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When employing, retention and parting signify intricate, long term and multi- layered dealings rather than a Counterproductive Effects in Rewards and Motivation simple market deal, employees and employers will be principally careful to avoid entering the relationship with an inappropriate partner but, in speedily moving economic and industrial environments it is rational that a firm's employment needs will be changing too. In this situation, a guarantee of long-term employment would be extremely expensive if the firm is not able to reallocate workers to new tasks as the requirements rose.So, Counterproductive Effects in Rewards and Motivation for employees, surviving and been considered by the firm as a valued component in these conditions becomes a personal challenge, especially if these employees' performance is compared with others' using subjective evaluation systems based not only in performance and results, but also in perceptions and Image. Human Wealth refers to the knowledge and acquired skills; a person has to upsurge his or her ability to conduct activities with economic value. Human Wealth is most often acquired by knowledge on through teaching by others who already have the necessary skills.It is the factor that differentiates raw labor power from skilled expertise at some task or job and as a crucial determinant of productivity. Today's companies' true strength resides in their Human Capital so, an impulse to improve the human development into the organizations becomes crucial to guarantee its survival in this highly competitive world. It is necessary that top & middle management perform a deep auto critic of their attitudes in order to look, find and sustain that motivation that worries us. It is useful to distinguish between firm-specific and general-purpose (or non-specific) Human Capital.Skills and knowledge that increases the person's productivity when working for any of several different employers represents general-purpose Human Capital, an d normally, a firm is unlikely to help pay this kind of tuition. On the other hand, firm-specific Human Capital, like knowledge of the firm's specific accounting system, machines or procedures. It might seem worthwhile for an employer to invest in worker's firm-specific Human Capital.

