Australian Paper Mfg

The fourth option Is one that focuses on diminishing the environmental impact of Amp's operations. While the fourth option has merit in alleviating environmental concerns, it does not have a costive financial impact on Amp's operations. AMP created four distinct products that serve the specific needs of four consumer segments. These segments include offset printing, copy paper, taprooms, and recycled paper. The respective segments all offer different contribution margins to Amp's operations and vary greatly in their respective growth in demand over the next six years.The key operational decision is one that affords AMP the flexibility to use additional capacity to meet the growing demands of the most profitable sub-segments of the uncoated fine paper market. Conclusion AMP should choose the option outlined by the group general manager that affords the most flexibility to meet the growing demand in the uncoated fine paper market. That being considered, AMP must also meet the predeterm ined returns required by its parent corporation, Amoco.These targets are required for the release of capital to AMP, and while Amoco has set minimum return thresholds, AMP should strive to create the largest return on investment to its parent company. Option 1, described in the Appendix, satisfies this obligation to Amoco and allows AMP the most flexibility In using Increased capacity. This option also allows AMP to return considerable cash flow over the five year period without overextending Its operations beyond the market demand.Identification Key operations generalness They key operations challenge for AMP is the need to adapt its operations strategy in order to expand its capacity and meet the growing demand in the uncoated fine paper market. AMP is currently at its maximum throughput capacity and must invest considerable capital to expand its operations. The company is contemplating several different courses, each with valid business context, and must ecocide which option allo ws AMP to best meet the growing demand while maintaining and developing further competitive advantages.Operations Strategy Amp's operations strategy focuses on superior customer service and quality compared to its competitors in the fine paper industry. AMP made the decision to enter the uncoated fine paper market in 1987 and used its experience in paperboard manufacturing to Jump start this expansion. As the success of Amp's fine paper production ramped up, the company deemphasized its dependence on the paperboard market. This business decision influenced Amp's operational decision o invest in efficient technology that allowed it better quality and cost advantaged compared to its competitors.Furthermore, AMP opted to vertically integrate its operations to include pulping for non-recycled paper and the collection of used office paper in order to gather raw materials to compete in the recycled paper market. Customer Needs AMP competes to satisfy its customers' needs of quality and en vironmental performance. The company invested considerable resources in state of the art equipment that provides superior fine paper via four distinct offerings: Printing, Darting, CopyRight, and Right.Printing was designed to satisfy the offset printing needs of businesses, Darting was designed to suit form creation, CopyRight was created for everyday copying, and Right was a recycled office paper offering targeted at the environmentally conscious customer. Each of these products met the specific quality standards of its target customers. AMP utilized superior technology that created a higher quality paper than any of its competitors. Amp's investment in more efficient technology also paid off in satisfying the environmental considerations of its customers.The processes and equipment that AMP used rated fewer organogenesis than the old machines and processes of Paper Company of Australia (PICA), Amp's chief competitor. Furthermore, Amp's investment in Right scored the endorsement o f the World Wildlife Fund for its respect for and positive impact on the environment. This coupled with Amp's initiative of the â€Å"AMP Office Paper Chase† (Upton, 1993, p. 13) placed the company well ahead of its competition in terms of satisfying the environmental performance needs of its customers.Business context Tort Immediate Decision The market for uncoated fine paper was projected to grow at a rate of 6. 5% annually for the next ten years. The market for copier paper alone, a sub-segment of uncoated fine paper, was projected to grow at a rate of 10% per year for the next decade. The CEO of AMP stated â€Å"If we sit still, we'll get hurt sometime before the year 2000. Whoever takes the next big step will have it made in Australia†¦ If PICA decides to expand†¦ What will their net increase be† (Upton, 1993, up. 15-16)?In addition to these financial considerations, AMP and the Australian paper market at large continue to face mounting pressure from env ironmental groups that are opposed to any further expansion of the paper industry. Environmentalists have urged paper manufacturers to â€Å"think globally, act locally' (Upton, 1993, p. 16) and to â€Å"reduce first, reuse second, and recycle third† (p. 16). In order to either satisfy the requests of the environmentalists or to contradict their wishes, AMP must make an operational decision sooner rather than later to avoid these mounting pressures.Analysis and Evaluation of Critical Decision Factors Competitive Analysis AMP has quickly established itself as the growing force in the domestic uncoated fine paper market in Australia. Its chief competitor is Paper Company of Australia PICA). PICA dominated the Australian uncoated and coated fine paper market for many years with virtually no domestic competition. Pica's processes and equipment are out-of-date and still rely on machinery that was manufactured in the sass.PICA also forced its customers to purchase its products thr ough merchants, while AMP developed a direct sales approach with customers. The secondary source of competition exists among the imported paper products in the Australian market. Low tariffs allowed for international competitors to enter the market and compete with domestic paper supply. Until AMP opted to enter the uncoated fine paper market, each domestic paper manufacturer in Australia kept to its own markets.Five Forces The rivalry among competing sellers in the fine paper market in Australia is fairly strong because the cost for consumers to switch products is low, the products are weakly differentiated, the competitors are roughly equal in size, many import competitors exist, and there are high exit barriers due to the high fixed costs and capital investments required to enter the fine paper market. The advantages that AMP and PICA benefit from include the rising demand for fine paper in the market ND domestic competition is limited to these two competitors. The threat of pote ntial new competitors is fairly weak in the fine paper market.This is because high barriers to entry exist in the fine paper market, including high economies of scale, experienced-based cost advantages for existing firms, high capital requirements to enter the market, and restrictive environmental policies on paper contest new entrants and the existing members generally stay in their own lanes. The potential risks associated with new entrants to the market include the rapidly growing demand for fine paper and that existing industry members could make operational changes to concentrate on the growing recycled paper segment of the fine paper market.The threat from other firms offering substitute products in the Australian fine paper market is very low. Virtually no substitutes exist for paper, and at this time, the business and personal computer market is Just beginning to take shape. Supplier bargaining power in the Australian fine paper market is also very weak. This is because both AMP and PICA have vertically integrated their operations. AMP controls its own foresting, pulp mills, and paper manufacturing plants. While he foresting areas are limited, AMP has utilized a replanting strategy which creates more trees than it presently uses in its operations.Therefore, there is no need to use outside suppliers for its operations. The bargaining power of buyers is only a moderate risk to AMP and the Australian paper market. Buyers have limited power because the cost of switching products is low and the products are generally undifferentiated. However, the buyers are small and numerous relative to the sellers in the market, buyer's information regarding sellers is limited in quantity and quality, ND buyers are generally not price sensitive in this market because paper purchases are a small part of the total purchases and cost structure of most organizations.STOW Analysts The STOW Analysis for AMP reveals the following: Strengths ; Highest quality domestic paper prod ucts ; Most efficient domestic paper-making technology with customers ; Direct relationships ; Focused products on four distinct customer segments ; Satisfy customer needs of quality and environmental performance ; Part of a larger company (Amoco) with ability to invest capital in growth ; One of only two domestic fine paper manufacturers in country strength in fine paper processes Right paper product Weaknesses ; Expertise in paperboard has translated to ; Endorsement of World Wildlife Fund for ; Relatively new to the fine paper market ; Brands/products not as well-known as heritage market brands Insufficient capacity to meet growing demand ; High expansion costs/capital required ; High fixed costs Opportunities ; AMP Office Paper Chase initiative to gather more recycled paper ; Ability to expand Ana capture greater snare AT growing Tine paper market ; Recycled paper market growing with support of environmentalists Non-chlorine bleaching process technologies available ; PICA is in the corsairs of environmental groups Threats ; Mounting pressure against expansion from environmental groups Possible legislation/litigation against manufacturing processes ; PICA may invest in new technology/opt to expand its operations ; Import competitors may create newer, higher quality, and/or low cost products to gain market share ; New competitors, domestic or international, may enter the market ; Disease that affects trees/replanting efforts Financial Analysis AMP had no presence in the uncoated fine paper market in 1986. I Long-term Uncoated Fine Paper Market in Australia (000 tones) 11986 1 I Category I Forecast I Demand I I Continuous Forms I PICA I Make Share I Imports I I Category I Demand I I Offset Printing 144 178 16 17. 7% I Copier 10 1150 166 144. 0% 1302 195 I I Recycled 131. 5% I 130 123 176. 7% I Total Amp's contribution margin per product is driven first by its recycled paper, then its copier paper, followed by offset printing paper and continuous forms.Copier paper comprises the largest percentage of Amp's manufacturing, followed by offset printing, continuous forms, and recycled paper, respectively. Contribution Margin for AMP in I 11989 I Tones I Produced 117,000 | 28,000 125,000 | 7,000 I Contribution I per tone | $460 1260 1490 1610 I Total Contribution I Share 7820,oho 124. 7% 123. 0% 138. 7% 113. 5% I I Copier I I Total The group general manager of AMP outlined four potential capital projects in the case study. Each of these options and their respective costs relative to the capacity they provide are outlined in the table below. Option 1 provides the best cost per tone AAA t 01 IANAL capacity galena AMP. Upton 3 proposes no allotment capacity Tort I Evaluation of capital expenditures and options I Lipton 1 I I Machine 3 at Marble expanded from 70,000 to 100,000 tones for $MOM I Capacity may be used for expansion of any fine paper product production (installation time) 30,000 additional capacity I I Unknown: Time from investment to I Additional capacity Capital required 1,166. 67 I Price per tone of I Lipton 2 I Fairfield expansion from 7,000 tones to 1 5,000 tones for $MOM I Capacity may be used for expansion of recycled paper 8,000 2,250. 00 I Lipton 3 Investment in technology to reduce organogenesis has no impact on Amp's capacity or throughput respectively, with no return on investmentI Requires $MOM and $MM I | $MOM investment would reduce throughput by 5% I Lipton 4 I I Investment to purchase/ install new paper machine with 150,000 tones capacity for $MOM I I Capacity may be used for expansion of any fine paper product I lunation: cost of new pulp mill associated with this project, return garnered from selling excess pulp capacity, I Demand for coated paper market 1 50,000 I Capital required 2,333. 33 Price per tone AT allotment capacity Alternative Recommendations Option 3 from the financial analysis has been eliminated, as it offers no additional capacity. Because additional capacity represents the lar gest opportunity for AMP, only capital projects that yield greater capacity should be considered at this time. The remaining three options and a combination option are presented in the table in the Appendix. Recommendation and Plan of Action It is recommended that AMP utilizes Option 1 immediately.Option 1 is the only option that provides a near-immediate increase in capacity while satisfying Amos's requirement (Amp's parent company) off 20% rate of return. The first option provides over $32 million in positive net present value and a 36. 1% internal rate of return over the course of the next five years. Option 1 also yields the most flexibility in satisfying the growing demand in the uncoated fine paper market. Option 2 does turn a positive net present value of $1. 8 million for AMP, but only provides a 10. 67% internal rate of return. Because the project only yields an additional 8,000 tones of capacity, it cannot satisfy the rate of return requirements of Amoco.The third option r equires the largest outflow of capital and produces the highest level of capacity. However, market demand is insufficient to Justify this capital expense at this time. This is further supported by the negative net present value and negative rate of return calculations. Option 4 combines the first two options, in which case the combined capacity and capital outlay collectively satisfies the required return for Amoco. However, the net present value and the internal rate of return are lower with the combined option than the first option. Competitive Advantage If AMP acts on the recommendation to move forward with Option 1, it will gain the competitive advantage of capacity.However, even with the added capacity granted y Option 1, AMP can only expect to reach parity with the capacity of PICA. This is supported by Pica's current output of 108,000 tones of uncoated fine paper and Amp's current output of 77,000 tones. With neither domestic competitor in position to take full advantage of t he market's growing demand for uncoated fine paper, which will reach 305,000 tones by 1995, import competitors may gain the largest competitive advantage. ‘s principle competitive advantage In ten market Is ten quality AT Its products Because AMP has invested considerable capital into newer technology than PICA, it is n a better position to continue this domestic lead over its rival.Similarly, Amp's investment in more efficient technology has placed it in a better position to deal with the environmental concerns associated with paper manufacturing. Conversely, Pica's outdated technology and processes create more pollution and have caused it to become the target of environmentalist groups. Impact to Business, Customers, and Competitors If AMP is able to enact Option 1, it stands to gain over $15 million in additional cash flow per year, in addition to $32 million in positive net present value over the course of five years, and a 36. % return on its investment. This increase in capacity will also allow AMP to match the output of the market leader, PICA.The customers of the Australian paper market stand to benefit from Amp's additional capacity in terms of quality, availability, and environmental performance. AMP uses more efficient technology to create higher quality products. The increase in capacity from AMP will allow these products to be available to more consumers. Amp's emphasis on recycled paper manufacturing will also help to satisfy the growing demand in this segment and assuage environmental concerns about increased domestic paper manufacturing PICA will be impacted, at least short term, by the increased capacity created by AMP through the utilization of Option 1. This increased capacity will allow AMP to continue its momentum in gaining market share. However, the uncoated fine paper market is growing quickly.By 1995, even with the utilization of Option 1 by AMP, neither PICA nor AMP will have sufficient capacity to meet the market demand for unc oated fine paper. Therefore, import competition will also have a strong advantage in gaining market share. The only way to prevent the market demand increases from benefiting international competitors is for AMP, PICA, or another domestic competitor to considerably expand capacity and/or enter the uncoated fine paper market. AMP must act quickly to continue its growth in the uncoated fine paper market. The market is expanding rapidly, and with both AMP and PICA operating at full capacity the market is ripe for the company that can create it. Option 1 is the most logical operational choice for AMP that also makes good business sense.Option 1 quickly expands its current capacity by 30,000 tones per year in the most versatile ill that can use the capacity to meet any demand that arises in the market. Adding any additional options presented brings down NAP and AIR for the company. However, AMP should closely monitor the uncoated fine paper market for the next several years Ana reevaluat e ten expected level AT mean IT . ten mean accelerates at a faster-than-expected pace, or once demand has reached a level in which it becomes possible for AMP to Justify the significant capital investment of a new pulp mill and large capacity machine, it should consider expanding its capacity to take advantage of this growing demand. References Upton, David. (December 13, 1993). Australian Paper Manufacturers (A). Harvard Business School. 9-691-041.

