Loreal Marketing

Principles of Marketing L’Oreal 1. The core, tangible and augmented products L’Oreal sells. The core product of the hair care products sold by the company includes the customers feeling good about themself after using the product. The tangible is he physical hair care product e. g. bottle, what the product claims to do for e. g. more shiny hair. 2 L’Oreal’s marketing managers have key branding decisions they must make. These include selecting a brand name and going onto getting a brand strategy.L’Oreal would need to decide on the branding in terms of what name to use and the icon to go with it. Brand strategy includes: Multibrand, range branding, corporate branding, company and individual branding strategy. Multibrand strategy includes bringing out more than one product in one product category. Range branding strategy involves the company deciding to introduce more than one different product to the same category of products however having a differen t name for products in different areas of the market.Corporate branding involves the company choosing to include just one brand for all the products introduced to the market and company and individual branding strategy includes that the company brand is included on all the products in the market however each product also has its own brand name. L’Oreal would be required to make the decision of what marketing brand strategy to use, For e. g. they may choose to introduce a new hair care product to the market and use a corporate brand strategy where they use the L’Oreal brand all products.L’Oreal also have other branding decisions including the branding position, name selection, brand sponsorship and development. L’Oreal must decide on its brand positioning. This includes the products attributes, benefits and beliefs and attitudes of the product. The attributes include what the hair care products attributes are for e. g. the healthy ingredients in the hair c are products. Benefits include what result the customers would expect from the attributes of the product. For e. g.L’Oreal’s benefits may be shiny hair due to the ingredients in the product. L’Oreal may however choose a brand positioning of beliefs and attitudes. L’Oreal would also need to make decisions on the brands name. This includes making decisions towards the brand name in order to ensure that the brand name is easy to memorise, say and identify. 3 The considerations L’Oreal faces in determining global product decisions include adapting their products to suit the various cultures of various countries the hair care products are being marketed in. For e. g. the pa