How to Increase Retail Sales Essay

1 Introduction One of the challenges for companies that have invested heavily in customer data collection is how to extract important information from their vast customer databases and product feature databases, in order to gain competitive advantage. Market basket analysis (also known as association rule mining) is one of the data mining methods (Berry and Linoff, 2004) focusing on discovering purchasing patterns by extracting associations or co-occurrences from a store’s transactional data. Several aspects of market basket analysis have been studied in academic literature, such as using customer interest profile and interests on particular features of the product for the product development and one-to-one marketing (Weng and Liu, 2004), purchasing patterns in a multi-store environment (Chen et al., 2004), or point at certain weaknesses of market basket analysis techniques (e.g. Vindevogel, Van den Poel and Wets, 2005). Market basket analysis has been intensively used in many companies as a means to discover product associations and base a retailer’s promotion strategy on them. When different additional brands are sold together with the basic brands, the revenue from the basic brands is not decreasing, but increasing. â€Å"Buy two, get three†sales promotion campaigns are very successful, if market basket analyses are used in order to determine the right products to be promoted. â€Å"Buy a product, get a gift† sales promotion campaigns are successful, if a basic product and a gift are related and the basic product has high margin rate. Based on market basket analyses, sets of products are defined and sold together with discount. Limitedbrands organizes internal competition in up-selling. Our paper – a case study – presents and analyses the application of market basket analysis in a major trade company in Slovenia. 2 The company Merkur, d. d. Merkur, d. d. is a trading company (Merkur, 2005) that has for years ranked among the top companies in Slovenia dealing in items for home improvement, home services as well as lawn and garden. Merkur, d.d. has recently strengthened its position on the foreign markets through the supplies of goods to industrial enterprises, and by the establishment of its own retail network abroad. Merkur, d.d. is the mother company of Merkur Group. The Group consists of two Slovenian subsidiaries and six subsidiaries abroad (Zagreb, Sarajevo, Skopje, Munich, Milan and Warsaw). Besides that, the group also includes two offices (Moscow and Belgrade). Merkur plans to further strengthen its position on the domestic market, spread its sales to the foreign markets, especially to the markets of former Yugoslavia, and develop a high-quality range of products. The company is organised in  several large departments: Wholesale, Retail Sales, Sales to Foreign Markets, Purchasing, Logistics and Supporting Services. Customers include construction companies, trading organisations, installation companies, industrial enterprises, craftsmen and small entrepreneurs, as well as end consumers. The company makes almost 60% of its sales revenues by selling goods wholesale. To make the sales quick and efficient, the Wholesale Department has been divided into four sales sub-divisions. At present, Merkur has 38 retail sales centres in Slovenia. Specialisation increases the effectiveness of sales, so two types of Merkur sales centres were developed: MERKURDOM focusing on ordinary households, and MERKURMOJSTER intended for DIY (do-it-yourself) users. More information about MerkurDom and MerkurMojster is available on Merkur internet site: www.merkur.si. 2.1 Characteristic figures of the company The scope of the company Merkur, d.d. can be shown through the following figures: The sales programme consists of about 200.000 active items (more than 120.000 items on stock), divided into 5 sales programmes, 74 lines of goods, 720 groups of goods and 5.600 basic goods classifications. Around 80% of sales are done with the top 12.000 items and 80% of stock is held on the top 20.000 items. The Purchasing Department issues more than 250.000 purchase orders with 1.200.000 items annually. Merkur purchases goods from more than 2.000 suppliers. About 80% of purchases are done with the top 200 suppliers. Wholesale has business relations with more than 2.500 buyers – organizations. About 80% of wholesale sales are done with the top 800 buyers. Wholesale issues approximately 400.000 invoices with total 2.200.000 items annually. Retail sells goods to 13.000 buyers / organizations and to about 500.000 end consumers. More than 70% of sales to end consumers are personalized with the Merkur loyalty card called the â€Å"Merkur Card of Trust†. Retail issues 6.000.000 invoices with more than 20.000.000 items to end consumers annually. In the period from 1993 to 2004 Merkur achieved 19% average annual growth in revenues, 20% average annual growth in net margin and 27% average annual growth in profit from operations. Today Merkur is the sixth largest Slovenian company in revenues. 3.1 The history of DW&BI in Merkur Merkur started to implement data warehousing and business intelligence (DW&BI) in 1999 with a project called KAS (Commercial Analytical System) (Svetina, 2002). Before 1999, different analyses and reports were performed in Merkur’s transactional information systems, much of the analytical data was held in Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. In the past, Merkur twice attempted to implement DW&BI technology, but failed because proposed technology was still too difficult to use for the majority of the users. In 1999 Merkur started with a major business process reorganization and, therefore, better and new business analyses were needed in order to make better decisions. The need for a DW&BI system emerged, so the KAS project was given high priority. Merkur started to design analytical data models for sales data and succeeded in integrating sales data from wholesale, retail and sales to foreign markets in one unified data model. The IT department proposed Microstrategy DW&BI technology, which was installed and tested in the beginning of the year 2000. The technology was found to be appropriate and the decision was made to implement DW&BI with Microstrategy solutions. The first power users (sales analysts) were educated and the first KAS sales analyses were used in the decision-making process. In the beginning the ETL (extract – transform – load) process was carried out on monthly basis, but by autumn of 2000 the company started to perform ETL process daily. Later in the year 2000 the purchasing analytical system was introduced as well. In 2001, the data warehouse was upgraded with data on Merkur’s business plans. Sales and margins were planned on a very low organizational level. The annual plan fact table has more than 1.000.000 records, so the salespersons’ performance is measured very accurately. Because the technology is easy to use, the number of KAS users increased up to 100. In 2002, the implementation of a very large and complex analytical module followed, containing inventory data. The inventory levels of each item in every warehouse on a monthly basis is stored in KAS and enables detailed inventory analyses and detection of critical items. Also, data on Merkur’s partner’s  debts and liabilities was added to data warehouse, which enables accurate cash flow management. Item price calculation elements and different prices were imported in KAS in 2003, so critical prices can be detected and all inconsistencies eliminated. Many minor additions to the system were also made over the last few years. All the time Merkur tries to use adequate analytical and data mining methodologies in order to improve the whole system of business reporting. From the DW&BI history we can see a controlled step-by-step development of the KAS system. Such way of development gives opportunity for good definition and implementation of analytical contents and enables Merkur to make many better business decisions. The KAS system brings Merkur an important competitive advantage, which enables the growth of the company. Improved decision making can be demonstrated through different measurable key success factors which are improving constantly. Key success factors such as net margin, net margin per item, net margin per customer, number of new customers and others are measured in KAS. These factors are always accessible for KAS users and help them to make better decisions. 3.2 DW&BI technology Since 2000 Merkur has used the Microstrategy DW&BI technology. Microstrategy provides ROLAP solutions, which enable a step-by-step approach in data warehouse development and processing large amounts of data. The data warehouse is implemented in an Oracle relational database. This means that the same database technology is used in both transactional and analytical information systems. Therefore, Merkur’s IT department can focus in one database platform instead of two or even more. Oracle technology was used in Merkur before the implementation data warehouse was started, so the implementation of this technology was fast and smooth. In Merkur the  following Microstrategy tools (Microstrategy, 2005) are used: MicroStrategy Intelligence Server is the heart of the BI system and provides reporting and analysis for the whole enterprise. This BI server provides the full range of BI applications through unified metadata and a single integrated server. MicroStrategy Administrator consi sts of a suite of tools that provide the systems management environment for business intelligence. It maximizes uptime of BI applications. Its tools give an environment for developing, deploying, monitoring and maintaining of systems. MicroStrategy Architect is a rapid development tool that maps the physical structure of the database into a logical business model. These mappings are stored in a centralized metadata repository. MicroStrategy Desktop is the business intelligence software component that provides integrated query and reporting, powerful analytics and decision support workflow with a desktop PC. MicroStrategy Desktop provides an arsenal of features for on-line analysis of corporate data. Reports can be viewed in various presentation formats, polished into production reports, distributed to other users and extended through a host of ad hoc features including drilling, pivoting and data slicing. The interface itself is customizable to different users’ skill levels and security profiles. In Merkur, the Desktop solution is used by 13 power users (analysts). MicroStrategy Web provides users a highly interactive environment and low maintenance interface for reporting and analysis. Using this intuitive HTML-only Web solution, users access, analyze and share corporate data through any web browser on any operating system. MicroStrategy Web provides ad hoc querying, quick deployment and rapid customizability, making it even easier for users to make informed business decisions. In Merkur, Microstrategy Web is used by 90 end users of KAS. MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server is a proactive information delivery server that distributes personalized business information to users via email, pagers and cell phones. It includes an intuitive self-subscription interface that enables users to specify what information they want to receive, as well as when and how they want to receive that information. Narrowcast Server is becoming more and more important in Merkur because of its efficiency. 3.3 Merkur’s DW&BI system today Presently, KAS; Merkur’s DW&BI system, is five years old. The development of the system continues constantly and there is still much content throughout the organization which must be implemented in the BI system. The most important content to be implemented in the future are the following: Integral data from Merkur’s finance and accounting system (the finance and accounting analytical system) Relevant business data from Merkur’s subsidiaries Data from Merkur’s human resources analytical system Data from Merkur’s e-business analytical system Data from Merkur’s logistic analytical system Presently in KAS (Merkur Commercial Analytical System – KAS, 2005): †¢ 13 power users (analysts) and 90 end users; of both groups, 50 users have the ability and knowledge to set-up their own reports. †¢ Up to 30.000 reports are run on KAS on monthly basis. †¢ KAS consists of the following objects: o 137 tables o 433 attributes o 1.195 metrics o 5.611 reports †¢ Over 35 automated services are run on the Narrowcast Server The KAS system enables many sophisticated business analyses such as market basket analyses, described later in this paper. 