History of Cognitive Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

History of Cognitive Psychology - Essay Example The contribution of early researchers under the guidance of cognitive behaviour made it possible to verify every research. They did not design a grand scheme to guide cognitive psychology through its development. Rather, early researchers applied insights from their immediate work to make initial headway. Their accomplishments were substantial and are reflected extensively in current work. (Barsalou, Lawrence.1992, p. 341) Modern psychology is initiated with the enhanced significance in cognition, which is unsceptical, as the same approach has been shared by all the researchers hitherto, which possess a solid ground of theoretical methodology. Cognitive psychology began to explore towards the end of the nineteenth century when in 1879 the first psychology laboratory was set up by Wilhelm Wundt at Leipzig. Wundt's research was mainly concerned with perception, including some of the earliest studies of visual illusions. Among one of the major studies on visual illusions was visual processing proposed by Mishkin in 1982. (Hahn, Martin, 1999, p. 71). In 1885 Hermann Ebbinghaus published the first experimental research on memory, and many subsequent researchers were to adopt his methods over the years that followed. Perhaps the most lasting work of this early period was a remarkable book written by William James in 1890, entitled Principles of Psychology. (Groome, David, 1999, p. 5). In this book James proposed a number of theories, which still remain acceptable to modern cognitive psychologists, including a theory distinguishing between short-term working memory and long-term storage memory. Watson (1913) Watson was the first cognitive psychologist to state the behaviourist position clearly as before Watson there was little progress in cognitive psychology in the early years due to the growing influence of behaviourism. Being the first influential figure, he maintained that psychologists should consider only observable variables such as the stimulus presented to the organism and any consequent response to that stimulus. He argued that they should not concern themselves with processes that they could not observe in a scientific manner, such as thought and conscious experience. The behaviourists were essentially trying to establish psychology as a true science, comparable in status with other sciences such as physics or chemistry. This was perhaps a worthy aim, but it had unfortunate consequences for the study of psychology for the next fifty years, as it had the effect of restricting experimental psychology mainly to the recording of externally observable responses. (Groome, David, 19 99, p. 5) Indeed, some behaviourists were so enthusiastic to explore beyond human experience that they never bothered to eliminate inner mental processes from their studies, which showed their eagerness to work on rats rather than on human subjects. No doubt, what experience a human being brings to a laboratory, nothing else can bring. B.F. Skinner (1938) Skinner, continued the classic work on the behaviourist approach, by training

