the course of my work. This paper will rely on observational study and will involve a small-n design by focusing on just Nigeria as my case study because the paper seeks to examine not only a relationship between corruption and unemployment, but also to identify how corruption has been able to cause a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria and possible solutions to this problem of unemployment in the country. REFERENCES Akinseye George, Y: Legal System, Corruption and Governance in Nigeria, Lagos. (2000) Adefulu A. Razaa: Neo Patrimonialism the modern Africans state and corruptions syndrome. (2007) Awogbenle, A.C. Iwuamadi, K.C: Youth Unemployment: Entrepreneurship Development Programme as an Intervention Mechanism. . (2010) Central Intelligence Agency: The World Fact Book (2014) Echebiri, R.N: Characteristics and Determinants of Urban Youth Unemployment in Umuahia, Nigeria: (2005) International Labor Organization: Youth: Pathway to Decent Work (2005). Todaro, M: England: Longman Group, U.K. Limited; Economics for a Developing World, (1992) Transparency International Corruption Perspective Index (2013) World Bank: World Development Indicators. Washington, D.C. (1998)

germany Essay -- essays research papers

Germany is a country located in Central Europe, which is officially named the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland). On October 3, 1990 Germany's East and West became one nation under unification, the capital city now being Berlin. Germany has the second largest population in Europe with eighty two million, next to that of the Soviet Union. Germany's land borders are with Denmark on the north, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemborg, and France on the west, Switzerland and Austria on the south, and Czechoslovakia and Poland on the east and southeast. The present leader of Germany is Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was elected October 27, 1998 and is now serving his second term in office. Germany's currency is the "Euro," which is a common currency among twelve other European nations. Germany's flag consists of three equal horozontal strips of black, red, and gold. The flag symbolizes German unity. Germans believe the colors in the flag have a meaning, blac k represents "out of the darkness," red represents "through blood", and finally gold which represents "into sunshine." The flag was adopted in 1990 when East and West Germany unified. Major German cities include: Berlin (3.4 million), Hamburg (1.7 million), MÃ ¼nchen (Munich)(1.2 million), KÃ ¤ln(Cologne)(964,000), Frankfurt, Essen, DÃ ¼sseldorf, Stuttgart, Dresden, Hanover, and Bonh. All these major cities have a wonderful cultural history; consisting of over two-hundred theatres and opera houses, one-hundred large orchestras, and more than two-thousand museums amongst them. Most of the cultural ongoings in Germany are financed by the state and local governments. Music plays an important role in Germany's culture with such well-known artists as: Johann Sebastian Bach, Georger Frederick Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Franz Schubert. Germans take great pride in the long list of great people who made music famous both in Germany and around the world. German people also enjoy sports and recreation; the most popular of which is soccer called Fussball. A favorite winter sport is skiing. Germany consists of four major land regions: the Northern Plains, the Central Highlands, the Alpine Foothills, and the Rhine River Valley. Ma... ...school (Gymnasium). Students who finish secondary school usually become apprentices for three years, so they can learn a trade. There are one-hundred ninety five universities, and other institutions of higher learning in Germany, as well as, more than twenty five art and music academies. The 2003 literary rate in Germany was 99%; therefore, proving a highly successful educational system. Germany has an extensive system of social security and welfare. It covers old-age pensions, unemployment (2005 unemployment rate is 4.8 million), sickness benefits, allowences for injury, rent, and child care, as well as, grants for education and job training. About one-third of Germany's gross national product is spent on social security. Germany also suffers from a housing shortage, and rents remain high.Most people live in apartnments, while few people own homes, since land is very expensive. Germany is a strong force in Europe, which has many good cultural, educational, and social ideas. The United States and Germany have maintained a good relationship over the years, and hopefully will continue to do so.

Ariel and Caliban Essay

   It could be suggested that every time he retells Ariel’s history, he must increase both the persuasiveness of his own story and his control over Ariel. This is why he now chooses to claim that Ariel is behaving badly, so that he can justify a retelling of the history even though Ariel is perfectly respectable in his approach towards Prospero. Even though he reminds Ariel of the misery that was suffered whilst in the pine tree, (â€Å"Thy groans† â€Å"Did make wolves howl†) He counteracts his own good deeds with a forceful display of his own magical power, threatening to trap Ariel up in the tree like the witch, Sycorax did. Prospero exercises control both physically and intellectually by controlling the way Ariel and Miranda think about their lives, he makes it very difficult for them to imagine that challenging his authority would be a good thing to do, and by after threatening Ariel (and Caliban in proceeding lines) which magical torture he makes the idea unattractive thus resulting in Ariel promising to â€Å"do my spiriting gently. † It is at this point worth outlining the character of Caliban and some possible links with Ariel. Caliban is Prospero’s earthly slave, often referred to as a monster by the other characters, he is the son of a witch hag and the only real native to the island. In his first speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. It could be suggested that Calibans situation is much the same as Prospero’s, as his brother usurped his own kingdom in the same way that Prospero has stolen the island from Caliban. Similarly, Caliban’s desire for rulership of the island mirrors the lust for power which led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. From this, again, we see the callous side of Prospero thus confirming our interpretations which were formed from rhetoric between Prospero to Miranda and Ariel. â€Å"Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam; come forth† This is very direct, and commanding towards Caliban. From dialogue between Prospero and Caliban it is evident that Caliban somewhat despises Prospero and whilst bound to slavery he’s completely reluctant to carry out the tasks that Prospero is commanding of him. â€Å"A South-west blow on ye, and blister you all o’er† We again see a threatening side of Prospero when he threatens to give Caliban cramps. â€Å"To night thou shalt have cramps. † Caliban expresses his disapproval at this point again, and reminds Prospero that he showed him round the island when he first arrived that belonged to himself. Then much like Prospero did with Ariel, he accuses Caliban of being ungrateful for the good deeds that Prospero has done for him. After much dialogue between Prospero and Caliban, Shakespeare delivers us with a key line from Caliban. â€Å"You taught me language, and my profit on it Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid you for learning me your language† Firstly, this shows us that human nature teaches Caliban to be observant, as he is cunningly noting that he only knows how to curse because Prospero taught him how to speak. However, it could be suggested that this has a deeper meaning and is centred around one of the main themes present in â€Å"The Tempest. â€Å"- Colonialism. The quotation shows part of the relationship between the colonized (Caliban,) and the colonizer, (Prospero. ) It is here, that the relationship between these two parties can be explored. Caliban sees Prospero as simply oppressive whilst on the other hand, Prospero claims that he has cared for and educated Caliban. However, as the key quotation suggests during this so called education and colonization, problems do arise, and it is at this stage where the colonizer and the colonized see and value the human language as two separate entities. Prospero sees language as a form of knowing oneself and considers it to be valuable tool, however Caliban is showing nothing but curse and resentment for this precious gift that has been given to him. In light of the character of Caliban that is displayed to us in rhetoric between himself and Prospero, there is a contrast in character when Caliban is engaging with Stephano in 2. 2. In this section of the play we are provided with Caliban’s act of charity through colourful descriptive speeches about the island. â€Å"I’ll show thee the best springs: I’ll pluck thee berries. † â€Å"And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts. † This shows Caliban being charitable towards Stephano, but perhaps more importantly – it confirms to us as an audience that Caliban does have extensive knowledge about the island, and did really occupy the island before he was overthrown by Prospero, possibly suggesting that his treatment by Prospero is unjust. It is quite clear from the play and this analysis that Prospero undoubtedly rules over both Caliban and Ariel, however the dynamics between these characters leaves potential for comparisons and contrasts, thus the first obvious one being the likeness of the two, as they both fall under Prospero’s authority. The next possible association for dissimilarity between Ariel and Caliban is that Caliban attempts to use language as a weapon against Prospero, just as Prospero uses it against Caliban. When Caliban admits he tried to rape Miranda instead of showing remorse, he says that he wishes he would have been able to finish the deed so that the island could have been â€Å"peopled with Calibans. † (1. 2) As highlighted previously, Caliban uses language as a tool against Prospero and has somewhat figured out that it could be a key to his freedom if he betters Prospero in one of their cursing matches, however Caliban only backs down because he fears Prosperos magic which he knows is so powerful. When Ariel re-enters in 1. 2 it creates an immediate and powerful change which shows the audience the stark contrasts between Ariel and Prospero. Whilst Caliban is coarse and resentful, described as a â€Å"Lying Slave† and â€Å"Poisonous,†, Ariel is delicate refined and gracious described as an â€Å"Airy Spirit. † This provides a striking contrast, as Ariel is not of the earth, whereas Caliban quite clearly is â€Å"of the earth. † Although the two both serve Prospero, Ariel serves him willingly, hopeful for his freedom, whilst Caliban resists serving him at all costs. It could be suggested that upon Prospero’s arrival on the island, he enslaved Caliban and freed the bright airy spirit, Ariel. It is at this point, worth referring to some historical context and some other interpretations upon the subject of colonialism. Many readers of â€Å"The Tempest† have interpreted it as an allegory about European colonialism which lends itself to Prospero’s treatment of Ariel and Caliban, this represents the disruptive nature of European colonization on native societies. Prospero’s colonization has left Caliban, the original owner of the island, subject to a life of slavery and hatred solely on account of his dark appearance. In conclusion, Caliban both mirrors and contrasts with Ariel. Ariel, is an airy spirit and Caliban is â€Å"of the earth† with speeches that reference closely to items of the earth such as pig-nuts and crabapples.   