4 Market basket analysis and the used methodology Market basket analyses are an important component of analytical system in retail organizations. There are several definitions of market basket analysis. In a broader meaning, market basket analysis targets customer baskets in order to monitor buying patterns and improve customer satisfaction (Microstrategy, 2003). The following analytics can be used: attachment rates, demographic baskets, brand switching, customer loyalty, core items, items per basket, in-basket price, revenue contribution, shopper penetration and others. In a narrower meaning, market basket analysis gives  us the answer to the following question: which goods are sold together within the same transaction or to the same customer? By analysing this information, we try to find out recurring patterns in order to offer related goods together and therefore increase the sales. We can track related sales on different levels of goods classifications or on different customer segments. In this paper, the narrower meaning of market basket analysis will be taken into consideration, focusing on the use of these analyses in Merkur. It has to be noted that several other terms are also used to describe market basket analysis: related sales, cross-sell, up-sell. The distinction between these terms is very unclear and the same terms are often used in different meanings. What can we gain from market basket analysis (Limitedbrands, 2004)We get the ability to learn more about customer behaviour. We can make more informed decisions about product placement, pricing, promotion and profitability. We can find out which products perform similarly to each other. We can determine which products should be placed near each other. We can find out which products should be cross-sold. We can find out if there are any successful products that have no significant related elements. 1. Discover the selling documents (transactions) with the item, for which we want to perform market basket analysis. This logic is valid, if we want to carry out item-related market basket analysis. We can also perform good classification or even loyalty card holder-related market basket analyses, which will be shown later in this paper. 2. Discover all the items in relevant selling documents and their selling quantities, prices, number of transactions and other relevant data. As an example, an item related market basket analysis will be presented. We want to analyse sales related to item ‘209525 Decorative lamp Saturn II’. In the first step we determine the selling documents with this item. The partial result is shown in the table 1. Further, the result of the first step is used as a filter in the second step, which results in a table with items, sold together with item 209525. 5 Areas of market basket analyses In Merkur different kind of market basket analyses are done. Analyses are adapted to various business needs, and some of them are discussed in the following sections. In every section, the relevant examples of analyses are presented and opportunities for business action discussed. 5.1 Marketing and sales promotion campaigns When sales campaigns are prepared, promoted items must be chosen very carefully. The main goal of a campaign is to entice customers to visit Merkur’s retail centre and buy more than they usually do. Therefore, we must choose the right items and offer the right prices or other conditions. Margins on promoted items are usually cut, therefore, additional non-promoted items with higher margins should be sold together with promoted items. As we could see from the example in Section 3, item ‘209525 Decorative lamp Saturn II’ is quite adequate to be included in a promotion. Together with it many other items are sold, so we can allow a lower margin of promoted item. Of course, there are some other criteria for an item to be included in a campaign, such as: †¢ Where on the item life cycle curve is the item situated? †¢ What is our brand promotion policy? †¢ Can we reach an agreement with the supplier (producer) to assure larger quantities and better prices? Table 4. Sales promotion market basket analysis In table 4, data from a New Year’s promotion campaign is shown. The: campaign was done through public advertising. Paper catalogues of promoted items were sent to households, there were also commercial spots on TV and radio, and advertisements in newspapers. Because of advertising a certain number of customers came in Merkur retail centres in order to buy the promoted items. Additionally, they also bought many non-promoted items (70% opposed to 30% of revenues and 75%  opposed to 25% of margins) with much higher % of margin (29,08% opposed to 21,81%). This means that promoted items generated sales of non-promoted items. There are also many possible ways for organizing campaigns using direct marketing tools for the interaction with Merkur loyalty card holder. This issue will be discussed in Section 5.5. 5.2. System solutions offering Market basket analyses are also used to combine more items in a set or a system, because the majority of customers are interested in buying and using them at a time or in a short period of time after the purchase of a particular item. By designing sets and systems of related items a company can increase sales and also cut down costs of sales transactions, so that various discounts can be offered to customers. This results in a typical win-win situation. A retailer must know the needs of customers and adapt to them. Market basket analysis is one possible way to find out which items can be put together in sets and systems. Table 5. Classification Group ‘Kitchen extractor hood’ market basket analysis In Table 5 we can see groups of goods which were sold together with the group ‘Kitchen extractor hood’. In the related groups are also different kitchen appliances like refrigerators, dish washers, kitchen-ranges, taps, dishes etc. This means that Merkur should design and offer the customers different kitchen systems. These systems should include kitchen furniture,  major and small kitchen appliances and kitchen utensils. Such a system should be displayed in one place in a retail centre where customers could choose from whole system solutions to just several parts (items) of these solutions. 5.3. Placement of goods in retail stores Market basket analyses give retailer good information about related sales on group of goods basis. As we can see in Table 5, the majority of kitchen appliances groups are related. Customers who buy a kitchen appliance often also buy several other kitchen appliances. It makes sense that these groups are placed side by side in a retail centre so that customers can access them quickly. Such related groups of goods also must be located side-by-side in order to remind customers of related items and to lead them through the centre in a logical manner. In Merkur, two basic concepts of retail centres are used: MerkurDom specialises in high-quality items for home improvement and garden, MerkurMojster specialises in high-quality products aimed at DIY users, craftsmen, and entrepreneurs. Centres are also classified by size as small and large centres. For each of these concepts, standardized placement plans were developed. Market basket analyses represent one segment of tools for decision making considering placement of goods. It can show us where we should change the placement of goods. After the change we can measure the business effects of the change. 5.4. Education of salespeople The interesting results of market basket analyses must be presented to the salespeople in retail centres, because the employees must be aware of them and they should use them in the process of selling. Every salesperson has some knowledge about related items from his or her experience. With market  basket analyses we can structure this knowledge and use it to teach less experienced personnel. Merkur invests a lot in education of salespeople through both internal and external sources. Knowledge from market basket analyses is widely used in internal education. 5.5. Segmentation of customers As mentioned in Section 1.1., more than 70% of sales to end consumers are personalized with the Merkur loyalty card called â€Å"Merkur Card of Trust†. This data enables us to answer the following question: What did consumers who bought item (group) X in period 1, buy in period 2? If we identify customers who bought item X today, we can anticipate what they will buy, for instance, in next three months, and we can advertise them the right products. A typical example is shown in Table 6. We analysed loyalty card holders who bought ceramic tiles in the period from April to June 2004. In Table 6 we can see product groups which were bought by the same card holders in the period from July to November 2004. They bought different bathroom and kitchen accessories and central heating elements. It would be very useful, if Merkur organized a targeted marketing campaign for this specific group of customers in July 2004 and promoted these products. There are many other possibilities and opportunities in Merkur to use loyalty card-based market basket analyses as a support tool for direct marketing campaigns. Merkur usually organizes non-targeted common campaigns, in which the majority of Slovenian households are included. But lately Merkur also started to implement direct marketing methods and therefore an effective data warehouse and business intelligence system is essential. This helps many interesting marketing ideas to be implemented. 6 Conclusion The practice in Merkur proves that market basket analysis is a very useful for marketing campaigns, good placement definition and education of sales personnel. Merkur uses market basket analysis throughout the promotion campaign process. When a sales promotion is prepared, market basket analysis is used to define the right products and the right prices for the campaign. Related non-promoted items are also defined in order to place them in the vicinity of promoted items and therefore increase sales. When sales promotion finishes, its results are carefully analysed in order to discover opportunities for next promotions. Merkur widely uses market basket analyses to manage the placement of goods in retail centres. Related products and product groups are placed together in such a manner that customer can logically find items he/she might buy. The findings of market basket analyses are an important part of the process of teaching the salespeople of Merkur. Sales personnel must be aware of related products in order to increase satisfaction of customers and intensify sales. Market basket analyses are just a part in the holistic approach to the execution of marketing development strategy in Retail in Merkur. The analytical process is integrated in other marketing activities and analysts are an important part of Merkur marketing development team. Team work is crucial for successful use of such analyses. Beside of the organization of the Merkur marketing process, a capable DW&BI system is needed. The BI system must have good performances when processing large amount of data. It also has to be scalable and flexible, but, above all, the BI system must be user-friendly so that different marketing specialists can use it without any problems.  Fortunately, Merkur’s KAS is such a system. But there is still much work to be done. We demonstrated that market basket analysis in Merkur can be done and that it brings useful results. In the future a working direct marketing strategy must be developed based on data already available in KAS. Then an organization and information systems for efficient execution of this strategy have to be established. 7 References Berry, M.J.A., Linoff, G.S.: Data Mining Techniques: for Marketing, Sales and Customer Relationship Management (second edition), Hungry Minds Inc., 2004  Chen, Y.-L., Tang, K., Shen, R.-J., Hu, Y.-H.: â€Å"Market basket analysis in a multiple store environment†, Decision Support Systems (article in press), 2004, accessed through www.ScienceDirect.com Limitedbrands: Achieving Greater Efficiencies with Market Basket Analysis, Microstrategy World 2004 Conference, Miami, 2004 Microstrategy: Business Intelligence in the Retail Industry, Microstrategy World 2003 Conference, Las Vegas, 2003 Microstrategy Web Site: http://www.microstrategy.com/Software/, Microstrategy, 2005 Merkur Commercial Analytical System – KAS, internal document, Merkur, 2005 Merkur Web Site: http://www.merkur.si/ang/podj.html, Merkur, 2005 Svetina, Marko: Izdelava in uporaba market basket analiz, http://www.muson.net/Konferenca_login.asp?mni=12, Konferenca MUS 2004, Ljubljana, 2004 Svetina, Marko: Kome rcialni analitski sistem v podjetju Merkur d.d., Konferenca Poslovna inteligenca in upravljanje odnosov s strankami, Ljubljana, 2002 Vindevogel, B., Van den Poel, D., Wets, G.: â€Å"Why promotion strategies based on market basket analysis do not work† (article in press), Expert Systems with Applications, 2005, accessed through www.ScienceDirect.com Weng, S.-S., Liu, J.-L.: â€Å"Feature-based recommendations for one-to-one marketing†, Expert Systems with Applications, Vol. 26, 2004, pp. 493-508.

