Process of Learning Essay

Learning is an invisible process in which the behaviour is modified in order to attain certain goals. It is a process in which an individual acquires and develops knowledge, understanding, skills, interests and attitude that are necessary to meet life’s situations. This paper briefly analyzes the process of learning. Introduction â€Å"Learning is the insatiable curiosity that drives the adolescent boy to absorb everything he can see or hear or read about gasoline engines in order to improve the efficiency and speed of his ‘cruiser’† (Mark K. Smith). Learning can be considered as a product and also a process. It is the end product of the various experiences we come across in our life. At the same time it is a continuous never ending process as well. Even from the birth day itself the learning process starts. Learning and Behaviour Learning is observable through the behaviours of a person. An observable change in behaviour can be witnessed after a person learned something. For example, we know that small kids do not know much about the dangers of fire and they will be usually attracted towards fire. But once if they happened to come in contact with fire, they will experience the burning effect of fire and will never play with fire again. In this case we can say that the child learned to behave properly with fire and we can observe Process of Learning 3 the changes in behaviour of the child before and after experience with fire. So we can conclude that learning is characterised by change in behaviour. Behaviorism, as a learning theory, can be traced back to Aristotle, whose essay â€Å"Memory† focused on associations being made between events such as lightning and thunder. The theory of behaviorism concentrates on the study of overt behaviors that can be observed and measured (Good & Brophy, 1990). It views the mind as a â€Å"black box† in the sense that response to stimulus can be observed quantitatively, totally ignoring the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind. Some key players in the development of the behaviorist theory were Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and Skinner. (Brenda Mergel) (James Atherton) Process of Learning 4 Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was the first to conduct experiments to study how learning and behaviour are connected. The experiment was performed on a dog. He started to give food to his dog after ringing a buzzer. The experiment was repeated for 7 days and after 7 days he started to ring the buzzer alone and did not give any food to the dog. Still he found that the dog secreted saliva in the same measure as before. â€Å"Because a bell consistently rang before food appeared, Pavlov’s dog learned to salivate at the mere ringing of the bell; this is a conditioned response. † (Michael g. Maxwell) So it is clear that our learning and behaviours are interconnected. Learning and Thinking â€Å"Learning implies the acquisition of knowledge from experience, while thinking involves the conscious processing and use of knowledge. † (Michael g. Maxwell) Learning has definite connection with thinking as well. Nobody can say that he has learned something without thinking. For example, we know that lightning and thunder, both occurs at the same time. But we have seen the lights of lightning first before hearing the thunder sound. Though we have learned that both lightning and thunder occurred at the same time, in order to explain the delay of thunder in reaching us, we must think in terms of the velocity of sound and velocity of light. Only after we thought about the velocity differences, we can say that we have learned thunder and lightning properly. So learning definitely leads to thinking which may lead to the modification of behaviours Process of Learning 5 Behaviour and Thinking in terms of learning Learning leads to thinking. Thinking leads us to arrive at conclusions which will force us to change our behaviours. So in that sense both thinking and behaviour are interlinked with each other. Without thinking, no behavioural changes can happen. Same way without learning, no thinking can take place. For example, everybody knows that smoking is injurious to health. If a smoker, happens to meet a person who is suffering from cancer because of his smoking habit, may think about the consequences of his smoking habits and hence times he may change his smoking behaviour. Thus we can conclude that both the learning theories with respect to thinking and behaviour are connected to each other. Conclusion Learning is a complex process which stimulates thinking which will be resulted in the modification of behaviours. Learning is a continuous process which starts from birth and ends at death. It can be considered as a process and a product. Process of Learning 6 References 1. Mark K. Smith (1999, 2003), learning theory, Retrieved on February 8, 2009 http://www. infed. org/biblio/b-learn. htm 2. Brenda Mergel, Instructional Design & Learning Theory, Retrieved on February 8, 2009, http://www. usask. ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda. htm 3. Michael g. Maxwell, Learning and thinking: what science tells us about teaching Retrieved on February 8, 2009, http://www. studentsfriend. com/onhist/learning. html 4. James Atherton, Behaviourism, Retrieved on February 8, 2009, http://www. learningandteaching. info/learning/behaviour. htm