Gerry Conway – American Entrepreneur

Gerry Conway was the classic American entrepreneur – visionary, charismatic, driven, impatient, and impending. Born in Cleveland in 1931, Conway was the ninth of 13 children. His love of the retail environment, his strong interdependence, and his deep appreciation of people appreciation of people stemmed from his childhood experience: claiming that he has been in retail for over 60 years, working at some of his fathers 200 food stores. After college, Conway and his wife, Marty, returned to Cleveland. He began working for an industrial firm and quickly learned that, while sales attracted him, working in a large corporation did not.After working at some small firms, Conway decided to found his own company, Gerald A. Conway & Associates, being display-printing broker. One day, a colleague suggested that he sell the plastic parts that retailers used to display signs as part of his printing broker business. The advantage of selling accessories was that he could sell the same produc t to many companies simultaneously, which was not possible in display printing, for which each printing job was customized. An early product idea was the Arrowhead fastener, which was designed to hold coupons and signs on store shelves.It was a best seller from the start. During this time though, Conway had struggles with alcohol, stating that it was a problem, but through a self-help program he chose sobriety and regained focus in his life. The following year, his first year sober, his income shot up by about 35 percent-a direct correlation. He celebrated the event saying that was a significant event in the business and for his family. In the mid 1970s, now sober, Gerald Conway and Associates was renamed Fasteners for Retail (FFr) to acknowledge its exclusive focus on display accessories and fasteners within the point-of-purchase industry.The P-O-P product includes signs, displays, devices, and structures that are used to merchandise services or products in retail stores. The acces sory hardware segment was highly fragmented. No single supplier had more than 10 percent of the sub supplier market, and many competed in only a few product categories. FFr was the largest company in this niche, with a market share of approximately 7. 5 percent. The company distinguished itself from its competitors in several important ways. It offered a broad and innovative product line, free samples, quick turnaround on orders, and a liberal sales return policy.The willingness to emphasize new products also became a defining characteristic for the business. While the company’s early expansion began with imported Swedish design accessories, the product line grew because of Conway’s creativity and dissatisfaction with status quo. Two products in particular, the Shipflat literature holder and SuperGrip sign holders, were critical to FFr’s success in the early 1980’s. In the 1980s, FFr grew consistently and at a steady pace, having five employees and sales of $3 million. As stated above, business began to boom as a result of a expanding product line and larger sales force.The company grew steadily, adding employees in accounting, customer service, product design, and marketing. Its opportunistic philosophy supported the company’s growth. The business was always profitable, there was no debt, and the company never got tied up in long-term commitments. Production and most warehousing were subcontracted, and office space was leased. The company made quick decisions, and arrangements with vendors were frequently based on handshakes. The flipside of FFr’s opportunism and speed was that it lacked a business plan and strategic discipline.To keep the company growing, Conway realized that he needed to hire a president with managerial expertise. Although he understood the value of management, he was an entrepreneur, not a traditional manager. The company went through several presidents. FFr, for a time, was a company with an organ izational chart but not a lot of organization. That changed in the late 1990’s. In the early 1990’s, Conway and his wife, Marty, joined Case Western Reserve University’s Partnership for Family Business. This led to Conway realizing the importance for such things as an advisory board, which was made up of four independent current and former company CEOs.It also led Conway to begin thinking of the furture of the company, and the possibility of passing it down to one of his sons. Family involvement in the company began in the 1970s, when the Conway children earned extra money by putting adhesive on the back of Arrowhead fasteners. They had all done odd jobs for FFr, but of the seven children only three worked in the business as adults. Kevin, the eldest, joined in the early 1980s and became an outstanding salesman, Paul, the youngest, eventually became the international sales manager, and Neil, the fourth son, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in college and found w ork in the warehouse.Out of the three sons, Paul was seen as the most serious contender, but after some time in the company and deliberation, he decided that being CEO was not for him and went on to become a teacher. Now Gerry was left with a huge predicament. Kevin was out of the picture, his son Stuart had, long ago; decided that he didn’t want the responsibility. None of the kids were interested. Gerry’s problem was not only his lack of succession planning, but also his lack of retirement planning. He had done some retirement planning but the demands of running a business didn’t leave him time to establish an actual plan.So where does this leave Gerry, his company, and his family’s future? (Source: Poza PG 141-155) My first step of advice for Mr. Conway would be to take step a back. Even though he is experiencing a very rough time right now with his succession planning, it is very important to note what he has done for the company and his family. He ha s managed to start up a successful business in which his family is involved and with net sales in the millions. He also made sure that he set up certain things like an advisory board for the company, which was made up of his son, brother, and two independent CEO owners.He and his wife also made family meetings a regular event for everyone to gather at. They even went so far to go over their estate plan to make sure that their children gained a substantial amount of value from FFr over their lifetime. These are all great things that Gerry and Marty did for the family business and they should be recognized. After taking some time to admire their contributions to the company, its time to move on to the next step and tackle the problems head on. Gerry needs someone to take over the company, and his kids were not an option.After reading the case several times though, I determined that there was someone that Gerry could entrust with the company, his chief advisor and wife Marty. Marty pla yed a very pivotal role in the company, being a person who signed the checks and overlooked the company’s finances. She also had a public role at company functions and was a people booster. She played a more significant role behind the scenes, supporting Gerry as he considered important business changes, such as handling over administrative reins or making personal changes.Both family members and outsiders described Marty as the glue that worked behind the scenes to hold the family together through the predictable challenges that families who work together faced. (Source Poza PG 154) Marty seems more than qualified to take control of business, which would also give Gerry time to iron out his retirement plan. This would also give Gerry the opportunity to have another talk with his son Paul about running the company. The text states that Gerry was a loner in the way that he ran his business.Paul may not have realized that he could do the job differently- probably in a more dece ntralized and collaborative way. (Source: Poza PG 154) I feel that it is crucial that Gerry makes Paul realize that if he decided to be CEO he can take a different approach to running the company, his own. He could run the company and instill the values that he thinks is important into it. After realizing this and the possible opportunity that he his passing up, not only for himself but also his future family, he will have to at least reconsider his father’s offer and most likely come back to work for the company.If this still does not work, Gerry is left with the option of finding someone else in the family to run the company, find a trusted family friend to run the company, or sell it all together. In conclusion, Gerry Conway has managed to take his company Fasteners for Retail and turn it into a huge family company. He had been with so much with the company and realized that it was coming to the time to pass it on. He tried passing it on to his children, but he failed in a ll his attempts. Now left with little time and money, Gerry needed someone to run his company. I felt that the answer came in his wife, Marty.She was his chief advisor at the company and new how to read all the financial data associated with it. Family members and outsiders alike referred to her as the glue that held the company together. With her running the company, it would allow for Gerry to manage all his retirement issues and give his talk with son Paul another shot. After making Paul realize the opportunities that he is passing up, I am sure he will come back to the company and began work. References Poza, Ernesto J. , 2007. Famly Business Third Edition. South Western Cengage Learning 5191 Natorp Boulevard. Mason, Ohio 45040, USA.

LOVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

LOVE - Essay Example s him, and for that short duration, she feels that the world is on the tip of her fingers because of the happiness that is caused to her when he looks at her. A married couple in love with each other do small things for another everyday to make the other feel special and give them a feeling of something to live for. Love cannot be seen or touched but it exists for those that believe in its power; when someone loves another person, they tend to want to protect them and spend the maximum amount of time that they can with them, making every second count. Love thus makes people happy and makes them want to wake up every single day with a view to meeting that special person that they have a connection with. This can be understood by a simple test of bidding goodbye; people love those the most to whom saying goodbye is very tough. People in love tend to become extremely unhappy on saying goodbye to their loved ones; the tears in their eyes are the exact opposite of the happiness that they feel when they are with them. There have been a number of films, music as well as literature portraying love as a feeling that brings about the most amount of happiness in the world - â€Å"If we assume that mankind has a right to survive then we must find an alternative to war and destruction. "Dont ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn."† (King, Martin Luther) According to Martin Luther King, love brings compassion and happiness that can be used as a weapon against those that hate and enjoy causing destruction. The same theories were also propounded and experimented by Mahatma Gandhi who said that non violence or love is the answer to the world’s problems. The point of love is to make

Building process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building process - Essay Example Contaminants found in construction sites can either be common contaminants, which are found in every construction site or be on the site because they were previously used in the location. There are many different kinds of contaminants, including metals (such as lead), inorganic compounds (such as cyanide compounds), pesticide, oils and tars, other organic compounds (such as benzene or toluene), fibers, combustible substances, toxic or explosive gases and radioactive waste (Industry Standard Contaminated Construction Sites 2005). These contaminants can affect people's short term health as well as their long term one. The people who are liable to be hurt from them aren't only the workers staying on the site and working on it, but also other people living, working or even passing by! (Hazardous waste sites 2003). Exposure to contamination in soil, water or fumes in the air can "cause harm quickly (acute effects) or cause illness long after exposure (chronic effects)". The exposure may cause different health problems, for instance: headaches and nausea, breathing difficulties, skin rashes, liver or kidney problems and even some types of cancer in the long run. If it alone will not cause it, it will certainly be an important factor in the creation of the disease. In order to avoid this, one must be careful while in a possibly contaminated site refrain from exposure to the contamination, which can be caused by a number of reasons. It is important to evade direct contact of the contaminated materials with the skin and the eyes.

Understanding Emotions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding Emotions - Essay Example Finally, I realized that we had fallen into a pattern where the floors were vacuumed once every two weeks when I did it and the kitchen and bathroom was cleaned every two weeks – again, when I did it. What pushed me over the edge was discovering that my roommate has now even given up on cleaning out the dishes she’s used, just leaving them in the sink for me to clean up whenever I enter. By analyzing my physical and cognitive reactions in this situation, as well as my customary means of expressing my emotions, I have been able to reassess whether these methods are ultimately successful. When I discovered my roommate’s dishes in the sink, unrinsed and with the counters splattered with whatever she’d eaten, I felt my temperature suddenly jump up about ten degrees. My heart started beating strongly. I can’t say whether the beat was faster than it had been, but I suddenly heard it thumping in my ears which hadn’t been the case a moment before. My ears seemed to begin to throb in time with the beat, introducing the very beginnings of a headache and I felt as if the entire top of my head was about to explode upwards through the ceiling. I was carrying something breakable, so I tried to put it down somewhere as gently as I could, still managing to crash it on the table harder than I should have. As I did so, I noticed that I didn’t seem to be as completely in control of my body as I’d hoped I’d be. My hands were shaking and my mouth suddenly seemed full to bursting with no satisfaction unless opened. I remember a flash of t hought of how my roommate had been obviously not doing her half of the chores for months now and an idea that this wasn’t the first time I’d come home to find dirty dishes in the sink when I’d left it clean. When my roommate came sauntering in to place another dish on the counter and looked at me as if they’d done nothing out

Case study for strategic management Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

For strategic management - Case Study Example Generally speaking, there are various strategies that Keurig Company has used to fuel growth. To mention, these strategies include introducing newer beverage categories, adopting newer distribution channels, using better brewer technologies and introducing new brands among others. To begin with, the company expanded its traditional Single Cup Brewing system to encompass the desires and wants of the customers. In other words, the company aimed at changing the consumer behavior through changing the way â€Å"that the company brewed and enjoyed coffee.† As such, the company expanded its consumer brands, used an effective distribution system and was excessively committed towards ensuring that there was incorporation of new brewing technologies and innovation. Notably important, Keurig’s external environment is filled up with factors which could impact the overall coffee industry. First, the existence of political instability in coffee production countries such as Ecuador and Venezuela due to governmental intent to increase coffee prices could affect the prices of raw material thus affecting the coffee industry as a whole. Equally, political forces may economic fluctuations brought about by the changes in coffee prices thus affecting both the suppliers and producers. Moreover, various cultures in the global context will prefer different types of coffee. For instance, whereas Americans would mostly prefer lowly concentrated coffee, the Europeans would mostly prefer smaller quantities of concentrated coffee. Thus, the different societal cultures would affect Keurig’s and other companies’ performance in the coffee industry. Consequently, the advancement of technology and innovation has impacted the coffee industry in various dimensions. For instance, due to the development of technology, Keurig managed to adopt a newer brewing Single Cup Brewing System

One of the Major EA Frameworks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One of the Major EA Frameworks - Essay Example to the Zachman Framework is that the same composite issue or item can be explained for diverse reasons in diverse ways using diverse types of descriptions. These descriptions can be for instance textual or graphical (Goldberg, 2008). The Zachman Framework gives the thirty six essential categories for wholly describing everything; especially complex issues such as manufactured products like appliances, constructed structures like buildings and enterprises like the associations and all of its technologies, people and goals. The framework gives six diverse transformations of a theoretical thought, not growing in factors, but transforming from six diverse views. It permits diverse individuals to look at similar issues from diverse views. This sets a holistic perspective of the atmosphere, a vital capability illustrated in the framework design (Goldberg, 2008). In 2001, the Zachman Framework was employed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The required methodology in all aspects of the VA enterprises varied from data, business processes, location, technical, personnel and perspective requirements. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Department of Veterans Affairs planned to execute an architectural project fully based on the Zachman Framework. In 2001, this Framework was used as a reference replica to commence the enterprise architectural planning. Somewhere in between, the Veterans Affair Zachman Framework Portal was created. In addition, the Veterans Affair Framework Portal is still in use as a reference replica for instance in the determination of EA information collected from various businesses and project source documents (Donald 2008). The Zachman Framework has vastly been used as a means of providing structures for Information... This paper researches on Zachman Framework and explains its strengths and weaknesses. The researcher of this essay also includes the framework’s purpose, scope, principles, and the kinds of structures it uses, as appropriate to the framework. The essay also aims to include at least two examples of organizations that have used the framework and briefly discuss them. Views give the mechanism of obtaining information concerning the relationships that are vital in the architecture. Methods state the individuals who organize and gather information. They build the views in a means that helps guarantee the accuracy, integrity and completeness. Experience and training sustains the application of tools and use of varying methods. The Zachman Framework is an EA framework for enterprise architecture. It provides an official and greatly planned way of presenting and defining an enterprise. It has two dimensional sorting matrix based on the connection of six communication phrases. These ph rases are what, why, when, where, how and who with six rows with an agreement to rectify changes. The Zachman Framework is not a methodology. This is because it does not entail any specified process or method of collection, management, or using the data that it explains. This framework is named after its designer John Zachman, who developed the impression in the 80s at IBM. By applying the Zachman Framework to Service Oriented Architecture, the SO architect creates a framework for accepting the connection among the diverse elements of a successful SOA.

Assisted Reproduction, Multiple Births, Discussion Essay

Assisted Reproduction, Multiple Births, Discussion - Essay Example and managed by doctors and help couples have their own child by in vitro fertilization or if the man has a low sperm count then the couple may consider a sperm donor and introduce the sperm in the woman body by artificial ejaculation. If that is not an option, then couples can look at adoption. So far there are no rules as far as adoption is concerned, any race, religion and couple of any age can adopt a child which they think best suits their needs. Maybe putting an age limit on the couple who want to adopt a baby would help, if too old a couple adopts a child they may not be able to raise it like a younger couple would. Couples usually go to adoption agencies and decide the race, sex and the physical appearance they want in their future adopted child. From a moral point of view, it rather sounds discriminatory to buy and sell children like cattle. Women these days are offering to sell their eggs to the highest bidder of men who want to have a child with certain physical traits. It could be considered wrong that human life is no longer considered sacred and has now become a way of making money. When an elderly woman gestates with artificial hormones she not only endangers her own life and health but also of the baby. The zygote in the womb is dependent on the mother who is carrying the child for oxygen and food supply. In the elderly the body systems have already started to weaken out and the immune system is weaker

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity Lab Report

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity - Lab Report Example The researcher tells that enzymes are made up of protein molecules. They catalyze biochemical reactions. The enzyme catalyzes the reaction where the reactants are an enzyme and the substrate. Substrates combine at an active site. One enzyme is capable of catalyzing one reaction only. Proteins are highly sensitive molecules and they get denatured if their temperature is altered. Proteins are also sensitive to the pH conditions of the medium in which they are present; pH directly influences the molecular structure, it also affects the structure of the amino acids. Amino acids are the basic units of protein molecules and are amphoteric in nature, suggesting that they maintain the molecular equilibrium. Any alteration in the pH will either enable the amino acid to lose electron or proton. One extra electron alters the structure of amino acids. This directly influences the structure or alters the function of the enzyme. The pH ranges from 1 to 14 on the pH scale. The presence of H+ in sol ution generates acidic condition causes acidity. More the number of H+ ions more acidic the condition will be and hence the PH will be lower. The pH value of 7 is considered as the neutral pH while pH value of more than 7 and up to 14 is considered as the basic pH. The basic pH has more OH- ions Acidic pH influences the structure of the enzyme and also its activity.  