Project Management and Innovation Past and Future Essay

It is unsurprising that development of innovation is often run as a project. Yet, theoretically both project management and innovation studies have evolved over time as distinctively separate disciplines. In this paper we make an attempt to conceptualize the innovation project management and past as well as future of same. By doing so, we contribute to the nascent academic debate on the interplay between innovation and project management. This paper is concerned with three topics and the interplay between them, namely â€Å"Innovation†, â€Å"Research and Development (R&D)† and â€Å"Project Management†. The interest in these topics has exploded recently as they emerged both on the policy agenda and in the corporate strategies. The contribution of technological innovation to national economic growth has been well established in the economic literature. In the last couple of decades, new technologies, new industries, and new business models have powered impressive gains in productivity and GDP growth. While originally there was a tendency to equate R&D and innovation, contemporary understanding of innovation is much broader than purely R&D. R&D is one component of innovation activities and knowledge creation among others. Innovation emerges as a pervasive and complex force, not only in the high-tech sectors in advanced economies, but also as a phenomenon existing in low-tech industry of developing, or catching-up economies. Still, the link between R&D and innovation is often at the core of the innovation studies. Presently, we are witnessing â€Å"projectification† of the world as a growing number of specialists organise their work in projects rather than on on-going functional basis. The connection between R&D and project management has a long history. Most tools of project management have been developed from the management of R&D, often with military purposes (Lorell, 1995). The most vivid example of managing R&D projects in the public sector is the PRINCE2 method (UK OGC, 2005). Due to the above mentioned difference between R&D and innovation, R&D projects should be distinguished from innovation projects too. Innovation is a non-linear process, not necessarily technology-led and may not necessarily result from formal R&D investments. Innovation is the exploration and exploitation of new ideas and recombination of existing knowledge in the pursuit of sustained competitive advantage. Besides, both innovation and R&D projects by their nature differ from conventional projects. Thus, there is a need to examine the Innovation Project Management (IPM) as a distinctive area of managing innovation in projects, using the tools and methods of the project management. The Evolution of Project Management Theory The genesis of the ideas that led to the development of modern project management can arguably be traced back to the protestant reformation of the 15th century. The Protestants and later the Puritans introduced a number of ideas including ‘reductionism’, ‘individualism’ and the ‘protestant work ethic’ (PWE) that resonate strongly in the spirit of modern project management. Reductionism focuses on removing unnecessary elements of a process or ‘ceremony’ and then breaking the process down into its smallest task or unit to ‘understand’ how it works. Individualism assumes we are active, independent agents who can manage risks and create ideas. These ideas are made into ‘real things’ by social actions contingent upon the availability of a language to describe them. The PWE focuses on the intrinsic value of work. Prior to the protestant reformation most people saw work either as a necessary evil, or as a means to an end. For Protestants, serving God included participating in and working hard at worldly activities as this was part of God’s purpose for each individual. From the perspective of the evolution of modern project management, these ideas were incorporated into two key philosophies, Liberalism and Newtonianism. Liberalism included the ideas of capitalism (Adam Smith), the division of labour, and that an industrious lifestyle would lead to wealthy societies Newton saw the world as a harmonious mechanism controlled by a ‘universal law’. Applying scientific observations to parts of the whole would allow understanding and insights to occur and eventually a complete understanding. LITERATURE REVIEW In this paper we seek to establish bridges between two distinctive disciplines – project management and innovation management (innovation studies). Despite seemingly interrelated nature of both subjects, these two research domains have been developing relatively isolated from each other. Innovation Studies Innovation studies are rooted in the seminal writing of Joseph Schumpeter in the 1920s-1930s (e. g. Schumpeter, 1934), whose ideas started to gain popularity in the 1960s, as the general interest among policymakers and scholars in technological change, R&D and innovation increased. The field formed as a distinctive academic discipline from the 1980s. Scholars like Richard Nelson, Chris Freeman, Bengt-Ake Lundvall, Keith Pavitt, Luc Soete, Giovanni Dosi, Jan Fagerberg, Bart Verspagen, Eric von Hippel and others have shaped and formed this discipline. The seminal publications in the area include, inter alia, Freeman (1982), Freeman and Soete (1997), Lundvall (1992), Nelson and Winter (1977, 1982), von Hippel (1988). Regarding the definition of innovation – a general consensus has been achieved among innovation scholars who broadly understand this phenomenon as a transformation of knowledge into new products, processes and services. An in-depth review of the innovation literature is beyond the scope of this paper (refer to Fagerberg (2004) for such analysis). Our intention is to outline main directions of research. In a recent paper, Fagerberg and Verspagen (2009) provide a comprehensive analysis of the cognitive and organizational characteristics of the emerging field of innovation studies and consider its prospects and challenges. The authors trace evolution and dynamics of the field. Reflecting the complex nature of innovation, the field of innovation studies unites various academic disciplines. For examples, Fagerberg and Verspagen (2009) define four main clusters of innovation scholars. They are â€Å"Management† (cluster 1), â€Å"Schumpeter Crowd† (cluster 2), â€Å"Geography and Policy† (cluster 3. 1), Periphery† (cluster 3. 2) and â€Å"Industrial Economics† (cluster 4). For the purposes of our analysis we shall have a closer look at the â€Å"Management† cluster, since it is here where the connection between innovation and Project Management can be found. In fact â€Å"Management† is the smallest cluster within the entire network of innovation scholars, consisting of only 22 scholars, mainly sociologists and management scholars, with a geographical bias towards the USA. This small number of scholars (22) is in sharp contrast with the biggest clusters ? â€Å"Geography and Policy† (298 scholars) or â€Å"Schumpeter Crowd† (309). In terms of publication preferences, apart from Research Policy, the favorite journal for innovation scholars, members of â€Å"Management† cluster see management journals as the most relevant publishing outlets, particularly Journal of Product Innovation Management, Management Science and Strategic Management Journal. Fagerberg and Verspagen (2009, p. 29) see a strong link between innovation and management and provide a following description: â€Å"Management is to some extent a cross-disciplinary field by default and firm-level innovation falls naturally within its portfolio. †¦. So between innovation studies and management there clearly is some common ground†. Project Management The project management as a human activity has a long history; e. g. construction of Egyptian pyramids in 2000 BC may be regarded as a project activity. However, the start for the modern Project Management era, as a distinctive research area, was in the 1950s. Maylor (2005) determines three major stages of the PM historical development. Before the 1950s, the PM as such was not recognized. In the 1950s, tools and techniques were developed to support the management of complex projects. The dominant thinking was based on â€Å"one best way† approach, based on numerical methods. The third stage, from the 1990s onwards is characterized by the changing environment in which projects take place. It is more and more realized that a project management approach should be contingent upon its context. It is also noted that a shift is observed over time in development of project management – from focus on sole project management to the broader management of projects and strategic project management (Fangel, 1993; Morris, 1994; Bryde, 2003). Reflecting these changes in the managerial practices, the body of academic literature on PM has evolved and burgeoned. International Journal of Project Management and Project Management Journals became the flagship publication outlets for PM scholars and practitioners. A large number of (managerial) handbooks outlining the methods and techniques of PM have been published, e. g. Andersen et al (2004), Bruijn et al (2004) Kerzner (2005), Maylor (2005), Meredith and Mantel (2006), Muller (2009), Roberts (2007), Turner (1999), Turner and Turner (2008). Despite a growing number of publications, there is no unified theoretical basis and there is no unified theory of project management, due to its multidisciplinary nature (Smyth and Morris, 2007). Project management has a more applied nature than other management disciplines. Although the PM has formed as a distinct research field, there is no universal, generally accepted definition of a project and project management. Turner (1999) develops a generic definition of a project: A project is an endeavor in which human, financial and material resources are organized in a novel way to undertake a unique scope of work, of given specification, which constraints of cost and time, so as to achieve beneficial change defined by quantitative and qualitative objectives. There have been several attempts to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art research in PM and outline its trends and future directions (e. g. , PMI, 2004; Betts and Lansley, 1995; Themistocleous and Wearne, 2003; Crawford et al, 2006; Kloppenberg and Opfer, 2002). In a recent article, Kwak and Anbari (2009) review relevant academic journals and identify eight allied disciplines, in which PM is being applied and developed. These disciplines include such areas as Operation Management, Organizational Behavior, Information Technology, Engineering and Construction, Strategy/Integration, Project Finance and Accounting, and Quality and Management. Notably, one of these eight allied disciplines is â€Å"Technology Application / Innovation / New Product Development / Research and Development†. The authors found that only 11% of journal publications on the subject of project management fell under the â€Å"Innovation† heading. Yet, importantly, this area showed sustained upward interest, and hence the number of publications, since the 1960s. Overall, Kwak and Anbari (2009) conclude that the mainstream PM research proceeds largely in the â€Å"Strategy / Integration / Portfolio Management / Value of PM / Marketing† direction (30% of all publications examined by the authors). PM AND INNOVATION: THE PAST Projects in one form or another have been undertaken for millennia, but it was only in the latter part of the 20th century people started talking about ‘project management’. Earlier endeavors were seen as acts of worship, engineering or nation building. And the people controlling the endeavors saw themselves as members of groups focused on specific callings such as generals, priests and architects. There is an important distinction to be drawn here between projects: ‘a temporary Endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result’ and the profession of project management; or at least ‘modern project management’. For a discipline to be considered a profession a number of attributes are generally considered necessary; these are: †¢ Practitioners are required to meet formal educational and entry requirements, †¢ autonomy over the terms and conditions of practice, a code of ethics, †¢ a commitment to service ideals, †¢ a monopoly over a discrete body of knowledge and related skills. Within this context, project management is best considered an ‘emerging profession’ that has developed during the last 30 to 40 years. Over this period project management associations around the world have developed a generally consistent view of the processes involved in ‘project management’, encoded these views into ‘Bodies of Knowledge’ (BoKs), described competent behaviors and are now certifying knowledgeable and/or competent ‘Project Managers’. Certainly, if ‘modern project management’ does not qualify as a fully fledged profession at this point in time, it will evolve into one fairly quickly. The Evolution of Project Management Tools The central theme running through the various project management concepts is that project management is an integrative process that has at its core, the balancing of the ‘iron triangle’ of time, cost and output. All three facets must be present for a management process to be considered project management. The evolution of cost and scope control into relatively precise processes occurred during the 14th and 18th Centuries respectively. Time management lacked effective measurement and control until the emergence of ‘critical path’ scheduling in the 1960s. The branch of management that gave rise to the development of the Critical Path Method of scheduling was Operational Research (OR). OR is an interdisciplinary science which uses methods such as mathematical modeling and statistics to assist decision making in complex real-world situations. It is distinguished by its ability to look at and improve an entire system, rather than concentrating on specific processes which was the focus of Taylor’s ‘scientific management’. The growth of OR was facilitated by the increasing availability and power of computers which were needed to carry out the large numbers of calculations typically required to analyze a system. [pic] Figure 1. The Iron Triangle The first ‘project’ to add science to the process of time control was undertaken by Kelley and Walker to develop the Critical Path Method (CPM) for E. I. du Pont de Numours. In 1956/57 Kelly and Walker started developing the algorithms that became CPM. The program they developed was trialled on plant shutdowns in 1957 And the first paper on critical path scheduling was published in 1959. The critical meeting to approve this project was held on the 7th May 1957 in Newark, Delaware, where DuPont and Remington Rand jointly committed US$226,400 to fund the project. The foundations of modern project management were laid in 1957; but it took another 12 years before Dr Martin Barnes first described the ‘iron triangle’ of time, cost and output in a course he developed for his UK clients in 1969 called ‘Time and Money in Contract Control’. PM AND INNOVATION: THE FUTURE Defining PM for Future The biggest challenge facing project management is answering the question ‘what is a project? ’ Until this question can be answered unambiguously the foundation of project management cannot be defined. Current definitions such as the PMBOK’s ‘a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result’ can apply to the baking of a cake as easily as the construction of a multi story building. They are both temporary endeavors to create a unique outcome but in all probability the baking of a cake is not a project. The traditional view of projects embedded in the various BoKs is derived from both the management theories underpinning ‘modern project management’ and the industrial base of early project management practitioners (construction / defense / engineering). The BoKs tend to treat projects as naturally occurring entities that need to be managed. This is an easy enough assumption when focusing on a building or a battle ship. There is a physical presence that occupies a defined space that needs creating in a defined timeframe to a defined scope. This view assumes project exists and project management is about transforming the raw materials of the project into a finished and useful form. Consequently it is the presence of the project itself that defines ‘project management’. The PMBOKs version is ‘The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements’. However, if we cannot precisely define a ‘project’, there is no basis for project management and consequently no foundation for a useable theory of project management. Researchers and academics are starting to reverse the idea that a project is necessary for project management to exist and suggest it is the application of ‘project management’ to an endeavour that creates a project. Some of the ideas being discussed include: †¢ Projects as ‘Temporary Knowledge Organizations (TKOs)’. This school of thought focuses on the idea that the primary instrument of project management is the project team and the recognition that predictability is not a reality of project management. Some key ideas include: o The concept of the project team as a ‘complex adaptive system (or organism)’, living on the ‘edge of chaos’; responding and adapting to its surroundings (ie the project’s stakeholders) offers one new set of insights. o The idea of ‘Nonlinearity’ suggests that you can do the same thing several times over and get completely different results. Small differences may lead to big changes whilst big variations may have minimal effect. This idea questions the validity of ‘detailed programming’ attempting to predict the path of a project (the ‘butterfly effect’, constrained by ‘strange attractors’). The concept of ‘Complex Responsive Processes of Relating’ (CRPR) puts emphasis on the interaction among people and the essentially responsive and participative nature of the human processes of organizing and relating. According to the modern trend in these field, consequence of accepting these theories is to shift the focus of ‘project management’ from the object of the project to the people involved in the project (ie, its stakeholders), and to recognize that it is people who create the project, work on the project and close the project with all innovation. Consequently the purpose of most if not all project ‘control documents’ such as schedules and cost plans shift from being an attempt to ‘control the future’ – this is impossible; to a process for communicating with and influencing stakeholders to encourage and guide their involvement in the project. Notwithstanding the advantages of project management, it would be unreasonable to expect all innovation to be carried out through projects. In fact, many ideas are generated by employees in a company on a regular basis, not only within project teams. Thus, there is certainly a room for functional, on-going organization of innovation process. Even more so, in certain situations project management can be detrimental to innovation. Aggeri and Segrestin (2007) show that the recent project development methods in automotive industry can induce negative effects on collective learning processes and these effects have managerial implications for innovative developments. Argument for Managing Innovation in Projects The origins of project management in the manufacturing and construction ndustries determine an engineering perspective, viewing a project as a task-focused entity, proceeding in a linear or similar way from the point of initiation to implementation. This view prevailed until comparatively recently. This view is seemingly in stark contrast with the nature of innovation. It is increasingly being acknowledged that the innovation is a complex non-linear process. The earliest view on innovation process as a pipeline model (whereby a given input is transformed to a specific output) has been largely abandoned. Presently, however, project management is increasingly recognised as a key generic skill for business management (Fangel, 1993), rather than a planning-oriented technique or an application of engineering sciences and optimization theory, in which project management has its roots (Soderlund, 2004). The â€Å"management by projects† has emerged as general mode of organizing for all forms of enterprise (Turner 2003). This new conceptualization of project management enables to embrace the non-linear nature of innovation. Even a creative and non-linear nature of innovation is often characterized as an organizational or management process, rather than spontaneous improvisation. Davila et al. (2006) state, â€Å"Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline†. Hence, a project, with its defined objective, scope, budget and limitations, can be an appropriate setting of innovation. The other closely linked element in the new world of project management with innovation is embracing uncertainty. Writing on paper cannot control the future! Schedules do not control time; cost plans do not control costs. Plans outline a possible future and provided a basis for recognizing when things ‘are not going to plan’. For innovation project management to succeed, both project and senior management are going to need to embrace uncertainty and learn skills to manage it rather than expecting predictability and inevitably being disappointed by the variability of ‘reality’ as it unfolds. Challenges of Empirical Studies Scarcity and unreliability, or even lack of data poses a big challenge in research in both innovation and project management. A macro-level research n PM is obstructed by the lack of data on the number of projects, carried out by firms and public institutions, and their characteristics. Problems stem from the definition of a project and the non-disclosure policy of most companies. In such circumstances, PM research has tended to rely on case-studies or on small-scale tailor-made surveys. There i s a widely acknowledged lack of large-scale empirical research in PM (Kloppenborg and Opfer, 2002; Soderlund, 2004). It is claimed that the Independent Project Analysis (IPA) is the market leader in quantitative analysis of project management systems, i. . in project evaluation and project system benchmarking (IPA, 2007). All IPA analyses and research are based on proprietary databases. As of mid-2009, IPA’s databases contain more than 11,000 projects of all sizes ($20,000 to $25 billion) executed across the world. Each year, approximately 1,000 projects are added with representation from the many different industries served by IPA. Each project in our databases is characterized by over 2,000 project attributes, including technology, project scope, project type, project costs, year of authorization, and geographical location (IPA 2009). All information contained in the IPA databases is carefully protected and kept as confidential proprietary data (IPA, 2009). Due to the issues of confidentiality, access for academic researchers is restricted. In the innovation field, academic community has been increasingly using several sources of data, such as granted patents, tailor-made surveys, as well as other data provided by national statistical offices. European research on innovation uses several instruments to obtain data on innovation indicators and to assess national innovation performance. The two main instruments are the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) and the European Innovation Scorecard (EIS). As of 2009, five successful CIS surveys have been carried out: CIS1 (1992), CIS2 (1996), CIS3 (2001), CIS4 (2004) and CIS 2006. Each new round was characterized by an improved questionnaire, in line with the evolution of understanding of the phenomenon of innovation. The more recent surveys embraced understanding of innovation in a broader sense, and for example, paid more attention to service innovations. Further, it is expected that the future surveys will also include management techniques, organizational change, environmental benefits, and design and marketing issues. We argue that, taken into consideration the growing relevance of innovation projects, a clearer and explicit wording should be used in CIS questionnaire for determining whether innovation is organized and carried out in projects or functionally. CONCLUSIONS Innovation studies and project management as distinctive disciplines have been developing in a relative isolation from each other. The analysis in innovation studies domain has rarely explored the mechanisms and patterns of innovation in projects in contrast to traditional (functional or hierarchical) organization. However, since innovation management in companies is increasingly organized in projects, it is of utmost importance to directly address the interplay between innovation management and project management. In this paper, based on the relevant literature and insights from practice, we conceptually examined the relationships between these two research areas aiming at bridging the gap between them. It is widely acknowledged within the discipline of innovation studies that there is a high percentage of failure of innovation initiatives, in other words, failure is inevitable when managing innovation. The key skill set of the competent project manager will be identifying and managing stakeholder expectations using tools such as the Stakeholder circle to help identify the project’s key stakeholders. Innovation is perceived as a luxury, not as a necessity. Therefore, it is of high priority to manage innovation effectively and efficiently with constrained budgets.