Consequentiality and Deontology

CRG 520 ASSIGMENT THE MOVIE REVIEW ISTANBUL AKU DATANG PREPARED BY: NAME: NURUL HASIKIN BINTI NGAH MATRIC NO: 2011646112 GROUP: AC2204A Istanbul Aku Datang is a movie about a sweet and naive blogger named Dian who travels to Istanbul in plan to make her boyfriend, Azad, a medical student, to propose to her. She enrols in language course in the same university as Azad and in the period of three months, she hopes that her plan on convincing her boyfriend to propose her will be success.Due to the unexpected circumstance that come to her way, Dian have to move out from Azad’s house and rent out another apartment without knowing that the apartment is already tenant. Despite of being cheating and runs out of money, Dian tries out her very best to clear the situation and build a good relationship with the rightful tenant of the house, Harris who is a quirky and shy artist while tries to hide from her boyfriend the truth that she is sharing the apartment with a guy. The stakeholders i n this movie are Dian, Azad and Harris. Dian’s stakes is to ensure that Azad will be her husband.Azad’s stakes is to keep Dian as her girlfriend but not telling her that he got someone else while Harris’s stakes is to stay in the apartment without have to share it with Dian. The main villain in this movie is Azad while the hero and heroine are Dian and Harris respectively. The ethical dilemma of the villain Azad is whether to being honest and tells the truth to Dian that he already have another girlfriend. The ethical dilemma of the hero, Harris is whether to let Dian stay with him with the fact that Dian have been cheated and got no money left to rent another house.The ethical dilemma of the heroine, Dian is whether to being honest to tell Azad that she is actually sharing the same apartment with Harris. Ethical or Moral Issues The ethical or moral issue in the movie is about honesty. The main villain in this movie is not being honest since he is cheating behin d his girlfriend, Dian who is actually very loyal towards him. His egoism have avoid him from telling the truth to Dian and makes excuses to make sure Dian do not stay with him maybe because he is afraid that Dian will knows that he is not being loyal.Dian also do not being honest because she is not explaining the truth is she is sharing a place to stay with Harris. The other ethical issue is sympathy. This issue could be seen by the character of Harris who feels sympathy towards Dian, who get cheated by Saleem. So, he let Dian stays with him even though he do not likes her at first because of some misunderstandings. Harris also feels sympathy towards Dian when Dian knows that Azad is cheating with another woman. He keeps her accompanies and tries to make her happy. The third issue is trustworthiness.This issue could be seen by the character of another Villain which is Saleem. Saleem is the person who cheats Dian to rent out the apartment that already being rented by Harris. He did this for his self-interest to get money easily Consequentalist Point of View Consequentialism is the class of  normative ethical theories  holding that the consequences  of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence.From a consequentialist point of view, the action of Azad who cheating behind his girlfriend is unethical because at the end we can see that because of that action they finally broke up. Furthermore, the consequence of his action causing Dian to feel very sad and broke her pride after an embarrassing fight with his another girlfriend. The action of Saleem is also wrong or unethical because the consequence of his action cause Dian to be in such a harsh situation where she have no money left to rent out another apartment after knowing that the apartment that Saleem rent to her already have a tenant.Deont ology Point of View Deontological ethics  is the  normative ethical  position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. Deontology derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. From the deontology point of view, the action of Dian who do not tells Azad that she is sharing the same apartment with Harris is a right action. She did that because she does not want Azad to misunderstand her.Besides, she also wants to please Azad that she already gets a safe place to stay. Plus, she has to do that because she is cheated and it’s not like she is willingly staying with a stranger especially a male. The action of Harris who let someone’s girlfriend stays with him and helps her to hides the matter from her boyfriend is also a right action. This is his action is based on sympathizes and she just want to help her who is helpless that time. Golden RuleThe Golden Rule is an ethical code  or  morality that essentially states either the positive form of Golden Rule or the negative form Golden Rule. Positive form of Golden Rule states that one should treat others as one would like others to treat him while negative form of Golden Rule states that one should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated. If I were in Azad’s shoes I would not at the first place cheating behind Dian. This is because Azad was very angry and frustrated when she thought that Dian was cheating with Harris.In that case, I should have being loyal and faithful so that Dian will also do the same things to me because I believe if I cheat her, she must be very angry and sad too. Plus, Dian is very loyal and honest to me so there is no such thing that she is being unfaithful. As the villain, I think Azad would be very remorse because he had lied to Dian since Dian finally not choosing him as her future husband. Even though Di an wants to give him second chance Dian finally realised that she actually should have choose Harris who seems to be more honest.As for Saleem, he also must feels guilt for cheating on Dian’s money. He also must be very shame when the real landlord brought him to meet Dian and Harris to explain the truth and return the money back to Dian for justice. Lessons From the movie Istanbul Aku Datang, I have learnt that to build a good relationship with others, we must be very honest about our feeling. If we are honest and sincere in our relationship, the other could feel our sincerity. This is what happens between Dian and Harris. How Harris could ever win over Dian’s heart in a short time if it is not because of his honesty and sincerity.By the time, when he at first let Dian gives Azad the second chance because he is altruistic and want to see Dian happy, he realised that Dian will be happier if Dian with him. So, he runs after Dian and though his eyes, Dian could see the s incerity and causing her to choose Harris instead of Azad. In conclusion, honesty is the best policy. The second thing that I have learnt is we should not take advantages over someone else’s problem for our own self-interest. This is because at the of the day we will get the punishment, either sooner or later because I believe that what goes around comes around. Consequentiality and Deontology CRG 520 ASSIGMENT THE MOVIE REVIEW ISTANBUL AKU DATANG PREPARED BY: NAME: NURUL HASIKIN BINTI NGAH MATRIC NO: 2011646112 GROUP: AC2204A Istanbul Aku Datang is a movie about a sweet and naive blogger named Dian who travels to Istanbul in plan to make her boyfriend, Azad, a medical student, to propose to her. She enrols in language course in the same university as Azad and in the period of three months, she hopes that her plan on convincing her boyfriend to propose her will be success.Due to the unexpected circumstance that come to her way, Dian have to move out from Azad’s house and rent out another apartment without knowing that the apartment is already tenant. Despite of being cheating and runs out of money, Dian tries out her very best to clear the situation and build a good relationship with the rightful tenant of the house, Harris who is a quirky and shy artist while tries to hide from her boyfriend the truth that she is sharing the apartment with a guy. The stakeholders i n this movie are Dian, Azad and Harris. Dian’s stakes is to ensure that Azad will be her husband.Azad’s stakes is to keep Dian as her girlfriend but not telling her that he got someone else while Harris’s stakes is to stay in the apartment without have to share it with Dian. The main villain in this movie is Azad while the hero and heroine are Dian and Harris respectively. The ethical dilemma of the villain Azad is whether to being honest and tells the truth to Dian that he already have another girlfriend. The ethical dilemma of the hero, Harris is whether to let Dian stay with him with the fact that Dian have been cheated and got no money left to rent another house.The ethical dilemma of the heroine, Dian is whether to being honest to tell Azad that she is actually sharing the same apartment with Harris. Ethical or Moral Issues The ethical or moral issue in the movie is about honesty. The main villain in this movie is not being honest since he is cheating behin d his girlfriend, Dian who is actually very loyal towards him. His egoism have avoid him from telling the truth to Dian and makes excuses to make sure Dian do not stay with him maybe because he is afraid that Dian will knows that he is not being loyal.Dian also do not being honest because she is not explaining the truth is she is sharing a place to stay with Harris. The other ethical issue is sympathy. This issue could be seen by the character of Harris who feels sympathy towards Dian, who get cheated by Saleem. So, he let Dian stays with him even though he do not likes her at first because of some misunderstandings. Harris also feels sympathy towards Dian when Dian knows that Azad is cheating with another woman. He keeps her accompanies and tries to make her happy. The third issue is trustworthiness.This issue could be seen by the character of another Villain which is Saleem. Saleem is the person who cheats Dian to rent out the apartment that already being rented by Harris. He did this for his self-interest to get money easily Consequentalist Point of View Consequentialism is the class of  normative ethical theories  holding that the consequences  of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence.From a consequentialist point of view, the action of Azad who cheating behind his girlfriend is unethical because at the end we can see that because of that action they finally broke up. Furthermore, the consequence of his action causing Dian to feel very sad and broke her pride after an embarrassing fight with his another girlfriend. The action of Saleem is also wrong or unethical because the consequence of his action cause Dian to be in such a harsh situation where she have no money left to rent out another apartment after knowing that the apartment that Saleem rent to her already have a tenant.Deont ology Point of View Deontological ethics  is the  normative ethical  position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. Deontology derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. From the deontology point of view, the action of Dian who do not tells Azad that she is sharing the same apartment with Harris is a right action. She did that because she does not want Azad to misunderstand her.Besides, she also wants to please Azad that she already gets a safe place to stay. Plus, she has to do that because she is cheated and it’s not like she is willingly staying with a stranger especially a male. The action of Harris who let someone’s girlfriend stays with him and helps her to hides the matter from her boyfriend is also a right action. This is his action is based on sympathizes and she just want to help her who is helpless that time. Golden RuleThe Golden Rule is an ethical code  or  morality that essentially states either the positive form of Golden Rule or the negative form Golden Rule. Positive form of Golden Rule states that one should treat others as one would like others to treat him while negative form of Golden Rule states that one should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated. If I were in Azad’s shoes I would not at the first place cheating behind Dian. This is because Azad was very angry and frustrated when she thought that Dian was cheating with Harris.In that case, I should have being loyal and faithful so that Dian will also do the same things to me because I believe if I cheat her, she must be very angry and sad too. Plus, Dian is very loyal and honest to me so there is no such thing that she is being unfaithful. As the villain, I think Azad would be very remorse because he had lied to Dian since Dian finally not choosing him as her future husband. Even though Di an wants to give him second chance Dian finally realised that she actually should have choose Harris who seems to be more honest.As for Saleem, he also must feels guilt for cheating on Dian’s money. He also must be very shame when the real landlord brought him to meet Dian and Harris to explain the truth and return the money back to Dian for justice. Lessons From the movie Istanbul Aku Datang, I have learnt that to build a good relationship with others, we must be very honest about our feeling. If we are honest and sincere in our relationship, the other could feel our sincerity. This is what happens between Dian and Harris. How Harris could ever win over Dian’s heart in a short time if it is not because of his honesty and sincerity.By the time, when he at first let Dian gives Azad the second chance because he is altruistic and want to see Dian happy, he realised that Dian will be happier if Dian with him. So, he runs after Dian and though his eyes, Dian could see the s incerity and causing her to choose Harris instead of Azad. In conclusion, honesty is the best policy. The second thing that I have learnt is we should not take advantages over someone else’s problem for our own self-interest. This is because at the of the day we will get the punishment, either sooner or later because I believe that what goes around comes around.

School Placement Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

School Placement Research - Essay Example Moreover, it is observed that some of the students are keen to speak and interact with teachers in English. This enables the students to learn the language more effectively. The teacher is also recognized to motivate the students, who show interest in learning the language. The motivated students demonstrate more interest to learn the language. Further, the other students of the classroom on observing the interest of some of the students and the motivation from their teacher also attempts to learn the language. These students also makes attempt to learn the language. This creates a learning environment in the class with regard to English language. Learning of English language is extremely important from the perspective of the development of the students. The students would be able to communicate with the people of other nations. The students would be able to communicate with people who are incapable in speaking in Chinese language. Moreover, learning the International language Englis h is of significant benefit to the students when they would undertake higher educational degrees at foreign universities. The learning of International language is one of the key factors that lead to the overall personal developments of the students. During the period of volunteering in a bilingual elementary school, it is observed that some of the students are unable to understand the instructions from the math teacher. The math teacher although speaks in the native languages to the students, but at the time of teaching, the teacher uses English language. The students are not the native speakers of English and are unaware of several words and phrases in English. The teacher at the time of teaching uses some of the words or phrases or others that the students are unable to understand. This creates a communication gap between the teacher and the students. This leads the students to be deprived of some of the teaching instructions. The students as a result of such are

Biology for General Ed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biology for General Ed - Essay Example To address the hypothesis, the researcher will conduct a scientific method to solve the question. Using visual observation, the first thing the researcher noticed in the garden are different varieties of plants and insects particularly some bees that fly over colorful flowers. At the left-side of the garden is a faucet and a green-colored hose which is connected to a metal water sprinkler used in watering the plants. Basically, it is a common knowledge that plants need watering in order to grow. In the absence of rain water, human beings intervene with the watering of the plants using the man-made faucet and hose. Carbon monoxide that has been emitted by cars or the end-result of smoking is harmful to the health of human beings. Even though a lot of cars that passes by the park emit carbon monoxide, plants never seem to be affected by it. Fourth – expose the laboratory apparatus to sunlight for at least 5 hours (this will allow plants to produce gas within the inverted test tube. (See Figure I – The Production of Oxygen in Photosynthesis on page 4) After exposing the apparatus under sunlight, gas was observed to be present inside the test tube. After removing the inverted test tube, a glowing piece of wood will be inserted into the tube to allow the wood to burn. This proves that plants are able to produce gas from photosynthesis. (Exell, 2002) Given that oxygen (O2) is present in the atmosphere, plants could easily make use of carbon monoxide combined with excess oxygen found in air in order to produce carbon dioxide which is necessary for plants’ photosynthesis. Based on the research findings, hypothesis I which assumes that plants have special properties that enables it to convert carbon monoxide into something useful is scientifically acceptable. By combining carbon monoxide with oxygen, carbon dioxide

Summary 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Summary 1 - Essay Example In the US, different laws deal with hazardous waste handling by organizations, fines and taxes on environmental interference, business regulation as well as municipal laws and common law. Types of common law include laws regarding nuisance, trespass, strict liability as well as dangerous s substances among others, they are all meant for human safety and in order to understand them one needs to have knowledge on how they were created. Federal environmental laws regulate all local as well as state environmental laws. Judicial precedent on air and water pollution exists. At some places, laws are created for specific criteria such environmental law enforcement; specific permits use, and crime concerning regulation of the environment. Creation of laws is the senate work while regulation is done by agencies like Environmental protection agency. For better understanding of environmental needs, states as well as municipal governments create more environmental laws. Judicial precedents also change the law of environment. The court also interprets environmental law. Historical cases are a source of understanding the need for changes as well additions on laws regarding the