Operations and System Management of a Car Garage

OBSM Coursework Assessment – Element One Powell’s Garage Report Introduction The following report will be researching into a small garage named Powell’s, located in Illogan, Cornwall. Powell’s garage is a family business that was established in 1953. This organisation offers a range of services and products, including MOT’s, tyre replacement and full car servicing. Primary research will be used in order to gain data in order to examine specific factors in Powell’s garage. Slack et al. ’s five performance objectives will display which ways the organisation is thriving and in which ways they are failing. Looking at the design capacity, effective capacity and actual outputs will give an overview of how well they are using their resources within the organisation. Finally, by calculating the organisation’s capability index, a specific operation can be explored in order to highlight the reliability of the service and whether there is any potential room for improvement. Five Performance Objectives Slack et al (2004) states that there are five performance objectives that can evaluate performance of an operation. The first of these being cost, this is the ability to produce at a low cost. By pricing goods and services appropriately to the market, customers will always be attracted and it will allow for a good return to the company. Powell’s have a few competitor garages surrounding them, therefore pricing is a very important aspect of the organisation as they must keep it low enough to rival other garages, but high enough to ensure profit from their services. Quality is another performance objective and this is the ability to produce in accordance with the specifications without error. This will ensure full customer satisfaction and a high-quality reputation. It is essential that Powell’s provide a premium service as not only does it guarantee safety for their customers, but it gives them an advantage over competitors. Dependability is the ability to produce goods and services in accordance to the promises made to the customer. This could include a time deadline that the service needs to be completed by, therefore Powell’s must ensure that they fulfil any tasks given by customers’ and remain reliable or a bad reputation could circulate, resulting in less business. The ability to do things quickly in response to the customer’s demands is known as speed. This should also reduce time between orders from the customer and when they receive it again. Being a busy garage means that Powell’s must complete services as quickly as possible in order to keep up with the level of demand they receive. If this is not met, customers’ could use another organisation that can offer a quick service. Finally, the last performance objective from Slack et al. is flexibility. This is the ability to change the operation in a variety of ways. This therefore means that Powell’s must offer a wide variety of goods and services in order to fit with any customer needs and keep the amount of business high. These five performance objectives can also be linked, and these links mean that an organisation can excel in certain operations and compete with other organisations. For example, quality reduces cost and increases dependability. High quality therefore means fewer mistakes made in the operation, this leads to a reduced amount of time needed to correct any errors, and less time spent on the operation means reduced cost. This results in the customer being satisfied with the service. It will also more than likely mean they will feel confident using the organisation and will return for future business. From using primary research to study Powell’s garage, it is noticeable that quality is the most vital objective to ensure its success in their marketplace. Through questionnaires, shown as Appendix 1, and interviews with customers and within the organisation; it is quality that is the most prominent feature of Powell’s garage. This organisation deals with motor vehicles, which makes it crucial that the main priority of their services is to provide high-quality results or else the customer’s safety is at risk. The following polar diagram demonstrates the customer’s view and the manager’s view on Powell’s services and products according to Slack et al. ’s five performance objectives theory. The customer’s view is an average calculated from 20 questionnaires that were completed by customers. The manager’s view is a combined result from the two managers that work at Powell’s. As shown above, the manager’s view is quite different to that of the customers. The customers did not rate the garage as high as the manager’s but there is an agreement on the speed of the operation. Powell’s garage has two major competitors in the area that offer similar services. In order to ensure that this organisation has the edge over them, it is essential to investigate what is regarded as important by their customers and how each garage provides that service. Perceived user value (Bowman, 1998), is the best method to show customer’s opinions on the services of the three garages and will also include objectives that are not included in Slack et al. ’s theory. The two garages that are geographically closest to Powell’s are K W Autos and J K Motors. The customers were asked to rate the objectives of the garage from 0 to 10 on a questionnaire (Appendix 2), these figures were then made into an average and shown in the following table. Objective| Powell's | K W Autos| J K Motors| Speed| 8| 8| 7| Quality| 8| 7| 7| Cost| 7| 6| 7| Dependability| 7| 8| 6| Flexibility| 7| 7| 7| Quality of Facilities| 8| 6| 5| Courtesy of Staff| 9| 6| 6| Working Hours| 7| 7| 8| The data collected from the customers was then put into a graph to demonstrate the differences between the garages more clearly. From these figures, it is clear to see that Powell’s has an overall higher rating than its competitors. Although this is very positive, there are some objectives that Powell’s are lower. These are the operations that need to be targeted and improved in order to guarantee that K W Autos and J K Motors do not overtake Powell’s in their sales. Capacity The definition of the capacity of an operation is â€Å"the maximum level of value-added activity over a period of time that the process can achieve under normal operating conditions† (Slack et al. 2001, p. 338). Regarding this report, there are two types of capacity that are useful to Powell’s garage; design capacity and effective capacity. Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity to which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al. 2001, p. 335). Effective capacity is simply design capacity minus planned loss. Therefore it is what the operation actually runs like. The capacity of Powell’s garage is simply the amount of motor vehicles that can be held in the garage at one time. Powell’s garage has a total of 7 vehicle ramps within the garage; however, 2 of these ramps are designated specifically for MOT servicing. Therefore, altogether, Powell’s can have 8 cars in its premises at one time. In terms of capacity processing, on average, Powell’s can see between 30 and 40 vehicles a week. Although, there are weeks in which it can exceed this and also weeks in which not as many vehicles pass through. Powell’s employ 6 full time mechanics; however, there are always 2 mechanics on the MOT ramps as it always full. This therefore leaves 4 full time mechanics working on 5 ramps for servicing. Straight away, understaffing is the obvious main capacity constraint, as if the garage is completely full, they do not have enough staff to service the vehicles. This would therefore be a planned loss of the organisation. Other planned losses would be mostly time consuming, for example, waiting for vehicle parts to arrive, working hours and waiting for customers to collect their car. As stated before, effective capacity is how the operation actually runs; therefore the everyday realities of a production line will contain something to slow it down. For example, staff breaks, power cuts and maintenance to tools and equipment. Powell’s design capacity (excluding the MOT services) in their garage would be for 5 vehicles to be serviced. However, there are only 4 mechanics available at one time. This means that their effective capacity is 80% of its design capacity. These losses are unavoidable but it results in Powell’s output to be reduced by 20% of what it could have. Actual output is simply effective capacity minus avoidable loss. This is essentially what is produced by the operation when the planned losses and avoidable are taken into account. Avoidable losses include mechanical failure, lighting failure or poorly trained staff. Actual output is therefore much less than the design capacity. It can only be predicted, but this would be estimated around 50%. The following diagram displays the losses against the design capacity and shows how the actual output is calculated. A ‘bottleneck’ is a micro-operation or operations that cause a process to slow down and causes output to take longer. Powell’s main bottleneck is the fact that they are understaffed. However, there are more constraints that prevent operations, these include the type of repair that the car will need, the availability of parts needed to complete the service and working hours. These all affect the processes in the organisation. Capability Index This measures the capability of an operation process within an organisation. This capability index will measure the time any operation can take regarding the services that Powell’s offers. The capability index should give the result as being greater than 1 as this will mean that Powell’s is reliable and capable. However, if the results show that the capability is less than 1, it will prove that Powell’s servicing is incapable and unreliable. The tables below show the amount of time spent servicing vehicles over one month in Powell’s garage. This was recorded from observation and from staff records. Weekly updates allowed a gradual build up of data which could then be grouped to calculate the capability index. Servicing Times| | | 30 minutes| 1 hour| 1 day| 1 hr 30 mins| 1 day| 5 hours| 45 minutes| 3 days| 30 minutes| hours| 6 days| 5 days| 1 day| 2 days| 3 days| 4 days| 3 days| 1 hour| 4 hours| 3 hours| 5 days| 2 days| 1 day| 2 hours| 2 days| 3 days| 6 days| 7 days| 30 minutes| 4 days| Servicing Times| Number of Customers| ;1 Hour| 4| 1 hour – 1 day| 8| 1 – 2 days| 4| 2 – 3 days| 3| 3 – 4 days| 4| 4 – 5 days| 2| 5 – 6 days| 2| 6; days| 3| Capability Index is calculated using the following formula: Cp = USL – LSL 6? Key Cp = Capability Index USL = Upper Specification Limit LSL = Lower Specification Limit ? = Standard Deviation From the data collected above, the USL will be 7 days and the LSL will be 0. 05 as it is in minutes. Cp = 7 – 0. 05 6? Standard Deviation was calculated using all the data collected. In this instance, 1 hour would be 0. 1 and 1 day would be 1. Standard Deviation = 2. 083849 Cp = 7 – 0. 05 6 x 2. 083849 Cp = 6. 95 12. 503094 Cp = 0. 5558624129 Cp = 0. 56 (two decimal places) USL = 7 LSL = 0. 05 This figure and the graph shows that Powell’s garage is operating at a level lower than 1, which indicates that it is not operating at the potential capacity level. Although the capability index worked out to be lower than 1, there is a variety of different service times which suggests that Powell’s offer a wide range of services and at many different time scales. There are many causes for this variation which includes; the nature of the service. The bigger the problem in the vehicle will mean that the service will take longer, and therefore take space for a longer period of time in the garage. There is also the matter of ordering external parts for the repair. This again, could take a long time as Powell’s must wait for the parts to arrive before the repair can begin. All of these variants are time costly in some way but there could be potential initiatives to reduce this. Powell’s could create more space for vehicles outside their garage, by expanding the car park from 1 to 4, this will provide an area to hold cars that require parts from an external source. This would then leave more room available in the garage for less time consuming services. This would see Powell’s garage gain more business and improve their timing for customers. An outside area would also offer a place where very small services are required, for example changing a tyre. This service takes on average 30 minutes to complete. Powell’s would save a lot of time as the car would not need to be taken into the garage or raised on the ramps. Another initiative could be to use the MOT ramps when there are no vehicles using them. This expands Powell’s capacity to 7 full servicing ramps which would provide more business and a faster operation process. An initiative that would also be very effective would be increasing the number of staff; this would allow vehicles to be serviced much quicker. Even if two mechanics worked on one vehicle, this could potentially half the time in which it takes to complete the service. This would then result in extra customer satisfaction, which in the long run would improve Powell’s reputation. It would also allow for more vehicles to be brought in to service as there would be space for that vehicle in a shorter amount of time. Word Count 2,271 References James, P. Rowland-Jones, R. ; O’Brien, L. (eds) 2009. Operations and Business Systems Management. Harlow, Pearson. Slack, N. , Chambers, S. , ; Johnston, R. , 2004. Operations Management. 4th Ed. London: Pitman Publishing. Cengage (2007) Operations, Strategy and Operations Strategy [Online] Available from: http://www. cengage. co. uk/barnes/students/sample_ch/ch2. pdf [Accessed: 26/11/2010]

