Best Places to Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Best Places to Work - Essay Example The accomplishment of Starbucks can be to a great extent credited to its high respect to its workers which it treats as accomplice. The strength espresso retailer is presently perceived as perhaps the best work environment for as a result of its hierarchical structure, the connection between its representatives, its remarkable qualities, and its work of current human asset the board methods. It ought to be noticed that the business association productively utilizes its human asset so as to upgrade its picture and amplify its gainfulness. In its business activity, it is undeniable that the organization has deliberately adjusted its workforce so as to accomplish its particular objectives and goals. This incorporates planning a hierarchical structure which features the insurgency in human asset the board. The essential administering body at Starbucks is involved the Office of the Chairman and the Board of Directors which gets significant contribution from other senior level administrators including senior VP of HR (Tripp et al 2005). The mid-level chiefs, who supervise and deal with the everyday undertakings of every forte retail shop is given enough prudence and force for dynamic.

Reviving The American Dream ( Alice Rivlin ) free essay sample

Basic audit of work calling for rebuilding of national state govt. economy to more readily address issues of the individuals. Alice M. Rivlin, in her book Reviving the American Dream: The Economy, the States, and the Federal Government, presents the subject that the monetary and political frameworks of the United States don't work well for the necessities of the individuals, and that what is required is a careful updating of the administrative framework, the connection between the national and state governments, and the financial approach of the nation. The motivation behind this updating and rebuilding is to a limited extent to make more straightforward and more clear what political and monetary obligations have a place with the states and to the government. Plainly, the premise of Rivlins contention is that the political and monetary fates of the country (at both government and state levels) are inseparably bound together. This subject is additionally founded on the guarantee of the American. We will compose a custom paper test on Restoring The American Dream ( Alice Rivlin ) or on the other hand any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page .