Cross cultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10500 words

Cross cultural management - Essay Example TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 4 2. Literature Review 6 2.1. Background research on Leadership 6 2.2. Background Research on Cross Cultural Management 9 2.3. Theory of Hofstede 15 3. Leadership in Egypt 19 3.1. Current Situation 19 3.2. Challenges 20 3.3. Impacts 22 3.4. Implications for Managers in Global Management 25 4. Findings 26 5. Discussion 29 6. Conclusion & Recommendations 32 7. References 34 1. Introduction Leaders are not born, they are made. The most common myth about leadership is the converse of the previous statement, which indeed is creating waves of many more misconceptions amongst those aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. There was a time when only few men and women dared to question, rebel against odds, voice for the weak and talk for the helpless. But today there is a need for each one of us to dare, rebel, voice and talk, but like leaders and not losers. Andrew Carnegie’s thought provoking statement is worth a note here which states â €Å"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it†. ... If we see the current trends of leadership, there are various personalities who have quoted many inspirational words about leadership and for the future leaders as well. We see Jeff Barnes quoting â€Å"There are no boundaries anymore.† This means the businesses and organizations are looking out for globalization and make their mark all over the world. In the last 10 years the world has seen a fast changes in the business world. When there was economic downturn started in December 2007, many of the interviewees had the thought that it is somewhat different than what was happened 10 years ago. According to Roland Smith’s saying this new environment is regarded as a perpetual whitewater. The Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s) of all the big and renowned organizations have backed the saying of Roland Smith and they were not sure as to how to tackle this changing environment as the equipments are were not available that time. In Egypt the most remarkable monument or st ructure is the Pyramid. If you notice Pyramid, you can see that the tip of it is painted with gold. The reason for that is to get connected with the sun. The Pyramids have always challenged the modern science to build something since the technology and skill sets of the manpower have been advanced with time. Today it has been more than a year since the reign of Dictator Mubarak is ended. Now it is high time for the country to look ahead and reform its social, political and most importantly economic stature. Today the country is in need of a leader who can coach and inspire the nation, which will help in mobilizing the country towards growth and prosperity. The well-known examples of this type of

The primate pattern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The primate pattern - Essay Example There are various hypotheses that attempt to explicate the original evolutionary divergence of the privates but the three hypotheses are the main in the evolutionary process. The Arboreal Hypothesis was advanced by the Elliot Smith and was later supported by Wood Jones. The Elliot Smith hypothesized that the ancient primates were terrestrial animals that at the end came to dwell in arboreal habitant because of the selective pressure divergent from their original terrestrial way of life (Srivastava 18). In the arboreal environments, the primate vision and the sense of touch became greater senses compared to the sense of smell that led to developing new methods of adaptation essential in the arboreal settings. The functional arboreal hypothesis lacked supportive and clear evidence to explain how primate adapted their terrestrial style into the arboreal environment; therefore, criticism led to evolution of other alternative hypotheses. Cartmill introduced alternative hypothesis called Visual Predation that would explicate the progression of primates. He demonstrated that the morphological pattern of the primates do not indicate arboreal adaption as shown by Smith, rather adaptation to feeding mode to bushy forest in the ground where they hunted for fruits and insects. Therefore, it is clear that little primitive, mainly insectivorous and ancient primate were capable to reach for the branches using their prehensile limbs and catch prey with a forelimb while judging the way with close-set eyes (Ravosa and Dagosto 12). Consequently, it is comprehensible from that ancient primate relied deeply on the sense of vision that why the theory is known as visual predation hypothesis. Similar to the first hypothesis, the Cartmill hypothesis was criticized because it was yet to be proven and the primate pre-adapted for the arboreal living. However, it is harmless to point out that the arboreal and visual predations are not mutu ally exclusive

Principles of Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Principles of Project Management - Essay Example Consideration of the research works of Rad & Levin (2006) reveals the fact that project management should not be viewed as ad-hoc process rather issues like internal communication within organization, ethical dilemma among project team members regarding project deliverables, leadership of project manager, knowledge sharing etc significantly impact project management methodologies. In such context, Melbourne (2003) stated that project managers play vital role in managing not only system aspect of the project management but also control the effect of the above mentioned issues. In simple word, certain level of skill attributes and competencies are required of a project manager in order to deliver successful project outcomes to client. It is evident from the arguments of above mentioned research scholars that success of project management significantly depends on people management, integration of organizational structure, development of communication model, ethics etc while certain leve l of skill and capabilities of project manager is needed in order to achieve project deliverables. ... analyzing duration of the project, budget estimation, developing draft of the project deliverables, planning, implementing the project plan, controlling the irregularities and finally closing the approach. Winch et al (2012) also argued that significant amount of symmetry exists between projects based management and organisational change process. However, Parker and Craig (2008) argued that project management can be temporary phase of the change management approach but it cannot be considered as robust measure of change process. For example, Parker and Craig (2008) and Parker et al. (2012) gave example of IT projects, construction projects where teams are being formed in accordance with client deliverables and project requirements and such teams are being dismantled after fulfilment of project objectives. At this point, a pertinent question may arise that whether people management is a temporary aspect in project management or not? To answer this question, the researcher will conside r the research works of Eve (2007) which was designed for highlighting the importance of organizational factors in project management. Although, teams are being formed in temporary basis during a particular project but without people management, it becomes difficult for project leaders to achieve project objectives. Eve (2007) conducted research on project management data of companies like AT&T, Hewlett Packard, GM and IBM and found that companies use Project Management Maturity models (PMMM) to synchronize the organizational aspects with mechanical framework of project management. Korbel and Benedict (2007) gave system definition of Project Management Maturity models (PMMM) which focuses more on benchmarking of performance and delivering value to customers. People play the role of

Research Review Report for Services and Relationship Marketing Paper

Review Report for Services and Relationship Marketing - Research Paper Example Relationship marketing refers to the process of identifying and establishing, sustaining, enhancing, and when deemed necessary, ending relationships with customers and other organizational stakeholders at a gain; in doing so, all the parties involved achieve their objectives. In the pursuit of all these, mutual giving and fulfillment of promises becomes a focal point in businesses, thus making relationship marketing a very crucial aspect in the services and relationship marketing management of firms today. Relationship marketing is beneficial to firms because it is an effective way of fostering customer loyalty and re-patronage behavior; consumers who are actively engaged in relational exchanges present with higher levels of satisfaction than those who are in discrete transactions. These higher levels of satisfaction could be attributed to the ease and psychological comfort that consumers will tend to have because of purchasing from a familiar company. In this regard, many companies consider investments in complaint handling a strategic route of increasing customer commitment to the firms and building customer loyalty that lasts as long as both parties are in business. Service firms are prone to mistakes that oftentimes result in regrettable service failures that are potentially harmful to their profitability and market reputation; in this regard, service failures present the firms an opportunity to demonstrate excellent service experience and ensure customer retention. However, the service recovery paradox states that customers are more likely to leave a service failure more satisfied and loyal to their firms than when there is no service failure, so long as their problem is resolved efficiently. This paper presents a critical review of 3 peer-reviewed journal articles with an aim of establishing whether customer loyalty is considered a critical antecedent to the success of post-recovery satisfaction, whether compensation is always necessary in service recover y, and whether the â€Å"service recovery paradox† is influenced by the severity of the service failure. Review After a systematic, intensive, and extensive research review, it has emerged that indeed customer loyalty is a critical precursor to the success of post-recovery satisfaction, compensation is always necessary in service recovery, and the severity of the service failure influences the â€Å"service recovery paradox† accordingly. According to Tax, Brown, and Chandrashekaran (1998), recovering effectively from service failures contributes remarkably to customer evaluations of firms. Firms that engage in effective complaint handling strategies have extremely high customer retention rates, which eventually deflect the impact of bad publicity from damaging word of mouth, thereby achieving increased outcomes in terms of increased returns on investment, among other positive outcomes. A case study in the article recorded $11 million of additional revenue in a fiscal y ear, apart from the highest customer retention rate in the industry, after having implemented a service guarantee that was part of an initiative to ensure customer problems are dealt with effectively (Tax, Brown, & Chandrashekaran, 1998). Effective resolution of customer problems and relationship marketing lead to customer satisfaction, enhanced trust, and commitment; complaint handling strategies particularly in managing customer relationships in service businesses are very crucial in today’

Provide a critical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Provide a critical analysis - Essay Example He apparently inhabits a stripped off office with an outdated laptop without internet connection as he had mutilated its Ethernet cable or even a single game (Grossman 2010). As with many other great poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge found a kindred spirit and a comrade in the arts through fellow English poet William Wordsworth. It was through their friendship and first attempt at collaboration that ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ was born. Final lines of the poem are attributed to Wordsworth and his sister at the time when their walk instigated its inspiration. Coleridge initiated writing the poem as they have planned when Wordsworth saw that he is better able to finish it completely and so the poem took on one of the major points the two had in mind for poetry. They were determined to demonstrate â€Å"two cardinal points of poetry, the power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful adherence to the truth of nature, and the power of giving the interest of novelty by the modifying colours of imagination† (Coleridge 1908, 12). The previous being exemplified by Wordsworth and Coleridge for the latter. That there is the occasional possibility of being under the state of being that influences the yearning for the creation of something sublime and transcending the ephemeral. At the same time, there is also there is also moments wherein the most benign occurrences could induce creativity that propels writing. Such is the romantic undertone which instigated the Ancient Mariner as Coleridge himself expounds. Initiated with a plan he and Wordsworth had devised. Coleridge’s poetry took on a form of its own which is an intricacy of both ideas. This is where, though he may not have attained the parallel veneration as those enjoyed by his contemporaries, he remains a classic worthy of consideration and study. In his subsequent Bibliographia, we are presented with an identifiable Coleridge devoid of ill-feelings