Commodity Fetishism

Commodity Fetishism Free Online Research Papers In 1867 Karl Marx published perhaps one of his most important works on political economy and capitalism titled â€Å"Capital†. In this work Marx chooses to introduce the fetishism of commodities in the first chapter. Based on this placement it is easy to see that he considered it an important part of his theoretical framework. By adding â€Å"and the Secret Thereof† to â€Å"The Fetishism of Commodities† Marx (in Appelrouth and Edles 2008:62) hints at the mystical nature of commodities and the unseen power they have over us. In reviewing Marx’s writing three key concepts emerge, each connected to the others. These three key concepts are the theory of value, the theory of commodity fetishism, and the concept of alienation. The first part of this essay will examine the theory of commodity fetishism. Marx defines a commodity as â€Å"†¦an object outside us, a thing that by its properties satisfies human wants of some sort or another,† (Marx in Appelrouth and Edles 2008:59). He goes on to broaden the definition by excluding considerations of the nature of such wants by stating, â€Å"The nature of such wants†¦ makes no difference,† and further â€Å"Neither are we here concerned to know how the object satisfies these wants,† (Ibid.). Marx later qualifies this statement by stating that â€Å"A thing can be useful, and the product of human labour, without being a commodity,† (Ibid.:61). Rather than being contradictory Marx means by this passage to indicate that an object must be useful to others rather than simply to yourself. The usefulness of an object creates a â€Å"use-value† but depends on the unique situation of each individual and is therefore incapable of being compared directly. Being of use to others is one way to create a type of value known as â€Å"exchange-value†. Use-value and exchange-value are the two factors of a commodity that Marx assigns. In assigning use-value and exchange value and examining the interplay between the two Marx develops his theory of commodity fetishism. To understand the term â€Å"commodity fetishism† you must look past the current usage of the term â€Å"fetish†. Fetish now commonly refers to an obsession or disproportionate pleasure, often in a sexual context. While that definition may apply somewhat to Marx’s theory it is more instructive to consider it in historical context. In Marx’s time â€Å"fetish† usually referred to religion. It is clear to me that Marx specifically intended the term â€Å"fetishism† as a critique of capitalist beliefs. This is exemplified by the passage: â€Å"There is a physical relation between physical things. But it is different with commodities. †¦ In order, therefore, to find an analogy, we must have recourse to the mist-enveloped regions of the religious world,† (Ibid.:63) Through this passage we may beg in to grasp the nut of Marx’s commodity fetishism concept. The main thrust of the commodity fetishism concept is that the exchange-value (what makes something a commodity) doesn’t relate in proportion to the use-value. The use-value is inherent in the object, while the exchange-value is entirely a product of society and most particularly of capitalist society. The difference between natural and inherent properties vs. societal properties and the role, or lack thereof, of nature in exchange-value is shown succiently when Marx points out that â€Å"Since exchange value is a definite social manner of expressing the amount of labour bestowed upon an object, Nature has no more to do with it, than it has in fixing the course of exchange,† (Ibid.:65). It is the nature of and disconnect between the different types of value assigned to objects that create commodity fetishism. Marx points to the source of this being capitalism and the related social constructs that underlie the obfuscation of (wo)man’s direct relation to fellow (wo)man. Marx most clearly points this out near the end of his section on commodity fetishism when he writes, â€Å"What confirms them in this view, is the peculiar circumstance that the use value of objects is realized without exchange, by means of a direct relation between the objects and man, while, on the other hand, their value is realized only by exchange, that is, by means of a social process,† (Ibid.:65-66). In examining the prevalence of the fetishism of commodities in capitalistic societies it is easy to see that commodity fetishism is an inescapable product of the production of commodities, which is the main goal of capitalistic societies. Current trends in the post-industrial era serve to create increasing commodity fetishism as people become more and more disconnected from the relationship of their labor to the labor of others. Consolidation of mass media and the increasing number of ways that advertising is thrust into our lives further enhance the illusion of exchange-value being innate in a product. It becomes increasingly hard to see how the (use) value of products could be the same as a more heavily marketed product with a higher exchange value. Examples of commodity fetishism abound in everyday life. I consider myself to be a very utilitarian and frugal person, therefore drawn strongly towards a use-value oriented manner of consumption, yet I can still find examples in my life of commodity fetishism. One example would be watching new movies. New movies obviously have no greater use-value to me than older movies that I haven’t yet seen, but the hype, advertising, and inflated exchange-value often cause me to choose to see a new release even though they are mostly lower quality than those that have stood the test of time. Another example, also in the field of entertainment, would be computer games. New games at the height of their exchange-value, often with expensive hardware requirements, are no better than slightly older games at a fraction of the cost. While introspection can sometimes be tough, it’s easy to see wanton consumer fetishism in others. Some people I know would never even consider buying a generic cereal, even after being shown that it’s the same cereal produced in the same mill. Another example is the consumption of beer in America. The vast majority of beer produced and consumed in America is heavily advertised, but of poor quality. Yet people see nothing inherently queer about pounding down large quantities of tasteless, watered-down swill. Earlier I mentioned alienation as another key point in Marxist theory. One effect of consumer fetishism is to increasingly cause relations amongst people to take the form of relationships between objects. Thus a person’s relationship to the product of their labor is transformed to the relationship of the product of their labor to other commodities, thereby isolating them from their creative value as a human being. This is a component of alienation, which is the topic of the next section. Bibliography Appelrouth, Scott and Laura Desfor Edles. 2008. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory. Los Angeles, CA: Pine Forge Press Marshall, Gordon. 1998. A Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford University Press Research Papers on Commodity FetishismDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenResearch Process Part OneThree Concepts of PsychodynamicCapital PunishmentMind TravelComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

Judaism Essays - Jewish Theology, God In Judaism, Yahweh, Torah

Judaism Essays - Jewish Theology, God In Judaism, Yahweh, Torah Judaism Judaism and God Jews, among the other peoples of the Middle East in the second millennium, B.C., were unique in their conception of the divine as a single entity. Thus, they can rightly be considered the first monotheistic religion in the western tradition. Not only did the Jews describe monotheism for the first time, but they also described a God as a personal being with a supreme and transcendent will. The Egyptians, Syrians, and Babylonians of the day in contrast had assigned a deity to each major power of nature. Compared to these other polytheistic religions, the singular achievement of Jewish monotheism is the focus that it introduces to ones religious life. As Huston Smith explains, If God is that to which one gives oneself unreservedly, to have more than one god is to live a life of divided loyalties. (275) Judaism insists that ther e is a single, consistent way in which life is to be lived to reach fulfillment. Comparing Judaism to the Greek and Roman conceptions of the divine, one finds these other Mediterranean polytheistic gods to be amoral and rather indifferent towards human. For Jews, God is righteous and just, He protects His people, and He possesses infinite loving-kindness. Judaism also holds an overwhelmingly positive view of creation. The Greeks, with their selfish and marauding gods, and the Hindus, who told of the inevitability of sadness and suffering, certainly did not share this optimism. Remember the stories that begin in Genesi s, the first book in the Jewish holy book, the Torah (the first five books of the Christian Old Testament). In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Judaism relishes this buoyant and affirmative attitude towards creation. Jewish Philosophy Unlike many of the previously examined eastern traditions, Judaism places an extreme emphasis on the role of free choice in the human condition. Humans, Jews believe, were created by God, but because they possess free will they manage to behave less than perfectly. Consider the story of the Garden of Eden. True, Adam and Eve were seduced by the snake. Their lapse in judgment, however, teaches that humans, once created, are free to make or break themselves, forging their destinies throug h their own decisions. People, Jews believe, are the beloved children of God. God allows them to make mistakes, but always in the hope that they learn from them and improve their condition. Looking at history, Jews see the hand of God constantly intervening in Eden, at the Flood, during the Exod us, and on and on. Each event was a teaching experience for the Jewish people. The Torah tells of how God acts in response to human disobedience. And while there constantly seems to be a tension in the Torahs stories between the way things are and the way things ought to be, Judaism never surrenders to a fatalism that says that life can never be improved. Judaism, out of which grew both Christianity and Islam, is responsible for no less than the moral foundation of the western world. This faith recognizes that humans are social creat ures, yet are often barbaric with each other. The Torah, as a result, contains 613 commandments regarding our behavior, and the core of the Ten Commandments prescribes the rules that make collective or community life possible. Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness. Taken individually, any one of these offenses has the potential of escalating to the point where the community is ripped apart. Jews, through most of their history, have been an oppressed people. Their stories in the Torah often detail how justice, ultimately, is done, and how the downtrodden always must maintain hope for a better future. This hope gave the Jews a forward and upward-looking cast of mind, expectant for the Promised Land. Jewish Practice It is often said that Jews are unite d more by what they do than what they believe. For example, Judaism does not declare an official creed (besides monotheism) that one must believe to belong to the faith. Jews range from those who believe that God dictated every letter