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Desert Flora - Essay Example Olive trees are in abundance in the Mediterranean desert toward the north of the Sahara desert. Plants found in the desert of Utah include mesquite (Prosopis), Cacti, and Yucca. Perennials, unlike, annuals, survive in the Utah desert all the time. Some perennials have deep root systems to reach the subterranean water. For example, Yucca’s roots exist 40 feet below the ground surface whereas the roots of mesquite (Prosopis) can penetrate up to 100 feet below the surface (Andersen, 1996, p. 5). The desert of Utah has an open nature with shrubs spaced widely apart. This speaks of the low content of moisture and is suggestive of extensive underground roots’ pattern. The main factor the limits the plants’ survival in the desert of Utah is water. Plants have different structural mechanisms to deal with this problem. Waxy coatings on the plants’ stems serve to reflect heat and reduce evaporation e.g. the leaves of Incienso covered with dense fine hairs serve the very

Refelction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Refelction - Essay Example On the other hand, the situation asks teachers to arouse thought, outline examples, list probing questions for students to respond to, and counterexamples Other roles assigned to the teacher include highlighting genuine forms of application, carry out the role of the devil’s advocate, demand explanation, examine understanding, and seek justification. To justify this assertion, the author writes that, ‘teaching for understanding includes effective whole-class, small-group, and individual approaches.’ Evaluating approaches used in uncovering content require a bigger approach than the one applied in the article. In the same respect, the article delves into three methodologies of imparting knowledge in a manner that learners in an academically diverse classroom can understand the content. (Marzano, 2010, 21) The instructional techniques are six facets of understanding, crucial questions, as well as the WHERETO model. Applying critical questions as a technique of enhancing understanding starts at stage 3. It builds on activities that take place in the first stage where the teacher guides learners in developing questions that will help them in comprehending the concepts as the topic progresses. Questions are necessary teaching aids in making students grasp the concept from a close environment. The author of the article posits that ‘essential questions serve as doorways to understanding.’ This article aims at helping learners grasp crucial concepts and processes that rema in abstract always. The author proposes great modification in the allocation of the roles assigned to both teachers and learners with much emphasis on the roles of a teacher. It is at this moment that the article proposes that teachers must uncover the exact content to deliver. The article picks an image iceberg as an example to illustrate the point under discussion. ‘A certain portion is visible above the surface of the water,

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory Essay Example for Free

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory Essay The Effect of Word Order on the Memory of Boyd Anderson IB Students Originally preformed by Maglennon Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory. Hypothesis: If word lists are organized in some meaningful way, Boyd Anderson IB students will recall better then from a jumbled list. Null Hypothesis: If Boyd Anderson IB students are given lists of words, then they will recall the same amount of words from the jumbled list as from the organized list. Operational Definition: For the purpose of this experiment the dependent variable of recollection is defined as the number of words recalled from the organized list and the jumbled list. The independent variable of a list is defined as a list of 15 human names. The organized list will be organized in a way that the names get longer and less common as the list goes on and the jumbled list will be randomized with the same names. Description of Research: The subjects that will be tested will be Boyd Anderson IB freshman. Half the class will be given the random list and the other half will be given the organized list. The organized list will be labeled A, the random list will be B and will be passed out without the subjects knowledge of which they have received. The purpose of randomizing that gets which form is to make sure no discrimination takes place and that an equal number of subjects get each form. The setting were the observations will be made will be in either Dr. Monroes History class or Mrs. Bills English class to insure that no subject is tested twice. The procedure is as follows. Upon entering the class I will give a brief disclaimer offering any subject the option of not partaking in the experiment if they so please. Then I will proceed to explain the purpose of the experiment and continue to pass out the separate forms at random. The subjects will be given a minute to look over the names on the sheet of paper. They will then be asked to turn that paper over and on the back write as many as they are able to remember. The subjects will have only one minute to recall the names. Then the materials will be collected and divided into the organized and random lists to be analyzed. The data that has been collected will consist of the list of words the subjects had written down. The data will be analyzed within their respectable classes as well as a whole. There are a few potential variables that could negatively affect the results. It is always a possibility that students will cheat by flipping back over their paper or looking on a classmates list. Subjects may not put an honest effort into memorizing or recalling the names. It is also possible that the time in which the test is given may affect the attentiveness of the students therefore affecting the results between classes.