Solomon, Consumer Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Solomon, Consumer Behaviour Essay When we say personality, actually everyone can understand what it is meant to be but actually it is hard to define a formal description of â€Å"Personality†. One answer can lie in the concept of personality, which refeers to a person’s unique psychological make up and how it concsistently influences the ay a person’s responds to his/her environment. From now on when we say â€Å"Personality†, we mean all of the distinctive, consistent and structured relations between an individual ‘s inner and outer environment. Personality is also be described as â€Å" the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual† Some psychologists may argue that the concept of personality may not be valid. Many studies find that people do not seem to exhibit stable personalities. Because people do not necessarily behave the same way in all situations, they argue that this is merely a convenient way to categorize people. It’s a bit hard to accept because we tend to see others in a limited range of situations and so they do appear to act consistently. Marketing strategies often include some aspect of personality. These dimensions are usually considered in conjunction with a person’s choice of leisure activities, political beliefs, aesthetic tastes, and other personal factors that help us to understand consumer lifestyle. Freudian Theories: Who is Sigmund Freud? Sigmund, born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939), was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. An early neurological researcher into cerebral palsy, aphasia and microscopic neuroanatomy, Freud later developed theories about the unconscious mind and the mechanism of repression, and established the field of verbal psychotherapy by creating psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient (or analysand) and a psychoanalyst. Psychoanalysis has in turn helped inspire the development of many other forms of psychotherapy, some diverging from Freuds original ideas and approach. * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud Sigmund Freud proposed the idea that much of one’s adult personality stems from a fundamental conflict between a person’s desire to gratify his/her physical needs and the necessity to function as a responsible member of society. The id seeks out immediate gratification. The superego is the counterweight to the id. It is a person’s conscience. The ego is the system that mediates between the two. It tries to find ways to gratify the id that are acceptable to society. This is called the Pleasure Principle. â€Å"Id† is selfish and illogical. It is the â€Å"Party Animal† of the mind. It’s about immidiate gratification. Id operates according to the pleasure principle which our basic desire to maximize pleasure and avoid pain guides our behaviour. Id directs a person’s physical energy toward pleasurable acts without regard for any consequences. â€Å"Superego† is the counterweight to the id. The superego is essentially the person’s consicience. The superego internalizes society’s rules and tries to prevent the id from seeking selfish gratification. â€Å"Ego† mediates between the id and superego, it acts as a refree in the fight between temptation and virtue. The ego tries to balance these opposing forces according to the reality principle which means it finds way to gratify the id that the outside world will find acceptable. These conflicts occur on an unconcious level , so the person is not necessarily awere of the underlying reasons for his/her behaviour. Freud’s ideas highlights the potential importance of unconscious motives that guide our purchases. Consumer researchers have adapted some of Freud’s ideas. Consumers cannot necessarily tell us their true motivation when they choose products, even if we can devise a sensitive way to ask them directly. The Freudian perspective also raises the possibility that the ego relies on the symbolism in products to compromise between the demands of the id and the prohibitions of the superego. The person channels her unacceptable desire into acceptable outlets when she uses products that signify these underlying desires. This is the connection between product symbolism and motivation: The product stands for, or represents, a consumer’s true goal, which is socially unacceptable or unattainable. By acquiring the product, the person vicariously experiences the forbidden fruit. Phallic Symbols: are male-oriented symbolism that appeals to women. According to Freud’s idea the use of some objects that resemmble sex organs. For example: Cigars, trees, swords, buttons,trains and cars are look alike male sex organs. In addition to those mentioned, tunnels and button holes are symbolysed as female sex organs. Most Freudian applications in marketing relate to a product’s supposed sexual symbolism. For example owning a sports car for a man going through a mid-life crysis is a substitute for sexual gratification. Motivational Research: Motivational research borrowed Freudian ideas to understand the deeper meanings of products and advertisements. The approach assumed that we channel socially unacceptable needs into acceptable outlets including product substitutes. Motivational Research relies on depth interviews with individual consumers instead of asking many consumers a few general questions about product usage. Motivational Researcher probes deeply into each respondents’ purchase motivations. It might take several hours and the respondent can not immediately articulate his/her latent or underlying motives. The researcher can reach these only after extensive questioning and interpretation. Ernst Diechter was a psychoanalyst who trained with Freud’s disciples in Vienna. Dichter conducted in-depth interview studies on more than 230 products. There are both appeals and criticism associated with motivational research. * Criticisms * Invalid or works too well * Gave advertisers the power to manipulate consumers * Research lacked sufficient rigor and validity because the interpretations are so subjective. * The analyst bases his conclusions on his own judgement after an interview with a small number of people * The doubt of if the finding would generalize to a market or not * Too sexually based because of The Orthodox Freduian Theory * Appeal * Less expensive than large-scale surveysÃ'Ž * Powerful hook for promotional strategy * Intuitively plausible findings (after the fact) * Enhanced validity with other techniques Motives and Associated Products * Power-masculinity-virility: Sugar products large breakfasts, power tools – Coffee , Red meat, heavy shoes, toy guns, buying fur coats to women, shaving with a razor * Security: Ice Cream(to feel like a loved child again), Full drawer of neatly ironed shirts * Eroticism: Sweets (to lick) gloves (to be removed by women as a form of undressing) * Moral purity-cleanliness: White Bread , Cotton Fabrics , oatmeal (sacrifice, virtue) * Social acceptance: Companionship: Ice CreamÃ'Ž Love and Affection: Toys (to express love for children) Acceptance: Soap Beauty products * Individuality: Foreign Cars, Vodka, Perfumes * Status: Health Problems (To show one has a high stress , important job! ) Carpets (to show one does not step on ground with bare feet) * Femininity: Cakes and cookies, dolls, silk, tea, household curios (anthics) * Reward: Cigarettes, Alcohol, Candy, Ice CreamÃ'Ž * Mastery over environment: Kitchen appliences, boats, sporting goods, cigarette lighters * Disalienation (a desire to feel connectedness to things) : Morning radio broadcast, skiing * Magic-mystery: Soups (healing power), paints (changes mood of room), unwrapping gifts Other interpretations were hard for some researchers to swallow; such as the observation that women equate the act of baking a cake with birth, or that men are reluctant to give blood because they feel it drains their vital fluids. However, American people sometimes say a pregnant woman has â€Å"A bun in the owen† When the Red Cross hired Ernest Diechter to boost blood donation rates he reported that men (but not women) tend to intensely overestimate the amount of blood they give. As a result the red cross, counteracted men’s fear of losing their virility when the organization symbolically equated the act of blood with fertilizing a female egg: â€Å" The gift of life. † Neo Freudian Theories Alfred Adler He was cooperating with Freud and Carl Jung but later in the Freudian Theories the emphasis on sex was not accepted by Alfred Adler. Adler called it individual psychology because he believed a human to be an indivisible whole, an individuum. He also imagined a person to be connected or associated with the surrounding world to form an independent school of psychotherapy and personality theory. Following this split, Adler would come to have an enormous, independent effect on the disciplines of counseling and psychotherapy as they developed over the course of the 20th century. Adler emphasized the importance of equality in preventing various forms of psychopathology, and espoused the development of social interest and democratic family structures for raising children. His most famous concept is the inferiority complex which speaks to the problem of self-esteem and its negative effects on human health (e. g. sometimes producing a paradoxical superiority striving). His emphasis on power dynamics is rooted in the philosophy of Nietzsche, whose works were published a few decades before Adlers. However, Adlers conceptualization of the Will to Power focuses on the individuals creative power to change for the better. Adler argued for holism, viewing the individual holistically rather than reductively, the  latter being the dominant lens for viewing human psychology. Adler was also among the first in psychology to argue in favor of feminism making the case that power dynamics between men and women (and associations with masculinity and femininity) are crucial to understanding human psychology. Adler is considered, along with Freud and Jung, to be one of the three founding figures of depth psychology, which emphasizes the unconscious and psychodynamic. Caren Horney: According to Horney; individual’s reaction to percieved real threats ,anxiety, is stronger than sexuality or libido. Individuals have ways and neurotic tendencies to cope up with emotional problems in daily life. These tendencies occur as moving towards others (compliant), away from others (detached) or against others (The aggressive). Compliant people are more likely to gravitate toward name brand products. (Celal Birsen – Turkish Umbrella Manufacturer) Detached people are more likely to be tea drinkers. Aggressive people prefer brands with a strong masculine orientation. We can clearly see that in Old Spice Commercials with Terry Crews. Another approach by Harry Stack Sullivan focused that personality evolves in both internal and external daily communicatiosn to overcome anxiety. Carl Jung: Carl Jung was also a disciple of Freud but their relationship ended in part because Jung did not accept Freud’s emphasis on sexual aspects of personality. Jung developed his own method psychotherapy known as analytical psychology. He believed that we all share a collective unconscious. You can think of this collective unconscious as a storehouse of memories we inherited from our ancestors. From these shared memories, we recognize archetypes. An archetype is a universally recognized idea or behavior pattern. They typically involve themes like birth and death and appear in myths, stories, and dreams He is the founder of Analitical Psychology He mentioned the â€Å"id† as the power source of unconscious ego. Unconscious can be classified into personal and collective unconscious. Jung believed that cummulative experiences of past generations shape who we are today(Experiences have been inherited from past generation to next generation) which is collective unconscious. People are afraid of dark because their distant anchestors had good reasons to fear it. Personal unconscious means rudimentary ideas and subdued beliefs and livings. Many psychological concepts were first proposed by Jung, including the Archetype, the Collective Unconscious, the Complex, and synchronicity. A popular psychometric instrument has been principally developed from Jungs theories. Persona,one of the most common archetypes defined by Carl Jung, has a major factor while personality is shaped. It is the visible part of our personality by other people, it is the mask we wear during interacting in environment. The other two major archetypes are anima and animus. Anima is the feminine characteristics within a male personality, and animus is the masculine characteristics within a female personality. BrandAsset ® Valuator of Archetyes is created by BrandAsset ® Consulting: A Young Rubicam Brands Company. The model shows the relationships among the Archetypes. For each healthy personality, there is a corresponding Shadow. A healthy personality is one in which the Archetypes overwhelm their corresponding Shadows. A sick personality results when one or more Shadows prevail. When a brand’s Shadows dominate, this cues the agency to take action to guide the brand to a healthier personality. Agency uses the valuator to get opions of brands, keep the brand away from ome than one shoadow characteristic and move brand into a healthier positions. BrandAsset Valuator ® Archetypes Trait Theory : Trait theory focuses on the quantitative measurement of personality traits. Personality traits are the identifiable characteristics that define a person. For instance, we might say that someone is an introvert (quite and reserved) or an extrovert(Socially outgoing). Some of the most relevant traits for consumer behavior are listed below * Innovativeness is the degree to which a person likes to try new things. * Materialism is the amount of emphasis a person places on acquiring and owning products * Self-consciousness is the degree to which a person deliberately monitors and controls the image of the self that he or she projects to others. * Need for cognition is the degree to which a person likes to think about things and by extension, expends the necessary effort to process brand information. * Frugality is the tendency to deny short-term purchases and to make due with what they already own. David Reisman first introduced the terms inner-directed and outer-directed more than 30 years ago. There are several differences that exist between idiocentric (an individualist orientation) and allocentric (a group orientation) personalities. | Idiocentrics | Allocentrics |Ã'Ž | (individualist orientation)| (group orientation)| Contentment| More satisfied with current life| Less satisfied with current life| Health Consciousness| Less likely to avoid unhealthy foods| More likely to avoid unhealthy foods| Food Preparation| Spend less time preparing food| Love kitchen; spend more time preparing food| Workaholics| More likely to work hard and stay late at work| Less likely to work hard| Travel and Entertainment| More interested in traveling to other cultures| Visit library and read more|Ã'Ž Problems with Trait Theory The use of standard personality trait measurements to predict product choices has met with mixed success. It is simply hard to predict consumer behavior based on personality! There are several explanations; * Scales not valid/reliable –Results may not be stable over time * Tests borrow scales used for mentally ill marketers â€Å"borrow† those results to apply a more general population * Inappropriate testing conditions and not well trained test administers * Ad hoc instrument changes – reduces ability to compare test results across consumer samples * Use of global measures to predict specific brand purchases * â€Å"Shotgun approach† (no thought of scale application) – No specific advance knowledge about how test results is going to be conducted about purchases of specific brands. Researchers are recognised that Trait researches can not fully describe what the purchase decision is mainly caused by but a part of it. Marketers have to incorprate personality data with information about people social and economic conditions for it to be useful. Brand Personality Brand personality is set of traits people attribute to a product as if it were a person. Brands borrow personality traits of individuals or groups to convey an image they want customers to form of them. Many of the most recognizeable figures in popular culture are spokescharacters for long-standing brands, such as Mr. Muscle in Turkish advertisements. Animism: Brands carry their energy, attractiveness and soul on products as living creatures (Quaker Oats man and their credibility are reflected to a product package so that consumers may assume producers as shrewd and fair as Quaker Oats. Brand equity is the extent to which a consumer holds strong, favorable, and unique associations with a brand in memory—and the extent to which s/he is willing to pay more for the branded version of a product than for a nonbranded (generic) version . Like people, brand personalities do change over time. Brands’ popularity may vary from year to year. Herebelow it’s the most popular companies in Turkey in years 2010 and 2011. One year can make significant changes in brands equity. http://www. businews. eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/egsa50-1. jpg To give you another idea of how much things change Americans ranked these brands as the most stylish in year 1993 and 2008 Top 5 Stylish 1993 * Levis * Nike * Bugle Boy * Guess * L. A. Gear Top 5 Stylish – 2008Ã'Ž * Victoria’s Secret * Ralph Lauren * Nine West * Calvin Klein * Coach Doppelganger Brand Image When a company makes too many false or misguiding advertisesments, consumers can give humoristic and rebellios responses. This may be a web site attack or a fan-made(or anti-fan) video that make fun of it on Youtube and other similar content sharing social media. This is called Doppelganger Brand Image (Which means the bad twin of that brand) For example Turk Telekom’s ADSL connection also known as TTNT ADSLÃ'Ž Logo of London 2012 Olympics. The british tabloids have been less than kind; one paper described the design as a â€Å"Toileting monkey†. Also it has got some critisism due to it symbolysis Semitic Quote to â€Å"Sion†. An anti logo group got 50000 people to sign a petition demanding that organizors change the design. Some marketing experts feel that this outcry is a good thing because most young Britons are very blase about the prospect of the Olympics taking place in their backyard. So this will get their blood pumping. As an example of Animism; Adidas Brand creates a focus group of children and asks them to image, Adidas is going to join a party and tell them how they imagine adidas in the party. The kids responded that Adidas would be hanging around the keg with its pals, talking about girls unfortunely they also said Nike would be with the girls. The results reminded Adidas’ brand managers they had some work to do. Brand Action| Trait Inference| Brand Examples|Ã'Ž Brand is repositioned several times or changes slogan repeatedly | Flighty, schizophrenic| Ford, Geico, Puma| Brand uses continuing character in advertising | Familiar, comfortable | Marlboro, Turkcell, Arcelik| Brand charges high prices and uses exclusive distribution| Snobbish, sophisticated| LV, Hermes, MacroCenter| Brand frequently available on deal| Cheap, uncultured| HM| Brand offers many line extensions| Versatile, adaptable| Ipana| Brand sponsors show on PBS or uses recycled material| Helpfull, supportive| Toms, IKEA| Brand features easy to use packaging or speaks at consumers level in advertising | Warm, Approachable| T-Box| Brand offers seasonal clearance sale| Planfull, practival| Mango, Polo Garage| Brand offers five-year warranty or free customer hotline| Reliable, Dependable| Hyundai|Ã'Ž The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) is a technique for eliciting interconnected constructs that influence thought and behavior. It is used to measure the brand equity. This tool can help companies in creating positive associations with customers. This works most, as by talking the brand in the form of story , marketer better able to grab the attention of customers and touch their feelings. ZMET is one tool used to asses the strategic aspect of brand personality and is based on the premise that brands are expressed in metaphores; that is, a representation of one thing in terms of another. These associations offen are non-verbal so the ZMAT approach is based on a non verbal representation of brands. Participants collect a minimum of twelve images representing their thoughts and feelings about the topic, and are interviewed in depth about the images and their feelings. Eventually digital imaging techniques are used to create a collage summarizing these thoughts and feelings and the person tells a story about the image created. Nestle Cerelac is the leading brand in baby food category. See how Cerelac brand equity measure through ZMET technique. By using this example, you can better able to apply this tool and increase you brands overall worth.