Myths and Narratives: The Origin of the Humanities Essay

One thing I remember from when I was young, is Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall One called Peter, one called Paul, Fly away Peter, fly away Paul, Come back Peter, come back Paul. Two little caterpillars sitting on a leaf, One called Brian, one called Keith, Two little butterflies flying through the air One called Brenda, one called Blair. There actually is a distinction between reading a article and telling a story. Most mature individuals employed with young children will read publications and tales to the juvenile persons in their charge. Somehow, they appear to believe that it’s simpler – that the publication is a security bedding in case they overlook the story. But it is not – it’s a barrier. It inhibits the direct connection and communicate between bank clerk and listener – the most mighty device the storyteller has. Having enduring eye-contact with an assembly conceives a bond and togetherness and a engrossment on the article itself. If you have only ever read tales to young children, then trial telling a article and observe the difference. Storytelling is essential in a child’s development. We survive our survives through narrative and the quicker we can commence, the better. Storytelling opens higher channels of communication and rouses emotional, imaginative and linguistic development. It endorses participation and grows confidence and a sense of self-esteem. Storytelling encircles the juvenile with imaginative words, introduces unacquainted words in a narrative context, introduces narrative plan and sanctions youngsters to give voice to their have models in their have language. When they start to write, youngsters uncovered to storytelling will already, unconsciously, have the administers of plan and a advanced grasp of language. Working orally first will sanction them freedom from spelling and grammar. Children introduced to stories and stories read more basically and to a higher level. They will separate models, creations, plan and someone stories. Storytelling grows concentration and listening skills. Children can experience emotions through the safety of the story and can investigate worlds and instances into the open their have environment. Even the youngest juvenile has a story to tell. They are natural storytellers whether from experience, imagination or memory and commending them to tell their have and retell other stories endorses a sense of self-worth and esteem. Storytelling grows vitality of imagination. Through telling their have stories, youngsters learn to plan orally, to portion and listen to their peers and to exercise their have words with pride.

Organisational Learning and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organisational Learning and Design - Essay Example Previously, it was believed that the companies have to identify the extraordinary potential candidates and prepare them for future senior level positions (Belet, 2007). Recently, the organisations have stressed the importance of changing the business structures so that the culture imperative for learning enterprises can be supported (Mishra & Bhaskar, 2011). Moreover, there needs to be a balance between the leadership and management development aspects so that reforms are easily commenced. In order to evaluate the significance and challenges of the learning organisations, two articles have been reviewed. According to Mahoney (2000), the concept of learning companies was initiated in 1990s and there is no perfect solution for creating such organisations. It is mandatory for the corporations to foster leadership within each level of the organisations from the directors and senior managers to lower management level. Also, equally important is the conception of a culture which will assist the enterprises in the development and augmentation of learning organisations. On the other hand, Belet (2007) studied the concept of building high potential executives in French companies for crafting learning-oriented organisations. According to the author, there is still presence of the hierarchical and centralised leadership styles in these enterprises and the leadership development programmes are ineffective in bringing the desired changes within the firms. Hence, there is requirement of embedding the learning organisation characteristics within the businesses so that they can comply with the changing market structures. In today’s contemporary business world, the organisations have to adjust their structures and frameworks to make sure that they have the compatible systems and tools for responding to the markets. It has been mentioned by Mahoney (2000) that it is the responsibility of the directors and senior managers to

The Role of the Customer Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Role of the Customer Service - Essay Example The customer service in all organizations should ensure that the customers of the organization are fully satisfied. In case the service does not meet the customer’s expectation, the customer service person should let the management know to ensure that next time, the customer will be satisfied. The importance or the need of a customer service varies by the product or service given by the organization or it evens depend on the customer or the industry. The employees who work as the customer service should be ready to adjust to each and every customer of the organization. Introduction As mentioned above, the customer service refers to the way that the customers of an organization are provided by the products that they require either before they buy, during the buying process and even after the buying process. With a customer service, an organization is able to generate a lot of revenue and income from the customers. There are other various reasons why many organizations have cust omer service. There are many organizations which take the customer service as a part of their systematic improvement since they realize the much improvement that it brings to the organization. Through customer service, many perceptions of the customers can be changed about the organization and this would lead to increase in sales. The paper provides a critical discussion and evaluating the customer service by the organization. ... Current Customer Service and Expectations In the organization, one of the customer service given to the customers is the customer service. This is where the customer service attendants assist the customers in making the correct use of the products that they buy from the organization. With this, they help the customers to be cost effective in the usage of the product. The customer support service include giving the customer advice on the installation, how to maintain and also training the customer on the usage and disposal of the product once not in use http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/operations/the-importance-of-customer-service . Since the organization also deals with technology products, the customer service agents also give technical support to the customers on how to operate the mechanical and software products that they buy from the organization. The organization has realized that the customer service is an important factor in the marketing mix for both the serv ices and the products. This is because high quality customer service assists the entire organization in creating loyalty with their customers. The organization has realized that many customers are not only concerned about the product that they buy from the organization but also the service that they get from the time they enter the organization to the time that they leave and also about how they complaints about the faults of the products are addressed (Turban 2002). It is true that the customer service bridge the gap between the company and the customers who are buying from the organization. It’s every customer’s expectation that the customer service in the organization is efficient,

Based on clinical practice scenario (wound care), discuss the extent Literature review