The Truth About Social Media Auto-Publishing And Your Brand

The Truth About Social Media Auto-Publishing And Your Brand Lets face it: There is a right and a wrong way to pre-publish social media content. As you scale your content marketing, one of your goals is to get your content  into the hands of your audience. But it can be tough with limited resources. Social media is a lot of work. Thats why brands use third-party apps to manage  their social media content. It runs in two directions: publishing out and conversations in. Its 24/7. Using a third-party app allows you to schedule content to automatically publish at a specific time so that some of that load is shifted to when you are most able to handle it. The Truth About Social Media Auto-Publishing And Your BrandYet the very idea of social media being social seems to belie the idea of using automation. After all, its supposed to be social. But you can use tools to schedule and pre-publish your social media content in a way that is effective. And appropriately  social. 3 Approaches To Pre-Publishing Your Social Media Content For our discussion today, pre-publishing is any social media content that you didnt publish the moment before it went live. A planned, human approach for scheduling your social media posts ahead of time is the best and only acceptable option. Pre-publishing social media content  is usually done with a third-party tool instead of on the network itself. But some social networks, like Facebook, do allow you to schedule your content ahead of time on their network without needing a third-party tool. Pre-publishing can be done in two ways: Human planning. Based on a carefully planned and executed schedule, controlled and created by a human being, the only thing that is automated is the actual publishing of the content. Non-human algorithms for auto-publishing.  Completely automatic with publishing schedule and dates determined by  the tool being used. Very little, if any, planning is used to determine when, what, and why content is published. Scheduling or pre-publishing content is not the same as auto-generating or auto-publishing content (which we will briefly touch on later). When it comes to scheduling or pre-scheduling, you can use your own content or the content of others, to some degree of success. Auto-publishing is often associated with automatically generated content that is often a big no-no. With all of this in mind, there are three approaches to pre-publishing social media content. 1. Pre-publish your own social media content. You must share your content more than once  if you want to get the results your content  deserves. And, unless youre going to wake up each day with a plan to systematically publish old blog posts throughout the day, youll very likely turn to pre-publishing your social media content. Share your content more than once to get the results your content deserves.Pre-publishing your own content to social media is perfectly fine, as long as you have a plan for scheduling that content. You can  plan to share your content more than once across various social networks. By using a planned pre-publishing technique for our social media content, you can  increase both social shares and traffic to your content. Pre-publishing your own social media content  based on a solid plan is the best way to make sure you actually keep sharing your existing  content. If you rely on yourself to remember to publish content to social media, good luck. Solo bloggers, especially, know how hard it is to keep up with a robust social publishing plan without the help of tools that automate your overall plan. Are tweet old post auto-publish solutions a good idea? There are times when pre-publishing your own social media content doesnt work. Thats when its done without a plan- auto-publishing with robots. For example, there are WordPress plugins that automatically tweet out your old blog posts. Ive used them myself. It takes a while to figure out the best automated settings and, for my lucky Twitter fans, I got it wrong for about a week. They got an unfortunate heavy dose of random posts- an onslaught, if were being honest- before I realized it. But I figured tweaking the settings ought to fix it. After all, I wanted to share my existing  content,  and auto-publishing  seemed like the easiest method with the least amount of effort necessary. The thing was, some of my old content wasnt really worth sharing again. But an automated old-post tweet system doesnt know if its auto-tweeting gold or a real stinker. An automated old-post tweet system doesnt know if its auto-tweeting gold or a real stinker.And a Twitter feed that also publishes to your Facebook feed means youll have a Facebook feed full of title-only posts that arent made for the Facebook network. Automating a sharing schedule requires controls to be successful. To share old posts, you need a pre-publishing system that has serious controls. You need controls to: Specify how often Determine which categories of content are shareable  (latest news categories are completely irrelevant a week later) Plan date ranges Customize the content for individual social networks Without those controls, youre  merely auto-publishing  your own spam to your followers. 2. Pre-publish curated content. Pre-publishing curated content is an ideal fit. But first, let me sell you on content curation. Im a big believer in content curation. There is a ginormous, cyclopean, behemoth, mammoth, whale-sized amount of content pumped out  every day. Helping your audience find the good stuff is part of your job. Curating that good content means having a system and the tools to sift through and find that good stuff thats out there. Then you can share that on your social media. Content curation  is an art, though. Theres even a Curators Code on how to do it right. Manifestos have been written about the importance of the content curator. So this is a big deal. Its not enough to churn out massive amounts of content related to your niche. The goal isnt to publish 1,000 tweets a day and get unfollowed by people tired of seeing their news feeds full of mindless publishing. When it comes to curated content, what you share has to be good, useful, and unique. Your goal is always to give your audience the best. And that means you have to go through a lot of content, both good and bad, to find that best. Sharing low-grade content turns off your audience entirely, even if you mix it with your great content. Why bother with pre-publishing curated content on social media? Curation works its artful wonders in three ways: Not a self-centered jerk. Sharing others content assures people youre not just a personal PR machine, interested in yourself and your brand only. Expanding your own network. When you share content you find on your social networks, the creators of the content will notice and engage with you. Boom. Bigger network. You are helpful. Sharing other content sends  a message that youre not always on the hard-sell, that you actually want to help your followers  save time and find good content. A reputation for being helpful is good. People refer other people to you. Content  curation and pre-publishing are a good fit because finding that great content can be extremely time-consuming. The idea that you have to repeat the process throughout the day to avoid publishing all at once is unpleasant. With pre-publishing- whether youve built a collection of reliable feeds in your RSS reader that you read each morning, or are turning to an app like Swayy- finding content doesnt have to suck up all the time in the day. Content curation tools like Swayy help you find relevant content and share it with your network. You can do it once and set the publishing to drip out over time. Pre-publishing tools help  you stop multitasking and set aside a chunk of time to find and create content that youll publish. Buffer is a popular app for content curation because it allows you to build a queue of found content that drips out over time. You can fill up your queue in the morning and youre set for the day. Use Buffer to build a queue of curated content you can drip out over time. Any tool or  system that saves time  while helping  you to share great content is a good fit for pre-publishing. 3. Auto-publish auto-generated content. Some folks dont like the idea of any form of pre-publishing, even if it has been created and planned by a human. Fair enough, though I disagree. However, allowing automaton to completely find, curate, generate, and publish is a step too far. When you start mixing auto-generated publishing with auto-publishing, youre bordering on being a Grade A spammer. This seems harsh, but hear me out. A social media feed is to feed, not poison.  You should never add to the content noise. As a content marketer, youre trying to cut through  the noise for your audience. Taking yourself out of the publishing equation entirely is the wrong approach. A social media feed is to feed, not poison.  You should never add to the content noise.What not to do with auto-publishing social media content Lets use Paper.li as an example of auto-generated and auto-published content. Paper.li is one of many apps that finds, publishes, and promotes engaging content from across the web. Youve likely seen them in your Twitter feed. They say something like The Content Marketer Daily is out! followed by several Twitter usernames and a link. Paper.li aggregates content based on user settings. There are some unhappy followers out there that dont like seeing the tweets, dont think they have value, or are upset when content is attributed incorrectly. In my run-in with Paper.li, a health insurance brand included my content because I mentioned them in a tweet but unfortunately, I mentioned them unfavorably. Oops. They just promoted negative content about themselves because of automation. Paper.li (and other truly automated sans-human systems) do the best they can, but they cannot filter perfectly, understand context, or really know what is good content. As I said in my blog post about Paper.li: Paper.li assumes that making it easy to aggregate is a good idea, but the ease of setting up a Paper.li account means people do it carelessly. They add to the content noise instead of lessen it. - @JulieNeidlinger Social media is about being social, i.e. interaction between humans. Completely using automated methods to find, curate, assemble, and publish is interaction between a human and a machine. Its not social at all. My question for anyone relying heavily on both auto-generated and auto-published social media content is: What is your goal with social media? To keep your feeds full, or to actually build an audience? Do you use Paper.li? Has it been successful for you? What are your thoughts about similar automated systems? 5 Keys To A Successful Social Media Pre-Publishing Plan Weve all seen (and probably participated in) bad social media automation. Bad auto-generated and auto-published social media content follows the spray and pray method, in which you send out as much social content as possible, and pray something takes root. This is a complete waste of your time, your money, and super abusive of your audience. Smart social media pre-publishing always starts with you, the human, in the planning and creating. It only relies on automation when it comes down to scheduling publishing times. Your social media publishing plan- and the tools you use- needs to be able to do a few things: 1. Publish in the moment. This must be part of your plan, and the tools you use need to allow for it. Breaking news, important updates, event, or theme changes, reactions to conversations- these are all reasons when you need to be able to use social media in the moment. 2. Share your content- and others content. You must be able to easily share your own content as well as the curated content youve found. 3. Easily pull or reschedule scheduled content. There are times when you want to be able to look at the content for the day and stop it from publishing. National disasters or other events that might make your otherwise benign content inappropriate make it super important that you can easily cancel, postpone, or reword scheduled content. Blogger Matt Heindl outlines what he considers the best approach to take for  scheduled tweets when a disaster or tragedy strikes: Pause all outgoing posts on all platforms immediately. Pause the use of any auto-Tweet tools so no scheduled or auto-optimized Tweets are delivered until review. Pause all Twitter and Facebook paid media. This will help you  avoid any sponsored stories or Tweets to appear next to news of the events or simply crowded consumers’ feeds during times of panic or mourning. After youve done that, Heindl recommends that you: Pause all scheduled outgoing posts to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for a reasonable time. 12–24 hours at minimum. Reschedule anything that could be remotely controversial or emotionally specific to the issue at hand. Scan the next week’s social posts on all  platforms for content containing any potential puns, associations with the event or other potential ways your marketing could be associated with capitalizing or making light of the events. Your social media pre-publishing tool should let you easily see the messages going out on a specific  day so you can halt, review, and reschedule if needed. 4. Customize messages for different networks. Imagine that you send the same social message out to all networks, at the same time. How delightful for your audience that follows you on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see the exact same update at the same moment. That really makes an audience feel special and loved. #sarcasm Its a good idea to not blast all your networks at the same time. But definitely do not do that with the same content.