Economic Impact Of Mega Sports Tourism Essay

Economic Impact Of Mega Sports Tourism Essay The use of sports markets to explore questions of economic interest has a long history as the majority of this literature analyses US sports, notably American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey, whilst there is also a considerable interest in soccer, the leading world sport (For example, the 1998 European Short Course Swimming, 1999 European Show Jumping and the 2001 World Half Marathon Championships). Over the past two decades there has been increased competition among cities, regions and countries to host mega sporting events Therefore Government and other proponents of major sporting events usually seek to back up their claims of the event providing an economic boost by commissioning an economic impact statement. For example, Economic Research Associates (1984) study of the Los Angeles Olympics, Humphreys and Plummers (1992) study of the Atlanta Olympics, and KPMG Peat Marwicks (1993) study of the Sydney Olympics. Hosting a sport event has revealed a number of benefits in our communities and of those benefits, some reasons like increasing community visibility, positive psychic income, and enhancing community image are all common and acceptable postulations.   Economic impact in sporting events can be defined as the net change in an economy resulting from a sport event and the change is caused by activity involving the acquisition, operation, development, and use of sport facilities and services (Lieber and Alton, 1983)which in turn generate visitors spending, public spending, employment opportunities, and tax revenue. In study of economic impact Expenditures can be categorized as direct, indirect, and induced effects. For example direct expenditure is the investment needed to meet the increased demand of visitors for goods and services. Indirect effects are the ripple effect of additional rounds of re-circulating the initial spectators dollars. Induced effects are the increase in employment and household income that result from the economic activity fueled by the direct and indirect effects (Dawson, Blahna, Keith, 1993; Howard Crompton, 1995). Sports Economics possesses substantial experience in economic consulting to the sports industry, with specific knowledge of the economic impact of facilities, events, and teams so considering the publicity and scrutiny surrounding such studies, it is imperative to select a firm that not only has substantial experience, but also has a reputation for consistently providing an accurate assessment of economic impact. There are following reasons to conduct economic impact studies of sport events and Firstly, because many sport events in our communities were financed by public tax support, economic impact studies continue to be an important public relations tool for city government. Secondly, there is doubt that sporting events may actually help develop a community in relative to its economy therefore, accurate estimates should be proposed and the results should be reported to community members and Thirdly, as sport is not just an entertainment but an industry so the results of economic impact may be a cornerstone to develop many related businesses in communities. Finally, positive or negative economic results of sport events may be an important method to determine communities draft budget for the coming year so as an example in July of 2001, Beijing was awarded the 2008 Summer Olympic Games so most people assume that such an event will bring enormous economic benefits to the host city not just dur ing the event, but for years afterward. The scale of the organization, facilities and infrastructure required for such a huge undertaking are such that the Games cannot but have substantial economic effects (Sydney 2000 Games, p 2) but what exactly are these economic effects, and how do they affect the quality of life of local residents? The relevance of studies for example, such as these to the Beijing games depends in part on the similarity of the economic conditions in China to previous hosts so it seems logical that a less developed country will have more to gain from long term growth opportunities. Matheson and Baade (2003) argue, however, that the prospects of mega-sporting events are even worse for developing countries and the opportunity costs of providing state of the art facilities are much higher and lack of modern infrastructure requires significant additional investment. Literature Review on Economic Impact Studies Precursor The aim of this literature review is to understand direct and indirect impact of major sports events on economy and understand how major sports can open new dimension in economy. This has been done through referring various journals, articles and magazines; also a survey has been carried out as part of primary research to analyze impact of major sports event on Economy; however validation of data collected is subject to sources and prevailing conditions. Final phase of this study on IPL covers analysis of contribution of IPL to Indian economy, It analyze that how IPL has opened a new dimension for Indian economy to grow and attracts domestic and foreign investors. This phase also covers SWOT analysis of IPL, reasons critical to success of IPL and future ahead. Statement of Purpose Previously many research studies have contributed to understand economic impact of sport and/or recreational events; however most studies are based upon the researchers personal perception and arguable methodology. The purpose of this study was to review previous economic impact studies and to construct framework for conducting an economic impact study. This entire theoretical framework has been tested by analyzing a case study of economic Impact of mega sports events like Indian Premier League on Indian economy. Literature Review To study Economic impact of sports is challenging topic in the field of management fields because estimating the economic impact of sporting events and make some constructive statement is very difficult and subjective. Due to the subjective nature of social science, ideas and methodology vary from person to person for conducting economic impact studies. The main barrier behind conducting social science research is based on the level of competitiveness and belief in understanding of the material. and also social objects are hidden behind a screen of pre-constructed discourses which present the worst barrier to scientific investigation, and countless sociologists believe they are talking about the object of study when they are merely relaying the discourse which, in sport as elsewhere, the object produces about itself, whether through its officials, supporters or journalists (Bourdieu, 1999). Therefore, construction of truly scientific objects implies a break with common representation s, which can notably be effected by taking these pre-notions as the object of study so this report examines the wider benefits that move beyond the economic impact and proffers the adoption of the balanced scorecard approach to event evaluation. This consolidated piece of research builds on the original Measuring Success in 1999 which was based on the premise that major sports events have the potential to achieve significant economic impacts for the host town, city or area but economic impact is now one of the parameters upon which an events success is measured.   Countries, who host the mega sports event, should make a roadmap for significant investments in sports venues and other infrastructure. It is generally assumed that the scale of such event and roadmap of the preparation for it will create large and long lasting economic benefits to the host country. This would result in huge economic benefits that would have significant economic impact. However unfortunately these studies are constructed around misapplications of economic theoretical framework that virtually guarantee their projections will be large. Ex-post studies have consistently showed no evidence of positive economic impacts from mega-sporting events even remotely approaching the estimates in economic impact studies. For example, in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China have put up huge investments in infrastructure and facility recreation to a new level. The opportunity for long term economic benefits from the mega sports event like Beijing, critically depend on how well mega sports events related investments in venues and infrastructure can be incorporated into the overall economy in the years following the Games In current scenario economic impact studies have become standard operating procedure for supporters of public funding for sports events. It has led to acceptance of their findings by the government and public due to their prevalence with no critical evaluation. Due to the huge investment involve in such high profile mega sports events, large and positive Economic effects are taken as given; the studies confirm what is already believed. The promise of worldwide exposure and economic gain has made hosting these major and regularly scheduled sporting affairs a lucrative goal for aspiring cities around the world (Short 2000, p. 320). Hosting a mega sport event like Olympic, has exhibited a number of large and long lasting benefits in our communities like enhancing community image, increasing community visibility and positive psychic income are all common and acceptable postulations. However, sport is not just limited to an entertainment, also it act as full fledge industry, the results of economic impact may be a cornerstone to develop many related businesses in communities. Positive or negative economic results of sport events may be a critical factor to determine communities draft budget for the coming year. Mega-events such as the Olympic Games require large sums of public money to be spent on venues and infrastructure improvements. Economic impact studies are often commissioned In order to justify the use of large sum of public money towards invariably large inflows of money that will have a long-term positive effect on the economy by such means as job creation and visitor spending. Scale of the mega sports event which attract large amounts of money from outside a local economy, are forecasted to have economic impacts in the billions of dollars The simple elegance of economic impact studies, injections of money circulating over and over in an economy to create a multiplier effect, has an alluring something for-nothing quality that is hard to refute. However to justify a counter argument can be difficult due to numerous mistakes made in economic impact studies. Critics have focused on numerous subjective areas like: 1) using multipliers that are too large, 2) treating costs as benefits, 3) ignoring opportunity costs and 4) using gross spending instead of net changes. In hosting mega sports event the major part of investment required on constructing stadiums, which to a large degree is spent on hiring construction workers and purchasing materials from local suppliers, is counted as a benefit to the local economy.