Hiring and Firing Essay Example for Free

Hiring and Firing Essay This essay will identify and discuss the different recruitment and selection practices of organizations in the UK and these practices will be compared to the counterparts in the rest of European Countries. The essay will also comment on the pitfalls in the UK organizations which have led to tied hands of the managers in these corporations. The terminating practices in the organizations of UK will also be discussed and the pitfalls will be compared to the companies based in the European Countries. This is the reason why fewer students are choosing IT related fields in their graduate degrees as there are no jobs available for the locals in these companies. This is a pitfall that has been dug by these IT companies themselves as they will not receive any talent from the local market if there is a restriction of off-shoring in the future (MarketWatch 2006). Poor Recruitment Practice in UK A people assessment company, Talent Q that helps employers in managing and recruiting talent, has found many companies and managers to be taking poor decisions routinely when hiring employees. There are many bad consequences of this poor hiring practice as the fall in productivity is equal to GBP 2,400 per annum for each worker who finds himself misplaced in a job which he does not want to do or is not capable of performing. Effectively, the aggregate amount goes up to GBP 5million per annum for the economy of UK (M2PressWIRE 2007). According to an official survey of Talent Q, 24 percent of the employees who were recruited were not asked to give an aptitude test and another 44 percent of the personnel who were hired were not short-listed using any personality test. Based on 25 years of academic research across many companies of large scale, these findings were processed through a model which is universally accepted. This model demonstrates the cast iron effectiveness of the assessment. The true extent of the issues for the employers became clear when these results were combined with salary data from Office for National Statistics. The CEO of Talent Q commented that the organizations often fail to employ people on the basis of aptitude test and personality test. However, employing people on the basis of gut feeling is by far the worst employment technique known, whereas many studies have shown that when employers use assessment techniques to find out the personaliy and aptitude of a person, they get much better results (M2PressWIRE 2007). Word of Mouth Recruiting The applicants who apply through word-of-mouth are found to be more suitable than the recruits obtained by advertising and are more likely to stay longer in the job. However, it is not always the case that the best candidate for a job is selected through word-of-mouth applications. This practice for recruitment is being practiced in the UK at higher rates among the senior levels and is known as headhunting. The objective of these seniors is to fill the higher paying jobs with the people whom they know or are there relatives (HRM Guide Network 2007). Promise of Bonuses The promise of bonuses while recruiting the employees has been the worst pitfall of the recruitment practices in the UK. Mercer Consulting has found through research that the overall pay of CEOs in the UK from bonuses has grown from 13 percent to 19 percent in 2004 (Mercer Human Resource Consulting 2004). There has been a major effect on the earnings growth rates in the UK because of the large number of bonuses that were paid in the recent years (Freeman 2002). This practice of attracting talent through offering bonuses does not guarantee a motivated employee. This ensures only that decisions are made by the employees that get him the bonuses and these decisions may harm the company in the long-run. The companies in the UK are also using bonuses as a tool for employee retention and this practice is becoming quite common in the UK economy. However, the new plan to attract new talent and to lay off the existing employees is not in the hands of the managers at middle or lower level. The senior management is most of the companies makes such decisions (Nisar 2007). Off-shoring in the UK Many companies in the UK, especially those related to IT and innovation, are hiring skilled but relatively cheap labor from overseas. This hiring has been allowed by the government because of which work permits and visas have also been allotted to thousands of workers from abroad. Although these cost effective options cannot be ignored by the managers but they find their hands tied when they find cheap labor which can help the company reduce cost (MarketWatch 2006). The Responsibility of the Managers The managers and personal secretaries are getting increasingly responsible for the recruitment of unfilled vacancies. However, these managers cannot be so sure about hiring the right person or deciding a testing system for the vacancy. Where these managers are asked to cut costs, they are also asked to hire the best person. However, tests such as aptitude test, personality test, skill test or psychometric tests can be very expensive. This is in contradiction to cheap hiring and many managers find themselves in a position of hiring a person not fit for job because of fixed or limited budget allocated for hiring (Renshaw 2003). According to the head of a psychometric company, most of the employees are hired within the first five minutes of an interview which is done with the help of instincts. Although in these five minutes, the conversation does not go beyond smiles and introductions but many think that this is the best practice. Hiring through taking tests has been proved to be the best technique which many managers in the UK do not follow. Those employees who are hired without these tests, they are more likely to immerse the company in losses (Renshaw 2003). Lowering Hiring Requirements The companies with vacancies in the Europe mostly respond with lowering the hiring requirements so as to lower the cost associated with hiring. These chances although increase the chances of filling the vacancy but it also results in a match that resists or terminates when he is hit by a requirement that he cannot address to because of lower level of skills or experience. When searching costs are high, the European employers are more likely to hire under qualified employees for temporary positions. One of the consequences of hiring an under qualified person is high firing costs if the employee is able to get a permanent contract (Brencic 2009). Temporary Employment Practices in the Europe Many countries in Europe ban or restrict the use of temporary workers. However, there has been a growing acceptance for the temporary employment in the region. Many companies which do not want to rush in hiring and then make a wrong choice are hiring temporary employees. The UK, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Denmark are the countries among those which have temporary labor markets, but the countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Portugal still have stringent policies over temporary hiring (Messmer 1994). Firing Practices in Europe The economies of Europe have been awfully trailing US and other developed countries because of forests of red tape, vast welfare, overregulation and restrictive hiring and firing practices. Firing Limitations in UK Due to the implementation of several equal employment opportunity acts and laws in the United Kingdom, the employers are restricted to fire or layoff employees. This literally throws a manager at his seat with his hands tied as he cannot fire any employee who is not performing. According to the laws, based on the personal status of the worker, an employer may not establish hiring or recruiting criteria. Employers are not allowed to retaliate against, lay-off or fire their employees citing reasons based on the personal status outlined in the federal legislation of anti-discrimination. The labor is protected with the act of penalties and recourse which says that if an employee is discriminated in the areas of firing and hiring, he may collect all the monetary damages that are done by the employer (Pearson 2010). Firing Practices in Germany In December 2000, the Vauxhall Motors Luton announced the closure of a facility with firing of approximately 2000 people. No details were announced publicly about the firing of employees and what benefits would they get. The employees being affected were not told about the decision that the management was about to take about the closure of a facility. The employees were not even told why the facility was closed or why were they being fired (Butler, Sweeney and Crundwell 2009). This shows that the firing practices in Germany are very different as compared to UK, where a company has very limited power to fire permanent employees. In Germany, however, the companies have power to lay-off the employees whenever they want without presenting any reason. Similarities of Firing Practices in UK and other European Countries In this time of economic downturn, when many large corporations are engaging in downsizing practices, the countries like UK, Italy, France and Germany are targeting the older employees for lay-offs. The reason behind is quite logical as the employees grow older, they become less productive and the company find more talented young people to replace them (Cattaneo et al.  2010). The organizations in most of the economies of Europe view older employees as more disposable and give little value to them (Barth et al. , 1993; Eastman, 1993; Loretto and White, 2006). Conclusion There are certain similarities in the UK and Europe companies when it comes to laying-off or recruitment of the employees. However, the differences are more as the UK companies are bound by laws and strict regulations for firing employees which literally ties the hands of the managers when it comes to firing and hiring of the employees.