Based on clinical practice scenario (wound care), discuss the extent to which evidence based practice was utilised, including re - Literature review Example These processes encompass the concept of wound care. Wound care is a crucial part of the medical practice. It prevents infection and blood loss, as well as further complications for the patient. There are various techniques which health professionals can apply in order to manage wounds. Such management strategies are supported by various studies and evidence in actual practice. This study shall consider literature and supporting researches in wound care, with particular attention given to patient preference and evidence-based practice. With the variety of applications which can be used for skin care, there is a need to consider the best type of care according to patient response and outcomes. Wound care All injuries trigger a series of events which are involved in healing, characterized by the arrival of platelets and inflammatory cells at the site of injury (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). These cells also give off signals on the influx of connective tissue cells and on the increase of new blood. Chemical signals for these are the cytokines or growth factors. The fibroblasts are the connective tissues which mark collagen deposition essential for tissue injury (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). In response to injury, platelets come into contact with exposed collagen. With platelet aggregation, clotting elements are released causing the formation of a fibrin clot at the injured area. The fibrin clot is considered the provisional matrix upon which healing is built on. Platelets facilitate clotting which helps control bleeding and loss of fluids and electrolytes. As well as releasing the cytokines, which initiate healing, these platelets also release the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transform growth factor-beta (TGF-B). Through the PDGF, chemotaxis of neutrophils, macrophages, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts is initiated (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). These platelets also trigger the mitogenesis of the fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. The TGF-B also t riggers the healing cascade by drawing in the macrophages and prompting them to release more cytokines (including the fibroblast growth factor-FGF, PDGF, TNFa and the IL-1) (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The TGF-B supports the chemotaxis of the fibroblast and the smooth muscle cells; it also regulates collagen and collagenase expression (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The overall result of these signals is a strong response of the matrix which then supports the release of cells which help ensure rapid formation of new connective tissue at the injured area during the proliferative stage of healing which follows the inflammatory phase (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). Within 24 hours of the injury neutrophils are the common markers in the injury site. This neutrophil removes foreign material and bacteria in the wound site. Bacteria send of chemical signals which attract neutrophils, ingesting these through phagocytosis. These neutrophils will fill themselves with bacteria and make up the lau dable pus in the injury site (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The mast cell is a market cell crucial to wound healing. These cells give off granules made up of enzymes, histamine, and numerous other active amines; they are also responsible for the signs of inflammation seen around the wound. The active amines in the mast cells trigger nearby vessels to become leaky; this causes the easy passage of mononuclear cells in the injured area (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). Fluids also gather at the wound site and with this, signs of

Select one or more events to research and compare coverage of the Essay

Select one or more events to research and compare coverage of the event in a US news outlet and that of at least one other country - Essay Example In such a scenario what the media feeds the people plays a crucial role in their thinking and opinion. CNN a famous American based media channel reported about the issue. There is a difference between how the issue is portrayed by the media in Iran and America. The choice of words by CNN reporters portrays Iran as a rigid nation and is not cooperative when it comes to honoring the deal. The article states that Iran will only sign the deal ‘if sanction against Iran is lifted. On the other hand, a Middle East media channel known as The Jerusalem Post choice of words and style portrays America as untrustworthy and a dangerous nation when it comes to honoring deals. The article uses words such as ‘Iran not trusted to honor the deal by most in the US which portrays Americans as selfish and does not trust other people especially the Arabs easily. In both cases, it is clear that public relation technique is being applied. The agenda-setting theory is used in a case where the media manipulates how information is passed to the people in order to achieve an intended response. It is a common phenomenon in the democratic world today. Powerful politicians are who can pay more are portrayed as the most efficient politicians in comparison to other politicians. It all goes down to resources and political strategies applied (Carroll

Peer Reviewing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Peer Reviewing - Essay Example The main objective of peer reviewing is to undertake some sort of analysis about certain kinds of mistakes or making appropriate changes the work. Technically speaking, it means providing feedback on the work done by one another. Moreover, the concept of peer reviewing gives emphasis on improvement of the work. The first part begins with a clear, accurate and self explanatory definition to Technical Analysis. After deploying a relevant quotation from Pring that explains some additional facts about technical analysis, the paper focuses on the basic principles used by technical analysts. The first theory, i.e. the current share price fully reflects all available information, is directly stated, but needs some explanation. It may be considered that technical analysts, based on this premise, believe that it is redundant to do fundamental analysis that all relevant information is already reflected by prices. They also say that news and news events do not significantly influence price. The motif behind the quotation added here is not clear. But, the statement and explanation of the second principle is clear and precise, and the words of David E Bowden enhances the merit of the work. The example given to clarify the different kinds of trends really works out; however, for providing for more speci fic information the trends need to be mentioned. There are recognized patterns with charts repeat themselves on a consistent basis. Technical analysts believe that prices trend. The third and the final principle is stated and explained in full. The author could have stated some examples of the psychological mindset of the investors who, according to the analysts, repeat the history. The detailed analysis of the first part, thus, makes clear that the work is directed towards the requirement of the questions. This is the first impression that comes to mind while analyzing the work. A close review of the second question before such an attempt in the answer is helpful in making a right analysis of the second part. Here it is clear that one needs to discuss three different types of charts used in technical analysis. It is equally important to note that the discussion is expected to differentiate between the charts selected, on the basis of specific points like different inputs used, types of decision making that arises from analysis etc. Now, to review the answer provided, it may be remarked that the introduction to the different charts tells about the range and variety of the charts used. The section discusses about the three main types of the charts as required. But it seems that it has completely ignored the second part of the question as it fails to identify the differences between the charts. No comparative analysis is also undertaken. The paper needs to include such an analysis that distinguishes between the three types of charts. The candlestick chart is in troduced and explained well. However, the another doesn't elaborate the characteristic features of the chart that separates it from other types of charts. Such a comparative analysis would not only explain the chart better, but also meet the requirements of the question as well. This particular observation is applicable to the rest of the charts too. The charts are discussed in isolation and no

The Appearance Of Painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Appearance Of Painting - Essay Example In this painting, there is no real texture which appears as brushwork and impasto. However, the bold or noticeable texture appears a little bit on the rocks. A value in this painting includes high-key and low-key. The high key appears almost in the middle visible horizontal line starting from the middle of the building moving towards its right side. The low key value appears on the waves, the clouds, the rocks and the mountains. Together, the high-key and low-key values make a strong contrast as is visible At first sight of the painting.In this painting, space is obviously noticeable. The front houses overlap the other house and the big mountain behind the house overlaps the other mountain. The rocks as well overlap each other. In addition, the shading in the waves and the clouds indicate space, different sizes, and positions of the buildings, the rocks, and the mountains. The perspective of this painting indicates space too as it appears as atmospheric view in this painting.In this painting, colors appear natural. Appearing in this painting, some of the natural colors is blue(on the waves) and green(on the mountaintop). Some parts of the waves have a tint of blue making them look lighter than blue whereas, some parts of the waves have a shade of blue making them look darker. This cool color combination gives the painting a peaceful touch and makes the city look like a good place to relax and spend a vacation.Looking at the balance of this painting, it is obvious this painting is of asymmetrical.

Complexity of managing an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Complexity of managing an organization - Essay Example The cost of production should be kept at most fifty percent of the total cost for the vision of the organization to be achieved. On innovation and learning perspective, the Chief Information Officer should be responsible for making sure that the organization upgrades and the value constantly increasing. He or She should look for ways of action to take to ensure this goal is attained. Focusing on financial aspect, the Chief Information Officer should position make sure the organization in positioned well in the shareholder’s perpective.He or she should prioritize accurate and timely funding for the business (Pearlson & Saunders, 27).Question two.A diagnostic assistant is an example where artificial intelligence is applied. The aid the human beings identify problems and give suggestions on the restoration or treatment to solve the problems. A Turing test for this is an electrician’s assistant that proses what may be wrong in the premise, such as a default fuse, destroyed switch light or a burnt out light given some signs of electrical complications. Medical diagnostician   is another example of artificial intelligence   that discovers impending diseases, useful tests and suitable treatments based on knowledge of a specific medical domain a patients symptoms and history. This assistant should be capable of explaining its reasoning to the individual carrying out the tests and repairs and who is eventually responsible for their actions.Bullwhip effect is a perceived occurrence in forecast-driven delivery channel.

Lesson plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Lesson plan - Assignment Example This is generally to enable follow various instructions and give feedback either to peers or adults. This is done with support and practice to ensure the pattern persists. The supervisor should pay attention to the movement up and down the steps especially from one step to the next for the students. Very close attention to be accorded to Rosa since she has very low muscle tone and falls frequently which could prove fatal. Additionally Rosa’s fine motor skills are not fully developed hence supervisor should ensure that Rosa is supported either by her peers or the supervisor to do it in person. Communication during the process should be encourage to ensure that the peers help each other and learn to say the words The performance of Rosa during the activity will enable the supervisor to carry out the assessment. This information will be obtained during the practical session period and additional information from the knowledge obtained from peers as well as parents. The information is obtained and documented. The lesson bases just on Rosa’s motor skills. Since Rosa has low muscle tone and poorly developed motor skills there is need to improve these skills. The area of interest is the ability to coordinate movement so that she can move up and down steps without struggling. The activity is interesting so this will create a good understanding between the supervisor and Rosa. This will help develop fine motor skills which will be used in other areas of her life which include feeding. This will be done repeatedly but in stages to ensure Rosa can do it independently without much risk or problem. During the process some communication skills area also learned. How does this lesson engage students and help them achieve the goal of the lesson? How will you measure their engagement and time on task? How are you incorporating assistive technology into the lesson? How are you using