Essay --

Before we get started on the evolution of drones, you should get a better understanding of what exactly they are and their uses in today’s world. What is a drone? A drone is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is pretty much a more advanced Rc plane, it is controlled and used from a controller/computer. The CIA director George Tenet approved uses of drones after the attacks that a cured on 9/11. The most popular drone that the US uses is the General Atomics MQ – 1 predator. The US has more of these drones than any other. When they were first made they were solely for reconnaissance but now they carry a payload. The first drones deployed to Afghanistan were predators less than a month after 9/11. The second most popular drone is the MQ – 9 Reaper, it is larger than the MQ- 1 and can carry a bigger payload. They started making them in 2007. Where do we send them too? We send most of our drones to Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia but we also have some in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Drone strikes are stronger than you would think. The MQ – 1 can carry two hellfire missiles that way about 20 pounds. They are able to pierce most armored vehicles. The reason we use MQ -1’s is how accurate they are. They do not have a lot of collateral damage because they are more of a prà ©cis missile. The reaper on the other hand has a payload of up to 3,000 pounds and can carry hellfire’s and bombs up to 500 pounds. The blast radius of one of the MQ - 1 is up to 200 feet and it is a 50% that you will survive the blast. The closer you get to the blast the more likely the odds of you dyeing is. According to the Conflict Monitoring Center, in 2011 alone the CIA fired 242 Hellfire missiles in Pakistan, and at a cost of $68,000, that means the agency spent at ... ...ets through cameras and often deal with boredom and fatigue that can lead to mistakes. The military believes drones that identify targets would prevent attacks on incorrect targets and prevent accidents. However, there are no guarantees that machines would be any better at identifying targets than a human. One of my favorite new drones they are making is a large, cow-like machine that would be able to carry supplies and would follow a squad of soldiers over almost any type of terrain. The military also uses unmanned vehicles to investigate improvised explosive devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if in two or three decades we see robotic infantry or robotic cops on our own soil The idea of a machine that can think about targets is kind of scary. Machines are meant to be controlled by humans, not flying the friendly skies searching for the next target to blow up.

Church & Dwight: Time to Rethink the Portfolio? A case report prepared for MG 495 Business Policy Essay