Ayn Rands Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ayn Rands Approach - Essay Example In the first case the argument was presented that there exist some privileged starting points for knowledge which effectively translates to arguments being meaningless if they are not connected along the 'correct lines.' Moreover in regards to confusing meanings with reference this means that all concepts that are formed uniquely would be ruled out. Finally confusing universals with concepts this is simply an error that makes for a difficult argumentation. Having highlighted all of these weaknesses it is important to highlight some strengths. It was argued by Firehammer (2005) that Ayn Rand ultimately admired the strong and frowned upon weakness. In regards to the character development in her writings (And ultimately her outlook as a person) many her type characters were portrayed as being physically strong and of strong moral character. What this could translate to is an argument that it is the purpose of art to not only highlight what the world is but what is could be. In essence p eople should moralistically strive for better which is a wise philosophical outlook. In essence, Atlas sort of represent the societal members that make life worth living.

Sex and Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sex and Marriage - Essay Example The essay "Sex and Marriage" demonstrates that the evidence from a significant subculture, the swingers, shows that the consensual physical infidelity, especially mutual, need not threaten the stability of marriage as long as respect, consideration, trust, and love remain. The popular notion is that if one engages in nonmonogamous sex outside the bounds of marriage one is being unfaithful to their partner. The assumption is that this is being done secretly without the consent or even knowledge of the partner. Hence, we have the term â€Å"cheating.† Under these circumstances, I would agree that it is an act of infidelity. I partly agree with the mainstream in the following respect. The person is being unfaithful not because of the nonmonogamous sex act per se, but because it is done secretly due to anticipated partner disapproval. Applying this definition of infidelity, any act, whether sexual or not, pursued secretly due to partner expected disapproval would be an unfaithful act since it is a breach of trust. But what if the partner is aware and agrees to participate jointly in monogamous sexual activity? I would submit there is no infidelity involved as there is no breach of trust. Although I would agree that Savage is stretching when he describes monogamous sex as a â€Å"need.† I would accept his view that it is a strong desire for many people. I concur with the notion that responsible nonmonogamy that is done safely with the knowledge and consent of the partner does not pose a threat to the institutions of marriage. and the family as claimed by mainstream culture. Swingers I base my argument on literature that shows that swingers have a lower divorce rate than the American population at large and also on my own personal observations of people in this significant subculture (Liberated Christians). Although swingers can include singles of both sexes, most are married or common law couples with children, ranging in age from 20s to 60s. They can be from all walks of life including the clergy. They tend to be middle and upper socioeconomic classes but, otherwise, are indistinguishable from the majority except for their open pursuit of non monogamous relationships. To me the chief characteristic separating swingers from non swingers is that the former draw a clear distinction between â€Å"sex† and â€Å"love†. My experience is that while group sex does indeed take place it is not as prevalent as non swingers believe nor it is the â€Å"be all and end all† of this lifestyle. While it is true that there is more emphasis on the physical erotic aspects of the sex act, this does not mean that friendship and affection are excluded. For example, while I can enjoy sex with a new partner, I do so even more with one I have gotten to know developed some feelings for. On the other hand, if I disliked my sexual partner I would not derive any pleasure having sex with her. Swingers have developed the theory of primary and secondary relationships to distinguish their relationships between their wife or long term partner and their â€Å"temporary† partners. If you are interested in a new partner but know that your

Prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Post-Acute Assignment

Prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Post-Acute Myocardial Infraction - Assignment Example PTSD affects the quality of life that such patient population lead often making them susceptible to other lifestyle diseases (Goldberg & Williams, 1998). In a quantitative research, I seek to determine the suitability of a psychological discharge questionnaire in serving as a diagnostic tool to guide nursing practice and the handling of post-acute myocardial infraction patients. Key among the factors that make quantitative the most appropriate mode of research in this context is the fact that it provides observable evidence that helps formulate a hypothesis (Bamberger, 2000). The variables in a quantitative study are computed without coding them. As such, they provide practical evidence that makes it easy to observe thereby formulate functional hypothesis such as the suitability of the psychological discharge questionnaire. Another equally important factor is that quantitative research does not require a restrictive design plan a feature that allows the researcher to study the variables in their natural setup (Creswell, 2014). As state earlier, the lack of adequate studies in the topical issue makes it difficult to carry out the rese arch. As such, the researcher must let the research flow naturally a possibility that a quantitative design guarantees. The independent variable in the study is the psychological discharge questionnaire while dependent variable is the detection of PTSD. The dependent variable in the research will include the various types of PSTD such as depression and anxiety among others. With a research sample of ninety patients selected randomly, the researcher will issue the psychological discharge questionnaires to forty-five and fail to give out the questionnaire to the remaining forty-five. The study then begins as the nurses use the information provided in the questionnaire to carry out follow up treatment of the patients. Additionally, the researcher observes the behavioral changes of all the samples used in the research thus making appropriate conclusions on the suitability and functionality of using questionnaires as a diagnostic tool.

New Business Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

New Business Venture - Essay Example New Business Venture New product development therefore is one of the areas where the entrepreneurs actually have to look into the possibility of the looking into the analysis and identification of the social trends. Social trends provide a critical insight into the way the consumers in the given market. Some of the social trends which need to be explored in order to assess the probability of success for the introduction of the new products include different factors. In this given situation since the business is related with the food therefore they can different and variable factors affecting the choices of the Adam in terms of offering new products on the new menu. Since Adam is offering a menu which already offers products which are diverse, there can be different social trends which need to be explored in further details in order to successfully introduce new items on the menu, Some of the important social trends which can be added to the list in order to add items on the menu may be include: Demograph ics Understanding the demographic trends is one of the key elements in the launching of new products and services. Demographics include factors such as age, the distribution of different genders in the society, the overall population etc. For example, if the population is relatively young, it may be possible that they will be preferring more fast food rather than eating the traditional foods and if the overall ratio of population is aged, it may be quite possible that they will prefer to eat foods which are healthy and correspond to their life style. The overall growth rates in the population are also an important element to be explored in order to ensure that there will be sufficient demand for the product in the future. (Mellor, 2008). Culture Culture is an important element to be explored because it significantly influence the way people behave, act and relate themselves to certain trends in the society. Culture also outlines the overall orientation of the society towards eating out and overall attitude towards food. If it’s a culture in the society that most families tend to eat in-house, it may not be possible for the businesses to actually successfully launch new products.( Wang, 2009). It is also important to understand that the culture can play critical role in outlining the overall features of the product also. Since the existing menu suggest that Adam has taken care of the different cultural needs of the customers by offering Indian, Thai as well as other food, it is therefore important that Adam must take into consideration the overall influence of culture on the introduction of new product on the menu. Life Style Understanding life style is also another important factor which needs to be explored in order to understand as to what life style the consumers subscribe to. The lifestyle can include different factors such as family’s income and how they spend it, whether the family prefers to spend outside and in eating out as well as who m akes the spending decisions in the family. It is also important to note that the lifestyle also allow the entrepreneurs to further get an insight into how the overall changes in the lifestyle will actually affect the decision making process of the family as a whole. Health Consciousness Health consciousness can be another important social trend which Adam may need to consider in order

Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction Research Paper

Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction - Research Paper Example The answers stipulated in the results will help the business community determine if the concepts are single constructs in nature, or different separable constructs. List three references from literature review. Comment on what type of style (APA or other) have used in referencing. Some of the sources of information used in the literature review are; Bearden and Teel (1983), Churchill and Surprenant, (1982), and Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry, L. (1994) (Iacobucci and Ostrom 278). These sources are applied in relating the opinion of the customers related to documented information. The referencing used in the paper is in APA formatting. List at least one theory that is used in the study. The study is an analysis of marketing theory which researches the relationships between the two main aspects business environment; Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction. Write a brief description of the methodology used in the study. The article presents two studies with divergent methodologies m eant to explain the relationship between the two concepts. It focuses on the consumer understanding of quality and satisfaction. The respondents on both studies report whether they think the two concepts differ and in what perspectives and dimension in case of a difference. The first study uses qualitative critical incident technique to accrue the service attributes considered by the respondents who postulates that the concepts are different. The responses are then coded to the open ended survey questions which are compared and analyzed to determine whether the two concepts can be alienated from each other in reference to respondents’ perspective. The second study involved the use of manipulated service attributes in relation to the first study and literature reviews. This was meant to identify the results of the first study and the literally information have differential impacts on the judgment of quality satisfaction. The respondents were encouraged to their independent vie ws. However, the researchers did not presuppose the difference to the respondents in the second study; they were required to give their personal judgment on the two concepts as well as making independent definitions (Iacobucci and Ostrom 277). Their judgments guided the study conclusion on whether the terms were used interchangeably or variably. The whole research relies on divergent methodologies that involve content analysis of experimentation and qualitative data. This enhanced the validity of the results. List the sources of data and classify the variables as continuous, categorical, dependent, and independent variables. Evaluate four characteristics that describe the data is applicable for the date used in the study. The secondary sources of data are books and journals. This is continuous as it can be used overtime. Antecedents forms the independent variables while focal constructs (quality and satisfaction) form the dependent variables. The participants form the categorical va riable as they grouped into gender nature. The primary sources of data include experimentation and open discussions. The two studies were transitional. The respondents had a gender balance characteristic thus the responses were not gender biased. The participants were outsourced from business administration department thus

Frank Parsons, the Father of Vocational Guidance Essay

Frank Parsons, the Father of Vocational Guidance - Essay Example Instead of the normal three years required to complete this degree, he did it in just one year. He passed the bar exams in the year 1881. This great effort severely damaged his health, leading to his relocation to New Mexico for renewal. Parsons got into practicing law in Boston. However, he found this not satisfying. He joined a publishing firm where he assisted in preparing textbooks of law. He formulated a philosophy that resulted to impeccable outpouring of writing works as well as other community activities. He then developed a liking for reading and making contacts with people. This had great effect on his career later. He lectured on English literature for a long time the YMCA in Boston. He later had his lectures published under the title, "The World's Best Books" in the year 1889. He became a lecturer at Boston University between the years 1892 and 1905. In his work published in the year 1894 and titled "Our Country's Need", Parsons made a formulation of his views of mutualism. He made an attempt to integrate socialism with individual liberty. He was under great influence by Herbert Spencer and Edward Bellamy from England and the United States respectively. Another notable influence on Parson was "Christian socialism." Parson's aim was to come up with ways to control essential firms like the railroad as well as the telegraph but at the same time honoring the private sector and personal initiatives. He made a good combination of conservatism and radicalism. Most of Parsons' great works confirmed him as a competent social critic. They include "Rational Money", published in the year 1899 and "Direct Legislation", published in the year 1900. Others are "Telegraphic Monopoly" and "Cities for the People" that were both published in the year 1899. Between the years 1897 and 1899, he served as a professor at Kansas Sate Agricultural College but still maintained his connections at Boston. During this period, he became extremely radical due to the Populists' Party greatly succeeding in Kansas. This administrational change led to his sacking together with his associates. This led to their founding of the Ruskins College of Social Sciences. He took up the position of a professor as well as the dean. However, the undertaking did not succeed, leading to his return to Boston. While in Boston, Parsons became seriously involved in various reform causes, traveling across the country and beyond. For instance, he persuaded the owners of Filenes Departmental Stores in Boston to add cooperative principles to their human resources policy. He also took part in the construction of the Civic Service Home. This home was to settle the immigrant groups. He assisted in organizing the Breadwinner's Institute, offering a diploma education to the less fortunate in the society. Parson's writings such as "The Trusts", "Stories of New Zealand", "Railroads", "Heart of the Railroad Problem" and "The People", together with his many articles made him a respected voice progressivism. This however played a big role towards his death on 26th September 1908. "Choosing a Vocation" was published in 1909. This was the first such writing in the career guidance. "Legal Doctrines" and "Social Progresses" followed in the year 1911. Frank Parsons is widely referred to as the "Father of Vocational Guidance." Despite being trained as an engineer, he authored many books on the social-reform movement. He also wrote on

Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction Research Paper

Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction - Research Paper Example The answers stipulated in the results will help the business community determine if the concepts are single constructs in nature, or different separable constructs. List three references from literature review. Comment on what type of style (APA or other) have used in referencing. Some of the sources of information used in the literature review are; Bearden and Teel (1983), Churchill and Surprenant, (1982), and Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry, L. (1994) (Iacobucci and Ostrom 278). These sources are applied in relating the opinion of the customers related to documented information. The referencing used in the paper is in APA formatting. List at least one theory that is used in the study. The study is an analysis of marketing theory which researches the relationships between the two main aspects business environment; Service Quality and Consumer Satisfaction. Write a brief description of the methodology used in the study. The article presents two studies with divergent methodologies m eant to explain the relationship between the two concepts. It focuses on the consumer understanding of quality and satisfaction. The respondents on both studies report whether they think the two concepts differ and in what perspectives and dimension in case of a difference. The first study uses qualitative critical incident technique to accrue the service attributes considered by the respondents who postulates that the concepts are different. The responses are then coded to the open ended survey questions which are compared and analyzed to determine whether the two concepts can be alienated from each other in reference to respondents’ perspective. The second study involved the use of manipulated service attributes in relation to the first study and literature reviews. This was meant to identify the results of the first study and the literally information have differential impacts on the judgment of quality satisfaction. The respondents were encouraged to their independent vie ws. However, the researchers did not presuppose the difference to the respondents in the second study; they were required to give their personal judgment on the two concepts as well as making independent definitions (Iacobucci and Ostrom 277). Their judgments guided the study conclusion on whether the terms were used interchangeably or variably. The whole research relies on divergent methodologies that involve content analysis of experimentation and qualitative data. This enhanced the validity of the results. List the sources of data and classify the variables as continuous, categorical, dependent, and independent variables. Evaluate four characteristics that describe the data is applicable for the date used in the study. The secondary sources of data are books and journals. This is continuous as it can be used overtime. Antecedents forms the independent variables while focal constructs (quality and satisfaction) form the dependent variables. The participants form the categorical va riable as they grouped into gender nature. The primary sources of data include experimentation and open discussions. The two studies were transitional. The respondents had a gender balance characteristic thus the responses were not gender biased. The participants were outsourced from business administration department thus

Gender determination Essay Example for Free

Gender determination Essay When an individual is born, he or she has male or female sexual organs and this determines the sex of that individual and consequently how the society expects that person to behave. Gender is different however, in that it transcends the simple biological explanation of why one is a boy and another is a girl. This paper will focus on what makes one a girl putting aside the fact that one was born one. It will also look at the possibility of an individual being born a girl but changing to become a boy. How and why this is done is also part of the discussion. Gender is described as â€Å"the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women† (http://www. who. int). This means that to be masculine or feminine depends on a society and not only on the sexual organs that one is born with. Once an individual is born, the society teaches him or her how to behave according to the expectations that specific society has for an individual belonging to his or her particular sex. Every society has some roles that are assigned to male and female members of the society and this determines whether one is male or female. The question then becomes whether one is born with his or her gender or this is learned from the society that one grows in. In my own case, attending a girl’s school determined my becoming feminine and thus becoming a girl despite the fact that I was born a girl. In the school, only girls were around and thus were the only role models that I had. This meant that I only had other girls to emulate in my behaviour and my peers were also girls so together we all aspired to be better girls. The teachers we had were also keen on ensuring that we were trained on how girls should behave in certain occasions and also which aspects were to be admired in a girl and which were abhorrent in a female. This shows that one can be trained to become feminine or masculine but it is important to note that it is not always so. This can be demonstrated by the number of girls who would get into trouble with the teachers for playing truant yet this was supposed to be an undesirable trait for girls and hence was dissuaded. These girls were given the same training as all their peers yet tended to behave differently causing one to question whether gender is completely determined by the society (Morrow 1991). Despite the question that is posed above, it is clear that girls who are educated in girl’s only schools are usually more feminine than those who attend mixed schools. This is because those in mixed schools are not controlled as much as those in girls only schools. The environment they are reared in leans more towards femininity and thus tends to discourage any behaviour that is seen to be masculine. The lack of an alternative form of behaviour leads to their feminine behaviour although some will try deviate by doing what they think others are doing elsewhere (Askew Davey 2005). This then leads to the question whether or not one can change from being a girl into a boy? Apart from the biological way, culture has two different ways of changing an individual’s gender. This can either be done by changing the culture one has been brought up in or by being brought up in an environment that emphasises the behaviour of the opposite sex (Watney 1994). Since gender is determined by the roles that a society assigns to each sex, ones gender can change depending on the culture one finds him or herself in at a particular time. Roles assigned to the sexes by different cultures differs and are interchanged whereby roles assigned to women in one culture may be assigned to men in another culture. In this way a male in one culture may be seen to be feminine in another thus changing a male into a female or vice versa. Another way that one can change ones gender is by rearing a girl in a male environment. The girl tends to adopt the masculine behaviours exhibited by her male counter parts as has been witnessed by the women who venture into fields assumed to be the male domain. This is in politics and business where women who succeed in these environments are seen to be more masculine than feminine thus changing their gender to becoming more male than female (Miller, Lewy Peckham1997). In conclusion, it is correct to say that an individual’s gender is not only determined by his or her sex but also by the culture that they have grown in. the roles that a culture assigns to an individual are used to determine femininity and masculinity of members of the society. It is possible for ones gender to be changed depending on which community one is in. Roles assigned depending on an individuals sex change according to the society. Furthermore, the environment one is in influences the behaviour one has thus influencing the gender that one belongs to. Reference 1. Askew J. Davey M. 2005, Sex Acts: Practices of Femininity and Masculinity, Archives of Sexual Behaviour Vol. 34, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks 2. Gender, World health organization retrieved on 13th April 2009 from http://www. who. int/topics/gender/en 3. Miller J. B. , Lewy J. Peckham E. 1997, Context Effects on Self-Perceptions of Feminine and Masculine Quantities, Sex: A Journal of Research Vol. 37 4. Morrow F. 1991, Unleashing Our Unknown Selves: An Inquiry into the Future of Femininity and Masculinity, Praeger Publishers 5. Watney S. 1994, Aphrodite of the Future, Artforum International Vol. 32