The New Negro Essay Example for Free

The New Negro Essay The main thesis of this paper is that the life of the Negro has taken a sudden change in the early 20th century. the Negro got rid of all the psychological and social problems which have been the cause of his mental segregation and isolation. He became confident and started to become an actual part of the American society in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author has given several evidences regarding this thesis. First of all he has explained the moral and psychological change which have appeared in the life of the Negro. He argued that one of major factors which contributed in these dynamic changes was the mass movement of the Negro families from the rural South to the Northern industrialized cities. In these areas very soon Negro came in a close contact with the other races like the white and for the first time Negro was studies and perceived differently, not as a problem or not simply talked about but for the first time he had been carefully and scientifically viewed and studied. For the first time in American history intellectuals from both side have sit together and discussed the pros and cons of the inter-racial contacts and relationships developing in the American society. The Negro has also became the active part of the American society by sharing the same dreams, political and social visions as are been adopted by most of the American multitude. This change has not only him to shred shame regarding his self but was changed by self-confident, pride and later racial supremacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The evidences provided by the author regarding the thesis are quite convincing. His arguments regarding the rapid and dynamic changes in the American Negro society have been based on close observations and studies of the Negro of that time and provide sound evidence regarding the thesis of the article. Works Cited â€Å"The New Negro† Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. D