Form and Structure for The Mikado Essay Example for Free

Form and Structure for The Mikado Essay Gilbert and Sullivans The Mikado is an operetta and it is played sometimes melodramatically, sometimes realistically. The main theme of The Mikado is love. Its main content is a parody of general love stories that start and end happily ever after. This makes it humorous. It is also a satire of the British Empress of India, Queen Victoria. * Although it is an operetta, the Mikado is a well-made play; it has a beginning, middle and end. * Yum-Yum is in love with herself; this is shown at the preparation of her marriage. Nanki-Poo does love Yum-Yum but he is only looking for an escape from Katisha, and Ko-Kos love for Katisha is purely to save him from death. A lot of the story is based around execution because Ko-Kos job is Lord High Executioner. Nanki-Poo wants to be executed at one point because he thinks that he can never get Yum-Yum. This keeps the audience interested because they would want to see how an execution would be staged as such staging rarely happens. This is a plot device to complicate the narrative so that the story becomes ever more farcical. For example Ko-Ko receives a message from the Mikado stating there has been a lack of executions so Ko-Ko must execute someone within a month. This makes things more difficult because Ko-Ko must kill himself before he executes anyone else. Structure The Mikado conforms to a structure typical of many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. This structure represents a triangle: First it includes an aural factor of lush, enjoyable music, which get the audiences feat tapping in the theatre. Second, it includes a visual factor of a colourful, striking setting which make the audience amazed by the set. Third, it includes an intellectual factor of a ridiculous, amusing, topically satiric story, which adds comedy, and the audience laugh. The play starts with the introduction to all the characters, making it easy for the audience to understand the characters better. The situation is set and the story is structured, the conflict begins and the action gets underway. The middle lets the story flow smoothly, more comical happenings such as when Katisha wants to give away Nanki Poos true identity. The ending is conventionally and traditionally happy with everyone gleeful. But, ironically, there are no elements of true love in the plot. Gilbert and Sullivan vary the type of songs to keep the audience entertained. There are solos, duets, trios, madrigals and full cast ensembles. Solos are used to focus the scene on only one character and how they feel. E. g. Nanki-Poo. Duets are usually used when two people are in love or if two people have a problem, e. g. Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo. Trios are used when a lot of information is given out for the audience to take in, e. g. Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing. Three little maids from school are we. The madrigal is sung before the wedding. This song is so that the characters can thoroughly enjoy themselves and it livens up the moment by four people singing the same thing. Probably singing in harmonious unison. The full cast ensembles are there to introduce the large characters e. g. the Mikado; these songs are lively and let the audience imagine what is about to come, Miya Sama Miya Sama.