Church & Dwight is a major manufacturer of household and personal products, including the popular Arm & Hammer brand along with well-known labels like Aim, Brillo, Nair, Oxi-Clean, and much more. Their trusted A & H trademark appears on a broad range of consumer and specialty products sold around the world. In 2011, the Company achieved a total sales revenue of 35%. Over the past decade, the Company delivered an annual TSR of approximately 19% to its shareholders, significantly better than the 1% TSR of the S & P 500 stock index during the same period, (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). However with the entrance of other companies wanting the same market share, Church & Dwight is facing some market competition issues. The biggest challenge, which the company is facing is maintaining constant growth. The company expanded consumer products portfolio over 70 brands into the existing corporate structure while†¨continuing to scout for new avenues for growth. This is no easy task as it competes for market share with such formidable consumer products powerhouses as Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Procter & Gamble, commanding combined sales revenue of over $100 billion. As the world’s largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products, Church & Dwight had, until recently, achieved consistent growth in sales and earnings. The core business of the company being the production of sodium bicarbonate. The company tried to expand its other products lines, which is not an easy task. Despite the challenging business environment, the company envisioned that in 2012 they will deliver 9-10% earnings per share growth through continued relentless focus on the 10 key areas that contributed to their outstanding TSR results over the past 10 years. In order to achieve their goal, they targeted, organic sales growth of 3-4%, 25-50 basis points of gross margin expansion, maintaining strong marketing spending at approximately 13% of net revenue, and continued tight management overhead costs. The company believes that organic sales growth will be driven by the outstanding pipeline of new products and continued strong market support of Power Brands. THE SITUATION John Dwight founded Church & Dwight Inc. Co. and now is one of the most successful companies that produces and manufactures personal care products. When the company was formed, it was not as big as it is now; however, the growth of the company has been slow and steady. The product line of Church & Dwight is diversified and consists of the personal care products. This has helped it to compete with companies like Unilever and P & G. Although the growth of the company has been slow and steady, the company has faced a few problems to succeed and this is the reason that the competition by the company has not been up to par (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). The competitors of Church & Dwight are Unilever and P&G. These two are the giants in the industry and in order to compete with them; Church & Dwight will have to gear up and ensure that the reputation and awareness of the company is created. The company can attribute much of its success to the fact that it had concentrated on the production and sales of sodium bicarbonate. Strong family control has shielded management from the problems of defending the company from takeover attempts. The company has successfully taken a commodity chemical, branded it, and marketed it to the point where it dominates the market. It has subsequently capitalized on consumer recognition and loyalty to the ARM & HAMMER brand by introducing multiple consumer products under this logo. As the dominant producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate products, Church & Dwight has faced limited competition in its primary markets and successfully entered the markets with other consumer products using a low price strategy with limited advertising expenditures. The company has gained a steady growth over the years and have to expand several consumer products. They have several company acquisitions due to its huge revenues over the years. But Church and Dwight just like other companies face several challenges along the way. A challenge against leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers is eminent. It is also experiencing head on collision with giant competitors such as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. In spite of all of these challenges it transformed into much larger competitor not only across a broader range of products but also in geographic territory. As a result, in order to maintain its continuous growth in both domestic and international arena the company needs to have the best strategy in place.†¨ Author: Cook, Roy A. pp, 35-1-12: II. ANALYSIS A. Analysis of the situation Management – Church & Dwight Company has continued a tradition of slow and steady leadership with a solid focus on long-term goals. The stability of the company’s leadership can be attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the company’s original cofounders, a tradition that continues even today. In addition, the management of the company over the past 160 years has been handed down from generation-to-generation until recently when Dwight C. Minton passed on the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1995 to an outsider, Mr. Robert A. Davies, III (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). Being focused on their leadership style has enabled Church & Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of directors and management to amend the company’s charter and allowed shareholders four votes per share. The board of directors was also re-structured into classes, in which each class serves staggered three-year terms (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-3). In addition to staggering the tenure of the directors, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide some type of security in the event a board member position is terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted owner. By providing these lucrative packages for senior management, many were able to stay with Church & Dwight. In applying the The Boston Consulting Group Growth Share Matrix, the company can be classified as a â€Å"Cash Cow† (wordpress.com) because according to the financial statements of Church & Dwight’s from 2007 to 2009, net sales and profits continued to grow relative to the many acquisitions made by of the company. In October 2004, Church & Dwight purchased four brands from Unilever, it completed the acquisition of Carter-Wallace’s consumer brands. While SPINBRUSH was purchased from Procter & Gamble in 2005. Furthermore, when compared to its major competitors, the company realized higher sales growth rates from 2003 to 2005. 2. Operations – Church & Dwight’s growth strategy relied on finding new uses for sodium bicarbonate. Prior to the acquisition spree, the company’s profits were derived from this product. The company soon began using an overall family branding strategy to penetrate the consumer markets place in the United States and Canada. Also, 85% of the baking soda market was controlled by the Arm and Hammer brand, â€Å"By capitalizing on its easily recognizable brand name, logo, and established marketing channels, Church & Dwight moved into such related products as laundry detergent, carpet cleaners and deodorizers, air deodorizers, toothpaste, and deodorant/antiperspirants.† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-6). Rivalry among existing firms (competitors), is inevitable as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. To reduce industry competition, Church & Dwight â€Å"also have a very solid core of specialty products† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p 35-9). The Growth of an analyzer normally occurs through market penetration. Church & Dwight Inc. can be classified as an analyzer organization because according to Miles and Snow’s Cellular Organization model the company operates in two types of product-market domains, one relatively stable, the other changing, (referenceforbusiness.com).This strategy worked very well in allowing the company to promote a variety of products using only one brand name. 3. Marketing – With established US and western European markets reaching saturation, manufacturers are actively pursuing growth overseas. Church & Dwight Inc. sales are concentrated in United States and Canada where funnel it through mass merchandisers such as Walt-Mart, supermarkets, wholesale clubs and drugstores (Wheelen & Hunger, 2102, pp.35-7). Even-though the company’s marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008, Church & Dwight are bent on reaching a wide range of people. This wide range of customers allows them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to satisfy those demographics. As the company expands globally, markets for one region could also be satisfied by other regions as production opportunities allowed greater cost-effectiveness. Having new stable consumer products and expanded detergent offerings they found themselves in direct competition with the big players in the market. Church & Dwight wants to move into the international market but have been met with limited success. Two possible reasons for this are 1) lack of name recognition, and 2) recognition problem. The GE Business Screen – used to perform business portfolio analysis on the strategic business units can be of great use in order to boost the company’s market share, (marketingmixhub.com). Therefore, as the company expands and acquires more product lines bearing the Arm & Hammer brand, the potential for substandard quality or customer dissatisfaction could cause negative impact on sales. Therefore, product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a company’s name and its product lines. Finance – The financial health of Church & Dwight can be characterized as being a mixed picture. Investors earnings in the report increased to 23%† and dividends on investments increased by 35%. It is highlighted by the strong upward trend in net profit margins and return on equity. However,when attention is turned to other key ratios, the picture becomes cloudy. Both the current and quick ratios have drifted downward. In addition, the inventory turnover ratio, after showing some improvement, has also drifted downward. Overall, a brief review of the financial ratios listed indicates that there continues to be room for improvement. However, the â€Å"five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-5) . According to the BCG Growth-Share Matrix, the characteristics of Stars are high-share, high-growth, but limited cash flow due to investment required to maintain growth, however, successful Stars go on to become Cash Cows – business/product that have a high share but slow growth. They tend to generate a very positive cash flow, most of which can be used to develop other businesses/products, (strategicmanagementinsight.com), which will be beneficial for a company like Church & Dwight. Being the world’s largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products, Church & Dwight Co. Inc was able to maintain a steady growth in both sales and earnings. For the past 30 years, the average company sales have increased by 10-15% annually (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-3 – 5). It is safe to conclude that since the CEO remains focused on â€Å"building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages† and the â€Å"long-term objective is to maintain the company’s track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the S&P 500† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2), the financial status of Church & Dwight continues to grow as it has historically achieved modest gains from year to year, with hopes of even greater revenue and sales. 5. Administration, especially Human Resources – The Company’s leadership at the top has remained a significant hallmark of the company. The Boards of directors are structured into three classes with four directors in each class serving staggered period of three year term (Wheelen & Hunger, pp.35-2). This strategy has given the board the needed control to maximize the its output to benefit the shareholders. Because of its continuous exposure to would-be suitors the company has entered into an employee severance agreement with key officials. It provides pay up to two times the individual’s highest salary and bonus plus benefits for two years. As the company widens its coverage into the consumer products in early 2000s, the changes in its key personnel was noticeable by injected a pool of executives with wide range of experience in marketing and international background from known organizations such as Spalding Sports World wide, Johnson & Johnson, FMC and Carter-Wallace (Wheelen Hunger, pp.35-3). The composition of its board of directors did not escape the changes that the company has implemented on its management. On the 10-member board, four have served for 10 years or more and six members served for five years or less. Two women served on the board with age ranging from 50 to 74 and the other six members are younger than 60 (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-3). 6. SWOT a. Strengths – Church & Dwight Company has many strengths with brand recognition being the top of the list. It is also the only producer of ammonium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate in the US. Another strength is that it has an in-house marketing strategy which very effective in marketing majority of its consumer products. Almost 25 percent of the outstanding shares of common stock are owned by descendants of the company’s cofounders. The company controls approximately 75 percent of the sodium bicarbonate production in the US. They control 85% of the baking soda market. Extensive consumer brand name recognition and loyalty (in 95 percent of U.S. households) which allows the company to promote multiple products using a single brand name. C & D has an awesome anti-takeover defenses including board of directors with staggered terms of office and voting rights that are weighted in favor of long-term shareholders. The Controlling of the production of raw materials, the manufacturing and processing facilities, and the primary marketing functions allows the company to price its products below those of competitors – thus creating a barrier to entry. And last but not the least they have the ability to build value by effectively implementing cost savings strategies when acquiring other company’s consumer brands. b. Weaknesses – Church & Dwight’s major weakness is overextended in their branding of the Arm and Hammer products. Even-though the company enjoyed success domestically, â€Å"in the international arena where growth was more product driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced,† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-7), showing a slight lack of financial strength in their balance sheet, hindered expansions internationally. The primary focus on the Arm & Hammer brand name has left the company with a void in product promotion experience that may be needed in a highly competitive consumer products field or international expansion. Also, their inability to determine the strategic fit for Specialty Products Division into overall company operations is hurting the company. Top management turnover was also a problem for the company. C. Opportunities – The potential expansion into international markets is of great importance. If stricter laws are enacted it will favor the company as expanded uses of company’s basic raw materials for pollution control and potable water applications will be closely monitored. In addition, there is the possibilities of using paint as a stripping compound and an industrial cleaner based on the low abrasion qualities and environmental safety of sodium bicarbonate. The diversification of product line to include other related consumer products using both the Arm & Hammer brand as well as other brand names similar to The Dial Corp. acquisitions can also be explored. The company should expand the use of sodium bicarbonate-based products to meet demands for environmental safety. The acquisitions of consumer product brands and/or companies. Expand use of sodium bicarbonate for automotive parts cleaning systems to repl ace current solvent based systems. d. Threats – Some threats includes competitors with greater marketing and financial strength entering the company’s traditional markets. Operating in many mature markets with limited growth potential. New or increased domestic production of the company’s basic raw materials by other potential producers. The issue of potential consumer confusion through overuse of the family branding line extension strategy which could eventually weaken the Arm & Hammer brand name. Also, retaliatory competitor reactions as the company enters into new consumer product markets that have been dominated by major players such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, etc. And the substitutes for current product constitutes threats for Church & Dwight company. e. Products or Services – Church & Dwight consists of several acquisitions that cater to almost 95% of all US Households. It has types of products the household and personal care products. The company has several Brand names, Arm & Hammer, Trojan, Oxiclean, SPINBRUSH, First Response, Nair, ORAJEL, XTRA, to name a few. These products range from dentifrice, chemical agent to absorb or neutralize odors and acidity, a kidney dialysis element, a blast media, an environmentally friendly cleaning agent, a swimming pool pH stabilizer, and pollution control agent (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-7/9). B. Problem Definition The problems presented in this case study is evident that Church & Dwight really needs to make changes especially in the area of its expanded consumer products. The acquisition of several companies may have brought huge revenues but having several line of product might have a huge negative impact. Potential marketing problem may arise when company own products will be placed along with its well-known brand name and confuse consumers. This situation can also lead to a loss of marketing pull. The company’s overall corporate objectives were: (1) to maintain a steady growth by staying focus on long term goals; (2) to provide best result to shareholders; (3) to continue seeking new uses of its core products (4) to maintain and keep cost under control; (5) to enter the international market and continually seeking for opportunity for growth. If the goals cannot be met then Church and Dwight Co. Inc. may be always vulnerable buyouts and takeovers. It can also lead to loss of market share both from domestic and international market.†¨2. If the problems are corrected and done properly then the leadership in the market will be maintained and possible loss of revenue will be prevented. The objective of entering the international market may offer a better opportunity for continuous growth.†¨3. There are several reasons that this problem is eminent. First is that every market has its saturation point where products matures after reaching its peak. The company must al ways be ready on adapting to this continuous cycle of change. The search for new uses of its products must never stops. It should always explore better ways of improving the life of the consumers while maintaining and protecting the environment. Second, new product and competitor will always emerge and will not be taken down easily without a good fight. The company should always maintain their effective marketing strategy to be able to survive the continued battle for market share. Third is that limitless opportunity for growth in international market will not come easy as battle there would be unpredictable. The focus for long-term goals should always be on the mind of its key executives for this will be the foundation of their success. III. SYNTHESIS A. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS The alternative solutions are that the company should tow the family branding line extension strategy in order to introduce new products (especially sodium bicarbonate-based products) such as skin care, soaps, mouthwashes, lotions, and antacids in order to gain increased market exposure and economies of scale. Recent launches of products such as chewing gum with baking soda are testing this strategy. Expand the limited advertising program for current niche market products to retain and gain market share. Promote products carrying the Arm & Hammer logo as being environmentally safe. Resources should be directed to testing and developing new brands to lessen dependence on the Arm & Hammer brand due to the possibility of loss of its present customer appeal. Since the company’s consumer products are competing in mature markets with limited growth potential, the opportunities available although the environmental safety of its chemical products should be tapped. For example, pollution control, water purification, circuit board cleaning, and industrial paint stripping. Generate new chemical product applications requiring minimal promotional support while offering opportunities for rapid sales growth. Explore the opportunity of forming joint ventures with foreign companies to gain access to the necessary experience and capital to succeed in international markets. Select targeted international locations to successfully penetrate and use as a laboratory for refining international growth opportunities. Continue to lower costs of production and distribution to counter competitive threats from new entries in the low-cost end of product offerings such as detergents. Acquire company consumer products/brands in order to gain access to international markets and the marketing expertise. B. RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTIONS The best solution for C & D company is to retain the best products within its umbrella while considering the best projection of revenue that it can generate. Time factor for the company should also be considered for them to know when to retain or let go of a non-core asset. Timely decision making of its top management will be a factor in maintaining its annual revenue at steady growth. The key decision makers would play a vital role in this area. The continuous seeking of new uses sodium bicarbonate will still be very effective for the company in years to come that is why the focus on this should never be lost. The present global market is offering a much bigger area to be explored especially in Asian countries. Therefore, further recommendations for Church & Dwight for would be to implement the first alternative, delving into new product lines both in domestic markets and even greater exploration of international markets.The injection of key decision makers with extensive marketing experience abroad would be important in penetrating the global market. This option would be advantageous because of the limited financial investment required to grow already established footholds in foreign countries to manufacture and transport new product lines. Church & Dwight will be continuously challenged due to new entrants. To minimize this they should always be ahead all the time. Environmental issues will also be a major factor for them. Therefore complying with existing environmental rules and regulations while promoting its products is a very good strategy. †¨In conclusion the ultimate goal of achieving huge revenue while maintaining cost of operation as low as possible has always foremost with Church and Dwight Co. Inc. This company, backed with 160 years of marketing and production experience will have a much clear brighter path of success as long as they continue to focus on their long term goals. Understanding various cultures and overcoming societal barriers will help satisfy any shortcomings in this solution, it is further recommended that Church & Dwight initiate an aggressive marketing strategy incorporating foreign experts in business and marketing development to identify focus groups to better understand cultural differences and expectations in product innovations. And finally, this recommendation provides a potential solution to increase sales while growing market share and staying ahead of the competition. Reference: GE-McKinsey Matrix. (2013). Retrieved from http://marketingmixhub.com/ge-mckinsey-http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/bcg-matrix-growth-share.htm Lindblad, M. (2013). What Is the Importance of the Strategic Audit? Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-strategic-audit-13057.html†http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-strategic-audit-13057.html Management Innovations. (2010). Strategic Formulation: BCG Growth-Share Matrix Model. Retrieved from â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg-â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/ 2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg- â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg-growth-share-matrix-model/†growth-share-matrix-model/ Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1978). Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. New