Attitudes and behavior

Attitudes and behavior ABSTRACT The paper focuses on attitudes and behavior on the concept of the youths buying behavior towards branded sports shoes, different consumers have got different decision making process. The buyers ultimate goal is to buy the product of qualitative, quantitative with low/best affordable price. In order to identify different kinds of consumers behavior towards buying of different branded shoes and Nike sports shoe. I have carried out buying behavior of youth and different kind of consumer behavior models, literature and theory of consumer behavior; finally, I analyzed and concluded with research based on questionnaire of Nike shoes and case studies of Nike sports shoes at Halmstad University. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Introduction: Why studying youth buying behaviour? Youth is perhaps the most difficult demographic group to communicate with. Not only they have a short attention span, they are also elusive in media consumption, fickle in brand preference, and simply challenging to engage and entertain. Marketers spend millions in marketing research every year trying to predict, or anticipate, changing youth behaviours. With the continually proliferating choices of sports shoe, not only does this group embrace technology at an early age, it quickly becomes the early adopters of all new trends and convergent platforms. One can argue that whatever youth does today foreshadows what older demographic groups will adopt in the near future. All this makes it extremely difficult to understand and target their behaviours. Background Consumer has been elated with the kind of reception; they are getting from various companies these days. The reason behind a drastic change in consumer behavior is because the consumer is no more treated as a hire purchaser but, he is treated as the decider of the companys fortune. Companies or marketers cannot hire any fortuneteller to guess the consumers attitude. Guessing or measuring the consumers attitude is not a cake walk but this is because predicting consumers attitude is as tough as predicting consumers mind (Bheri, 2004). Consumers are continuously choosing among the various products though they are not aware of the products and usage, even though they are intentionally purchasing the various new brands without any knowledge about the new products, furthermore if new company enters into the market, for every consumer it is very difficult to understand the features of the news products and this makes confusion among the consumers to obtain the information. For example: If one local company enters into the market then to gain the knowledge about the features of the new product, it will take long time for the consumers to understand (Nelson, 1970). The term consumer can be described as a person who acquires goods and services for self satisfaction and his often used to describe two different kinds of consuming entities: the personal consumers and organizational consumers. The personal consumers buy goods and services for his/her own use. In this context, the goods are bought for final use by individual, who are organizational consumers, they encompasses for profit and not for profit business, government agencies, institutions, all of them must buy products, equipment and services in order to run their organization (Hawkins, Best and Coney 1998). The consumer will respond according to the product quality and reliability, the fundamental understanding of products is necessary to understand the product features, products reliability and product benefits (Baker, 2004). The consumer is the end user for the product; consumers buy the products in market; in order to perform successful sales operations in the market an effective distribution channel and networks are required for the organizations. Distribution channels and networks play an important role in the consumer goods industry. Consumer is the ultimate user of every product, without any consumer there is no market as such (Baker, 2004). Every region wise the different consumers are using different kind of products. Every consumer has their own tastes and preferences. So, every consumers opinions and preferences are different from one another. The local marketers have good idea about, what the local consumers are using (region wise). For example: The south Indian food habits and tastes and preferences are different, when compared to north Indian food habits (Thomas, 2004). Based on above paragraph, direct marketing activities have big impact on every consumer, because through direct marketing every company knows about the behavior of every consumer in the market. Manufacturing companies, retailer and suppliers do not have an idea about the consumer behavior in the local market. So, author suggested that direct marketing activities should be left to the local market leaders, because the local market leaders have best idea of local market and local consumer behavior. This theory helps for the organization and sub-organizations to know the consumer behavior in different market environments, taste and preferences of the consumer behavior (Thomas, 2004). McDonalds would not have made a big impact in the Indian market had it persisted with its U.S. product line that included beef products, moreover, McDonalds repositioned the brand as family-oriented and children-friendly, catering the traditional Indian middle- class segment that finds pride in its family culture and is especially conscious of childcare. So in this point of view Mc Donalds have approached differently, because they identified that, which they followed earlier that will not get good impact on their business so, they immediately changed the business line to achieve the targets, thus, this is one kind of business strategy to achieve the set goals in huge populated countries (Dash, 2005). For perspective of globalization we can not change the system of tastes and preferences of Consumers. Another instance demonstrating the ignorance of local tastes in the wake of globalization features the multinational mobile phone makers, Nokia had tasted success with its soap-bar designed phones and ceased producing the flip phones that consumers found irritating to use (Zaccai, 2005). The Chinese business people are giving importance to Chinese traditional, patriotic values; the business people are running their businesses by showing their traditional, patriotic advertisement and promotional campaigns to get the business from the Chinese people. The Chinese consumers perspective, by assessing their preferences amongst a host of advertisements and promotional campaigns, later on the business people are started the global Advertisement campaigns with status and social appeal, they sought immense pride in clinging to the traditional, cultural and patriotic values through the local campaigns, with this theory helps by knowing the Chinese consumer behavior and also they are giving same importance to traditional and patriotic values in the name of advertisements. Finally, they want the advertisements with traditional and patriotic values of Chinese culture (Zhou and Belk, 2004). The consumers mind is different from one another in this as author said in the definition that according to the human psychology, demographical differences, age sex and to understand people needs. (Kotler, 2004), to assess the influences of every consumer approach is different, in theory explained that consumer is treated as decider of the company, what ever the product comes to the market, the consumer is the ultimate purchaser for every product, some times the consumers are choosing, selecting and going for family decision making to choose differently, in one point of time the consumers differentiated and explained that they are going for personal and some of the them are using products for profit. Demographical differences make new food habits for every consumer. The choice of variation for every consumer (Kotler, 2004). The example of above paragraph, two countries, therefore Chinese consumers are giving respect to traditional and patriotic values, where as Indian consumers are more religious when they are using the products. These are influences that make the consumer to purchase different products; mostly those influences are more related to the physiological, demographical, social, cultural, economic, family and business influences. According to Kotler (1994), consumer behavior is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It is a subcategory of marketing that blends elements from psychology, sociology, socio psychology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand people needs. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from group such as family friends, reference groups, and society in general (Kotler, 1994) for example while consumers purchase the shoe, then they go for family decision, comfort, satisfaction, price and quality. Every family member doesnt have the same opinion to buy the same product; different family members have different choice to buy the product. So, in one family consumer behavior is different (Kotler, 1994). 2. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to a better knowledge of consumer buying behavior towards purchasing the sports shoes. The aim of the thesis is to find out the factors influencing the youth in purchasing sports shoes. The purpose of the study could be expressed by the following research question. Assessment factors, which influence the youth to buy sports shoes? 3. LITERATURE REVIEW The Definition: Consumer-buying behavior according to Kotler (2004, p.601) is defined as The buying behavior consumers individuals and house holds who buy goods and services for personal consumption. the term consumer can be described as a person who acquires goods and services for self satisfaction is often used to describe two different kinds of consuming entities: the personal consumers and the organizational consumers. The personal consumers buy goods and services for his/her own use. In this context the goods are bought for final use by individual, who are organizational consumers, encompasses for profit and not for profit business, government agencies, institutions, all of them must buy products, equipment and services in order to run their organization (Kotler, 2004). Peter and Olson, (1993) mention that interactions between the peoples emotions, moods, affection and specific feelings is called consumer behavior, in other words in environmental events which they exchange ideas and benefits each is called consumer behavior . Buying behavior of people, who purchase products for personal use and not for business purposes (Peter and Olson, 1993). The Physical actions of consumers that can directly observe and measured by others, by influencing behavior profit can be earned (kotler, Armstrong and Cunningham, 1989). The study of consumer behavior has evolved in early emphasis on rational choice (microeconomics and classical decision theory) to focus on apparently irrational buying needs (some motivation research) and the use of logical flow models of bounded rationality (Howard and Sheth 1989). The latter approach has depended into what is often called the information processing model (Bettman 1979). The information processing model regards the consumer as a logical thinker who solves problem to make purchasing decision (Holbrook and Hirschman 1980). Compares the four major approaches to create successful inter-organizational relationships and integrates them into a single prescription for managing important inter firm relationships (Palmatier, Dant and Grewal, 2007). Service fails, in satisfying the customers and developing customer loyalty over time in business to business markets. Cyert (1956) may have been the first to observe that a number of managers in addition to the purchasing agents are involved in buying process, and the concept was labeled buying behavior and popularized by Robinson (Faris and Win 1967). Webster and Wind (1972) famously identified five buying roles, they are: 1. users 2. Influencer 3.buyer 4. decider and 5 Gatekeeper (Webster and wind, 1972). Further categories have been suggested as the initiator (Bonoma, 1981), and the analyst and spectator by Wilson (Wilson, 1998). The product purchase decision is not always done by the user. The buyer necessarily purchases the product. Marketers must decide at whom to direct their promotional efforts, the buyer or the user. They must identify the person who is most likely to influence the decision. If the marketers understand consumer behavior, they are able to predict how consumers are likely to react to various informational and environmental cues, and are able to shape their marketing strategies accordingly (kotler, 1994). The consumer behavior influences are follows: The consumer behavior influences in 3 aspects, they are acquiring, using and disposing. The acquiring means that how the consumer spends money on the products, such as leasing, trading and borrowing. Using means some of the consumers use the high price products and some of the consumer sees the quality. Disposing is nothing but distribution, order or places a particular product (Hoyer, Deborah, 2001). By understanding consumer behavior deeply, different authors have given different information about the consumer behavior, how consumer buys the products, it involves four steps they are: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post purchase behavior, the marketer can pick up many clues as and how to meet the buyer need and develop an effective program to support an attractive offer to the target market (Kanuk, 1990). According to Kotler (1994), the Consumers buying decision process is influenced by four steps those are as follows: Types of consumer buying decision behavior: Consumer buying behavior decision-making varies with the type buying decision. There are different types of buying behavior decisions. Complex buying behavior: Consumers undertake complex buying behavior when they are highly involved in purchase and complex buying behavior and perceive significant difference among the brands. Consumers may be highly involved when the product are expensive, risky, purchased in frequently and are highly expensive (Kotler, 1994). Dissonance Reducing buying behavior occurs when consumers are highly involved with an expensive, infrequent or risky purchase, but sees little difference among various brands (Kotler, 1994). Variety Consumers undertake variety seeking buying behavior in situations characterized by low consumer involvement, but significant perceived brand difference. In such cases, consumers often do a lot brand scrutiny (Kotler, 1994). 4. THE BUYING DECISION PROCESS Introduction of buying decision process Consumers make many buying decisions every day. Mostly large companies do extensive research on consumer buying decision, to answer questions like what does consumer buy, where they buy, how they buy, how much they buy, when they buy and why do they buy a product, for this question to reorganize the decision different stages needed they are, information search, and evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post purchase decision etc., The consumer passes through all five stages with every purchase, but in more routine purchases, consumers often skip or reverse some of these stages (Hawkins, Coney, 1998). The buying decision process The buying process starts with need recognition, where as buyer recognize the need. The buyers decision is depending on his/her internal external stimuli of consumer behavior. The internal and external stimuli of consumer behavior means that the consumer, which product should purchase, how much wants to purchase and externally which products are more reliable and usable. According to this internal and external stimulis the buyer will take the decision (Hawkins, Coney, 1998). The consumers are searching the information from the various sources those are information search, personal source, commercial sources, public sources and experimental sources; this is also process of the buying decision process before purchase of the product (Hawkins, Coney, 1998). Information search: The consumer can obtain information from any of several sources, which includes: Personal source: family, friends, neighbors, acquaintance etc. Commercial sources: advertising, sales people, dealers, packaging, displays. Public sources: mass media, consumer-rating organizations etc. Experimental sources: handling, examining, using of the product. Consumers receive most of the information about a product from commercial sources, which are controlled by the marketer. The most effective source however tend to be personal. Personal sources appear to be even more important in influencing the purchase. Evaluation of Alternatives: The consumer evaluates all the alternatives available to him/her to arrive at a brand choice. The consumer will see the product as a bundle of attributes with varying capacities, which satisfies his or her needs. The consumer will pay more attention to those attributes connected with their needs. The consumer is likely to develop a set of brand beliefs about, where each brand stands on each attribute. These of beliefs held about the particular brand is known as brand image, according to the beliefs and preferences of the consumer, evaluates the alternative products instead of using existing products (Kotler, 2004). Purchase decision: In the evaluation stage, the consumer ranks all the brands and makes a purchase intention. Generally the consumer purchase decision is to buy the most preferred brand, when purchasing a products, consumer will think about two things, which can be, purchase decision and purchase intention. The attitude of others and unexpected situation factors both directly or indirectly effects the consumers final decision to buy a particular brand. (Kotler, 2004). Post purchase behavior: The buyers job does not end when the product is brought. After purchasing the product, the consumer will be satisfied or dissatisfied and will be engaged in post purchase behavior. The satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the purchase of a particular product depends on the relationship between the consumer expectation and the consumer disappointment, if it meets the consumer expectations, the consumer can get satisfied. And if it exceeds he/she is delighted (Gilly and Gelb, 1986). 5. THEORETICAL FRAME WORK Consumer Involvement Theory The consumer involvement theory means that, how the consumer involving the purchase of various products in the market, after purchasing the product, how the consumer responding towards the products called consumer involvement theory. The consumers get the information through advertising, for that they purchase, use, and react that they see and hear about the products that they buy (Barry, 1987). Level of involvement an individuals intensity of interest in a product and the importance of the product for that person, those are enduring involvement and situational involvement (Homewood IL Irwin, 1987). Routinized response behavior is that the process used when buying frequently purchased low-cost items that requires little search- and decision-effort (Homewood IL Irwin, 1987). The consumer involved in purchasing of products and usage and, also, various aspects like high involvement and low involvement in process of purchasing of products. The consumer some times involves high and low in purchasing products, so, theory of involvement is explaining that the consumer recognizes the importance of the purchase and it considers that the degree of perceived risk, moreover, it reflects on self image perhaps information processing may be different from one another (Ray, 1973). The low involvement theory is explaining that the consumer would accept wide range of products with positive attitude with do-feel-learn strategy, firstly the consumer select any kind of product, use the product, if they are not sure about how to use the product, and they learn how to use the product. To purchase a new computer in market and using of the computer, if they are not satisfied then they go for learning of how to use the computer. The low involvement of consumer will be in manner that do-feel-learn strategy (Ray, 1973). In one of the consumer article author explained about the consumers, are influenced by television commercials and their relationship effectiveness of advertisements (Krugman 1987). High involvement theory is rational and emotional, and it is explaining about the consumers participations in the context very actively without any hesitation, moreover, they look after extensive problem solving. In this theory of involvement the consumers learn about the product, use the product, if they are feeling that the product is comfortable to use it, and then they go for buying the product, so this is called high involvement because after usage, they definitely buy the products. The high involvement theory is reversible order to low involvement theory like learn-feel-do strategy (Debruicker, 1979). How the involvement theory is useful, the emotions, specific feelings, learning of every product and involves when they want to use it and when they want to purchase it. So, this theory helps when the consumer purchasing any kind of product or after using the product. 6. CONSUMER BEHAVIOR MODELS Introduction Intergradations of three models There are three types of models, which will explain about consumers process of basic needs to selecting one particular product, In order to process consumer behavior the following three models are important, the first and foremost model is that the Hierarchy model of consumer behavior, in this model the author said that, without any basic needs the consumer can not survive, so, the consumer should have some basic needs, which have been explained below, secondly the consumer behavior model. In this model author mentioned about research and planning, in this process, the researchers are taking samples from consumer before manufacturing the new products in the market. Finally, lens model has been explained that in order to choice/select a product by the consumer. Most early psychologists studied people who had psychological problems, but Maslow Hierarchy needs tells us about the needs of consumer behavior. Hierarchy needs of consumer behavior model (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987) Maslow believes that people seek to fulfill five categories of needs. (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987) Maslows given the hierarchy needs for consumer behavior, before starting about the consumer behavior, the consumer needs are important; usually every consumer have some hierarchy needs, they are; self actualization needs, esteem needs, belonging needs, safety and security needs and psychological needs (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). The self actualization needs: The term actualization means that the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is called self actualization needs. For example: one can play the music, he is called musician or artist, and one can paint the art is called painter, one can write the poems, is called poet. For surviving in competitive world one profession is important, this profession is not only for surviving, but also one kind of need for human being. In small words to understand simply one individual potentiality develop him by doing something; it is called the self actualization (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). The author suggests that the self actualization need is important when the consumer wants to survive, consumer came with new professions, and it is one kind of need, it will help the consumer to survive in this competitive world (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). Esteem needs: The term esteem means that need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment, for example one can travel in the bus, motor bike, and car respectively, depends on his/her financial position they can travel. In this case travel is a need, so, in smaller words, if one can economically sound, then he/she arranges the esteemed need according to their financial possession (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). The author said that, if she/he needs the esteem needs, then they should have good economic possession, if not no necessary to maintain the car or motor bike, it is very easy to use the public bus or walk (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). Social needs: The social needs includes love of family or friends, for example, the boy loves his girl friend, the relationship between husband and wife, one child belongs to one family This is called belongingness or love (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). This is one kind of need for every consumer, because every consumer has their personal belongingness and love. Safety needs: The safety might include living in an area away from threats. This level is more likely to be found in children as they have a greater need to feel safe. For example one wants to live safe and secure life in the society. Finally, always consumer wants to live a life, which is safe and secured (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987). Physiological needs: It includes the very basic need air, warmth, food, sleep, stimulation and activity. People can die due to lack of biological needs and equilibrium common needs like food, water, oxygen and other common minimum needs are wanted for every one to survive in the world. This is also a basic need of consumer (Simons, Irwin and Drinnien, 1987) Consumer behavior model The concept of consumer behavior model is that, all the consumer minds are not the same, because every consumer thinks in different manner and purchasing of products also different. The below figure is saying about the research and planning, now a days the products are many, the consumer is attracting towards new products and its features. The manufacturing companies are designing the products, before manufacturing of new products the researchers are taking the samples for research from the consumers, after taking the samples from the consumers, researchers are doing the research about the products, it encourages companies to constantly innovate better ways to serve the consumer needs (Yeowzah, 2003). The research planning depending on product design, insights and action. As author saying about the design, if products designs are good then every consumer attracted towards purchasing of new products, the product design is possible only by doing research. The insights is nothing but the product features, the product features are depend upon good research and planning, without any research and planning there is no product as such. In between these two aspects the action takes place to do good research and to get good results in the market (Yeowzah, 2003). 2. Consumer behavior model (Yeowzah, 2003) http://www.yeowzah.com/consumer_behavior_model.htm The significance of consumer behavior decision theory in some cases consumer has clear and strong choice or preference for particular product to purchase. According to the customer preference, companies can increase their sales to develop the 4 Ps marketing to affect the customer preference and test. Company can design the product to attract the customer to make the better sales. To analyze the competitor activity and make the most battle plan to fight in to the market (Hauser, 1993). Lens Model Product Features Perceptions Preferences Psycho-social cues Availability, Price Choice Lens model (Hauser, 1993) Description: The above lens model says that, the product features and perceptions are inter dependent, because the consumer see the product features before purchasing any product in the market, the product features arrow showing towards perception, the perception is nothing but understanding of the product, in this process consumer will understand about the product, after understanding the product, the perceptions is going to be preference of various products (Hauser, 1993). In this process of preference product, the consumer prefers the products, after preferring the product, consumer select the particular product that is called choice. The final arrow showing towards choice, but this whole process depends on consumer psycho-social cues and availability price of the products in the market (Hauser, 1993). The second way is that the psycho-social cues and perceptions are also inter dependent with the help of these two terms the consumer prefers the product and finally choose/select the product (Hauser, 1993). The third way is that the consumer chooses the product with the help of psycho-social cues, which means psychological influences, understanding of the product and availability price of the products (Hauser, 1993). NIKES INTRODUCTION (NIKES CASE STUDIES) The company was established in 1968. Philip H. Knight is the chairman and CEO of the company. The first idea was given by Philip knight to manufacture the shoes, the idea behind this concept is that, when he was studying MBA in Stanford University in USA, he completed the course and he was trying to do the project in different marketing contexts, for this project, he went to Japan to do project in tiger shoes in Japan, it is one of the best shoes brands in Japan, at the same time he presented himself as an American representative and started manufacturing of shoes and he has given name for that company is blue ribbon sports company later on he has changed the name Nike. Later he started manufacturing shoes, apparel and equipments and he renamed his company name like Nike hope for the best to happen after some time he turned in to his coach Bill bower man in his school for what to do next in this industry. So, Bill bower man came up with new idea. In 1979 the Nike was the worlds top companies in the world. Nike mainly concentrated on athletics, the main competitors was Reebok and Adidas. Now Ni