Kellers Customer Based Brand Equity Model Marketing Essay

Kellers Customer Based Brand Equity Model Marketing Essay Principles of Marketing, by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong and the American Marketing Association defined brand  as a name, term, sign / symbol or a  combination of these that identifies the maker or seller of the product and differentiates them from those of the competition. Aakers (1991) widely accepted definition of a brand is to identify the goods or services of whether one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors. Brands are thus, valuable assets and tools influencing consumer behavior which includes awareness, choice, use, satisfaction, recommendation, trust and loyalty. They reduce information search costs and risk for consumers and deliver quality, values, promises, and lifestyle enhancement (Czellar, 2010) .According to Keller (2002) the benefits of a strong brand can be categorized under 4 different categories, namely, product-related effects, price-related effects, communication-related effects and channel r elated effects. Product-related effects of brand include consumer product evaluations, consumer confidence, perceptions of quality, and purchase rate positively related to a brand name. If consumers are well aware of a brand, their attitude and their purchase intention toward the brand are increased. Price-related effects refer to the fact that brand leaders have higher priced positions and consumers have a lower level of price sensitivity toward those leaders. Communication-related effects refer to how the evaluation of brand advertising can be positively biased when consumers have positive feelings toward a brand which is a well known and well-liked brand and the effect of the well-known brand, which is most likely to have competitive advantage in marketing activities, is the channel-related effect. 2.2 Fashion and Branding According to Solomon and Rabolt (2004), fashion is defined as a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time. Generally people use the term fashion and style interchangeably. In the fashion context, consumers choose a certain fashion brand over others because they are associated with a certain style (Ferney et al.2005).The way individuals have their own distinctive personalities and styles in the manner of living, speaking as well as dressing, the brands too can be associated with a particular personality, because branding has the propensity to distinguish a brand from others by creating an individual brand personality, by using different brand elements like name, logo, symbol, and package design(Newman and Patel ,2002).Branding is important in fashion retailing as the brand can project a specific image like personality, sex, lifestyle and age, to the target consumers. Like in case of a sports brand, the attribute of sporty feeling would be formed in consumers mi nd whereas a casual fashion brand would be associated with the casual attribute (Keller 2002). The brand image allows fashion merchandise to communicate a distinct symbolic meaning, through merchandise, store atmosphere, sales associate attraction with customers, and marketing campaign, between the retailers and the consumers (Ferney et al, 2005). Newman and Patel discovered that brand image is crucial in this intensely competitive fashion retail sector. As different types of fashion consumers are matched with particular clothing styles, brand image can create a point of difference and assist consumers in selecting a suitable fashion brand. A successful fashion brand can capture the market share and maintain a positive relationship with its customers, therefore creating an appropriate fashion brand is one of the primary ways for the marketers to differentiate the products from the competitors. In brief, fashion and branding are closely related (Solomon and Rabolt 2004; Newman and Pa tel, 2002). 2.3 Brand Equity In Building Strong Brands, David Aaker defined brand equity as a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to the brand-its name and symbols-that add value to, or subtract value from, a product or service. The major asset categories are brand loyalty, brand name awareness, perceived quality and brand associations. http://www.tvonlinesurveys.com/enquete/Brand%20equity%20model%20Aaker.bmp(Aakers Brand Equity Model) The model mainly talks about how brand equity is formed of five components and how each has a role to play in the performance of the brand and indicates that how the brand equity will rise with the increase in brand loyalty, brand name awareness, and perceived quality and with stronger and positive brand associations and also with the increase in the number of brand related proprietary assets. This model can thus be used to get to grips with a brands equity and gain insight into the relation between the different brand equity components and the future performance of the brand. Apart from the five components, the model also reflects indicators or the consequences of the pursued branding policy. (Aaker, 1991) The five components and the factors having an influence on these components are: Brand loyalty: Aaker (1991) defines brand loyalty as the attachment that a customer has to a brand. Two different levels of loyalty are classified: behavioral and cognitive loyalty (Keller, 1998). Behavioral loyalty can be indicated by a number of repeated purchases (Keller, 1998) or commitment to buy the brand as a primary choice .Cognitive loyalty refers to the consumers intention to buy the brand as the first choice .Another indicator of loyalty is the customers willingness to pay higher price for a brand in comparison with another brand offering similar benefits. The extent to which people are loyal to a brand is expressed in the following factors: Reduced marketing costs, as hanging on to loyal customers is way cheaper than charming potential new customers. Trade leverage, as loyal customers represent a stable source of revenue for the distributive level. Attracting new customers, as current customers can help boost name awareness and hence bring in new customers Time to respond to competitive threats, as loyal customers that are not quick to switch brands give a company more time to respond to competitive threats. (Aaker, 1991) Brand awareness: It is a key determinant of brand equity. It is defined as an individuals ability to recall and recognize a brand. Top-of-mind and brand dominance is other levels of awareness included by Aaker (1996) in measuring awareness. Awareness can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different brand choice and even loyalty (Aaker, 1996). A brand with strong brand recall (unaided awareness) and top of mind can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different customer choice inside a product category. The extent to which a brand is known among the public ,can be measured using the following parameters: Anchor to which associations can be attached (depending on the strength of the brand name, more or fewer associations can be attached to it, which will, in turn ,eventually influence brand awareness) Familiarity and liking (consumers with a positive attitude towards a brand ,will talk about it more and spread brand awareness) Signal of substance/commitment to a brand. Brand to be considered during the purchasing process (to what extent does the brand form part of the evoked set of brands in a consumers mind) (Aaker, 1991) Perceived quality: It is defined as the customers judgment about a products overall excellence or superiority in comparison to alternatives brand and overall superiority that ultimately motivates the customer to purchase the product (Aaker and Jacobson, 1994). It is difficult for customers to make a rational judgment of the quality. They are likely using quality attributes like color, flavor, form, and appearance of the product and the availability of production information to infer quality. The extent to which a brand is considered to provide good quality products can be measured on the basis of the following criteria: The quality offered by the product / brand is a reason to buy it. Level of differentiation/position in relation to competing brands. Price, as the product becomes more complex to assess and status is at play, consumers tend to take price as a quality indicator. Availability in different sales channels, i.e. consumers have a higher quality perception of brands that are widely available. The number of brand extensions (this can tell the consumer the brand stands for a certain quality guarantee that is applicable on a wide scale) (Aaker, 1991) Brand associations: Consumer must first be aware of the brand in order to develop a set of associations. Brand association contains the meaning of the brand for consumers; it is anything linked in memory to a brand (Aaker, 1991). Brand associations are mostly grouped into a product-related attribute like brand performance and non product related attributes like brand personality and organizational associations. Customers evaluate a product not merely by whether the product can perform the functions for which it is designed for but the reasons to buy this brand over the competitors. Brand personalities include symbolic attributes (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1993) which are the intangible features that meet consumers needs for social approval, personal expression or self-esteem. The associations triggered by a brand can be assessed on the basis of the following indicators: The extent to which a brand name is able to retrieve associations from the consumers brain, such as information from TV advertising. The extent to which association contribute to brand differentiation in relation to the competition (these can be abstract association or associations with concrete product benefits) The extent to which brand associations play a role in the buying process (the greater this extent ,the higher the total brand equity) The extent to which brand associations create positive attitude/feelings(the greater this extent, the higher the total brand equity) The number of brand extensions in the market (the greater this number, the greater the opportunity to add brand associations) (Aaker, 1991) Other proprietary assets: Some of the examples are patent and intellectual property rights, relations with trade partners, etc. (the more the proprietary rights a brand has accumulated, the greater the brands competitive edge in those fields) (Aaker, 1991) The model also provides an insight into the criteria that indicate to what degree actual value is created with both consumer and company due to pursued branding policy. However, this model does not make a clear distinction between added value brand can have for the consumer /customer and added value it can have for the brand owner/company and does not even discuss the process that goes into building strong brands, and is only useful to gain insight into the various brand equity components and the relation between them. (Wood, 2000) 2.4 Kellers Customer-based Brand equity model This model depicts the process that goes into building strong brands. It is set in the realm of brand added value, i.e. the focus of this model is on the added value a brand offers its customers/consumers. Kevin Lane Keller introduced this customer-based brand equity model, and has defined it as the differential effect that consumers brand knowledge has on their response to the marketing of that brand (Keller 1993).Differential consumer response is mainly based on consumers knowledge of the brand as well as the favorability of associations. The model is made up of various steps, which should be taken in a fixed order. The model talks about the six dimensions of brand equity, namely, brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, consumer judgments, consumer feelings and brand resonance. According to Keller, the highest level of brand equity is realized when the top of the pyramid is attained. In his view, the resonance comes about when the consumer has a high level of awareness of and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favorable and unique associations in memory. (Keller, Strategic brand management, 2002) http://markhendrikse.squarespace.com/storage/post-images/july-2009/cmmemodel.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1247443493748 (Kellers customer based brand equity model) The six dimensions and the process that goes into building of strong brands, as identified by Keller are: Brand Salience: The first step in the development of a strong brand involves describing its identity, and revolves around the question: Who am I? .To achieve this, the brand managers need to ensure that the customers should be able to identify with the brand. A clear associative link between the brand and a specific product class/category has to be established in the mind of the consumer, this also further helps in creating a solid footing for the building of brand awareness and knowledge. Salience basically refers to how familiar consumers are with a brand and whether the brand is actively considered when consumers find themselves in purchase or consumption situations. A high level of salience means that a consumer has knowledge of both the depth and the width of a brand, (depth here refers to the ease with which a brand can be activated in the consumers brain, while width refers to the extent to which happens when the consumer is making a purchase decision.)Brand Salience is thus a precondition for moving up on the brand pyramid. (Keller, 2002) (Keller, Strategic Brand Management: a european perspective, 2008) Brand performance and brand imagery: when brand salience has been realized, the process moves on to the next steps in the development of brand meaning. The second step basically answers the question: What am I?This question is answered by using intrinsic (tangible) and extrinsic (intangible) characteristics of a brand.(Intrinsic characteristics refer to the degree to which a product/service is seen to perform by consumers, and extrinsic characteristics refers to how consumers think about a brand. In order to boost overall brand equity the focus needs to be on both brand performance and brand imagery, since they together add on to the brand associations. Raising brand performance starts by delivering a product/service that fulfills current customers needs, followed by attempts to surpass the triggered customer expectations. Brand imagery on the other hand can be increased by tailoring to consumerspshyco-social needs. Imagery refers to what people think about a brand (in terms of value and meaning) and not so much about what exactly the product does or can do (in terms of functionality).It can be raised directly by creating brand experience or indirectly through advertisement. In the end, these two dimensions together need to bring about certain brand associations that are strong, positive and unique. These dimensions also play an important role in creating brand loyalty. (Keller, 2002) Brand judgments and brand feelings: After realizing strong, positive and unique brand associations, the third step deals with the way consumers think and feel about a brand. This step basically contains the responses to the efforts from step 2(performance and imagery).the brand is evaluated and judged at this stage, formulating a certain attitude towards the brand. The two dimensions at play here are: brand judgments (rational) and brand feelings (emotional).the former denotes the opinion consumers have of a brand, and how they evaluate the brand. The opinion in this case is formed rationally and based on three criteria, quality, reliability and superiority. Brand feelings on the other hand are the emotional reactions by consumers to brands and their marketing efforts. What feelings does the brand evoke in the consumer, and in the social environment? Are these feelings intense or not, positive or negative? These feelings can very strong and can have an affect on brand observation dur ing actual use of the product. These feelings are based on various factors, namely, warmth, pleasure, tension, security, social acceptance and self respect. (Keller, 2002) Brand resonance: once when the consumer has acquired a positive idea of the brand in both a rational and an emotional sense, a solid base is created to further jump on to the last stage. This stage answers the question whether the consumer is willing to enter into a (lasting) relationship with a brand. If this stage is attained, then its considered as the brand has achieved true brand loyalty, where the consumer identifies him/herself with the values of the brand to a considerable degree and is willing to invest in a relationship. Brand resonance is an ultimate relationship between a brand and a consumer. The closeness of the bond can be measured using factors like loyalty, emotional bond, being a member of a brand community and active brand involvement. (Keller, 2002) Brand equity if used appropriately, possesses a huge potential to create advantages and benefits for the firm, the trade and the consumer. Some of the benefits of strong brand equity being, improved perceptions of product performance, greater loyalty, less vulnerability to competitive marketing actions and marketing crises, larger margins , more inelastic consumer response to price increases and more elastic consumer response to price decreases ,greater trade cooperation and support ,increased marketing communication effectiveness along with licensing opportunities and additional brand extension opportunities.