Strategic ability of Hong Leong Bank

Strategic ability of Hong Leong Bank Hong Leong Bank Berhad was found by Ji Chiew. The bank starts operations in 1905 in Kuching, Sarawak. In 1 January 1982, the Head Office relocated from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur. The consolidation of banking institution to meet the requirement of Bank Negara Malaysia marks another milestone for Hong Leong Bank Berhad. Hong Leong Bank Berhad was listed on Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on 17 October 1994. The market capitalization as of recent days is RM 470 million, according to bank website. Hong Leong Bank has diversified the businesses into financial services, manufacturing, and property and infrastructure development. The services available are personal financial services such as credit cards, investment, loan, deposits, insurance, priority banking, personal banking and Hong Leong Club Rewards for customer loyalty (Hong Leong Bank, 2009). Industry Analysis 2.1 Why Porters 5 models Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors There are 37 banks, which are recognized and licensed to operate in Malaysia and more financial institution are opening soon. The trend of increment of the number of banks within the industry is fast and there are great challenges for HLB to create and maintain a good market share. Other banks are seems to be more aggressive to get and retain customers. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. (BNM, 2009) Threat of Substitute Products and Services Even though there are many financial institutions available, some unique facilities can only be obtained from the bank only. American Express facilities, co-branded products (e.g. MTV), higher interest rate, club rewards, junior/senior savings, overdraft are the few products which only available to this bank. Thus this force is in favor to the bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Buyers Having the whole range of financial players apart from the retail banks, it is evident that customers can move within the 40 operators and can also decide to switch to the other non-banking institutions. Their choice can even extend to the insurance companies, depending on the nature of the product. For instance if a customer is looking for a small amount of loan, he/she can even get the said product from organizations like AEON, etc. The close location of various banks is also giving customer a very high bargaining power too. For instance in a location of Puchong Jaya, along the street of Jalan Kenari it is easy to find at least 9 banks within 100 meters Maybank, Public Bank, Eon Bank, CIMB Bank, HSBC, Alliance Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, UOB. With this concentration the bargaining of customers always goes high before customers start looking on a differentiated service. For the said bank, this is absolutely a negative favor since the potential customers can shift easily to differ ent point. (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Suppliers The core business of the Hong Leong Bank is product and services which mainly focuses on safety of monetary management. The suppliers provide some tangibles like checkbooks, lockers, private banking, priority banking. The impact of these in HLB is not much significant since they are not really like the raw material. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threat of New Entrants The Bank Negara Malaysia has set a minimum capital requirement of RM5 billion for a bank to be registered. The conditions set for registering a bank are not difficult to obtain, hence entry barriers become low. Thus more foreign owned financial firms are keen to open their business in Malaysia. Certainly these institutions will pose threat on existing banking business as theyll have unique products and services. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. . (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) From the above analysis of HLB 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the banks overall industry analysis. Threat of New Entrants (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (+) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Rivalry among existing competitors (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (+) 2.2 Limitations of the Porters Model Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis. Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Proters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Porter, 1985) (Gronroos, 1997) Strategic Capability Analysis 3.1 Stakeholders Stakeholder Analysis identifies important groups of people or individuals that can have an influence on the Project. These Stakeholders can have their own objectives and views, which may differ and conflict with other Stakeholders. A Stakeholder Analysis is required to identify all the parties who are directly or indirectly affected by the enterprises operations. This includes not only the traditional shareholders, but also some new groups that the insights of sustainable development tell us must be consulted in decisions that affect them. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990) In an organization, internal stakeholder is the employees or people who work inside the organization. External stakeholders exist outside the organization but have a direct interest in what it does (e.g. shareholders, governments, customers) etc. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) 3.2 SWOT Analysis 3.2.1 Why SWOT Analysis? SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors and opportunities and threats are external factors. 3.2.2 Hong Leong Bank SWOT Analysis Strength Hong Leong Bank Berhad (HLB) principal activity is providing consumer-banking services including credit cards, investment, mortgage, deposits, insurance and priority banking. Other activities include business banking, trade financing, working capital facilities, treasury, foreign exchange, money market operations, capital market securities trading, investment, and takaful business. It has been recognized as one of the most profitable bank in Malaysia. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) It has 186 branches, 17 business centers with talented and motivated employees throughout Malaysia making it one of the most widened banking sectors in Malaysia. Their first award year 2004, an acknowledgement for their active participation in spurring the growth of the SMEs in the country. This award certainly spur Hong Leongs strength to bring more value added financial services to customers and the SMI community and to help them face the extremely challenging and competitive business environment both locally and globally. Launched in October 2005; the Hong Leong Mobile Credit Card is the first of its kind, allowing customers who are provided with a six-digit personal identification number (PIN) to pay for goods and services using mobile phones via short messaging service (SMS). This offering is the result of Hong Leong Bank tie-up with technology provider Mobile Money International Sdn. Bhd. This unique method of payment, known as Mobile Money is speedy, convenient and cost effective. Using only the mobile phone for approval of transactions and payments, there is no longer a need for the physical plastic card, merchant terminals or Internet terminals. Payment requests are delivered via SMS. There is no need for card members to be present at the point of sales or at the merchant outlets. Payments can therefore be made from wherever card members are, at whichever place where there are mobile phone signals. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) In 2007, Hong Leong Bank bagged the Asian Bankers Best e-Banking Project 2007 with its Internet banking offering, Hong Leong Online. The award recognizes the best emerging technology practices and benchmarks in Asia Pacific banks. Apart from the Asian Banker award, Hong Leong has also been ranked as the third most popular Malaysian online banking site. Online banking transactions helped the bank save about RM24mil from March to October 2007 as each online transaction cost about 20% compared with about RM3.50 for every over-the-counter transaction. Weakness In line with its strong customer service culture, the HLB continues to maintain its superior delivery standards which have been behind against international ISO standards. HLB is yet attained bank-wide ISO 9001:2000 certifications for customer service at the front office of its branches and bank-wide loan delivery service. This is a major drawback for the HLB to have a better customer base. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As to compete in the industry of banking, interest rate is a major challenge as customer will choose for a higher interest rate for savings account and for the lowest interest rate for the loans that the customers are seeking for their financial assistances and better service for the customer. Hong Leong Bank needs to change according to the environment as to compete and remain as the market leader. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As Hong Leong Bank has moved ahead to the Electronic banking or transaction there is greater risk or security threats circulated to the users of online banking or transaction. There are non technical threats such as phising whereby it is the act of tricking someone into giving them confidential information or tricking them into doing something that they normally wouldnt do. The common applications of this approach is to send fake emails (email spoofing) to a victim purporting to come from a legitimate source and requesting information (such as the bank account number and the password) or directing the victim to a fake internet website where this information can be captured. Opportunities The bank may recruit young and talented staffs and provide them proper training to create a talent base as well as provide job to those who are in need. This may also reduces the unemployment rates in Malaysia. This talent base is able to adopt with internal formation and usually stay with the bank until the end. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As the banking industry grows and provides opportunities for the local customers indirectly it also given an opportunity to the foreigners who stays in Malaysia. They tend to use banking services more frequently to have different types of account. This additional customer base will bring more money inside the bank and of course banks will gain profit from various types of transactions. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Bringing the bank closer to the consumer could be the vital opportunity. Providing a payment gateway where ATM card could be used as like a credit card for everyday usages. Since these customers will use won money, bank may encourage them to save more to get more benefits. Establishing more ATM and branches and electronic features (e.g Western Union money transfer) will definitely bring more customers in. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threats Ease of distributing credit card could be a disturbing role the bank is playing. While credit card repayments are depends fully on customer payment, if it is not paid, bank has to go long way. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The bank is not really in forefront position to introduce new products and service as market demand changes. It if often seen that the bank introduces the products in different name when the service is already available in the market by other bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) 3.2.3 Limitations of SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis usually very subjective. It simply looks at the negative factors first in order to turn them into positive factors. So it is advisable to use SWOT as guide and not as prescription. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) Strategic Choices 4.1 Generic Strategy 4.1.1 Why Porters Generic Strategy Generic strategies are widely used today even though it was invented in 1980s. Three options are available for organizations to adopt to achieve sustainability which are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Each of the three options are considered in two aspects of the competitive environment: (i) Competitive advantage talks about the prices (high or low) of the products, (ii) Competitive scope talks about the market size (narrow or broad). (Porter, 1985) (Chen, 1999) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Overall Cost Leadership The low cost products are the product leader in the market. It may also included the time required to built and delivery the products to customers. As it is mentioned earlier, using online banking, it would help the bank as well as customers to save more. Developing and maintaining online business is not low-priced itself. Yet it could provide vital thumbs-up to banks generic strategy. If more customers opt for online transactions, bank wouldnt have to spent time on serving customer physically thus itll requires less resources (e.g. less branch, less employees). These less resources will push ahead the bank with extra finance to improve other services. (Harris and Goode, 2004) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Differentiation Differentiated goods and services are designed to satisfy the customers with the lowest price/cost available for similar kind of products. HLB Flexi FD is a fixed deposit product which gives higher interest rate to the customer. Thus the bank will be in risk of loosing money. So it has to bring and retain much customer to cover the loss. The loss must be cover to be competitive. Since banking industry changes rapidly, HLB will have to customize the products and services over times to hold ensure customer satisfaction. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Jones, Mothersbaugh, and Beatty, 2000) Focus In focus an organization can afford neither a wide scope cost leadership nor does a wide scope differentiation strategy, Here an organization focus effort and resources on a narrow segment of a market. Competitive advantage is generated specifically for the niche. A company has two options to choose: use either a cost focus or a differentiation focus. Taken example of HLB structured investments. Invested amounts are 3rd-party transactions and bank itself doesnt provide any guarantee of returns of money to the customer. In this segment, HLB is a low profile character. Even though bank is charging some commission on the investments, customers who are willing to invest are to do so at own risk. (Jarvelin and Lehtinen, 1996) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.2 Strategic Directions 4.2.1 Why Ansoff Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets. Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. (Auh et al, 2007) (Sanzo et al, 2003) These are described below: Market penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. The bank continuously introduces loan and credit products to customers to leap ahead. Since the banks most incomes come from loan and credit facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of usages by existing customers. Market penetration for HLB will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential. (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) (Agrawal, 2001) http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing banking facilities, the bank introduces private banking for the customers who loves personal banking. For everyday needs of banking, investment, loan, protection a dedicated personal banker is always there to serve the individual customer to fill their needs. These personal banking is nothing different than existing policies; focus goes to its loyal customers which puts big amount inside the bank. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Filotto, Tanzi, and Saita, 1997) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. Saving multiplier plans is recently introduced by the bank. Hong Leong Savings Multiplier Plan is a unique investment tool that utilizes the powerful concept of Dollar-Cost-Averaging and offers a customized solution to tackle the distinct financial challenges throughout different life stages be it to secure a comfortable retirement or to ensure a steady flow of pension-like funds or for putting aside adequate funds even for childrens education. Islamic banking is another example of product development. (Metawa and Almossawi, 1998) (Haron, Ahmad and Planisek, 1994). Diversification Diversification is the growth strategy where new products are to be delivered in new market. This strategy is more risky for business growth as often business takes longer time to survive in a new market. HLB recently spread their business in Vietnam. Since Vietnamese culture differs from Malaysia, the bank has to adopt the culture as well as compete with well established Vietnamese banks. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.3 Method for Pursuing Strategic Direction Forward Looking Policy Monetary policy management needs a forward-looking policy due to the time gap between policy actions and their intended effects on output and inflation. HLB built a macro model which would determine the impact of policy actions. Understanding the microeconomic factors are important too determine the inter-linkage of monetary policy mechanism. (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Deepening of Financial Markets New financial products are traded in the Money/Bonds market by the introduction of Hong Leong Banks Debt Capital Markets Structured Finance (DCM/Structured Finance) unit within Wholesale Banking provides innovative tailor-made solutions to financial institutions, corporate, agencies and high net-worth individuals through comprehensive offerings in the debt capital markets. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) Strong Foreign Currency Reserve Foreign exchange reserves form part of the national assets and these needs to be deployed rationally keeping in mind the principles of safety, liquidity, and return. The reserves, which are currently deployed by the HLBs in-house reserve management treasury dealers, are in short-term high quality bank deposits. (Naser, Jamal, and Al-Khatib, 1999) Reliable and Secured Payment Systems To reduce the settlement time significantly and increase cost effectiveness the bank plans to establish an electronic clearinghouse to do almost every transactions online with tighten security and handy usability. Opening an account, apply for credit cards are already in place. The bank further steps in mobile banking for dedicated user. Recently the bank introduces e-broker services (HLeBroking). HLeBroking allows the flexibility of placing orders either through a phone call to our trading hub or via the internet. Professional dealers centralized in the hub are always on hand to execute transactions and monitor shares investment portfolio. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Harris and Goode, 2004) 4.4 Implication and Evaluation of Analysis During this analysis it was assumed that strategies are reasonably orderly and knowable and, in turn, that evidence can help to evaluate theories that claim to explain these strategic positions. Data and information often founded confusing and imperfect. It seems almost certain that no single study can validate or invalidate a theory. Besides, there is a good chance that a large number of studies will not generate consistent results. (Agrawal, 2001) The methodology were used in analysis is not about developing a foolproof system; it is at least partly an art. There is no mechanical system that will escape judgment, sense, and intelligence. But this does not eliminate the need for techniques and standards. Product delivery approaches, geography, demography does plays role in strategic position which were missing in the analysis done. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The strategic planning process adopted by HLB was participative, consultative and result oriented. But the takes time to achieve results. While some important factors the bank missed out during strategic choices, individual departments must do their respective environmental scans through a SWOT analysis whereby they identified their internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Business trends changes randomly. Todays product may not be available tomorrow. Thus no strategic plan could be exactly fit into business strategy. However, HLB could consider a more diversified strategy which would be more beneficial to determine strategic stand. Justification of a Strategy As the strategic position and strategic choices are different from the matrix analysis, a better strategic growth model is optimal solution. 5.1 McKinsey Growth Pyramid McKinsey growth pyramid is an upgraded version of Ansoff Matrix with broader discussing of important strategic factors. With every possible action there are certain alternatives (e.g. acquisition, joint ventures, alliances etc) with risk measurement from low to high. Existing products to existing customers This is considered lowest risk options go on businesses with current asset and current customer. But itll not be much beneficial for bank in long terms. Existing products to new customers Introduce existing products to new customer which may help them meet their daily financial needs so that they dont look for other financial choices. Consumers always look for much return while bank always looks for low give-away. New customers can be a turning point for any bank. Demographical (e.g. adult, children, senior) products would be vital products to attract new customers. (Harris and Goode, 2004) New products and services Over time, new products must be channeled into banking business. Broader distribution if Islamic banking could be a important factor. It is seen that many nom-Muslims adopted for Islamic banking. Since there is trend of Islamic banking growth, the bank should not take the risk to risk the potential customers due to lack of proper preparation. Some of the products may be delivered to existing customers. Risk may incur if the products doesnt appeal the customers. (El-Bdour and Erol, 1989) (Gerrad and Cunningham, 1997) New delivery approaches Todays consumer seek more convenient service provider. Banks are not exempted indeed. Many banks had adopted special facilities for different customers. Priority banking could be one solution. In priority banking everyone is unique and therefore has very specific financial needs. Thats why bank will offer a comprehensive range of privileges for convenience. Setting up special services only for young generation can be another important product delivery approaches. Dedicated services will invite more young generation to adopt the services. However, it could cost the bank some extra amount and if the products are not selling well, bank will face loss of resources. (Yoon, Guffey, and Kijewski, 1993) (Mols, 2001) http://www.filecluster.com/screenshots/61893.gif New geographies Geographical expansion is one of the most powerful options for growth but also one of the most difficult. The bank already went global opening branches in Singapore and Vietnam. This strategy is proven fine for well reputed bank (e.g. Citibank) but it has to be cautious in business. Geographical movement may bring new customers with solid financial needs but the bank has narrow down the scope of services due to high risk. (Sanzo et al, 2003) New industry structure The bank may re-assert the liquidity franchise and continue to address the yield challenge. While economics of the business have changed, unlike other countries, pricing and credit spreads did not adjust in tandem in the Malaysia. The quality of strategic asset-liability management, liquidity and capital management differentiates. Re-asserting core businesses with efficiency, unit cost management, operating leverage, dynamic pricing as well as customer value or returns on each customer relationship. Cross-selling and customer service are key success factors. (Agrawal, 2001) New competitive arenas Using competitive arena, business may transfer their resources and knowledge to new industry using vertical integration. This may pose immense risk to bank itself. Bank may loose it all investment. Despite the risk, this will help the bank grows rapidly and spread their products throw many distribution channels. (Gronroos, 1997) Conclusion The pre- and post-crisis strategic postures are a tale of worldwide economic fall down. The postures are characterized by the scaling up of the business, refining value propositions in each business, responding to competition and price war, building new capabilities and strengthening the risk and IT infrastructure as the bank sought to incrementally improve our market share and positioning. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) The era ahead is more opportunistic in nature, with a rapidly changing eco-system and higher regulatory and prudential requirements. The shadow of the state on the sector globally is more pronounced. (Auh et al, 2007) Overall, the banks competitive strategy has to pivot on a competitive delivery, consisting of quality people, knowledge base and result oriented capability, market intelligence and local community embedment, entrepreneurialism and how it organize itself to scale and build new names. 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