A School Without Discrimination and Prejudice Essay -- Education Toler

School X is a school where prejudice is not an issue. Many factors contribute to School X's lack of prejudice, including compulsory uniforms, strict teacher enforcement, Catholicism and Canada?s multiculturalism. Even globally, society is becoming more accepting of different cultures. Although numerous people have the belief that many schools in the district suffer from discrimination, School X remains a school renowned for its acceptance. Aside from the very infrequent incident, School X sustains its angelic image of acceptance. The main reason for School X's lack of prejudice is because of the moral beliefs Catholicism instills in School X's students. The Catholic faith is deeply rooted in the concept of lenience and tolerance within society. The constant reiteration of this notion has been etched into the minds of the students at School X. In addition, things such as obligatory religion courses, Masses, and gatherings such as the ?Prayer Club,? all play their role in illustrating to the students how imperative acceptance is within society. Consequently, Catholicism and the ... A School Without Discrimination and Prejudice Essay -- Education Toler School X is a school where prejudice is not an issue. Many factors contribute to School X's lack of prejudice, including compulsory uniforms, strict teacher enforcement, Catholicism and Canada?s multiculturalism. Even globally, society is becoming more accepting of different cultures. Although numerous people have the belief that many schools in the district suffer from discrimination, School X remains a school renowned for its acceptance. Aside from the very infrequent incident, School X sustains its angelic image of acceptance. The main reason for School X's lack of prejudice is because of the moral beliefs Catholicism instills in School X's students. The Catholic faith is deeply rooted in the concept of lenience and tolerance within society. The constant reiteration of this notion has been etched into the minds of the students at School X. In addition, things such as obligatory religion courses, Masses, and gatherings such as the ?Prayer Club,? all play their role in illustrating to the students how imperative acceptance is within society. Consequently, Catholicism and the ...

Groups and Teams Essay -- Groups Team Teamwork Essays Papers

Groups and Teams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Groups or teams can evolve into high performing, extremely effective, useful tools in any organization if developed and managed correctly. Demographic characteristics and cultural diversity can impact the behavior of groups or teams in positive and some negative ways. Diversity may impede the initial progress of a group; however, the long range benefit to creating high performing teams is great. An effective group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfaction, and team viability (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 2). A team or group is two or more people working together to achieve common goals. Members of a group are usually dependent on each other and have regular interactions in order to reach a goal. They actively work together as a unit in order to fulfill a purpose. Organizations rely on groups to accomplish specific tasks. An effective group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfactions and team viability (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 2). Synergy, the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, is also part of an effective group. If a group has synergy then they are able to accomplish far more than they would working as individuals. Synergy is crucial in group organizations if they want to be competitive and productive. Groups within organizations improve creativity, implement better decision making processes, increase commitment to goals, offer control and help to offset the size of a large organization. There are many types of groups within organizations including formal, informal, task groups and virtual groups. Group size and dynamics can affect performance. The larger the group, the more help there is to accomplish tasks. Although, a larger group can bring problems with communication, coordination and management. Dynamics or how a group works together in order to deal with issues can also affect performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Groups and teams have several stages of development in order to be considered effective; forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Forming is the first stage and is primarily the initial entry into a group and getting to know each other stage. The storming stage of group development is a period of high emotionality and tension among the group members (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 9). During t... ...ity within a high performing team is respected and embraced. Different opinions and ideas are welcomed and discussed. Team members are involved in clear problem solving procedures and they plans tasks completely before acting. Synergy is critical to team success. Management should reward team successes. High performance teams are high-energy, collaborative process groups. They are the playground and work center for capable people with strong, respectful voices who understand and appreciate the power of aligning diverse perspectives (Schutz, 1999, p 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, groups or teams that are high performing, and critical to the success of any organization, are rich in diversity, synergy, team work. More can be accomplished, greater achievements and productivity gained, when groups or teams are used in organizations. References Cummings, Jonathon. (2001). Work groups, structural diversity, and knowledge sharing in a global organization. Management Science. (pgs. 1 ? 13). Schutz, Susan. (1999). Building high performing teams: putting the "I" back in teamwork. Ezine. (pgs. 1-2) Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G. & Osborne, R. N. (2003). Organizational Behavior

Banning Books Essay

Teenagers are reading more books than ever now, and some people say that we have Harry Potter to thank. But surrounding teen books is the ‘myth’ of book banning. Some may think that only old books were banned, and that they are now back on the shelves of schools and libraries around the country. This is not so. Not only have old classics such as The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger been banned, but newer books are being challenged as well. The controversy of book banning stems from the pursuit of knowledge. Though Hitler did many bad things in his lifetime schools still teach about the Holocaust, and yet now parents are requesting that their children do not learn what certain books have to offer in the way of knowledge. But some parents do not stop there. Books are being taken off school shelves, depriving all students instead of just one. Can one person influence a whole school or town? Is this even fair to everyone involved? The answer is no. Book banning should be illegal because reading a book is an individual choice, some books are banned without much thought, and sometimes books are banned without all parties involved reading it. People recommend books to each other all the time, but reading books is another matter. Sure, a friend may say that a book is good but that doesn’t mean that you will read it. But by banning books schools and libraries are taking away the choice to read the book whether it was recommended or not. While some people think that foul language in books is a perfectly logical reason to take them off the shelves not everyone shares this idea. But if libraries and schools only hear one group’s side of the story they are more likely to ban the book. The process of banning a book seems at first to be simple. A parent (probably the most common case) goes to their child’s school and gets a form with several boxes to check off: â€Å"Do not assign this book to my child. Withdraw it from all students as well as my child. Send it back to the proper department for reevaluation. † And then: What do you object to in this book? What material do you recommend to replace this book? Sounds rather easy, right? And then there’s the vote. In some cases those voting on the outcome haven’t read the book. If the book is banned what example are schools setting for the students? They are basically saying that it is alright to take knowledge, no matter what it is, away from someone or several people. Would it be right to not teach anyone about Hitler? Would everyone support lessons about wars and discrimination being removed? Most likely not. But when books are banned that is what schools are doing, they are taking away something that was never theirs in the first place. They are labeling something inappropriate based on their beliefs or the beliefs of one person. And this is undermining the individual’s choice to read the book. And sometimes they seem to not realize what they are even doing. If you look up why some books have been banned in the past it’s likely that you will find some pretty crazy reasons. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger was banned by one group of parents because they thought it would turn their kids into communists. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding was challenged because it demoted humankind to the level of animals. 1984 by George Orwell was banned because it was pro-communist. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien was banned for being ‘satanic. ‘ More recently the book The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson is being challenged in an Oklahoma school for being inappropriate for teenagers. According to the mother of a student at the school the book has â€Å"Homosexual content, unprotected sex, underage drinking, and reckless promiscuity† and that is why the book should be banned. Though these can all be viewed as appropriate reasons to ban a book those who took this claim seriously seem not to have connected all the clues. The book in question does have homosexual content, as does the real world that teens live in everyday, but there is not sex in the book, unprotected or not. The mother also states that the book â€Å"has no moral fiber† which is not true. The Bermudez Triangle is the story of three girls and their friendship when two get into a relationship together. No moral fiber? But instead of taking these things into account, the book was removed from the shelves. This case could turn into countless others all over the United States and it needs to be stopped. Taking away a book without even assessing the reasons to see if they make sense when applied to the book is lazy and unfair to the author and those who want to read the book. Taking a book off the shelves because several or all parties involved want to is a bad thing, but what if only one person objected to the book? How is that fair to the rest of the people it affects? If one person said they didn’t want to go to a movie but five others wanted to what would happen? If one person didn’t want someone to be president in the United States but the majority did what would happen? The outcomes of these two situations are relatively the same in general because the United States is based on Democracy. But what if the situation was this: What if one person thought a book was inappropriate for children and the rest had never read the book but still had to decide? What would happen? In some cases those voting on the book’s banning (usually the principle of the school, the Director of Human Resources and the Director of Instruction) have not even read the book. And what position does this put the book in? A bad one, that’s for sure. If only one person has read the book and are complaining about it then what are the others to think? That the book should be banned of course! This is by no means fair to students, the author, or any other patrons of the library. It is blindly stealing knowledge from others and not acknowledging it. It is, in essence, like teaching that Martin Luther King Jr. was a bad person because he held marches but not telling why he was holding marches because you don’t even know. It is informing someone (or misinforming someone) because you have no idea what you are talking about, which is better known as lying. The Bill of Rights says â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;† Banning books is certainly not keeping with this statement. Freedom of the press includes books, and taking books off the shelves is therefore prohibiting the reading of them. This makes book banning against the Bill of Rights and unconstitutional. If the United States keeps book banning legal the country is going against its very own fiber – that people have certain rights, that the press has rights, and that this freedom is important. A parent keeping their own child from reading something is their decision, but to deprive their child of reading for their education is not in any way wise or good, and keeping other students and children from reading books is just as bad. Book banning should be illegal because reading is an individual’s decision, banning books is often done without much thought or reason, and sometimes book banning is done unfairly because those voting on the book’s banning have not read the book in question. Teaching children to steal is thought of as wrong, and a country built on freedom should not permit any stealing, much less the stealing on knowledge.