(Wood ,2000 ; Feldwick, 1996) 2.5 Brand equity and brand extension Brand equity can be leveraged by building it, borrowing it, or by buying it. Building brand equity is not an easy task due to the rapid increase in the number of brands and the intense competition that is prevalent in many industries. Thus, the brands generally prefer to opt for the alternatives to building brand equity i.e. by borrowing it or buying it. (Moisescu, 2005; Tuominen, 1999) Since the study focuses on the role of brand equity in brand extensions, leveraging brand equity by borrowing it, will be discussed. Borrowing brand equity: According to Tuominen (1999), many firms borrow on the brand equity in their brand names by extending existing brand names to other products, which is referred to as brand extension. There are two types of brand extensions namely, a line and a category extension. A line extension is when a current brand name is used to enter new market segment in the existing product class, whereas, a category extension is when the current brand name is used to enter a different product class. A line extension occurs when a company introduces additional items in the same product category under the same brand name. A line extension often involves a different size, color, flavor or ingredient, a different form or a different application for the brand (Richard Elliot, 2006). Products in line extensions are technically congruent, i.e., similar in many attributes. They belong to the same product category or subclass. The vast majority of new-product activity consists of line extens ions. Excess manufacturing capacity often drives a company to introduce additional items. The company might want to meet the consumers desire for variety. The company may recognize a latent consumer want and try to capitalize on it (Moisescu, 2005). The company may want to match a competitors successful line extension. Many companies introduce line extensions primarily to command more shelf space from resellers. Line extensions involve risks. There is a chance that the brand name will lose its specific meaning. This is called the line-extension trap (Eun Young Kim, 2000) .The other risk is that many line extensions will not sell enough to cover their development and promotion costs. Furthermore, even when they sell enough, the sales may come at the expense of other items in the line. A line extension works best when it takes sales away from competing brands, not when it cannibalizes the companys other products (Moisescu, 2005).A category extension occurs when a company decides to us e an existing brand name to launch a product in a new product category. Category extensions capitalize on the brand image of the core product or service to efficiently inform consumers and retailers about a new product or service (Richard Elliot, 2006).The potential benefits of category extensions include immediate name recognition and the transference of benefits associated with a familiar brand. A well-regarded brand name gives the new product instant recognition and earlier acceptance (Eun Young Kim, 2000). It enables the company to enter into new-product categories more easily. Moreover, category extensions eliminate the high costs of establishing a new brand and often reduce the costs of gaining distribution (Eun Young Kim, 2000; Dennis A. Pitta, 1995). Category extensions also involve risks. The new product might disappoint buyers and damage their respect for the companys other products. The brand name may lose its special positioning in the consumers mind through over-extensi on. (Dennis A. Pitta, 1995) Brand dilution is said to occur when consumers no longer associate a brand with a specific product or highly similar products (Richard Elliot, 2006). Companies that are tempted to transfer their brand name must research how well the brands associations fit the new product. The best result would occur when the brand name builds the sales of both the new product and the existing product. An acceptable result would be when the new product sells well without affecting the sales of the existing product. The worst result would be when the new product fails and hurts the sales of the existing product (Tuominen, 1999). Transferring an existing brand name to a new product category requires great care. In order to successfully maintain and further leverage the existing brand equity and to prevent it from any damage, a brand needs to carefully extend itself by maintaining perceptual fit, competitive leverage, and benefit transfer. Where in perceptual fit means that the consumer must perceive the new item to be consistent with the parent brand, competitive leverage means that the new item must be comparable or superior to other products in the category and benefit transfer means that the benefit offered by the parent brand is desired by consumers of products in the new category (Dennis A. Pitta, 1995; Tuominen, 1999). To use brand equity efficiently and appropriately and to further maintain perceptual fit, competitive leverage and benefit transfer, a brand needs to know and consider various factors while deciding upon a brand extension strategy. Consumers beliefs and feelings about the original brand are likely to be transferred, only when the extension product is perceived as a member of the original brand family (Abhishek Dwivedi, 2007).The greater the fit / similarity perceived by consumers between the extension product and the original brand, the more likely, the affect associated with the original brand would be transferred to the extension product. Thus the consumer perception of fit is s the most important construct in a consumer evaluation of brand extension. The consumer perception of fit serves as a heuristic cue in a consumer brand extension evaluation process because one of the functions of similarity is to allow people to make educated guesses in the face of limited knowledge with the brand extension (Leslie de Chernatony, 2001). The extension product is new to the consumers so if it is perceived as similar to the original brand, the consumers will be able to make inferences or judgments about the new extension based on these similarities. The perceived fit will be achieved when a consumer perceives that the new extension product is consistent with the parent brand ,or a family member of the brand name, and then affect or attitude transference will be more likely to occur ,to facilitate the brand extension evaluation. It is widely accepted that fit perceptions between an extension and its parent brand determines consumer evaluations of brand extensions and there is a positive relationship between the fit perceptions and consumers attitudes toward the extension. (Abhishek Dwivedi, 2007; Havard Hansen, 1998) 2.6 Dimensions of fit The perception of fit is an important determinant but there still considerable variances about its dimensions in the literature. The most popular concepts that have been used to define the dimensions of fit are similarity ,relatedness, typicality, and brand concept consistency. These concepts define the perception of fit from different aspects, but they also have some overlaps. (Langlotz, 2008; Izabella b.2009) 2.6.1 Similarity: In most research similarity refers to how alike the original product and the extension product are in terms of features and attributes. The consumer similarity judgment involves comparing or matching features between the original product category and the new extension product category. The more features that overlap or match between the two classes of products, the more likely it is that these two products will be perceived to belong to the same cognitive category (Dr. Ashish Sharma, 2007) .Besides, shared features between two product classes, similarity also refers to shared benefits, which means that two products have a common goal. Similarity can also be used to refer to sharing same usage situations, or being complementary in usage. From the firms perspective similarity also refers to manufacturing synergies or the firms ability to transfer the marketing, operating or manufacturing capability from the original product to the new extension product ( Izabella b.20 09). According to Aaker Keller (1990), similarity is based on three elements, complement, substitute, and transfer. Complement indicates the extent to which consumers view two product classes as sharing the same usage context. Substitute is the extent to which consumers perceive two product classes can replace each other in satisfying the same need. Transfer is the extent to which the perceived ability or skill of a manufacturer that is required for the extension overlaps with that of the parent brands. Consumer perceived similarity plays an important role in brand extension evaluation. It can enhance the transferability of perceived quality of the brand to the extension, and directly affect the attitude towards the extension; the higher the level of similarity, the more favorable the attitude toward brand extension (Langlotz, 2008). 2.6.2 Typicality: It is used to measure the consumers perception of fit between the extension product and the original family branded products. According to Tauber (2001), when an extension shares more features of current family branded products, it will be a more typical member of the family brand and the affect transference will be more likely to occur on the new extension. Typicality refers to how representative the extension product category is of the original family branded products .An extension product may be perceived as a typical member of the original brand family not only because it shares many physical features of the original product, but also because it represents the family brand image at a high level. Typicality is basically a broader view of similarity .It also includes some non product related aspects like the brand image. Typicality has an impact on consumer brand extension evaluations; however the notion of typicality may be more useful measurement of fit percepti on when the original brand has more than one existing product, because it measures how representative the new extension is of the brand family. (Tauber, 2001; Vukasovic, 2001) 2.6.3 Relatedness: It is another word used to describe the fit between the extension product and the original brand .It refers to the strength of the association between the brands parent category and the target extension category (VukasoviÄ , 2001). The consumer attitudes transference is more likely to occur on extensions which are closely related to the parent categories. Relatedness is a similar concept to similarity. It depends on the similarity of common features, complementarities in a common usage situation, and substitutability in providing a common function. However, relatedness is a more inclusive construct than similarity. The notion of similarity only refers to the common physical features between the original product category and the extension category. It does not accommodate the notion of conceptual coherence; i .e, sometimes two product categories are perceived to be related to each other conceptually not physically. So it can be concluded that relatedness offe rs a broader view of similarity. (Langlotz, 2008).Like the concept of typicality, the notion of relatedness defines consumer perceptions of fit on the concept of similarity, but they both offer some idea that is more than the similarity concept. These two concepts indicate that the consumer perceptions of fit in brand extension evaluations include not only physical product similarities, but also consistencies at some non physical levels, for example the brand image level and product conceptual level. (Langlotz, 2008; Vukasovic, 2001) 2.6.4 Brand concept consistency : Although both concepts of typicality and relatedness capture some non physical aspects of fit, the non product aspects of fit are accommodated more by the concept of brand concept consistency. A brand concept is the brand image, which is made up of specific associations that differentiate the brand from other competing brands. It is the unique abstract meaning that is derived from a particular configuration of product features (Tauber, 2001). Langlotz (2008) reveals that when consumers evaluate a brand extension, they not only take into account information about the product feature similarity, but also the concept consistency between the brand concept and the extension. The brand concept consistency is more non product related and is more about the brand image than the physical features. The more that consumers think the extension is consistent with the parent brand concept or image, the more favorable consumer attitudes are toward the extension. Thu s those extensions, which are very different from the parent product category physically, can also be perceived as fitting with the parent brand, as long as they have consistent images and concepts with the parent brand. Compared with the notion of similarity, brand concept consistency captures a totally different aspect of fit. However it is believed to be equally important to the similarity between the extension product and the original product in a consumer brand extension evaluation process. The concept of consumer fit perceptions in brand extension evaluation is incomplete without either similarity or brand concept consistency (Tauber, 2001; Vukasovic, 2001). 2.7 Role of Consumer knowledge in brand extension evaluations Consumer knowledge is indicated as one of the moderating variables that have an impact on consumer fit perceptions in the brand extension evaluation process (Ma, 2005). Thus, review of the importance of the consumer fit perception in a brand extension evaluation, and its dimensions is followed with the review of consumer knowledge. 2.7.1 Influence of knowledge on consumers behaviors: Consumers with high and low knowledge react differently in a variety of consumer behaviors like information processing evaluation strategies and decision making. The differences between high and low knowledge consumers are addressed in three related areas: Differences in cognitive structure ,capabilities of analysis, inference and memory, Differences in internal knowledge transfer, Differences in similarity judgments between brands, Differences in fit perception in brand extension evaluations. (Phau, 2003)