Marketing Essays Mars Bar Marketing

Marketing Essays Mars Bar Marketing Mars Bar Marketing The Marketing Strategy for the Mars Bar in the United Kingdom In this report a strategic analysis will be made of a Mar’s Bar (as opposed to the Brand) I think you have this wrong – a Mars Bar is a mix of milk, chocolate, glucose, etc! – you mean, I think, a review of Mars Bar as a product, rather than a review of the Mars Company as a whole. Mars is both an item of confectionary and a leading global brand recognisable almost anywhere in the world. NO, Mars is a global confectionary brand and the Mars Bar is one of its flagship products! There will be a detailed examination of the integration between strategic aims and marketing actions. Mars strategy and relationship between its target market segments will be examined, along with its products and services offered to the different customer groups and promotional activities. The links between the external environment, (PEST, Porter), business strategy and marketing will be evaluated. A Mars’ bar is in essence chocolate-malt nougat topped with a layer of caramel and covered with milk chocolate. In the United States, it is known as the Milky Way bar. (There was a Mars bar in the United States, but it was discontinued in 2000. It was then re-launched under the new name the Snickers Almond bar.) Mars Incorporated is a family owned company that produces some of the world’s leading confectionery; food and pet care products and has a growing beverage and health nutrition businesses. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Mars Incorporated operates in more than 65 countries and employs more than 40,000 associates worldwide. The company’s global sales are approximately $21 billion annually. Founded in 1911, the company manufactures and markets a variety of products under many of the world’s most recognizable trademarks, including MILKYWAY ®, MM’s ®, SNICKERS ®, MARS ®, UNCLE BEN’S ® Rice, and PEDIGREE ® and WHISKAS ® pet care products. Frank Mars was born in Minnesota, USA in 1882. Due to mild polio his walking was impaired. His mother taught him to hand dip chocolate as a means to keep him entertained. Frank married in 1902 and in 1904, Forrest Mars Sr. was born, in Minnesota. Frank Mars and his second wife started making and selling butter cream candies from their third home in Washington, in 1911. This led them to renting their first candy factory, the Mars Candy factory Inc, which employed 125 staff. In 1920, Frank moved to a larger site in Minnesota, which he called nougat house. The Mar-o-bar was introduced to the candy range in 1922. With a larger site for distribution of this candy the Mar-o-bar company was launched. After three years of researching, the Milky Way candy bar was introduced and was an instant success. Sales increased and more staff were hired. In 1929 Mars incorporated, now with 200 staff, relocates from Minneapolis to Chicago. The central location of Chicago offers a better railroad access to the rest of the country. The Snickers bar is launched in 1930. Forrest Mars Snr arrives in the UK, in Slough to start his own business in 1932. The Mars confectionary business diversifies with the acquisition of the dog food business in the UK.W hen? Porter’s 5 Five Forces Analysis of Mars Bar Power of Suppliers The power of suppliers is low. As supplies are mainly commodities – cocoa, sugar, malt etc. there is low differentiation in the supplies. Therefore Mars can afford to be sensitive to the cost of supplies, and can easily switch to a more favourable supplier. The Labour force is largely non-specialised, and thus the power of the unions can be assumed to be low. This puts the employer at an advantage when it comes to negotiating the cost of labour. Forward integration by Mars’ suppliers is unlikely due to the current oligopoly in operation, where brand strength and market share of the main players would make it difficult for new entrants to achieve the high volume of sales required to return a profit. As a large multi-national corporation, Mars may be significantly bigger than some of its suppliers. This will give Mars an advantage in negotiations. Power of Buyers The power of buyers is low, but can be said to be higher than the power of suppliers. Because the price sensitivity of buyers is low – Mars bars are a relatively cheap product there is some potential for Mars to raise its prices without this having a significant impact on sales. The significant brand strength of the product makes it important to the buyer, in terms of wholesalers and retailers. Ultimately retailers need to sell Mars bars, therefore reducing their power to negotiate with Mars on price. Also there is a low threat of backward integration by buyers due to Mars’ brand strength. There has been some backward integration from supermarkets own-brand products, but this has not resulted in supermarkets being able to stop supplying the Mars bar. The low costs for buyers to switch between rival products bring some power back in their favour. Also the size of the Mars Company and the size of its suppliers (wholesalers and supermarkets) is similar – there is no clear imbalance of power between parties. Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants is low. There are high entry costs to this market it costs a lot of money to produce and market a new competitor from scratch. The threat is more likely from existing food companies e.g. Kellogg’s cereal bars. Economies of scale are a barrier – a small profit margin (for example, just 0.5p gross profit per bar of Kit Kat [which is actually a Nestle product! – why pick this as an example?]) means that larger volumes need to be produced and sold to make a profit. This denies the opportunity for new entrants to develop their market share gradually over time. The extent of product differentiation in the market means that there is high brand recognition for the main products, which a new entrant would have to overcome. This can be considered extreme for Mars, where the brand has been used to launch additional products such as Mars ice cream, cakes and milkshakes. There may also be barriers for new entrants to channels of distribution. Retailers may be unwilling go to commit valuable shelf space to un-proven products. In addition, the existing companies may bulk-buy shelf space, thus reducing the availability to new entrants. In favour of new entrants, there are few legal barriers to entry, though the requirements relating to food hygiene are strictly enforced. The risk to a company’s reputation for failing to follow these requirements are significant e.g. the salmonella outbreak in a Cadbury’s factory in 2006(?) Also, the low profit margins per bar reduces the ability and of Mars to engage in a price war to deter new entrants. The low price sensitivity of buyers would reduce the effectiveness of such a move in any case. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is medium – relevant but not strongly significant. With the exception of multi-packs from supermarkets, the Mars bar is primarily a low cost ‘indulgence’ purchase. Therefore its possible substitutes are any items that compete for the same money i.e. the change in people’s pockets, and meet an indulgent need. These could be chewing gum, crisps, soft drinks, boiled sweets, even newspapers. The presence of substitutes will limit Mars’s ability to raise prices and generate profits. However, the relative value of all such items is low, and so it is not often likely that a potential purchaser will be put off buying a Mars Bar, because they cannot afford to buy it and, say, a newspaper. Competitive Rivalry The level of competitive rivalry in the market is medium significant but not intensive. Competition on price will be weakened by the oligopoly pattern evident in the market. This can be evidenced by parallel pricing decisions – the main competitor bars have retail prices very close to each other. The market is highly differentiated in terms of the specific products available. There are lots of different types of bars, but only Mars make a Mars bar, only Nestle make a Kit Kat etc. This has the effect of depressing competition on price, because there are no identical rivals to the product. It can be seen that competition is more intense in non-price dimensions, and specifically in the high spend on advertising. Mars uses a wide range of media to advertise and promote the Mars bar. The increasing level of product differentiation within the brand is also a reflection of competition – new flavours of familiar products are at attempt to take market share form the main rivals. The economies of scale that operate in the market means that Mars must strive to maintain and improve market share, which will impel it to compete intensely with its rivals. Mars bars must sell in considerable volumes to make a profit. PESTLE Analysis of the Mars Bar Political Nestle and Master Foods with its main brand the Mars bar (Nestle again – why are they here?) is receiving criticism for sourcing it chocolate from the West African countries like the Ivory Coast where the cocoa trade is being used to fund conflict to the tune of  £60 million a year. The Ivory Coast provides some 40% of the world’s cocoa, since 2002 it has been torn apart by civil war. The allegations are that the profit from cocoa has been directly siphoned into government funds and used to finance their conflict with the rebels. In addition the rebels extorted money directly from the industry trying to transport the cocoa through its region. Gentle pressure is being applied on Mars to identify how much of its product contains cocoa from the Ivory Coast and strive to become free from â€Å"Conflict Cocoa†. (Independent News and Media Ltd 2007) Sustainability and fair trade with regard to cocoa has become a political â€Å"hot potato† with the manufacturers of the Mars bar being criticised for employing tactics that puts cocoa farmers into virtual slavery, forcing them to turn more of their land over to production of cocoa rather than traditional arable farming and then making entire communities reliant on the cocoa market. The power of the global conglomerate can then manipulate the price of cocoa, ultimately depriving the producer of a fair price for the raw ingredient. The close association of the Mars bar as a product of the United States may cause some with a dislike of all things American to boycott the product; however there does not seem to be any evidence that this has actually occurred. Due to the global use of the product and its association through manufacture and distribution with other countries like the UK, it does not lend itself to being an exclusive American product such as is for the Hershey Bar. In the UK as in other nations where the Mars Bar is manufactured, there is some influence on the processes involved in its production by the legislative requirements of the host nation or other bodies such as the European Union. These relate in the main to food safety and trading standards legislation relating to the safety and standards that the Mars bar must meet in order to be sold to the consumer. Lately this has being more influenced by legislation that relates to advertising, such as the advertising of the product to children. Due to the nature of free market economies, free markets and the established nature of the Mars Bar with its global distribution network it is not felt that the Mars bar is overly influenced by external political factors. Economic In August last year the price of cocoa was threatening to sky rocket as large swathes of the cocoa plantations in Papua New Guinea were infested by the Asian Moth. The region produces some 17% of the world’s cocoa. An infestation of a similar nature in Indonesia in 1998 caused some  £13 million of damage. Mars were affected to such an extent that they sent out their own team to help eradicate the infestation. Mars are continuing to test a number of anti moth measures. (www.metro.co.uk 2006). The recent business decision to begin producing and using animal based rennet in the Mars bar has been disastrous. The resulting back lash from consumers in the Islamic faith, vegetarians and those with a strong social view on the use of rennet extracted from the lining of a calf’s stomach, has led to Mars making a U-turn on a business decision, apologising for its decision and giving an undertaking that they will return to producing a vegetarian product. Although this issue could be regarded as a social factor, it is in fact an issue of economics as Mars have identified the effect this decision would have on its sales (www.bbc.co.uk 2007). There has been a growth in the chocolate market, the majority of which has been with the high quality, high value products associated to some extent with the growth in disposable income across the developed world. The growth in the market has not necessarily had a positive effect on the sales of Mars due to the inexpensive and generic nature of the product. However, this inexpensive nature of the Mars Bar makes purchasing it an uncomplicated decision for consumers with no financial consequences that could lead the purchaser to regret making the original decision to purchase a Mars bar or to restrict the quantity or frequency of purchases. The largest markets for Mars are generally the more affluent and developed markets with little room for growth such as UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The emerging and developing markets of India and China with a combined population of nearly 2 Billion individuals is a virtually untapped market of consumers. These markets would require a unique marketing strategy as although it has great potential, the regions are not known as great consumers of chocolate. Although a US product it is not known if the markets in India and China would take to it. For many geographic areas of both countries there would be concerns about refrigeration and chocolate melting, which would limit sales areas to main cities, and maybe bigger stores? however with the present level of mutual trade and the world’s general love of all things western it may not be a cause for concern. Master foods itself is showing growth in profits with a 1.4 percentage point of market share gained up to June 2007. Social The most recent issue that has affected the Mars bar has been the disastrous business decision to introduce the use of animal rennet as an ingredient in its chocolate the resulting backlash as discussed earlier not only from those with personal and lifestyle sensibilities but also from those with a social conscience with regard to the treatment of animals This led to Master foods making a U turn on a business decision. The chocolate industry as a whole has been under a political and social spotlight as discussed earlier. Consumers are becoming more ethically aware and are questioning the practices of those associated with the production of cocoa. The industry was heavily criticised over the use of â€Å"child slave labour. Master foods along with its two rivals Nestle and Cadbury do not perform well when examined for their ethical practices. What is the relationship between master Foods and Mars? I thought that Master Foods was a subsidiary of Mars, and Mars the chocolate brand is part of Mars the parent? Mars does not even feature on the league table of those products that are deemed