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Assignment two - Essay Example It would also be wise to talk to the director of the Human Resource department to inform him or her that the ad that was placed in the newspaper had errors (Professional Advertising, 2011). To applicants who applied for the coding position, it would be extremely fair to send them an apology letter telling them of the mistake and how sorry the company feels for inconveniencing them. The firm should also place the old ad in the same newspaper and make sure that it is cancelled and beneath it should be the correct advertisement (Professional Advertising, 2011). In conclusion, the correct ad should also state the cancelation of the previous ad, and explain that the new ad is the correct advertisement. Just to spice up matters, the new ad should incorporate brilliant ideas so that the readers do not get the wrong impression. For instance, the ad could be colorful with easily understood language that would make the reader enjoy reading the

Research paper on Samuel Beckett Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On Samuel Beckett - Research Paper Example Samuel Beckett was born and raised in a Protestant middle class home and was the son of Bill Beckett, a Quantity Surveyor and May Beckett, a Nurse (Cronin 72). At the age of 14, his parents sent him off to school which was apparently also attended by Oscar Wilde. A few years later, Beckett moved to Paris and without more ado, fell in love with the city. Upon arrival, a mutual friend introduced him to James Joyce who was a writer (Nixon 91). Having been introduced to the world of writing, Beckett wrote his very first essay at the age of 23 which was in defense of Joyce’s magnum piece against the public’s lazy demand for easy understanding (Knowlson 110). However, upon completing a study of Proust, Beckett concluded that routine and habit are the cancer of time and this led to him having some considerations regarding his life. France became the strongest factor that was to influence his spirit and style of his writings. He later gave up his post at Trinity College where h e received his B.A. Degree, and embarked on a nomadic journey across Europe. As he travelled across Europe, Beckett still wrote poems and stories while doing odd jobs to get some form of income. He finally settled down in Paris in the year 1937 after being to Germany, Ireland, England and other parts of Europe. In a rather unfortunate incident, soon after he arrived in Paris, he was stabbed in the street by a man who had asked him for money (Uhlmann 21). While in hospital, Beckett learned that he had developed a perforated lung. Beckett recovered and decided to visit his attacker in prison to question him on the attack. In the course of the World War II, he put up in Paris even subsequent to being conquered by Germans. He briefly joined the underground movement where he fought for the resistance until 1942 where he was strained to flee with his French wife to the uninhabited zone so as to avoid arrest (Connor 53). After Paris was liberated from

Research papers on the Child Care Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research papers on the Child Care Effects - Essay Example Research interest in the frequency and quality of child care is due to the ongoing affects of early childhood experiences (Ochitree, 1994). Many theorists argue that long periods of separation from the caregiver, in combination with poor quality child care, can negatively affect a child’s development (The NICHO, 2005, p.259). Other theorists contend that child care can affect a child’s development in many positive ways (The NICHO, 2005, p.269). This paper will review the literature with the research hypothesis that: Child care can affect a child’s development both positively and negatively. Firstly, negative arguments shall be presented. Secondly, positive arguments will be provided. Next child care quality and its affects will be highlighted. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main arguments, and state how the research hypothesis has been supported. Young children who regularly attend child care may be more at risk of social maladjustment later in their lives (Lewin, 2005, p.1). It has been found that long hours in care affect a child’s ability to work and interact socially. Studies show a negative association between the amount of time a child spends in daycare, and their tendency to act-out and to develop poor interpersonal relationships. This may be due to experiences of stress, and the development of anti-social behaviors, such as non-compliancy and violence (The negative effects of childcare? 2003, p.1). One study observed that 4 1/2-year-olds who spent up to 30 hours a week in child care appeared to be more insistent, violent and disobedient as compared to their cohort not in care (Lewin, 2005, p.1). Another study found children tended to also be disrespectful in both their use of language and their behavior, and seemed to make more noise in general than their peers who did not attend care (Allhusen & Clarke-Stewar t, 2005, p.90). There is literature to support child care as