Explanation of Human Resource Planning in the workplace

Explanation of Human Resource Planning in the workplace These reasons have made Human Resource Planning to become a major objective in organizations. The process of Human Resource Planning include analysis of level of skill in the organization (skill inventory) analysis of current and expected vacancies due to retirement, discharges, transfers, prootions; sick leaves, leaves of absence or other reasons and analysis of current and expected expansions as pointed out by This also indicates that plan has to be made internally by the Human Resources for training and development of present employee, for advertising job opening recruiting and hiring new people. A good Human Resource Planning must respond appropriately to the rapid changing in the society and must go beyond forecasting to all aspect of Personnel Management. Human resource or manpower planning is of great important in the general development and growth of organizations. Thus personnel and Human resources experts, managers and practitioners have now made it known to management that adequate attention be given to it with a view to ensuring better use of other resources especially capital. Organisations have also realized that with increasing competition and complexity in business, more time should be devoted to effective human resources planning to achieve desired goals. Furthermore organisations have known that not only is the overall cost of human resources high , that human element is complex, unpredictable and sometimes difficult to develop or change unlike capital that is relatively easier to acquire, manager or control. Definition Human Resources Planning is defined as the process of assessing an organizations human resources needs in the light of organizational goals and changing condition and making plans to ensure that a competent, stable workforce is employed. The actual planning process will vary a great deal from organization to organization According to Walker, effective human resources planning is a process of analyzing an organization human resources needs under changing condition and development of the activities necessary to satisfy those needs. Walker sees human resources planning as two step processes, planning as they pertain to all aspects of personnel management. This will include for example planning with respect to desired organizational climate and development of staff reward and appraisal system appropriate to short range and long range organizational goals. This implies that help must be proactive and as well as reactive. Pattern states that Human Resource Planning is the process by which a firm ensures that it has the right number of people and the right kind of people in the right place at the right time doing things for which they economically most useful. Fayana (2002) emphasized that human resource planning deals with the systematic and continuing process of analyzing a firms human resources needs under mutating conditions and developing workforce policies suitable to the long-term effectiveness of the organization. It is a vital part of corporate planning and budgeting procedure since human resources costs and forecasting both effect and are affected by long-term corporate plans. Characteristics : Dynamic Activity : Manpower planning is a continuous or never ending process because the demand and supply of manpower are subjectto frequent change. It is dynamic activity. Development of Policies : It resultsin the development of policies, programmes and procedures for the acquisition, development, preservation and utilization of the organizations human assets. Inventory of Human : It includes the inventory of present human in the organization. The manager should know the persons, who will be available to him, for undertaking higher responsibilities in the near future. Objectives : Human resources in object should be most important aspect for the orabisation. Without object organization or company do not run and do not achieve target, market or goal. Objectives : Economic Development : At the national level, manpower planning is essential for economic development. It is particularly helpful in the generation of employment in educational reforms and in geographical mobility of talent. Helps fill the gap : Manpower planning identifies the gaps in existing manpower so that suitable training programmes may be developed for building specific skills, required in future. Promoting New Employees : The database available provides a comprehensive skill repertoire, which facilties for decision making as to the promotional opportunities to be made available for the organization. Forcasting on future : Human requirement must be important an effective for any organization of department. Without human resource organization do not run and other factor are useless. Focus of Human Resource Planning According to Bramham, Torrington and Hall, the process of matching future organizational requirement with the supply of properly qualified, committed and experience staff in the right place at the right time. These staff can be drawn from both the internal and external labour market This requires a focus on the following: An assessment of future product market trends and requirement. A specification of the type and numbers of staff required to satisfy these product market trends and requirement. An estimate of the type and number of staff likely to be employed by the organization in five years. A specification of the number/type of staff to be recruited or made redundant. A development plan for restraining and re-focusing existing staff and, if appropriate, for recruiting additional staff from the external analysis. A re-examination of broader business strategies in the light of this analysis. Need of Manpower Planning Manpower Planning is a two-phased process because manpower planning not only analyses the current human resources but also makes manpower forecasts and thereby draw employment programmes. Manpower Planning is advantageous to firm in following manner: Shortages and surpluses can be identified so that quick action can be taken wherever required. All the recruitment and selection programmes are based on manpower planning. It also helps to reduce the labour cost as excess staff can be identified and thereby overstaffing can be avoided. It also helps to identify the available talents in a concern and accordingly training programmes can be chalked out to develop those talents. It helps in growth and diversification of business. Through manpower planning, human resources can be readily available and they can be utilized in best manner. It helps the organization to realize the importance of manpower management which ultimately helps in the stability of a concern. Human Resources Planning Process The stating point of human resource planning process (HRPP) is the determination of corporate or organizational goals. This will now help us to have a clear vision of the future aspiration of the organization and plan towards the realization of its objects. Identify the direction the organistion wants to take to achieve those goals e.g through the introduction of new technology, a new project of by diversification. This will then be translated into human elements needed for the actualization of the set objectives. Take inventory of current manpower position to determine future needs.Information such as educational qualification, skills , experience, type of job, sex, age and geographical location should be considered in planning manpower needs. In other words, we have to take stock of our current manpower to enable us forecast what we need in future. This involves job analysis, job description and job specification A manpower audit is equally important: This will show the actual number of employees on the establishment which will form the basis of operations. For instance, if there is manpower deficiency, the organization could correct the situation through its personnel/administrative programmes. This could be achieved through the following means. Recruitment Training and staff development Promotion and transfer etc The purpose, then, for establishing a human strategic plan is to: Decide where your department is going over the next three to five years Establish an action plan (tactics) to get where you want to go Help your staff focus on the truly important activities Define the resources youll need to accomplish your objectives Create a plan to acquire necessary resources Advantages : There are many advantages of human resource in an organization some of them include: Human resource helps in employee management: There are many advantages that human resource provides in an organization but the foremost advantage of human resource in an organization is the assistance it provides in Recruiting staff and in training employee. The human resource department is mostly responsible to develop the systematic plan according to which they hire the staff and help to build a professional work team. There are series of strategies that the human resource system implements in employment appointing which includes: Allocated training sessions for employees Develop test plans for employee To manage and analyze employee interviews To create internship opportunities Human resource provides consultancy: There are many issues that the employee or work-team of an organization faces. The advantage of human resource is that its a medium which provide all the consulting that a employee needs and also answer general queries. Human resource is very effective in an organization to settle down any managerial dispute or employee problem in a professional and proficient manner. Building business plan : On more advantage of human resource is that these departments actively participate in business and marketing decision. The human resource system comprises of highly dedicated professionals who have the ability to devise new plan and implement marketing strategies that would bring more business and capital to the organization. Forethought of business : Human resource also deals with the long-term management of the business. This department evaluates the future scope of the business and devises strategies which would be profitable to the organization in the longer run and bring in stability to the business and provide it an established medium to stand on in the future. Building public relations : Human resource also helps the business and commerce to make public relations and built a proper referral system. It is very necessary that the business develops an association with other businesses in the market so it could propel its earning through collaboration with other business sectors. The human resource department arranges seminars, business meetings and official gathering for the company so that it gets acquainted with the market and other businesses. These advantages therefore clearly illustrate how important the human resource is for an organization. Whether the business is small or its a big budget industry, building and maintaining a high profile human resource system is very necessary if the business wants to avoid disputes and problems in the longer run. The human resource can be deployed in a small organization at a low scale by hiring minimal staff and growing it gradually as the business progress. Disadvantages : More Time Consuming Future Uncertainity Coordination with other managerial function Management Information System Resistance from employees It is depend on company future activity and current activity. Future is uncertain then manager have a problem to make a best alternative. Summary : Delphi system involves the use of large number of experts and managers who are required to present their own idea of future manpower or human resources requirement for a particular time. They are expected to fill questionnaires on human resources needs in each unit, section or department within the organization. These statements and assumptions are passed anonymously to others by an intermediary. These inputs are reviewed and analyzed by different experts and managers until a final forecast paper on human resources needs qualification, skill, experience etc, is acceptable by the experts/managers. It is the belief that inputs and criticism of experts before a consensus forecasts was accepted would make it more accurate for implementation in the organization. This method has been shown to produce better one year forecast than the linear regression analysis. It is m mostly used to generate predictions. It is however criticized because of the problem of synchronizing or integrating the opinions of experts. Nominal grouping technique: This is another type of expert forecast. With this system, managers/experts are brought together to discuss for about 10-20 minutes. Their views ,ideas or criticisms are listed on a sheet of paper before a consensus is reached. This system is advantageous in that experts are brought together to discuss unlike the Delphi technique. It is also use to identify orgnaisation problems and proffer solutions to them. This system is similar to managerial judgment forecasting method used in small organizations that are not rich enough to have data banks for their human resources information and job analysis

Anorexia and Bulimia :: Causes of Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia

A variation of Anorexia, Bulimia ranges from excessive food intake, to an out of control compulsive cycle of binge eating where extraordinary amounts of any available food, usually of high carbohydrate content, may be consumed. Once having gorged, the victims are overcome with the urge to rd themselves of what they hate eaten by purging themselves, usually by vomiting, and sometimes by massive doses of laxatives. Between these obsessive bouts, most are able to accept some nutrition. Whereas the anorexic sufferer fears fatness from anticipated loss of eating control, and unlike the anorexic sufferer the typical bulimic individual is not emaciated, but usually maintains a normal body weight and appears to be fit and healthy. However, the obsessive binge purge cycle causes them deep distress, shame, guilt, self-loathing and social isolation, and many will go to any lengths to hide their â€Å"shameful† secret from the family and friends. Typical Sufferers The anorexic or bulimic may be either sex, but the smaller percentage is in males. However the male percentage is on the increase. Most sufferers come from middle and upper income families, and are usually highly intelligent. Anorexic and bulimic people are often perfectionists, with unrealistically high expectations. They frequently lack self-esteem, with their feelings of ineffectiveness and a strong need for other peoples’ approval. Causes There is at present no generally accepted view of the causes of anorexia or bulimia. Most authorities believe the problem to be psychologically based, possibly stemming from family and social pressures, or other forms of stress in our modern environment. Where a high value is placed on slim-ness, women are most likely to be judged on their appearance, against a heavy background of high carbohydrate junk food promotion. Often, the illness is triggered by a major change in the person’s life. Age and Extent Anorexia tends to start in early the early teens, whereas bulimia usually occurs in the late teens and older age groups. Sometimes bulimia develops out of anorexia, but can occur without a previous history of anorexia. It often persists over many years. It is known girls as young as 8 years of age had displayed an unhealthy pre-occupation with dieting. The full extent of the problem is not known, but estimates very from one in every hundred school girls with anorexia, to six percent of Australian women with bulimia. Since bulimia is not a physically obvious condition, the numbers could be far higher. Social Isolation People who have anorexia or bulimia have probably been feeling isolated and friendless for a long time. This may have been one of the factors contributing to their belief that they are essentially unacceptable people. However, the condition itself increases social isolation. Sufferers dare not let people get too close to them in case their real self, which they