ethical, although it’s fair to say that the ethical names on the list are not household names, either [give some examples, then!] (www.ethiscore.org 2007) The Mars bar is not produced under a fair trade or ethical banner, thus depriving consumers of a choice. They have a choice – they can buy Green and Blacks, or do without! The market in ethical or fair-trade usually caters for the higher quality chocolates which are priced at a premium. With the continued affluent western lifestyle leading to chronic obesity and ill health there has been a drive to improve the nutritional value of food and to reduce the quantity of high fat and high sugar food groups such as chocolates in our diets. Some members of the health and nutrition lobby are looking for draconian steps to be taken against the chocolate manufacturers to reduce their influence upon diets in a similar way that steps were taken against the tobacco industry. The chocolate industry has received threats about the banning of advertisements aimed at children and at peak times and on children’s television channels. Pre-empting this, Mars has declared that they are moving away from targeting children with their product, a positive social action of their own (www.bbc.co.uk 2007). Any reduction in the use of Cocoa will ultimately affect some 26 million people around the world who are reliant upon the chocolate industry, which includes some six million cocoa farmers (www.mars.com 2007). Technological To improve cocoa production yields and to guarantee production levels for the future, Mars is investing in research to produce disease resistant cocoa trees to prevent such catastrophes such as the introduction of the disease â€Å"Witches Broom† which decimated the cocoa industry in Brazil in the 1990’s. Should cocoa supplies be affected, the manufacturer with a guaranteed supply of good quality cocoa should corner the market at the expense of its competitors (www.mars.com 2007). Legal Should the lobbyists become successful in their campaigns to restrict advertising of chocolates or force changes to reduce fat and sugar content of chocolate or to have health warnings placed upon labels then this may not be through a voluntary code but through the introduction of legislation. This may vilify chocolate and make it as socially unacceptable as cigarettes, which may have a profound effect on sales. The safe production of chocolate and how it is presented for sale is governed at present by food safety and trading standards legislation, which is enacted by both national and European legislatures. Environmental There are large quantities of waste associated with the production of chocolate which includes waste chocolate product. Over the last five years the Mars manufacturing plant in Australia has reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 90%. For every 3000 tonnes of product produced every month, 220 tonnes of waste is produced. This is now fed to piglets. The animal waste is collected as fertilizer and the gases produced by the fermenting animal waste is burnt and used to generate electricity. These initiatives are reducing the costs to the business. However any positives are offset by the amount of waste that is being produced across the entire industry and at all the other Mars plants. Mars is also working to reduce the quantity of plastic in its packaging, which it has already reduced by 10% (www.mars.com 2007). Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers There was some criticism aimed at the chocolate industry accusing it of being responsible for large swathes of deforestation which occurred to make way for the cultivation of cocoa plantations. However, over a generation the cocoa plantations have become diverse ecological systems of their own. (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Pressure is also mounting on many commercial enterprises including chocolate manufacturers to publish the carbon footprint† of their product as society becomes more environmentally aware and wanting to know the affect on the environment that products they purchase have. Due to the raw ingredient coming from the far reaches of the planet and the distribution required for both ingredients and product it is expected that chocolate will have a large carbon footprint compared to the relative inexpensive and mundane nature of the product. (www.telegrapgh.co.uk 2007). Analysis of Mars Marketing Strategies Scope This is an examination of the advertising employed by Mars to Market their Mars bar product within the United Kingdom. It consists of an examination of the TV and Cinema advertising employed by Mars from 1980 to date and will identify themes in the advertising which may indicate the market segmentation strategies being employed. The Advertisements Advertisement 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXxR9cfB9_s This advertisement which was used in the UK in 1986 features a combination of young adults and children both male and female. It emphasises the quality and good value of the product and its â€Å"goodness†. It strongly suggests that it should be part of daily consumption and shows a Mars Bar in a lunchbox. It identifies the ingredients as â€Å"milk, sugar, glucose and thick, thick chocolate† and finishes with the tagline â€Å"A Mars a day helps you work rest and play† Advertisement 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=125FCPnOxNY A TV advert dated C. late 80s. It features a young woman who is an energetic young news reporter trying to impress the boss. After a series of dispiriting setbacks during the day, she pauses for a snack (of a Mars Bar) and then she gets the big break. The voiceover describes the contents of the Mars bar as â€Å"milk, glucose, milk and thick, thick chocolate† and the final tagline is â€Å"A Mars a day helps you work rest and play† The advert implies that the Mars Bar has beneficial effects in keeping high levels of energy throughout the day. Advertisement 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Z-utxJvqQ This TV advertisement was used by Mars in the UK in 1991. It features a well known British international athlete of the period, Peter Elliot. He is shown running in the early morning in an urban environment. He receives the admiring looks of the people he passes, which include the suggestion that he is attractive to the opposite sex. There is no voice over except at the end which lists the ingredients as â€Å"milk, glucose, malt and thick, thick chocolate in a Mars†. Mars is the revealed to be the â€Å"Official snack food of the British Olympic team†. Advertisement 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW4SIdXR8ks This TV advertisement was used by Mars in 2006. It features a casually dressed young man who buys a Mars Bar from a vending machine in a night time urban environment. He eats it as he walks through the streets. As he walks through the streets the lights turn on as he passes implying that the energy of his presence is doing this. He passes two women who give him admiring glances implying that he is attractive to women. There is no voiceover simply the music (Blue Monday by New Order) which is â€Å"high energy†. The Tagline is â€Å"Mars gives you energy† Advertisement 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ_7NiAw3C8 This TV advertisement used in 2006 exploits the World Cup of that year. It features a rabid male England football support singing a song and leading an impromptu parade about his belief that England will win the World Cup. The product is not mentioned at all and is only suggested by Bill boards in the background featuring Mars Bars but with the word Mars replaced by â€Å"Believe†. Advertisement 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm7SGhoTXR4 This is a 2007 advertisement featuring old footage of tennis player John McEnroe at Wimbledon. During the course of a match, he is doing badly and loses his temper. He eats a Mars bar and goes on to win. The final picture is of a Mars Bar with the words â€Å"Work Rest Play† printed underneath. There is no voiceover. Advertisement 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQugCSk8yYc A 2006 advertisement starts with the caption â€Å"Love on a Saturday Night with Mars†. It features a young man kissing one girl goodbye as she leaves his home (presumably on a Sunday morning). She leaves. Immediately she has left another girl appears who he greets and invites inside. The tableau implies that he is successful with the opposite sex and that he has substantial reserves of energy. The final caption has the tagline â€Å"Pleasure you can’t measure†. Themes An examination of the content of these advertisements reveals the following themes: The age range of all the protagonists is limited and generally does not exceed the age of 30 and does not include children. The only exception is in advertisement 1 which features older adults and children, which is chronologically the oldest. Of the seven advertisements, five have men as their major participants. The exceptions are advertisements 1 and 2 which are the oldest. There is an implication in each of the advertisements 2-7 that eating a Mars Bar assists in achieving success in some way. Specifically: Ad2- Success at work Ad3- Success in sport, attractiveness to opposite sex; Ad4- Attractiveness to opposite sex; Ad5- Success in Sport; Ad6- Success in Sport; Ad7- Attractiveness to opposite sex; There has been a gradual change from Ad1 to Ad7 in moving away from the emphasis on ingredients and value for money. From Ad1 to Ad2 the ingredients listed drops sugar and replaces it with malt. By Ad4 the listing of ingredients is dropped altogether and does not appear again. All advertisements emphasise the importance of the product in giving energy. Market Segmentation Assumptions Using Jobber’s schema of market segmentation criteria (Jobber, 2004, p213), the above can be analysed to identify Mars market segmentation strategy for the Mars Bar. Profile Variables Demographic- The advertisements are aimed exclusively at the young and vigorous and almost exclusively at males. Socio-Economic- The emphasis on young males would imply that the target group would not generally have large disposable incomes. However, there is not a clear emphasis on any socio-economic group. Geographic- Five of the seven advertisements feature primarily an urban environment. However, this is where the majority of the UK population live, so it should be expected. Psychographic Variables Lifestyle- The emphasis on the product giving energy would suggest that the product is aimed at people who have, or see themselves as having, a busy demanding lifestyle. Personality- The advertisements 2-7 all seem to associate the product with the striving for success. It is possible that the message is â€Å"Winners eat Mars Bars and I am a winner†. Behavioural Variables Benefits Sought- The clear benefit sought in all of the advertisements is that of a snack which provides an energy boost during the day. In addition, there has been a change in Mars’ assumption about the benefits sought from Ad1 (good value, large size, full of high calorie ingredients) to subsequent advertisements when these are no longer seen as benefits because of concerns about diet. Purchase Occasion There is no clear evidence of Mars’ assumptions about purchase occasion after Ad1 which in its tagline implies that Mars Bars should be purchased daily. Purchase Behaviour- There is no clear evidence in the advertisements of Mars’ assumptions about purchase behaviour. Usage There is a clear implication from the advertisements 2-7 that Mars consider young males as the main consumers of bar chocolate. Perceptions, Values and Beliefs All the advertisements, seem to emphasise the importance of striving, hard work, competing and living for the moment. It can be assumed that Mars are targeting those that share those values. Market Segmentation The division of a market into different homogeneous groups of consumers is known as market segmentation. Market segmentation correctly applied is about understanding the needs of the customer and therefore, how they decide between one product to another. This insight is used to form groups of customers who share the same or very similar value criteria. A company is then able to determine which groups of customers is best suited to serve and which product and service offers will both meet the needs of its selected segments and outperform the competition. The primary objective of segmentation therefore must be how to win and retain the customers you want to serve. The variables used for segmentation include: Geographic variables Demographic variables psychographic variables and behavioural variables. We have applied these variables to the Mars Bar and in this report we will provide an insight into segmentation and how this relates to consumer purchasing behaviour. Today’s consumer is more ethically and environmentally aware and environmentally aware than ever before and increasingly so with regard to the consumption of food and drink. In the media, on shelves, the focus on reducing our carbon footprint is constantly present and the push to understand where our food is from is increasing. Customers segment themselves and take no notice of how companies segment their market when choosing between competing products and services, customers select the proposition that meets their needs better than any other. To win market share, therefore Masterfoods ensures that their offers meet these needs better than any other at a price they perceive as providing superior value for money (which does not necessarily mean it has to be the cheapest) in order to achieve this Masterfoods have made sure Mars Bar is available in any region of the world or the country. George Day (1980) describes a bottom- up approach in this approach you start with a single customer and then build on that profile Masterfoods initially aimed the Mars Bars at the active person who worked hard this was predominately aimed at the young male market. However this approach has changed and the company is now targeting females and the health conscious market- by making their chocolate bar lighter and encouraging people to see it as a snack, compared to a lunch replacement. The Bar itself is reasonably priced it appeals to all due to its slick slogans ‘pleasure you cannot measure’. Discussions did take place to introduce rennet to the Mars Bars but this was quickly withdrawn due to pressure therefore this leads us to believe the consumer has power and religion and ethnic marketing has role to play in the demographic variable in market segmentation. The Mars Bar itself has been updated with new features such as a funkier typeface on the wrapper and a lighter whipped nougat filling. Mars bars used to be pretty challenging to chew but that familiar caramel- induced jaw ache will soon be forgotten, as Mars become even more like milky ways. The person that purchases a chocolate bar is often not thinking what chocolate he or she wants: it’s due to the advertising and identification with the brand that leads the person to buy a particular bar of chocolate. Mars Bar at the start mentioned in its slogan ‘work rest and play’ due to the changing life styles values, attitudes, personalities of people Masterfoods have had to change their approach and now it has adopted ‘pleasure you cannot measure’ this aims to reflect