Nikon Marketing Plan free essay sample

Nikon Inc. is engaged with a wide range of organizations revolved around specializations in imaging items, accuracy gear, and instruments. Nikon’s endeavors to give the sort of items and innovations that will surpass its customers’ desires are as of now accomplishing amazing outcomes. Nikon is maybe most notable for its notoriety for being a world chief in imaging items, and its advances keep on assuming a huge job in characterizing the photographic business. Past photography, Nikon Inc. is additionally the main trailblazer of accuracy optical focal point and imaging gadgets. Our variety of ophthalmic instruments, Nikon mechanical assessment and estimating frameworks, Nikon magnifying lens and imaging frameworks for the biosciences and Nikon looking over instruments are improving the manner in which organizations advance their business and experts care for their customers. Nikon’s accuracy hardware business is additionally driving momentous advancement and development. Drenching lithography innovation in IC scanners and LCD scanners that include Nikon’s multi-focal point checking framework are presently the best in the business, pulling in sharp consideration. We will compose a custom paper test on Nikon Marketing Plan or on the other hand any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Nikon is additionally putting forth dynamic attempts in new fields, for example, photomask substrates for fluid gem shows (LCDs). In the course of the most recent 90 years, Nikon has reliably moved the photography, imaging and optics industry forward, revelation by disclosure and item by item. As we proceed with our innovative work crucial reveal trend setting innovations that will improve the lives of our clients, we additionally reaffirm our pledge to conveying the best items and backing. Statement of purpose The Nikon methods of reasoning are Trustworthiness and imagination, Our goals: Meeting needs. Surpassing desires and the motto is â€Å"At the core of the image† SWOT Analysis Strength: 1. Solid market position based on expansive item portfolio 2. Differentiated geographic nearness with center around creating markets furnishes broadened income stream with diminished business chance 3. Solid innovative work capacities encourage new item improvement in accordance with changing buyer inclination 4. Successful joining of computerized stages like informal communication destinations in its promoting endeavors has pulled in bigger objective crowd 5. Brilliant promoting and marking practices through TVCs and print advertisements 6. Has a solid workforce of more than 25,000 7. Great marking through sponsorships of occasions and sports groups Weakness: 1. Reliance on specific items and organizations. Exactness gear organizations and imaging items business represent 90% of complete net deals 2. Occurrences of supposed infringement of rivalry laws brought about punishments and hurt the brand picture a couple of times Opportunity: 1. Online deals openings by utilizing web based business showcase and adequately utilizing web based promoting choices 2. Extending nearness in the worldwide market 3. Progressively creative item contributions for the clients Threats: 1. Fast mechanical changes 2. Expanding intrigue of very good quality camera telephones and their long range interpersonal communication reconciliation encouraging simple sharing of photographs 3. Rivalry with bootleg market, equal import and carried products 4. Ever-expanding advanced mobile phones camera quality Maslow Pyramid of Needs Nikon’s Imaging Products are addresses around Esteem Stage and Self-realization. So redundant for endurance, however photography, for the individuals who have decided to embrace it, is a piece of the considerable number of things that lead to self-amazing quality. Socioeconomics Nikon clients have customarily been proficient picture takers with cameras from the Nikon D4 to the Nikon D3000, extending in cost from $500 to $6500. These cameras have ordinarily been focused towards progressively develop grown-ups with pay over $40,000 every year. Nikon chose to change their picture and discharge a line of cameras more value well disposed and upscale for the more youthful, technically knowledgeable age. The essential crowd of the Nikon Coolpix assortment of cameras is young ladies, for the most part between the ages of 18-25. Undergrads and youthful experts don’t have as much salary as Nikon’s customary crowd, so they remembered that by making a camera for youthful grown-ups with wages directly around $20,000 every year. Nikon has valued their Coolpix cameras at a less expensive cost than their other expert cameras, extending from $150 to $250. Cameras with the whole back being a touch screen are in the more significant expense run around $300. Age: 16 †65 Gender: female and male Race: All Religion: All Education: secondary school or more Occupation: understudies and experts Psychographics D arrangement Nikon cameras’ target crowd is for the most part proficient and semi-proficient picture takers. The intended interest group for the Nikon Coolpix values her loved ones. Their conclusions are significant and help her in the dynamic procedure. She esteems top notch items and new innovation. She is in the age of the Millennials, which implies she is very technically knowledgeable and does careful data search online before settling on a choice. This individual has solid sentiments toward various brand names. Nature of the items is legitimately corresponded to the brand name. This lady lives either all alone or with flat mates in an all around populated zone. She is bold and likes to travel. The compose, draw, and paint include on the Coolpix permits her to customize every last bit of her recollections. 4Ps Product Nikon is adding to innovation in various fields, from assembling ICs with nanometer-rule circuit designs and propelling bioscience, to assisting the potential outcomes of imaging and catching perspectives on stars that are billions of light years away. What makes this conceivable? Nikon’s opto-hardware and accuracy advancements have supported since its commencement and used to make a broad scope of items, benefits and considerably increasingly new innovations. Imaging Products Thanks to propels in computerized innovation, the camera has developed into a regular gadget anyone can use to effortlessly take excellent pictures. For proficient picture takers, computerized camera innovations have yielded strikingly propelled capacities and execution that can essentially escalate innovativeness and articulation. Nikon camera creation intuition and advancements, both bolstered by our long history, will keep on growing imaging prospects. There are four primary portions of Nikon imaging items; D arrangement, New Nikon1 arrangement, Coolpix arrangement and Nikkor focal points. D Series Nikon’s DSLR ‘D’ camera is the finish of driving innovation that carries development to both photograph imaging society and the advancement of cameras. ‘D’ proceeds to forcefully motivate the inventiveness of picture takers. Regardless of evolving times, Nikon has continually pushed to consummate and rethink the SLR class. ‘D’ is a result of Nikon’s custom of innovation and craftsmanship, and is well outfitted with execution that puts it at top situation inside every camera class. Nikon 1 Series Nikon 1 is intended for the advanced picture taker. Prepared when you are, Nikon’s Advanced Camera with Interchangeable Lens (A-CIL), is the one camera you’ll need to take all over, to associate you to the world. Sharing your life in photographs and recordings is simple with the dynamic Nikon 1 advanced camera. Delightfully made, all its controls is instinctive; giving you all that you have to catch a total perspective on your reality. COOLPIX Series Behind each Nikon COOLPIX minimal advanced camera is the central thought that photography ought to bring you euphoria. Each shot you take is a valuable second caught. With Nikon COOLPIX cameras, you can catch that second and its happiness until the end of time. Its convenientce permits you to coolly convey top of the line hardware with you wherever you go. Responsiveness permits you to respond to any circumstance, whenever. Nikkor Lenses Nikon is the main organization on the planet that makes their imaging items right from glass assembling to completed item. The soul and innovation to openly move light are profoundly installed in Nikon’s item. Nikkor is a focal point brand for cameras that represents the soul of Nikon. It is â€Å"instrument of light† brand where cutting-edge building innovation and conventional loaned craftsmanship are consolidated at the most significant level. †¢Digital cameras †¢Film cameras †¢Interchangeable focal points †¢Speed lights †¢Photographic embellishments †¢Software †¢Sport optics Precision Equipment Present day society receives incredible rewards from the hardware manufactured in mechanical segments, including regions, for example, home machines, PCs and autos. Nikon is persistently propelling the creation of steppers and scanners that are utilized to fabricate ICs †the very center of hardware †just as fluid precious stone boards and natural electroluminescence boards that are crucial to LCD TVs, PCs, and cell phones. In these and numerous different ways, Nikon is cultivating and improving our gadgets based society. †¢IC steppers and scanners †¢LCD steppers and scanners Instruments Microscopes and estimating instruments from our Instruments Business are adding to fields extending from clinical and bioscience research to mechanical areas, for example, parts for gadgets, cars and airplane. We additionally offer complex, highcaliber studying instruments utilized in building structure and urban arranging. Nikon bolsters the advancement of society with exactness innovations and eyes immovably centered around the miniaturized scale level. †¢Biological magnifying instruments †¢Industrial magnifying instruments †¢Stereoscopic magnifying lens †¢Measuring instruments †¢Semiconduct