The Effects of Aerobic Exercise Among Adolescents with Mild to Moderate

The Effects of Aerobic Exercise Among Adolescents with Mild to Moderate Depression Kaplan and Sadock (as cited in Brollier, Hamrick & Jacobson, 1994) stated that depression, during the teen years, has become an increasing area of concern in psychiatry (Kaplan & Sadock, 1991. Kashani, Carlson, Beck, Hoeper, Corcoran, McAllister, Fallahi, Rosenberg and Reid (as cited in Brollier, Hamrick ,& Jacobson, 1994) studied the prevalence of depression in adolescents and reported that approximately 8% of adolescents experienced depressive disorders. Kaplan and Sadock (as cited in Brollier et al., 1994) suggested that new forms of treatment are needed when dealing with adolescents because adolescents often do not respond well to medications, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychotherapy, which are used on adults. Exercise, or physical activity, of an aerobic nature has been widely used as part of the recommended medical treatment for many health problems, and the physiological health benefits associated with exercise have been well documented. Brown, Ramierez,, and Taub (as cited in Mihevic, 1982) have stated that within recent years, exercise has been increasingly used for the treatment of depression as well. The results of a study conducted by Maroulakis and Zerva (1993) have shown that all dimensions of mood were positively affected by exercise to a significant extent. They went further to say that exercise is the most important natural mood modulator. Many studies have been conducted which examine the effects of aerobic exercise on depression scores of normal adult patients, and adult patients with depression. One such study, conducted by McCann and Holmes (1984), concluded that participation in a program of strenuous aerobi... ... on mood of adult women. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 76, 795-801. McCann, I.L., & Holmes, D.S. (1984). Influence of aerobic exercise on depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1142-1147. Milhevic, P.M. (1982). Anxiety, depression and exercise. Quest, 33, 140-153. Norris, R., Carroll, D., & Cochrane, R. (1990). The effects of aerobic and anaerobic training on fitness, blood pressure, and psychological stress and well-being. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34, 367-375. Norris, R., Carroll, D., & Cochrane, R. (1991). The effects of physical activity and exercise training on psychological stress and well-being in the adolescent population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 36, 55-65. Stein, P.N., & Motta, R.W. (1992). Effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74, 79-89.

Nature in his poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” Essay

Wordsworth’s Attitude Towards Nature†Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey† was written in July of 1798 and published as the last poem of Lyrical Ballads, also in 1798.This poem is a statement of Wordsworth complete philosophy of nature. TheThe first part gives a vivid description of the scene visited by the poet. This shows a minute and close observation of nature. He was extra-ordinary sensitive to the sites of nature. Indeed, in the very title of his poem, he announces the time and place of his return visit, and lets us know where he is positioned in the landscape that he describes. He sits in a specific spot, a â€Å"few miles above† an abandoned abbey in the valley of the river Wye; thus he has a broad perspective on the landscape he will describe. As he writes the poem, he is reclines â€Å"under [a] dark sycamore.† He said that when he was young he did not understand or hear the pain of humanity because he was thoughtless and had nothing to do with spirit just the physical pictures pleased his eyes . But later on the enjoyment is over and the poet had raised his inset . He became able to hear the suffering of humanity . In addition the sound of human suffir4ngh and pain is not harsh or jarring to his ears . But , it is the opposite , it has clarified him . He became a spiritual person . Also, he tries to convince her to love nature, because if she loves it she will be in an elevated position, all the bad things will not hurt her and her attitudes and thoughts towards life will change. Poetry to Wordswoth is emotions recollected in tranquility, or he believed that it is nothing but spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. The poem as a whole is an example of the philosophy of Romanticism and how the consideration of the external reality of nature leads towards inner consideration. bibliographies â€Å"Free Essay on William Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey.† 123HelpMe.com. 30 May 2008.

Disney Park

Disney Theme Parks Case 1. What do you think motivated Disney to set up parks abroad, and what might be the pros and cons from the standpoint of the Walt Disney Company? The reason behind Disney's motivation to set up theme parks abroad were mostly because of business opportunities. Based on how successful the Disney Theme Park is in the United States and the attraction they are gaining from foreigners, the management probably realized that it is time to consider entering the global market. By doing this, it would mean an increase of sales for the company.This is somehow a form of advertisement for people to buy their products and even to attract more and more consumers. Opening another theme park in a different country would also contribute to the survival of the company should their theme park in the United States lower in sales. On the other hand, for the cons, one is concerning the cultural factors that may hinder the company from doing business in other countries. A good example would be the concerns in Paris. They feared that putting up a Disney Theme Park in their country might destroy their own culture. Another con would probably be the area where the park would be best put up.In other words, which area the theme park should be placed that would be profitable. Transportation is another factor as well as competition from other theme parks abroad. 2. Why do you suppose Disney made no financial investment in Japan, one of $140 million in France, and then one of over $300 million in Hong Kong? Disney made no financial investment in Japan because they were considering the risks of building one. They probably think that it might not be as profitable or that putting up a Disney Theme Park in Japan would outweigh the cons than the benefits.Paris, like what was mentioned in the case, is the most visited European City and the French are the largest European consumers of Disney Products. This is the reason why Disney invested in Paris. Also they were getting a lot of support from the country's government. And with their help, they would be able to get investors. According to the case, the reason why Disney invested only $140 million to take 49% of the ownership in a $5 billion worth of operation was due to the problems they have encountered before, which is the fear of France's culture to be destroyed.So what Disney did was to add attractions that would cater to French tastes and agreeing to make French the first language in the park. Aside from France, Disney also invested in Hong Kong. The case states that Disney is interested in Asia since it accounts for about half the world's population and is becoming affluent enough that more people can afford to take trips and pay for leisure activities. They chose Hong Kong not only for their infrastructure, but also because it is Asia's largest tourist destination.In addition, the families that live in Hong Kong are those with higher family incomes than mainland Chinese cities. Soon after, the two agreed to a joint venture that included 57% ownership by the Hong Kong government and the remaining by Disney. 3. What factors in the external environment have contributed to Disney's success, failure, and adjustments in foreign them park operations? There are many factors in the external environment that contributed both to Disney's success and failure.For the factors that contributed to the success, one would probably be Disney's already popular reputation, which helped them in entering the global market easily. Another is their strategy of focusing on countries that would ensure and give them better business opportunities. Another factor to be considered is the government support they are getting. As for the factors that contributed to their failure, one that is mentioned in the case is that they encounter problems concerning the culture of other countries.Another example would be the almost downfall of Euro Disney when their shares went down to 39% and the general public to 36%. This is probably due to the high prices and their no-alcohol policy. Another factor that contributed to their failure is the climate. Some countries were just too cold to attract visitors. 4. Should Disney set up a park in Shanghai? If so, what types of operating adjustments might it make there? It is not advisable for Disney to put up a theme park in Shanghai. One of the major reasons is competition.The case states that China has built more than 2000 amusement parks, ranging from lavish to shoddy. Although most of them have not done well, putting up a Disney Theme Park would not necessarily mean that it would eliminate its competitors. In addition, China's one child per family policy may hinder the success of Disney. The visitors of Disney Theme Parks are mostly children, and if the number is lacking, it would also probably mean lack of visitors. Another reason is that if Disney puts up a theme park in Shanghai, there would be few customers since there is also a Disney theme park in Hong Kong.

Marketing Research Proposal Sample Essay

Introduction: Indian fruit Juice market is an unorganized and newly developing market. Only recently this sector is getting more organized and attracting more players in the market. Though the unorganized corner shop vendors dominate this market, Indian consumers are moving towards branded fruit Juice because of their improvement in health consciousness. Indian fruit Juice market is having a net-worth of 275 crores as of now and increasing at a rate of 35% to per year. This study was conducted to identify the existing market structure, industry trends, existing players and their tatus in the market, growth possibilities and consumer behavior of existing fruit juice consumers. The study was conducted to understand the total market intelligence so that it can guide any new entrant in this sector in Indian market would get befitted. The study includes both primary and secondary research. Primary research was conducted across India. Primary research involves collecting information from both consumers and retailers so as to get better understanding about the market. This research report can serve as a guide for any new entrant who wants to enter in this fruit Juice market in India. The report can also serve as a basic industry information resource. (http://www. reportbuyer. com/food_drink/country_overviews_food/ indian_fruit_]uice_market. html) Problem statement: Which factors influence the consumer purchasing decision for fruit drinks. Objective * To determine the product attributes influencing purchase decision of fruit drink brands. * To determine the reasons for consuming various fruit drink brands. To determine the most preferred SKU(quantity) in fruit drink category. * To determine the most preferred channel in the fruit drink category. * To determine most preferred fruit drink SCOPE * Study will be carried across different areas of Ahmedabad city. * People of different age groups will be considered in the Study. Study is concentrated on Carbonated and Non-Carbonated fruit drinks.