Gender inequality in contemporary society

Gender inequality in contemporary society Describe And Discuss Gender Inequality In Contemporary Society With Reference To The Labour Market. Sex is what distinguishes men and women biologically, namely it describes the physical qualities which derive from variations in chromosomes, hormones and genitalia. Gender refers to a set of culturally defined characteristics which determine societys view of people as masculine or feminine. Sociologists have long debated over the causes of unfair sexual divisions of labour. Some have forwarded biological explanations, whereas others hold responsible the socialisation of gender roles. In this essay I will look at how the nineteenth century socialisation of gender roles is believed to have affected womens position in the labour market. I will then consider the increasing feminisation of the labour market and seek to explain the persistent inequalities between men and women. Up until the twentieth century, women were largely excluded from the labour market, partly because of the social construction of separate male and female spheres. Feminist Ann Oakley believes that the modern role of housewife emerged in the early stages of industrialisation (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 108). Due to the norms and values of the time, supported by the functionalist Parsons, it was expected of the man to provide for the family, whilst the woman would tend to the home. Oakley claims that this concept of different duties has persevered and has since had a negative influence on the development of womens position within the labour market (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 108). However, since the mid-twentieth century there has been an increasing feminisation of the workforce. According to Ulrich Beck, women are setting the pace for change (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 647). In Becks view, we are moving into the second modernity (as against post modernity). He argues that in our society, characterised by risk and uncertainty, women have realised the importance of self-reliance and have sought to widen their participation in the labour market and as a result have changed the social discourse. This has been made possible by a number of factors. The increased possibilities of an education, the development of domestic appliances, the growing tendency for smaller families, the Feminist Movement of the 1970s, the steady expansion of the service industry, the increase in living costs and the consequent need for two incomes are all factors which have generated a shift in traditional family patterns and significantly changed the gender division of labour. A UK Labour Fo rce survey conducted in 2005 suggests that the rates of employment for women of working age have risen to 70% in 2004 compared to 56% in 1971. In contrast, employment rates for men have declined from 92% to 79% (Giddens, 2006, 755). Despite womens increased participation in the labour market, barriers to equality remain. Although 75% of women of working age are in employment in the UK, it has been shown that in high-earning, high-status professions they are severely under-represented (www.employment-studies.co.uk). 2005 demonstrated, in terms of vertical segregation, that 83% of chief executives, 71% of sales managers and 70% of management consultants were men, whilst 96% of dinner ladies, 95% of receptionists and 76% of cleaners were women (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 124). Different reasons are held responsible for such disproportion. One argument is that jobs are highly gendered, with a tendency for high-status, high-paid jobs to be male-dominated because they have traditionally been perceived as masculine. Radical feminist Sylvia Walby claims women are subjugated by patriarchal values that discriminate and confine them to specific areas of work (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 113). Not only are women under-represented at the highest levels of the occupational structure, they have likewise not achieved equality of pay, despite liberal feminists success in campaigning for equal pay legislation. The wage gap was once thought to be narrowing, however, new figures suggest that the pay divide is still a matter of concern today. According to the Office for National Statistics, the pay gap between men and women in full-time work has increased to 17.1% since 2007 (The Guardian,15/11/08). The median full-time gross weekly earnings per week for men in 2007 were  £498, whilst for women they stood at  £395. In 2008 they stand at  £521 for men and  £412 for women. It has been calculated that over a lifetime, women working full-time will earn an average of  £369.000 less than their male colleagues. This result, according to the annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, places Britain 81st in the world ranking in terms of equal pay for men and women in sim ilar jobs (The Guardian,15/11/08). Part of the reason would appear to be because of horizontal segregation. Much of the female workforce is clustered into a range of semi-skilled, low-status and poorly paid occupations. Across the occupational structure, men predominate in such lines of work as manufacturing, construction, IT and business industries. Conversely, women are overwhelmingly represented in health and social work, teaching, catering and cleaning (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 123). Feminists, therefore, see this as a reflection of the two spheres ideology. 2005 demonstrated, in terms of horizontal segregation, that 79% of social workers and 73% of teachers were women. In the same year, 90% of the construction industry and 76% of people working in transport were men (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 123). In addition, the fact that many women work in the part-time sector can be part of the reason for the poor levels of pay they are subject to. Occupational segregation has been used to explain such high concentration of women in part-time work. Despite the disadvantages it involves, part-time work seems to remain a popular choice for women. In 2004, 5.2 million women in the UK were in part-time employment, compared to 1.2 million men (Giddens, 2006, 757). Social forces such as limited childcare assistance and gender discrimination have also been held responsible for such large numbers of women in part-time work. Many women seeking full-time employment often face unjust hurdles which men do not encounter: a Fawcett Society study (the leading liberal feminist organisation) reveals that 52% of employers consider the chances of a new member of staff becoming pregnant before employing them (www.fawcettsociety.org.uk). However, whilst it is possible that this may discourage many women who intend to have children from looking for full-time work, this is not on its own sufficient reason to explain such a heavy influx in the part-ti me sector. Catherine Hakims preference theory suggests that womens position in the labour market depends entirely on the rational choices they make (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). Hakim identifies two types of women: those who commit themselves to full-time careers or those who prioritise their domestic responsibilities. According to Hakim, many women have different work orientations than men, leading them to choose part-time occupations which enable them to balance their domestic and professional lives. Rosemary Crompton and Fiona Harris agree that womens position in the labour market is influenced by their decisions. They argue, however, that the choices women make are not always rational, but are the results of the practical challenges and cultural norms they may face. Crompton and Harris believe that women often start a career committed to the idea of full-time employment and the family sphere in equal measure, but in later life might have to compromise one or the other for a variety of rea sons. There is, therefore, an important debate between feminists. Additional theories have been advocated by sociologists to explain womens continued limitations in the job-market. Talcott Parsons functionalist human capital theory suggests that womens natural role is that of childcare. The theory implies that women are likely not to commit to a career or gaining qualifications, preferring to dedicate themselves to their children (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). According to Parsons, this lack of commitment or skills renders women less valuable to the employer, and is ultimately the reason for womens disadvantaged position in the labour market. However, critics of the theory point out that it does not account for the large number of women who dedicate themselves to a career and still end up in lower-paid, lower-status jobs (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). Barron and Norriss dual labour market theory promotes the idea of two labour markets: a primary sector in which professionals and skilled workers belong, characterised by highly paid and secure jobs, and a secondary sector, consisting in lowly paid, less secure jobs mainly occupied by unskilled labourers. According to Barron and Norris, women are more likely than men to work in this sector because they are less interested in wages or status, a view which echoes that of Hakim. Transition from the secondary to the primary sector is rare, ending in confinement within a range of low-paid jobs for ones entire working life. The theory is criticised by feminists for not being able to explain why skilled women often earn less than men in similar work, or why they get promoted less often than men in the same job (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 126). In the past century, women have made a revolutionary ascent in the labour market even if many work in the part-time sector. However, the rate of improvement seems to have stalled rather than grown. Despite legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), vast inequalities remain in Britain, especially in terms of pay and status. It might well be that more radical reforms need to be made. In Norway, for example, hundreds of women have benefitted from a new act, passed in 2003, which stipulates that companies must increase the number of women on their boards to 44.%. This now means that Norway heads the league table for gender equality, 12 places above the UK (The Guardian, 17/11/08). This suggests that post-feminists are mistaken in believing there is no more for feminists to do. A third wave of feminism, as suggested by Katherine Rake, or new feminism, to use Natasha Walters term, may be precisely what is needed. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Bilton, Tony et al. Sociology in Perspective (Causeway Press, ND). Giddens, Anthony, Sociology 5th edition, (Polity, 2006). Haralambos, Holborn, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives 7th edition, (London: Collins, 2008). Newspaper Articles: The Guardian, 15/11/08 p 10. The Guardian, 17/11/08 ND. Electronic Sources of Information: http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=294 http://www.ehs.org.uk/othercontent/walsh30a.pdf http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5748