3D Animation Research

Introduction The Computers have revolutionized the practical technologies in our daily lives. T.V, microwaves, phones, air-conditioning and almost every other technology uses computer technology in some form or another. Similarly, it has influenced the art, creating a new line of digital artists. Animation; the visual story-telling art, was born when the art met the technology. Animated filmmaking and visual storytelling are grown into multi-billion dollar entertainment need. The leading animation firm Pixar's intern experiences page states:†One day, we had lunch with Ed Catmull, the President and Co-Founder of Pixar. He told us that we are and always will be a storytelling company. Our job is to make timeless stories that inspire people, make them cry and make them laugh. We are not here to just make a quick buck†¦ [Pixar] is much more than just a cool place to work. It is a place where you can live out your childhood dreams of storytelling and filmmaking, and know that your hard work is inspiring people of all ages, all over the world.†According to Dave Kehr- â€Å"Animation, the art of making inanimate objects appear to move. Animation is an artistic impulse that long predates the movies†. Animation has existed for over one hundred years and is not limited just by computer animation. The computer acts as a tool for artists to develop creative ideas. Paintings, drawings, sketches and initial 2D Photoshop computer graphics are the styles which lead to 3D animation. In Adobe Photoshop, scanned sketches are manipulated by adding or removing layers, blending until the desired artistic look is acquired. Initially, storyboards and low-resolution 3D characters are created to eliminate the possible problems and to enhance the design in the process. Once the story is finalized with scene details, characters and sets, the 3D work of the animated project can begin. Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3Ds Max, Avid Softimage XSI and Houdini are some of the software that artists use to refine the work. At the end of the animation process, the final sets of images are rendered. These images are played together in sequence at a rate of 24 frames per second to create the final animated film.