Royal Mail Group

The crisis created for the Labor Government by the proposed sale and part privatization of the post office- Royal Mail Introduction: Recently, Royal Mail Group will be sold at least 1/3 of the whole business to private companies or foreign postal companies in the United Kingdom. One of 71 post centres, half of them will be cut down, and 50,000 employees will possible lose their jobs. One hand, this essay will demonstrate the crisis issue from public; on the other hand, how the issues have been handled by the Government and analyze these strategies and tactics.Main body: Royal Mail Group is one of the large-scale national enterprises in the United Kingdom, employees as many as 150,000 people. It is reported by British media, with the global financial crisis deepening Royal Mail Group of dismal business is facing a bad situation, which will be split sale possiblely, and the United Kingdom Ministry of Commerce and Postal Department are discussing a plan on postal privatization. Beginnin g in 1635, Royal Mail's operation has been the oldest postal system in the world.Currently, Royal Mail maintains the monopoly on postal services of the civilian use, but it is squeezed and rarely shares in the field of business by foreign mail delivery companies. In the civilian use areas, the number of mail delivery decline year after year. Both of Royal Mail’s huge pension deficit and the increasing e-mails mean the service will never be profitable in this current form. Dutch firm TNT, one of the mojor rivals with Royal Mail in the British postal market, TNT is thought to be the front runner to achieve the stake, which might be between 25% and 30%.Part-privatisation of Royal Mail is opposed by unions and many Labour MPs, who think that it will undermine the universal delivery service and threaten thousands of jobs, and urge the government to rethink this plan. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats support part-privatisation as a way of helping to modernise the service in principle. But at the same time, they are worried about Royal Mail's profitability and government support for its pension scheme in the future. In brief, at present, the government has faced the following issues:At first, lots of MPs disagree this plan, the BBC news says â€Å"about 140 Labor MPs have signed a motion opposing the part-privatization†; One of the rebels, Geraldine Smith, said â€Å"Royal Mail's status as one of the UK's ‘most respected’ public organizations must be safeguarded. Part-privatization is not the answer†. Secondly, some of people worry the pension scheme; the postal worker Sean Tail said â€Å"Potentially to get the same pension, I might even have to work past 65†. Thirdly, Communication Worker Unions put forward to have a big redundancy after part-privatization.Thereby, numbers of workers will lose their jobs. Faced above problems, the government adapts some strategies and tactics to solve these issues. The first one i s the press release, which is a key communications tool in a crisis situation. It will tell the public their thought via the media (such as a backgrounder or fact sheet). It provides officials explanation of what is happening. They must have an honest answer Respond the media quickly and fairly. News releases should keep the government correct reputation and identity throughout the crisis period.Add any other available information, such as endorsements and statement from respected professionals who tell the public commercial partnership go in the market and strengthen Royal Mail financially, meanwhile, it will have a fair competition with Royal Mail, and enable it to offer new services. It can help government obtain the support to sell off 30% of Royal Mail. In the same way, the internet has been used by activists as a highly effective global mechanism for gathering opinion from public, at the same time, publish the government's plan,which selling off 30% of Royal Mail is the only w ay to safeguard the service.Everybody wants to see a modern Royal Mail. Keeping Royal Mail in the public sector, but without some private investment would be â€Å"continued long-term decline† and even full privatization by a future government. The Labor Party releases â€Å"Royal Mail would continue to belong to the English people, its most respected image never changes†. The government websites or online news can provide a fast and effective means of communicating directly to government without the risk of â€Å"interpretation† by the media.Aiming a lot of the workers of the Royal Mail would not think of the politics, but about their pension and their job security. So, the next strategy and tactics about government, in the keynote speech, the prime minister said it is necessary that Royal Mail can achieve an investment, which guarantees a ? 25bn pension fund, spends ? 1. 5bn on the Post Office network, and maintains a universal service obligation. The received cash will be offset the cost of taking over Royal Mail pension liabilities.Money through part-privatization is ploughed back into post offices and the unemployed will gain the postal job before long, perhaps they will earn more money than before. Sometimes, they should not be sacked if they are all perfect, so they have a competition each other, and a hardworking labor. Conclusion: Because a crisis catches unprepared people, every organization must have appropriate crisis communication strategies and tactics to firmly guide those organizations that pass the bad and difficult situation.In this case study, the national English post office- Royal Mail has faced a problem from among the Labor Government, the MPs and the other public. The government must solve this problem correctly and betimes by the suitable strategies and tactics, especially dispose the relationships among them while keeping its good reputation and great image in the public. Like this, it will has a lot of public to support its decision.Reference: (2009), Sell-off ‘to save postal service' . Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7911526. tm [Accessed: March 16, 2009]. (2009), Royal Mail plans to be unveiled . Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7906418. stm [Accessed: March 22, 2009]. (2009), Labour postal rebellion growing . Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7827497. stm [Accessed: March 22, 2009]. (2009), PM: Royal Mail needs private cash . Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7916478. stm [Accessed: March 20, 2009]. Regester, M. & Larkin, J. (2005), Risk Issues and Crisis Management, 3rd ed, CIPR, London.