Research paper on Samuel Beckett Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On Samuel Beckett - Research Paper Example Samuel Beckett was born and raised in a Protestant middle class home and was the son of Bill Beckett, a Quantity Surveyor and May Beckett, a Nurse (Cronin 72). At the age of 14, his parents sent him off to school which was apparently also attended by Oscar Wilde. A few years later, Beckett moved to Paris and without more ado, fell in love with the city. Upon arrival, a mutual friend introduced him to James Joyce who was a writer (Nixon 91). Having been introduced to the world of writing, Beckett wrote his very first essay at the age of 23 which was in defense of Joyce’s magnum piece against the public’s lazy demand for easy understanding (Knowlson 110). However, upon completing a study of Proust, Beckett concluded that routine and habit are the cancer of time and this led to him having some considerations regarding his life. France became the strongest factor that was to influence his spirit and style of his writings. He later gave up his post at Trinity College where h e received his B.A. Degree, and embarked on a nomadic journey across Europe. As he travelled across Europe, Beckett still wrote poems and stories while doing odd jobs to get some form of income. He finally settled down in Paris in the year 1937 after being to Germany, Ireland, England and other parts of Europe. In a rather unfortunate incident, soon after he arrived in Paris, he was stabbed in the street by a man who had asked him for money (Uhlmann 21). While in hospital, Beckett learned that he had developed a perforated lung. Beckett recovered and decided to visit his attacker in prison to question him on the attack. In the course of the World War II, he put up in Paris even subsequent to being conquered by Germans. He briefly joined the underground movement where he fought for the resistance until 1942 where he was strained to flee with his French wife to the uninhabited zone so as to avoid arrest (Connor 53). After Paris was liberated from

A Study on the Impacts of Noise Barrier in Construction Site Communication Essay Example for Free

A Study on the Impacts of Noise Barrier in Construction Site Communication Essay Construction industry is a complex and risky of work, the people in construction industry should have a better understanding of the need to practice good communication to ensure the better work quality and performance with a good communication (Vasanthi R.Perumal and Abu Hassan Abu Bakar, 2011). Good communication enables the members of the project for archiving the centre goal where the construction project complete in time with expected budget. In construction industry, communication can be achieved through letters, drawings, symbols, signs, posters, and word for ensure the information able to send and receive by each other. With the good communication, the workers especially in construction site find it easily and greatly productive to work together. Instruction and order are given and they are carried out as expected once they are well understood and acted upon correctly. Hence the communication in construction site shall be in clear, concise, accurate and well-planned. A good communication can enable an organization in better of work quality and performance, and also in decision making. Besides, an organization can achieve a better relationship with each other without any misunderstanding and misconception. So, the organization will be successful in any project without problems arise due to the poor communication. Other than that, good communication will also bring some advantages (Paul, 2008), such as: Reduce conflict within an organization Stronger and better relationships between each other Improve the teamwork of an organization Stronger controlling and problem-solving Well coordinated work plan For instances, a good communication can benefit an organization for achieving better work quality and performance. Either in verbal or non verbal, communication should be practice well in an organization to prevent any misunderstanding or misconception occur. Problem Statement According to the BRE guidance on construction site communication (2010), UK construction industry cost at least  £20 billion to repair and reconstruct the incorrect work due to poor communication such as instructions or orders given incorrect, technical information not available and etc. Such defects occur resulted of the workers’ poor workmanship or misunderstood the instruction from site agent. One of the main factors of verbal communication is employment of foreign labour. According to Philida Schellekens Judith Smith (2004), define that most of the construction project will employ foreign labour as worker due to their low salary. Those foreign labours have their own native language, so they may not able to communicate with site agent and other Malaysian workers. Hence, it finds out that there is language barrier between site agents with foreign labours at construction site. Besides, according to Ravi Jain (2012), mentioned the construction site creates noise through the use of vehicles, construction equipment and power tools. Those noises can affect the verbal communication between the site agents with foreign labours. A negative personality such as impatient, distrust, bad temper, fear (Asma Zaineb, 2010) happen on workers may be a barrier for them to communicate with others either in verbal or non verbal communication. Since construction industries had involved so many workers that came from different country with different education level, different cultural and etc (Nurul Azita Binti Sallet et al, 2012). There will be a huge impact on communication will be occurred with different personalities. Aim and Objectives The aim of the research study is to identify the factors affecting the verbal communication between site agent and foreign labour at construction site. Whereas, the objectives will be the following, To identify the language barrier between site agent and foreign labour is a factor for verbal communication at construction site To identify the noise barrier at construction site is a factor for verbal communication at construction site To identify the personality barrier is a factor for verbal communication at construction site Hypothesis 1. Language barrier between site agent and foreign labour is a factor for verbal communication at construction site 2. Noise barrier at construction site is a factor for verbal communication at construction site 3. Personality barrier is a factor for verbal communication at construction site Scope of Study There are 4 main communication forms which are verbal communication, non-verbal communication, written communication and visual communication (Aarti R, 2011). Communication of information, messages, opinions, speech and thoughts can be made via different forms of modern communication media, like Internet, telephone and mobile. Besides, some of the basic ways of communication are by speaking, eye contact, sign language, body language, touch and singing. †¢ Verbal Communication Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language and speaking. Example: face to face communication, telephone, site meeting, etc †¢ Non Verbal Communication Non-verbal communication involves physical ways of communication, like, tone of the voice, touch, smell and body motion. Example: Short Message Service (SMS), Email, etc †¢ Written Communication Written communication form is writing the words which used for communication. Good written communication is essential for business purposes and practiced in many different languages. Example: Short Message Service (SMS), Email, etc †¢ Visual Communication Visual communication is visual display of information, like topography, photography, signs, symbols and designs. Example: Photo, Presentation Slide, etc In this research study, it focuses on verbal communication between two or more people at construction site. For the most part of the communications example, is between a site agent and foreign labour. This research study also will talk about factors that considered as barrier for good communication at construction site. Research Methodology Literature Review For literature review, journal articles and journal review were read up as much as possible to be cited in order to collect the useful data which were proved descriptively. This is a process of reading, analyzing, evaluating, summarizing and gathering information and data from book, article, journal, internet, newspaper, magazine and etc. All information relate to communication in construction site industry will be study and summarize in this research study. Questionnaire Survey A list of questions about the factors affects the verbal communication between site agent and foreign labours in construction site will be distributed to the respondents which are the parties involved in the construction site for more data and information for this research study. Questionnaire was designed in several sections and categories, the construction sites were randomly chosen and distributed in Kuala Lumpur. All the responses will be collected on individual basis and also a simple interview will conduct with respondents in respects of questionnaire earlier distributed. Definition of communication Communication is the interaction between two or above people and the interaction may in various form such as body motion, speaking, tone of the voice, touch and etc (Paul, 2008). It is the process of transmitting and receiving this information. A common objectives hardly to get done in a work place unless people able to share their ideas and information with others in a way to produce a common understanding. A successful communication in the workplace environment is very important. An employer shall create a good working situation which helps to increase the quality of work and increase the ensure quality control while the employee, it allows personal growth and development and contributes to satisfaction on the job. What is verbal communication? All humans need to interact. There are 4 main communication forms which are verbal communication, non-verbal communication, written communication and visual communication (Aarti R, 2011). The most obvious and common form of communication is verbal communication. Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language and speaking and it is one way for people to communicate face to face. According to Beth Lee (2010), verbal communication involves using speech to exchange information with others. It is generally defined as spoken language. Tone, enunciation, pauses, loudness, emphasis, word choice, these can all be used while speaking to enhance the spoken word. As a type of face-to-face communication, body language and different tones play an important role, it may cause greater impact upon the listener than informational content. For an example, a simple phrase like, You did a wonderful job may implicate different meanings and intentions. A genuine and sincere tone may suggest praise a nd commendation, but a mocking tone can be offensive and sarcastic.