Silas Marner: The Effect of Choice :: Character Analysis, Godfrey Cass, Eppie, Molly

3,847,295 dominoes were toppled on November 15, 2002 breaking the world record according to The Guiness Book of World Reocords. When dominos are placed in a line, standing on end, and one is pushed over, a chain reaction begins and the dominos fall as each is pushed over by its neighbor. Similarly, actions people take in life influence others and the domino effect continues. Silas Marner shows that each person’s choices affect themselves and others. First, Godfrey Cass makes unsound decisions and causes problems for people. Initially, Godfrey secretly marries Molly; he would have been better off if he had married her in the open or had not married her at all. Dunstan uses Godfrey’s marriage to threaten him and says, â€Å"‘I might tell the Squire how his handsome son [is] married to a nice young woman, Molly Farren and [is] very unhappy because he [can’t] live with his drunken wife’†(24). Godfrey’s disgraceful marriage was a bad decision. Later, Molly is unhappy about their marriage because Godfrey resides in his fine house while she dwells in a dingy, small room. Molly hated that â€Å"her husband would be smiling and smiled upon, hiding her existence in the darkest corner of his heart† (108). Then, many years after Molly succumbs to her drug addiction, Godfrey unwisely decides to try to adopt his daughter Eppie who grew up with Silas. When Godfrey breaks the news to Eppie that h e is her father, she â€Å"turns quite pale† (171) and replies, â€Å"But I can’t leave my father† (170). She is shocked that Godfrey had neglected her all of her life. It would have been nobler of Godfrey to claim Eppie as his own and reveal his marriage, but he was afraid of losing his reputation. Godfrey’s decision to marry Molly and not to claim Eppie creates turmoil in Raveloe. Additionally, Molly’s choices eventually bring Eppie to Silas, and Eppie makes decisions that make her happy. Molly sets off on her way to the Red House: â€Å"The journey on New Year’s Eve was a premeditated act of vengeance which she had kept in her heart† (108). Molly is unhappy because of her opium addiction and her marriage. When Molly collapses from the drugs, â€Å"The little one, rising on its legs, [toddles] through the snow†¦[toddles] on to the open door of Silas Marner’s cottage and right up to the warm hearth† (110). Because Molly yields to her addiction, Eppie is placed in the hands of Silas who raises Eppie happily.

Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing Essay -- Aristotle Philosophy Philoso

Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing Aristotle describes three types of life in his search for human flourishing: lives of gratification, politics, and contemplation. He contends that there is a single Idea of Good that all men seek, and he finds that happiness, or eudaimonia, best fits his criteria. Aristotle investigates the human purpose to find how happiness is best achieved, and finds that a life of activity and contemplation satisfies our purpose, achieving the most complete happiness in us. Aristotle is correct regarding the necessity of activity, but restricts the theory to only the life of study. We will reject this restriction, and instead allow any life of virtue and productivity to substitute for Aristotle’s life of study. One primary means of remaining active to achieve happiness includes loving friendships, which only happen to the virtuous. Thus human flourishing is living a life of virtue, activity, and productivity. Aristotle proposes that we have a single Idea of Good which is both complete and self-sufficient, chosen entirely for itself, and that end is happiness. He must establish these three claims: Idea of Good Claim 1) We have ends which we choose for themselves. Idea of Good Claim 2) That there is only one such end. Idea of Good Claim 3) That end is happiness. He argues for Idea of Good Claim 1) as follows (Irwin 173): 1.1. If we choose everything because of something else, desire will be empty and futile. 1.2. We have a gut feeling that some desires are not empty and futile. 1.3. Therefore, we do not choose everything because of something else. 1.4. Therefore we choose something for its own sake. 1.5. What we choose for its own sake, therefore, must be the best good. Th... ...nt role in helping us remain active and virtuous. We can apply a broader application of this search for happiness by allowing lives other than that of study and contemplation to be pursued, as long as virtue and loving friendships are present. To arrive at this conclusion we postulated two of Aristotle’s premises (see Postulate 1 and Postulate 2); allowing these lead us to a worthwhile map of how one may reach eudaimonia, the Idea of Good which follows from the postulates. Overlaying a life of productivity for Aristotle’s requirement of study, we have achieved a valid argument, assuming the postulates, for a means of human flourishing. One should live one’s life with virtue, activity, and productivity. Work Cited: All references are made to Nicomachean Ethics, written by Aristotle, translated by Terrence Irwin. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1999.

Walmart Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Essays

Walmart Case Definition of Main Problem: There can be no argument that Wal*Mart has revolutionized the discount retailing industry. Furthermore, CEO Glass and COO Soderquist have stepped in at the helm of this company and continued to take it in the right direction by quadrupling sales and profits from 1987 to 1993. The main problem they now face is how to sustain their phenomenal performance, and becoming number one has magnified this issue. No longer can they just sneak into small towns where the only competition is the local merchant’s shop. No longer can they copy larger companies like Sears and J.C. Penny’s because of their size and scope. The fact is, Wal*Mart is bigger than these companies and their direct competitors Kmart and Target are doing everything in their power to close that gap. They are lurking not so quietly in the shadows, benefiting from Wal*Mart’s past choices, successes, and failures. They are there to blow the whistle if Wal*Mart steps outside the lines. Wal*Mart may be growing, but at a rate under 10% for the first time in years. Shareholders are concerned, the press is relentless, and many obstacles lie in their path if they hope to continue the trends Sam Walton set so ambitiously in 1962. Analysis: With one of their main issues being sustained profitability, Wal*Mart is at a critical time in their life. They are no longer the hero, a place commonly reserved for competitors striving to be number one, because Wal*Mart is number one. No one can debate how effective they have been in getting here. Through their focus on superior technology and low cost leadership, Wal*Mart reigned supreme. They are redefining Porter’s five forces model in the discount retailing industry, and are in the enviable position of having first mover’s advantage. Yet this blessing is also a curse. By virtue of their efficient, effective system and its proven success, companies like Kmart and Target are watching closely and both emulating and improving upon this system. An analysis of the five forces model will show Wal*Mart’s main competitive advantages in supplier power and barriers to entry. A look into their distribution centers and how they have been instrumental in reducing supplier power will be followed by an analysis of how effective first mover advantage has been and where they must take it next. Early in the history of... ...rn to introduction and growth as opposed to decline). Thirdly, there are areas both domestic and abroad relatively untouched by Wal*Mart: large cities. Though it may seem like untapped potential in these markets, it is not recommended to expand in these highly populated areas. The axiom, â€Å"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,† applies: If Wal*Mart were to do an about-face and start expanding in this form, it would send mixed signals about not only changes in the corporate strategy, but also about the future of this conglomeration of stores. This is especially poignant at this volatile time in the price of their stocks. They should also be extremely cautious in the acquisition of existing discount retailing companies. As the industry becomes more concentrated, Wal*Mart’s selectivity in large acquisitions extends beyond just profits. Many times, Wal*Mart could better spend their resources by improving existing stores or building new ones because they can build them around their ideologies at a much lower cost than through purchasing other companies. Again, this is not to say they should not expand in this manner, just that they need to be extremely selective when doing so.