African religion and christianity Essay

Although Africa was not a plain or bear continent, Africans had their way of life, structure of government, religion, economic activities, education,systems of marriage and development plans for their societies, nevertheless the British brought their systems which conflicted with Africans established way of life, this was because the British, as many other European powers were economically depressed and Africa appeared to be the only way out.The British wanted to pass the three C’s; Commerce, that is to make money through acquisition of free labour form Africans, raw materials for their industries as industrial revolution back in Britain was rapidly taking place, market for their surplus production; Christianity to save Africans as alluded in the Gospel of Saint Mark 16 versus 5 Go ye to the entire world, baptizing all men in the name of Jesus.†Explorers such as David Livingstone, Vasco Da Gama, Portuguese Diego Cam and Arabs with Muslim faith had missionary zeal. The la st C is for Civilization, they wanted to civilize Africans in terms of education, culture and many other aspects I will bring out later in this essay. RELIGION Black`s Law Definition of religion; This is man`s relation to Divinity, reverence, worship, obedience, and submission to mandates and precepts of supernatural or superior beings. In a broad sense, it includes all forms of belief in the existence of superior beings exercising power over human beings by volition, imposing rules of conduct with future rewards and punishments. AFRICAN RELIGION Awolalu defines African religion as â€Å"†¦largely written in the people’s myth and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and pithy sayings. It is a religion whose historical founder is neither known nor worshipped; it is a religion that has no zeal for the membership drive, yet it offers persistent fascination for Africans, young and old.† The African traditional religion was not homogeneous as the communities had different ethnic background thus the religious practices such rituals varied one community to the other. It is worth noting that it was oral, not scripted or written and was passed from one generation to the other by word of mouth as I earlier alluded in the Awolalu definition of religion. Within their organized societal structures, Africans believed in supernatural beings together with ancestral spirits.The ancestral spirits were believed to link the living societal members to the gods. We all agree that one cannot talk about African religion without African values as they are intertwined and inseparable. African religion was embedded in moral values or codes or standards which were believed to originate from God through the ancestral spirits, these values when followed or observed one would be rewarded with maybe good harvest from their cultivation of land or increased number of a flock of cattle. When these values have violated the culprits were reprimanded, for instance, adultery was highly condemned therefore in case a member engaged in it he or she could be punished by God through the ancestral spirit. This punishment could be through the infliction of sickness to the culprit or barrenness. The concept of values is a vital point as one talks of the African religion. African religion is drawn from the African values. The African religion had some institutions which presided over religious functions, these institutions were believed to communicate directly to ancestral spirits (living dead) who in turn would communicate to the gods and grievances of the living societal members would be heard. In the Kenyan context, these institutions include Orkoyot of the Nandi, Oloibon of the Maasai, Seers, Diviners, and Rainmakers depending on the ethnic communities which they came from. These institutions apart from the veneration of the ancestors, they blessed warrior before going for war, advised the political leaders, offered sacrifice to god and conducted rituals for the culprits who violated moral values in the community. The gods had some specific names for instance, in Kenyan context, we had Enkai for the Maasai, Encore for the Abagusii, Mulungu for Akamba, Asis the Nandi, Ngai for the Agikuyu and Nyasaye for the Luo. There were specific worship places which were regarded as holy, this places included shrines, mountaintops some special trees such as mugumo, hills, and some caves. The diversity of the names given to gods and places of worship, show the lack of uniformity in the African Religion. This concludes that Africans were of different ethnic background and had their own religion, gods, and religion as a community. CHRISTIANITY This is a religion based on the life, teachings, and practices of the person of Jesus Christ. The origin of Christianity is drawn from a character, believed to be the Son of God. It is a religion more about the relationship between one and Jesus rather religious practices. A Christian, as the name suggests is a follower of Christ. The origin of Jesus of extra-ordinary or Supernatural happening as it is believed He was conceived by the power of Holy Spirit and born of a Virgin. This small description ascertains the definition of religion as I had earlier defined it. Christianity is practiced through reading the Bible and attendance of services for the Protestants and Mass for the Catholics. The religion is scripted or written in the Bible which is the reference for all who ascribe to Christianity. It contains all the rules guidelines, commands that Christians should observe their entire life. These guidelines govern human relationship to one another and their relationship to their God.there no diverse Christians as all of them draw their beliefs from Jesus Christ through reading and exercising their beliefs from the Bible.Christianity is a homogeneous religion or rather uniform. There are institutions such Priests, Bishops and Catholic Fathers who lead other Christians in worship. These people undergo theology training for them to undertake their duties. There are specific places of worship where Christians congregate. These places are Churches or Chapels. THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. They mainly to spread Christianity and Commerce†¦Dr. David Livingstone, I go back to Africa to make an open pass for Christianity and Commerce.† The first encounter is dated from the 15th Century. The Portuguese Christianity introduction to Africans in the East African Coast. This, however, had very little success. By 19th Century Christian missionaries arrived in East Africa they included: 1.The Holy Ghost Fathers 2.The Church Missionary Society 3.The Methodist Fathers 4.The Mill Hill Fathers THE ENCOUNTER I) Source/origin of Religion The Africans believed that their religion was sourced from god, who they believed long before their ancestors’ existence. The British Missionaries conflict with Africans by telling them about the existence of a God who had a son and lived among us many years ago. The religion of British was written (Bible) thus one had to have the ability to read and write in order to understand it, whereas that of African was passed from generation to generation by oral tradition. There is an introduction of a new system of identifying the origin of religion which conflicts with the African system. II) Places of worship The Africans revered in special caves, Mountaintops, hills, Forests, Special trees (mugumo) and shrines. The British tell Africans that they should worship God places called Churches. This encounter shows that there is a bit of clashing as the African places were very clearly defined and preserved by the community members. The British also seized African land to construct churches or chapels, Africans, as a result, became very hostile as they had distinct worship places which occurred naturally. They believed that their land was for cultivation and a gift from their gods. III) The Practices of Religion The Africans practiced their religion by reverence to their ancestors, offering human and animal sacrifices and invoking the ancestral spirits. They offered sacrifices in order to get favors in terms of harvest. The African worship was communal that is, all community members used to convene to pray for rain and ask for the wellness of the community. The British religion had an aspect of confession of one`s sins before worship, repentance, and forgiveness of sin are granted. This aspect of forgiveness of sins lacks in the traditional African religion, one had to be punished for wrongdoing. British missionary religion brings out an aspect of offerings in terms of money and tithe which is ten percent of one`s total earnings. IV) Religious leaders In African religion, worship was led by Diviners, Rainmakers, and Seers who were considered righteous. The work of religious leaders was taught through apprecentiship and was hereditary from specific clans in the community. There were certain clans from whom diviners would descend. They were highly respected in the community. The British Christian religious leaders attend school to be trained mainly on theology. They study formalities of worship and nature of God. Any member of Christian family can become a religious leader although there are some myths which say one has to be ‘called’ by God. The Christian leader has to have the ability to read and write so as to pass the scriptures to his congregation. V) Uniformity of Religion As I handled earlier in this essay, the African traditional religion was diverse from one ethnic community to the other due to the linguistic differences, migration patterns and origin. Christianity is introduced as a homogeneous religion as the author of it is Jesus Christ, a common ancestry and reference point for all Christians. The diversity of worship is dismantled by the British introduction of this even religion. As I have pointed above there are distinct differences between Traditional African Religion and the British Christianity and how both systems fought to outdo the other. The African religion had deep roots in the society as it was passed orally through stories, myths, riddles and proverbs which were very appealing to the audience. These deep roots were however uprooted as change is inevitable in every circumstance. As an old adage, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison.’ The British struck the Africans struck back but were easily overpowered, and gave in. The British were gradually using religion as a tool to pass several other systems to the Africans. Education which traditionally was based on oral tradition was easily eliminated as most Africans wanted to quench their thirst for knowledge, for those who resisted religion soon began to embrace this Whiteman’s way of worship.

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification Research Paper - 3

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification - Research Paper Example y diversify for better opportunities, to leverage the competencies as well as capabilities by way of expanding into business where the firm’s resources can be used as competitive assets. Also to some extend diversifying will help the company to minimize the risk but as pointed earlier the risk involved is high. There is no guarantee that the business will succeed (Rao, et al, 2009, 228). The publishing company which deals with books and other publishing items should continue with its business and go for related diversification. The publishing company should opt for related diversification strategy and involve into acquisition of business which are related in terms of technology, products or markets. Related diversification also termed as concentric diversification occurs when combined profit tends to increase the opportunities and strengths and thereby minimizes the threats and weakness (Orcullo, 2008, 76). Thus the publishing firm may search for new business whose product, market, distribution is similar to that of its own and where acquisition would result in â€Å"synergy.† Thus the company in order to create synergy should enter into related diversification and share resources and capabilities with its existing business unit. With the growth of online and digital media, the publishing business has been undergoing significant changes. Thus considering the current situation the publishing business should diversify its business into emerging and developing countries and at the same time follows the emerging trends in the publishing industry which are like eBooks, blogs, mobile publishing along with self publishing (ICMR, 2007). While diversifying the business the publishing company can opt for strategic alliance. Strategic alliances are formed through partnership between the firms and combining the resources, capabilities and core competencies and pursue a mutual interest to develop, manufacture and also manufacture goods (KAZMI, 2008. 187). The alliance is a

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Jpurnal free writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Write on anything related to European history from the Ancient World Research Paper

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