Richard Branson Management Analysis

Richard Branson Management Analysis Virgin is a company established in 1970 by Richard Branson as a mail order company for sale of records. The company name Virgin was suggested by an associate of Mr Branson and was adopted as proclaiming their commercial innocence, while possessing some novelty and modest shock-value (Grant, 2010:808). Over the years, the company has grown rapidly and became a leading branded venture which diversified into other businesses. Today, Virgin is widely recognised and has become one of the most respected brands owing to successfully grown businesses in areas such as the airline industry, telecom, financial services, music etc. So far, the company has more than 200 individual companies or ventures which are owned and controlled by 20 holding companies that operate under one umbrella Virgin. Most of these companies own assets, employ people, offer goods and services (Grant, 2010:816). Even though all Virgin companies and ventures are separate entities, each is empowered to run its own affair s. They share common resources and capabilities that link them. Grant (2010) noted that the principal commonalities between this diverse range of enterprises are, the Virgin brand, and the role of Richard Branson as their instigator and major investor which is discussed below. Resources and capabilities defined by Grant (2010) are productive assets owned by a company and what the company can do. Resources are not productive in themselves they need to be converted into capabilities by being managed and co-ordinated (openlearn.open.ac.uk). For a company to gain competitive advantage, the company requires to focus on key strengths in resources and capabilities and ensure both work together instead of in isolation. In the case of the Virgin Group, one major resource is its founder Branson, who founded the company in 1970. His strong leadership is vital to developing new capabilities for Virgin. As noted by Grant (2010), his strength as a businessman was in conceiving and implementing new business ideas. Richard Branson is not only the founder, he is also an instigator and major investor in the company. His enthusiasm and devotion for business led him to establish a series of other Virgin companies such as Virgin Records, Virgin Airline, Virgin Rail, Virgin C ola etc. He is famous worldwide, his leadership of the Virgin Group extended beyond his role as a source of entrepreneurial ideas. As creator of Virgin and its unique corporate culture, and the primary promoter of its image and entrepreneurial spirit, Branson was synonymous with Virgin (Grant, 2010:814). He does not believe in corporate culture and bureaucracy, he prefers to do things differently by transition from rule Britainnia to cool Britainnia. Informality and disrespect for convention were central to Bransons way of business (Grant, 2010:814). Over the years, Branson has become more of strategic and charismatic leader of the Virgin Group instead of mere hand-on manager and his business vision has been a driving force for the success of Virgin. Another link is the Virgin Brand. Brand names and other trademarks are a form of reputational asset, their value is in the confidence they instill in customers (Grant, 2010:128). Grant (2010), described it as the Virgin groups most valuable asset. He noted that the values and characteristics that the Virgin brand communicated are inseparable from Branson the entrepreneur. The Virgin brand was also identified with innovation and unconventional strategies and marketing that characterised most Virgin start-ups (Grant, 2010:813). With the brand, the group was able to create other companies representing quality of services and value for money. It enabled them to create a range of products and services over other markets. Even though a brand name is an intangible asset, the value to organisational growth and competitive advantage sometimes can be immeasurable. The success of a firm to build a strong consumer brands have a powerful incentive to diversify which the Virgin group have succeede d in doing (Grant, 2010:130). The Virgin brand allowed the group to diversify to unlikely business areas in countries around the world like the US, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong etc. The success of Virgin can also be traced to its organisational structure and culture. Organisational culture as identified by Jay Barney and cited by Grant (2010) is a firm resources of great strategic importance that is potentially very valuable which relates to its values, traditions and social norms. Virgins ability to operate effectively with so little formal structure or management systems owes much to the groups organisational culture as defined by Bransons own values and management style (Grant, 2010:818). He draws inspirations from the ideas of others and encouraged submission of new business ideas to its corporate offices. Employees are encouraged to develop business ideas for new businesses. Grant (2010) pointed out that the idea of Virgin Bride was actually from a Virgin Atlantic employee appalled of products and services offered by bridal stores in the UK. Employees have stakes in the group and strive to make the company succeed, allowing them to manage and control the co mpany and also to enjoy the benefits of their success. In 1993, Branson summed up Virgins relationship with employees as staff first, then customers and shareholders. Virgins capability is in using employees competence and commitments in achieving organisational goals which can only happen where there is an open workplace structure and culture. Virgin has done well in the establishment and management of new businesses over the years, but some of its businesses are no longer what they used to be considering the current the world economic downturn. Virgin must look inward and see some of its ventures that are no longer economically viable and consider divestment. A few of them should be considered like Virgin airline, Virgin money, Virgin cola etc. Virgin dominated the airline industry due to its management style and offering customers value for money, but this came at a price. The airline industry is capital intensive. As a matter of fact, in 1992 Branson sold his most profitable and successful business, Virgin Music for  £560 million to fund Virgin Atlantic (Grant 2010:809). Even though the airline still makes profit but it is not as profitable as it used to a decade ago. People no longer travel as much, and competition in the entire travel industry is rife. Nowadays, airlines are always trying to win customers over by of fering low prices and unique packages, compounded with substitutes to air travel etc. There are other factors affecting the profitability of air travel such as government regulations and deregulations, high jet fuel price, taxes etc. Considering all these, it will be best for Branson and the Virgin group to divest Virgin Airline. Branson is always known as trying to stick it the big boys, but his involvement in financial activities seems to be a business that should be left to the big boys by divesting and concentrating on other areas. Customers will prefer products and services from institutions with a long history and good track record such as banks and other financial institutions. With more established players in the field, his involvement is a little tricky. Virgin is not a bank and does not have all the infrastructures to ensure full banking activities, and as a result its effort to bid for 318 RBS branches in England and Wales failed, and was ran over by Spanish banking giant Santander, a clear indication for Virgin to divest Virgin money. Virgin cola, another of Richard Bransons effort to stick it to the big boys should also consider divestment. It is a known fact that brands fail when they move into unknown territories. Even though, Virgin cola might be cheaper than the likes of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, these are two giant coke makers known worldwide. It will be hard, if not impossible for Virgin Cola to make an impact competitively in the world market. Coke and Pepsi take competition seriously and will not fold arms while Virgin Cola try to unseat them. It is believed that strong brands exploit competitors weaknesses. Though Virgin is a strong brand, but its Virgin Cola is not a strong brand when compared to Coca-Cola and Pepsi. By 1997, Virgin Cola was losing  £5 million on revenues of  £30 million (Grant, 2010:813). Still trying to take on the big boys will come at a detrimental costs to Virgin. So, it will be wise to also divest Virgin Cola. As a result of diversification, a firm can expand its range of products and services and sell to existing customers or create new markets in different parts of the world thereby increasing value and growth. Grant (2010), described it as risk reduction strategy that enables shareholders spread risks. He noted that the focus of diversification analysis has been to identify the circumstances in which multi-business activity can create value (Grant, 2010:406). To determine if diversification will create shareholder value, Grant advised to apply Porters essential tests the attractiveness test, the cost of entry test and the better off test, Grant (2010:408). He explained that without diversification, firms are practically prisoners in their own industry. Branson successfully built companies from ground-up but strategic alliance with firms with the resources and capabilities might be beneficial. Alliance is something Branson knows well. In 2007, he negotiated an alliance with an Indian co mpany Tata to establish Indian Virgin mobile. Branson should do the same by diversifying into road construction in developing countries like Nigeria. An alliance with an already established company in Nigeria with the resources and capabilities such as Chinas Shanghai Shibang Machinery company (SBM) will be ideal. SBM provides construction companies with large amounts of stone crushers, sand making machines and industry grinding machines. Virgin has economies of scope as a result of tangible and intangible resources due to its brand name, this can be exploited to increase value through licensing or franchising. Virgins operating styles have been designed by Branson. Things have changed, Virgin should adjust its financial structure. Branson should consider looking within the group and consolidate or divest companies that are not performing well. Grant (2010) noted that to obtain the tax relief from Virgins loss-making firms, there are clear advantages to consolidation. Branson argued that Virgin companies operate on a standalone basis but consolidation of some in similar businesses such as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue and Virgin Express, Virgin Retail and Victory Corporation will create more financial stability. This will also cut down the overhead of conducting multi businesses and offer customers more diversified service range. Virgin is a successful brand of small companies that run independently, its organisational structure has been as styled by Branson. The structure has worked to an extent but Virgin should allow its brand name to be used by other small good companies through franchise and collect royalties. Grant (2010), described the Virgin brand as its most valuable asset. The benefit of franchising the brand means Virgin can reduce risk, provide the much needed cash that it requires to run other profitable businesses, watch the business grow with minimal involvement, freely expand to other businesses and enter new markets in new countries. Franchisees are very important source of new  market offerings  and product concepts. Many companies have done well through franchise such as McDonalds, Trump hotels etc. The management structure of Virgin has been centred on one man, Branson and operated with little formal structure or management systems, this will not last forever. An organisation as big and diverse as Virgin should have a top-bottom management system instead of decisions being made by Branson and a few close pals. It is important that a well detailed management structure is in place instead of no-building, no-headquarters type of management he operates. The system may have worked under Branson does not mean it will work after him. Virgin is not a one-man business, it is a multi-national corporation and if Branson was to become less active as chief entrepreneur, public relations director and strategic architect without a defined management structure in place, who or what would take his place (Grant, 2010:822)? A centralised and systematic way of managing the future without Branson is what Virgin needs like Apple Inc.