Developing Diversity in the Clinical Psychology Profession

Developing Diversity in the Clinical Psychology Profession The profession of clinical psychology is currently  predominately  predominantly white, female and middle class. What can  be done to ensure that we become a more diverse and  inclusive profession? Word count:1.256 The question of how the field can be made more – can be made more diverse and inclusive is one that has been much explored in the clinical psychology community in Britain as well as in other countries. This essay will examine strategies and initiatives previously put in place in order to recruit clinical psychologists from a wider pool of applicants, and look at how successful such initiatives have been. Finally, the discussion will focus on what seems to be the best way forward for the profession in its efforts to more closely reflect the disparate communities of which it serves. The skewed demographics of the profession might be at least partly responsible for the low usage rates of clinical psychology services by black, ethnic minority and male UK citizens. An influential BPS report entitled â€Å"Widening access within undergraduate psychology education and its implications for professional psychology: Gender, disability and ethnic diversity† was published in recent yearsrecently published (Turpin Fensom, 2004). The report revealed that only 5.8% of UK clinical psychologists were recruited from ethnic minorities, and that a mere 23% were men. These figures called indicated a need for greater efforts to increase the number of recruits from black and other ethnic minority (BME) and disabled communities. The report referred to the work of Davenhill et al. (1989), who made a number of recommendations to widen access of BME groups into clinical psychology training. Unfortunately, little progress was made.[RZ2] The BPS has, however, demonstrated an ongoing commitment to deal with this complex matter, such as the setting up of a ‘Race and Culture Special Interest Group’. Amongst the Group’s aims and objectives is a stated commitment to â€Å"promote strategies that increase Black and Minority Ethnic Communities to the profession of Clinical Psychology, †; [RZ3]and to â€Å"promote the view that training in clinical psychology should reflect the needs of people from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities† (Reference!!!).[RZ4] A notable contribution has also been made by the BPS s ‘Standing Committee for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities’, which amongst other valuable functions, monitors levels of minority representation within the BPS. According to the most recent available figures, these BPS initiatives have not as yet had significant impact on diversity and inclusiveness, but it is perhaps too early to condemn them as inadequate and ineffectual. Turpin and Fensom’s 2004 report (2004) gives interesting figures, showing that psychology is hugely popular as an undergraduate discipline with approximately 80,000 applicants a year, of which 79 percent are female. In the field of psychology, BME students are more highly represented at 12 percent compared with the rest of the population studying other subjects. The same study also found that out of those from a BME background, only 1.4 percent are successful in their clinical training applications, compared with 3.95 percent of those who are white, and 3.5 percent who are male. With regard to clinical training, approximately 9.4 percent of students are of a BME background, whereas only 6.2 percent of these are successful. Of the 90.6 percent who consider themselves to be white however, the success rate is 93 percent. These data point towards highly complex reasons for a profession dominated by white females of a middleclass background. Gender bias in psychology has been recognised for many years (Morris et.al, 1992). It is likely that the nature of the discipline appeals more to females than men. [RZ5]But it might also be influenced by lack of knowledge of the true nature of psychology as well as that of future career possibilities. Amongst the practical measures announced in the BPS report mentioned above, were a recruitment video to be used in schools, and an initiative to make careers advisors more aware of the employment opportunities offered by clinical psychology. [RZ6] It can be argued that the mere process of undertaking clinical training in itself is likely to exclude certain social groups. [RZ7]The ratio of applicants far outweighs the places available, 29.3 per cent in 2002 (Turpin and Fensom, 2004) and this in itself is likely to deter some people. In addition to high academic entrance requirements, s several years of relevant experience is required, Working as an assistant psychologist does not in itself necessarily give opportunities for a career, and even years of experience do not always guarantee acceptance into clinical training. This can give an impression of uncertainty in addition to the likelihood of eventually being in substantial financial debt. [RZ8] All these factors could partly explain the reduction in applications from students from a BME background. Little is known about the perception of psychology as a vocation within or across different ethnic groups and culture. Darr (1998) found that ethnic applicants to higher education undervalued allied health professions as career choice and chose more traditional careers instead.[RZ9] Research has also shown that BME students obtain fewer 2.1 and 1.st degrees than their fellow white students (Pathak, 2000). This in itself might partly explain the drop in applications to clinical training, but it does not explain why fewer applicants from BME groups are successful compared to their white peers (Turpin and Fensom 2004, Boyle et al, 1993). Turpin and Fensom doubt that an explicit discrimination factor at short listing and interview would simply account for this. But in addition to the academic criteria and the necessary working experience, applicants are also vetted through interviews and other tasks. (Phillips, Hatton Gray, 2001). It is tempting to hypothesise, building on knowledge from social psychology, that applicants from minority backgrounds may encounter greater difficulties in conveying their knowledge and personal abilities.[RZ10] The important goal of wider diversity within clinical psychology is to ensure that the Mental Health Service can offer adequate therapy for minority and socially excluded groups. More male clinical psychologists from different backgrounds might ensure that the Mental Health Service is accessible to these groups. More research is needed to give an understanding of the gender differences and how psychology is perceived as a career in different ethnic groups. Research into exactly why, or at what stage, ethnic minorities fail in the vetting process might be helpful. [RZ11] References:[RZ12] Widening access within undergraduate psychology education and its implications for professional psychology: Gender, disability and ethnic diversity, (BPS, 2004) BPS Equal Opportunities Policy Davenhill R, Hun H, Piallary H M, Harris A Klein Y (1989). Training and selection issues in clinical psychology for black and minority ethnic groups from an equal opportunities perspective. Clinical Psychology Forum,21 34-36 Darr, A. (1998) Improving the recruitment and retention of Asian students on nursing, midwifery, radiography and physiotherapy courses: A qualitative research study. Bradford and Airedale Health Related Strategy Group. Morris,P., Cheung,D. Smith,H. (1992) How and why applicants choose to study psychology at university. The Psychologist,5, Pathak,S. (2000) Research report topic, race research for the future ethnicity. In Education, Training and the Labour Market. Department of Education and Employment,UK Phillips,A.,Hatton,C. Gray,l. (2001) Which selection methods do clinical psychology courses use? Clinical Psychology,8 19-24 [RZ1] [RZ2]Can you provide a quote from the report here to illustrate why little progress was made? What are the criteria for progress in this area? [RZ3]What are these strategies? [RZ4]Yes, don’t forget to reference this quote! [RZ5]Why? Support this assertion. [RZ6]You may want to consider moving this explanation of practical measures to the previous page, where the question of strategies is raised initially. [RZ7]Why? Are certain social groups less demonstrably likely to display the work ethic necessary to complete clinical training? [RZ8]Good point. [RZ9]Does Darr hypothesise why this might be so? [RZ10]Why is it tempting? Internalized racism? [RZ11]Miid 2:2 Standard. You should consider spending less time describing the particulars of the problem and more time analyzing why the problem exists and what might be done about it. Otherwise, well-written and well-sourced. [RZ12]K c

Eye of the beholder :: essays research papers

?Beauty is in the eye of the beholder? is one of the most commonly known proverbs. In the Twilight Zone?s short film, ?Eye of the Beholder? that same proverb is used as a metaphor to demonstrate how beauty and acceptance are illustrated in the real world. The film tells the story of a woman whose hideously deformed face has made her an outcast all of her life. Now she faces her nearly a dozen and final operation for a last chance to look normal with the help of unseen surgeons. First, in the ?Eye of the Beholder? we see the bandaged woman?s craving for normality. She is constantly haunted by the memory of a child screaming because of her physical deformed appearance. We are also reminded that those who look ?different? will be sent of to an isolated place with others of the same ?disability.? With that being said a sense of Nazism idealistic society comes to mind. For example, the Nazi?s sent those who looks different than the normal beautiful blued eyed, blond Germans, to a concentration camp. Moreover, the woman in the ?eye of the Beholder? not only wanted beauty but she felt the need for acceptance. She was denied this when she was taken to a disability camp. It?s amazing how in the movie, people were separated and treated unequally because of their physical appearances, and as result, they could not share the same society. This is in fact is a metaphor for how discrimination was once in extreme existence in this society. For example, African Americans once had to use: different bathrooms, water fountains, and were even segregated to non-white school. They were even isolated to the worse parts of the cities. In conclusion, in the Twilight Zone?s short film, ?Eye of the Beholder? the themes of beauty and acceptance are used as a metaphor for the

Being a Good Leader in the Marines Essay -- Marines Leadership Counsel

Being a Good Leader in the Marines â€Å"In order to be a good leader, there are two things to remember. Lead from the Front and always set the Example. From these two leadership principles, everything else will fall into place.† These are the words that have ended all of my counseling sheets with since I began writing them as a Corporal and will continue to do as long as I counsel Marines. I was brought up in the Marine Corps with this philosophy and have adopted it as my own. Leading from the front is often times one of the leadership principles that is easier said by some than actually done. Those so called leaders that would tell their Marines to do something that ‘they’ would never really do themselves. Coming in font of your Marines on a Monday morning without a fresh haircut or pressed uniform and actually having the nerve to address them on how ‘unsatisfactory’ they appear. I have actually had the unpleasant experience of witnessing this, from a receiving perspective. Is this what anyone would call Setting the Example? I have had both the pleasure and discomfort of being led by good and bad leaders. The way I simply define leadership is by being able to do as you say. Lead from the front and Set the example. There are several different items that I have stored in my leadership â€Å"bag of tricks†. The one that I find myself applying the most is the ability to be both stern but flexible. I am a true believer in the statement that no one is perfect. As a leader I feel tha...

Perfect Competition V. Monopolies :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the American Economy, business is controlled by the government and the consumer. When a person is the owner of a business that is alone in its product that it provides for the consumer, it is said to be a monopoly. As a monopoly you have sole control over price. Monopolies are regulated by the government in order to prevent the misuse of power that a monopoly has.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a person can only get turkey, for example from one store. Then the store can charge a lot more for that turkey than it could if the store next door was selling it too because then there would be competition. Also, the store would not have to produce a better quality of turkey because there would be no reason for it to do so. In this situation the consumer is taken unfair advantage of by the business owner, in this case the store. Government regulates monopolies to promote a perfect competition economy and to get rid of the â€Å"turkey situation† discussed above. The benefits of a perfect competition economy benefit consumers. For example, if we go back to the store, in a perfect competition economy all of the stores have turkey. Now the stores want to make sure that the turkey that they sell is the best turkey and cost the least. In this situation they are competing for the consumer’s business. However, business owners of a monopoly situation disagree with the government. When there is a business that has the potential to become a monopoly the government watches it very closely and the business has to go through the government for mergers and such. The more the business becomes a monopoly, the more the government says no to the business’s requests. For example, there is Microsoft. The government has been working to keep Microsoft from being the big business that it is today.