Direct Order Strategy

Methods of Development: Writing Routine, Good-News, and Goodwill Messages Most business communications can be prepared by following one of three patterns or methods of development: Direct Order, Indirect Order, or Persuasive Order. This lecture will discuss the direct order that is used for most routine, good-news and goodwill messages. Learning Objectives: ? To understand methods of development for writing routine business messages. ? To recognize structure of presenting routine messages. ? To identify situations which require the routine method of development. Lecture Outline Planning Your MessageBasic Components of the Direct Message Strategy Examples of Routine Messages Routine Request Main Idea Details Close Placing Orders Requesting Action and Information Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments Requesting References or Recommendations Routine Announcements, Replies and Positive Messages Issuing Informative Messages Requesting Information and Action Claims and Adjustments Recom mendations and References Announcements Goodwill Conclusion Planning Your Message Most business communications can be prepared by following one of three patterns or methods of development: Direct Order, Indirect Order, or Persuasive Order.When planning your message, you should analyze your audience and choose an organizational approach that will effectively communicate your main idea. Analyze the audience—ask yourself these important questions ? Who is the audience? ? What are their needs? ? What cultural differences exist? ? What do I want them to do? ? What tools will help persuade the audience? ? Would emotional or logical appeals be best? You should consider your audience’s demographics: age, gender, occupation, income, education, and other quantifiable characteristics.Also consider your audience’s psychographics: the psychological characteristics of a person such as personality, attitudes, and lifestyle. Satisfying audience needs is the most effective way t o motivate your audience. Because needs differ, people respond to messages differently Choose an organizational approach ? Use the direct approach when –Audience is objective –Audience prefers to hear the â€Å"bottom line† first –Message is long or complex –Corporate culture encourages directness ? Use the indirect approach when –Audience is negative –Audience won’t object to indirect approach -Message is short and clear Top Basic Components of the Direct Message Strategy Main idea: Because you will use the diamond arrangement, the opening paragraph should be short. It should express the main idea as a positive message with the single most important idea, concisely stated. It should be a clear idea of the focus of the letter or memo. This is what the reader wants to know and what you want the reader to know. In a memo or e-mail, you expand the subject line into a topic sentence. Remember, getting right to the point does not me an being abrupt or tactless.It’s important to use cordial statements such as please or I would appreciate. Details: Middle paragraphs will be longer because they contain all the necessary information, questions, justification or explanation. This should satisfy the reader’s informational needs. Give all details necessary to support the main idea in your opening paragraph. Make sure this section is clear, complete and concise. Revise to eliminate repetition or wordiness. Positive close: The closing paragraph will be a short paragraph. It could summarize the main point, indicate what should happen next, and/or highlight reader benefit.It should have a positive tone and may include a call to action when you need the reader to respond with additional action. Make compliance easy such as including information about how you can be reached or how the reader is to respond. Why is the direct method of development appropriate for most business messages? Most business messages (m ore than 80%) are routine requests for information or action. They should be organized directly unless they involve sensitive issues. The everyday transactions of a business will be directed at an audience whose reaction will be positive or neutral. What are some examples of routine messages? Requesting information or action ? Placing orders ? Making straightforward claims See checklist p. 265 ? Complying with requests ? Granting claims and making adjustments ? Writing letters of recommendation See checklist p. 275-276 ? Goodwill messages See checklist pp. 280-281 Looking at the checklists, you will notice that all of these routine messages follow the basic direct order strategy: main idea, details, positive close. The content will vary depending on your purpose but because they are still routine messages to a positive or neutral audience, the direct approach is the easiest and fastest method of development.Let’s look at several examples. Top Examples of Routine Messages Rout ine Request Whenever you ask for something, you are making a request. A request is routine if it’s part of the normal course of business and you anticipate that your audience will want to comply. Like all routine messages, routine requests may be thought of as having three parts: an opening, a body, and a close. Using the direct approach, you place your main idea (a clear statement of the request) in the opening. You use the middle to give details and justify your request.Then you close by requesting specific action and concluding cordially. As you prepare your routine requests, keep in mind that despite their simple organization, they can still cause ill will through ambiguous wording or a discourteous tone. In fact, even the briefest note can create confusion and hard feelings. As with any business message, keep your purpose in mind. Ask yourself what you want readers to do or to understand as a result of reading your message. [pic] Begin routine requests by placing your re quest first—up front is where it stands out and gets the most attention.Of course, getting right to the point should not be interpreted as a license to be abrupt or tactless: Be specific. State precisely what you want. Pay attention to tone. Even though you expect a favorable response, the tone of your initial request is important. Instead of demanding action (â€Å"Send me your catalog no. 33A†), soften your request with words such as please and I would appreciate. Assume your audience will comply. An impatient demand for rapid service isn’t necessary. Generally, assume that your audience will comply with your request once the reason for it is clearly understood.Avoid beginning with personal introductions. Don’t be tempted to begin your request with a personal introduction such as â€Å"I am the senior corporate writer in the corporate relations department of ABC Company, and I am looking for information that . . . † Punctuate questions and polite requests differently. A polite request in question form requires no question mark (â€Å"Would you please help us determine whether Kate Kingsley is a suitable applicant for this position. †) A direct question within your message does require a question mark (â€Å"Did Kate Kingsley demonstrate an ability to work smoothly with clients? ) Top [pic] Use the middle section of your message to explain your initial request. Make the explanation a smooth and logical outgrowth of your opening remarks. You can use the middle section of your routine request to list a series of questions. Just keep a few basics in mind: Ask the most important questions first. If cost is your main concern, you might begin with a question such as â€Å"What is the cost for shipping the merchandise by air versus truck? † Then you may want to ask more specific but related questions about, say, the cost of shipping partial orders.Ask only relevant questions. So that your request can be handled quick ly, ask only questions central to your main request. If your questions require simple yes-or-no answers, you might provide readers with a form or with boxes to check. If you need more elaborate answers, pose open-ended questions. â€Å"How fast can you ship the merchandise? † is more likely to elicit the information you want than â€Å"Can you ship the merchandise? † Deal with only one topic per question. If you have an unusual or complex request, list the request and provide supporting details in a separate, short paragraph.Try using paragraph headings to make your reader’s job easier. Top [pic] Use the closing to request a specific action and to ask that readers respond by a specific and appropriate time (â€Å"Please send the figures by April 5 so that I can return first quarter results to you before the May 20 conference†). Help your reader respond easily by including your phone number, office hours, and other contact information. Conclude your messag e by expressing your goodwill and appreciation, but don’t thank the reader â€Å"in advance† for cooperating. If the reader’s reply warrants a word of thanks, send it after you’ve received the reply.The various types of routine requests are innumerable, from asking favors to requesting credit. However, many of the routine messages that you’ll be writing will likely fall into major categories: placing orders, requesting information and action, making claims and requesting adjustments, and requesting recommendations and references. Top Placing Orders Messages placing orders are considered some of the simplest types of routine messages. When placing an order, you need not excite your reader's interest; just state your needs clearly and directly.Most orders refer to a product that the reader knows about, so these messages are usually processed without objection. Most companies today are moving toward paperless ordering by using computer-generated order forms. Still, if you need to draft an order letter, follow the same format as you would on an order blank. Main Idea: Open with the general request. Details: In the middle, include specific information about the items you want. Present this information in column form, double-space between the items, and total the price at the end.Positive Close: In the close, be sure to specify the delivery address, since it may differ from the billing address. Also indicate how the merchandise is to be shipped: by air or ground, by a specific delivery services, and so on. Otherwise, the seller chooses the mode of transportation. Finally, in any letter including a payment, mention the amount enclosed, explain how the amount was calculated, and if necessary, explain to what account the amount should be charged. Top Requesting Action and Information When you need to know about something, to elicit an opinion from someone, or to suggest a simple action, you usually need only ask.If your reader can do what you want, such a straightforward request gets the job done with a minimum of fuss. In more complex situations, readers might be unwilling to respond unless they understand how the request benefits them, so be sure to include this information in your explanation. Internal: Requests to fellow employees are often oral and rather casual. However, as long as you avoid writing frequent, long, or unneeded messages, sending a clear, thoughtfully written memo or e-mail message can save time and questions by helping readers understand precisely what you want.External: Business writers often ask businesses, customers, or others outside their organization to provide information or to take some simple action: attend a meeting, return an information card, endorse a document, confirm an address, or supplement information on an order. Such requests are often in letter form, although some are sent via e-mail. These messages are usually short and simple. In more complex situations, readers might be unwilling to respond unless they understand how the request benefits them, so be sure to include benefit information in your explanation. Top Making Claims and Requesting AdjustmentsWhen you’re dissatisfied with a company’s product or service, you make a claim (a formal complaint) or request an adjustment (a claim settlement). Although a phone call or visit may solve the problem, a written claim letter is better because it documents your dissatisfaction. Moreover, even though your first reaction to a clumsy mistake or a defective product is likely to be anger or frustration, the person reading your letter probably had nothing to do with the problem. So a courteous, clear, concise explanation will impress your reader much more favorably than an abusive, angry letter.In most cases, and especially in your first letter, assume that a fair adjustment will be made, and follow the plan for direct requests. Begin with a straightforward statement of the problem. In the midd le section, give a complete, specific explanation of the details. Provide any information an adjuster would need to verify your complaint about faulty merchandise or unsatisfactory service. In your closing, politely request specific action or convey a sincere desire to find a solution. And don’t forget to suggest that the business relationship will continue if the problem is solved satisfactorily. Top Requesting References or RecommendationsIf you’re applying for a job and your potential employer asks for references, you may want to ask a personal or professional associate to write a letter of recommendation. Or, if you’re an employer considering whether to hire an applicant, you may want to write directly to the person the applicant named as a reference. Because requests for recommendations and references are routine, assume your reader will honor your request and organize your inquiry using the direct approach. Begin your message by clearly stating that you're applying for a position and that you want your reader to write a letter of recommendation.If you haven't had contact with the person for some time, use the opening to recall the nature of the relationship you had, the dates of association, and any special events that might bring a clear, favorable picture of you to mind. If you're applying for a job, a scholarship, or the like, include a copy of your resume to give the reader an idea of the direction your life has taken. If you don't have a resume, use the middle of your letter to include any information about yourself that the reader might use to support a recommendation, such as a description of related jobs you've held.Close your letter with an expression of appreciation and the full name and address of the person to whom the letter should be sent. When asking for an immediate recommendation, you should also mention the deadline. You'll make a response more likely if you enclose a stamped, preaddressed envelope. Top Routine Anno uncements, Replies and Positive Messages Like requests, routine announcements, replies, and positive messages have an opening, a body, and a close. Readers receiving these messages will generally be interested in what you have to say, so you’ll usually use the direct approach.Place your main idea (the positive reply or the good news) in the opening. Use the middle to explain all the relevant details, and close cordially, perhaps highlighting a benefit to your reader. Innumerable types of routine announcements, replies and positive messages are used in business every day. Most of these messages fall into six main categories: issuing informative messages, granting requests for information and action, granting claims and requests for adjustments, providing recommendations and references, announcing good news, and sending goodwill messages.Top [pic]Issuing Informative Messages [pic]Requesting Information and Action All companies send routine informative messages such as reminder notices and policy statements. When writing informative messages, use the beginning of the message to state the purpose (to inform) and briefly mention the nature of the information you are providing; use the body to provide the necessary details; and end with a courtesy close. Most informative communications are neutral. That is, they stimulate neither a positive or negative response from readers.Some informative messages, however, require additional care. Policy statements or procedural changes, for instance, may be good news for the company and employees (the company can save money which will provide additional resources and even raises for employees) but such benefits may not be obvious to employees. In instances where the reader may not initially view the information positively, use the body of the message to highlight the benefits from the readers’ perspective. Top If your answer to a request is yes or is straightforward information, the direct plan is appropriate.Your prompt, gracious, and thorough response will positively influence how people think about your company, its products, your department, and you. When you're answering requests and a potential sale is involved, you have three main goals: (1) to respond to the inquiry and answer all questions, (2) to leave your reader with a good impression of you and your firm, and (3) to encourage the future sale. Top [pic]Claims and Adjustments When your company is at fault and your response is positive, you must protect your company’s image and try to regain the customer’s goodwill by referring to company errors carefully.Explain your company’s efforts to do a good job, implying that the error was an unusual incident. When your customer is at fault, you can (1) refuse the claim and attempt to justify your refusal or (2) simply do what the customer asks. If you refuse the claim, you may lose your customer—as well as many of the customer's friends, who will hear only one si de of the dispute. Weigh the cost of the adjustment against the cost of losing future business from one or more customers. When a third party is at fault, you have three options: †¢ Simply honor the claim.You can satisfy your customer with the standard good-news letter and no additional explanation. †¢ Honor the claim, but explain you’re not at fault. This option corrects any impression that the damage was caused by your negligence. You can still write the standard good-news letter, but stress the explanation. †¢ Refer the claimant to the third party. When you suggest filing a claim with the firm that caused the defect or damage, you fail to satisfy the claimant’s needs. The exception is when you're trying to dissociate yourself from any legal responsibility for the damaged merchandise.In such a case, write a bad-news message. Top [pic]Recommendations and References When writing a letter of recommendation or reference, you want to convince readers that t he person being recommended has the characteristics necessary for the job or benefit being sought. Your letter must contain all the relevant details. Your audience will have trouble believing uninterrupted praise for someone's talents and accomplishments. So illustrate your general points with a specific example or two that point out the candidate's abilities.You have an obligation to refer to any shortcoming that is serious and related to job performance. If you must refer to a shortcoming, you can best protect yourself by sticking to the facts, avoiding value judgments, and placing your criticism in the context of a generally favorable recommendation You can also avoid trouble by asking yourself the following questions before mailing a recommendation letter: †¢ Does the person receiving this personal information have a legitimate right to it? †¢ Does all the information I’ve presented relate directly to the job/benefit being sought? Have I put the candidate's case as strongly and as honestly as I can? †¢ Have I avoided overstating the candidate's abilities or otherwise misleading the reader? †¢ Have I based my statements on firsthand knowledge and provable facts? Top [pic]Announcements To develop and maintain good relationships, companies recognize that it's good business to spread the word about positive developments, whether the company is opening new facilities, appointing a new executive, introducing new products or services, or sponsoring community events.Writing a letter to the successful job applicant is a pleasure. Such a letter is eagerly awaited, so the direct approach is appropriate. A company announcing a new discount program to customers would begin the letter by trumpeting the news. The middle section would fill in the details of the discount program, and the close would include a bit of resale information and a confident prediction of a profitable business relationship. However, when the audience for a good-news mess age is large and scattered, companies often communicate through the mass media.The specialized documents used to convey such information to the media are called news releases. Top [pic]Goodwill You can enhance your relationships with customers, colleagues, and other businesspeople by sending friendly, unexpected notes with no direct business purpose. To come across as sincere, avoid exaggeration and back up any compliments with specific points. One prime opportunity for sending goodwill messages is to congratulate someone for a significant business achievement—perhaps for being promoted or for attaining an important civic position.Other reasons for sending congratulations include the highlights in people's personal lives. It is important to recognize the contributions of employees, colleagues, suppliers, and other associates. Your praise does more than just make the person feel good; it encourages further excellence. Moreover, a message of appreciation may become an important part of someone's personnel file. So when you write a message of appreciation, try to specifically mention the person or people you want to praise. In times of serious trouble and deep sadness, written condolences and expressions of sympathy leave their mark.Begin condolences with a brief statement of sympathy, such as â€Å"I was deeply sorry to hear of your loss. † In the middle, mention the good qualities or the positive contributions made by the deceased. State what the person or business meant to you. In closing, you can offer your condolences and your best wishes. Top Conclusion You should write positive or neutral messages using the direct order method of development. By introducing the main idea in the first paragraph, the reader immediately understands the purpose.The body of the message should provide all the details the reader will need to understand or respond. The closing will be a positive statement, a call to action, or a statement of good will and will keep t he reader well disposed to you and your company. [pic] Sources: Bovee, Courtland L and John V. Thill. Business Communication Today. 6th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. Guffey, Mary Ellen. Business Communication: Process and Product. 4th edition. Thomson—South-Western, 2003. ———————– Main Idea Details Positive Close