Practice Plan - Clinical Mental Health Counselor - 1100 Words

Practice Plan - Clinical Mental Health Counselor (Essay Sample) Content: Practice Plan Name Course Number and Name Date Institution The mental health counselor professional identity is exquisitely significant. Additionally, when an individual to choose a profession like mental health counselor, they are required to have sorted themselves out, weighed all the available options for a while, and understand what is needed of them. The process is all about an individual evaluating himself or herself whether they are fit enough to pursue the profession. The paper will discuss concerning the population that I will be focusing on as a mental health counselor. Secondly, I will provide the rewards associated with the profession. Thirdly, the paper will identify and discuss the important network of mental health that will be available for the selected population and determine the professional niche within the services network. Fourthly, the paper will describe the plan necessary for receiving the post-masters clinical supervision and the professional community within my case consultation framework. Lastly, the paper will id entify several organizations that will facilitate the mental health counselor practice. Historical Background Sexual orientation is never considered as a source of distress and anxiety. However, for the people who identify under the umbrella of LGBTQIA tend to suffer from social stigma from the community since they are the minority, and hence, they are vulnerable to the mental disorders. I would prefer counseling them someday because when the LGBTQIA individuals are seeking therapy, they are often advised to seek counsel from a qualified counselor who has a great experience and is familiar with the daily challenges that they the minor community tend to face (Allegretto Arthur, 2001). The term LGBTQIA was broadened from LGBT to ensure it encompasses several numbers of individuals. It was argued that grouping the individuals that do not practice heterosexual and cisgender might not represent the full sexual orientation entirely. The Q in the LGBTQIA tend to factor queer and questioning; some people are inclined to utilize the term queer as an umbrella term compared to the former (Mental Heal th Counselors, 2016). However, not every individual is comfortable with identifying as queer. The reasons why I believe this area is rewarding is because regardless of the global culture evolving and becoming diverse to an extent of sexual and romantic orientations being embraced, the stigma and marginalization of LGBTQIA continue to grow. The LGBTQIA are discriminated, abused, blackmail, oppression and marginalized. The LGBTQIA mostly encounter depression, anxiety, and substance abuse because of the idea of coming out of the closet for their family and friends. Similarly, the idea of coping with discrimination and oppression can also result in the medical concerns. The counseling services are essential to the LGBTQIA aggregate because the types of research established to prove that the youths who are in this sexual orientation have been found to have increased rates of suicidal thoughts. The suicidal motives and self-harm acts are driven by the acts of discrimination that they encounter from the society. A survey conducted in 2007, identified that the youths identified as LGBT had higher chances of facing victimization and bullying in the community and more likely to have considered suicide as compared to their heterosexual counterparts. The LGBTQIA community requires continuous counseling because the repeated acts of discrimination, sexual assault, physical, and verbal bullying might result in chronic stress and hence, detrimental mental health (Adams, Cahill, Ackerlind, 2005). It does not stop on students and youth but also extends to the adults; they might face discrimination on things such as housing, education, health, human rights, and e mployment. However, to acquire the trust of the LGBTQIA individuals, a counselor should be specialized in LGBTQ therapy. Network and Practice Most of the LGBTQ individuals might seek treatment concerning issues such as anxiety, depression, couple fighting, confusion over sexual orientation, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, gender transition, and the debate of coming out. The services that are available for the LGBTQ are family therapy, individual therapy, couple therapy, group therapy, domestic abuse counseling, and violence counseling (Counseling and Mental Health Professional Organizations, 2016). The facilities that are obligated to offer such services include Los Angeles LGBT center, the Trevor Project, which provides 24/7 toll-free, confidential line for the LGBT youths especially those with suicidal thoughts. Additionally, The Gay and Lesbian community centers located in South Nevada and The Centre in New York. The professional niche in my field that I could consider rewarding is the fact that not many counselors have specialized in handling the LGBTQ community. There are few specialists, and they are cannot handle the whole community and hence, with my passion and determination I am likely to gain a strong foothold in the profession. The professional requirements according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook state that I am required to have a masterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s degree. O*NET reports the skills that am expected to possess include active listening, critical thinking, social perceptiveness, eloquent speaker, and service orientation. Additionally, I should have knowledge in various departments such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, English language, therapy, customer services, counseling, and personal services. The median earning for the clinical mental health professional in 2015 was analyzed as 43,190 dollars per year and 20.77 dollars per hour. Supervision and Consultation Counselor Supervisors are supposed to forge significant and respectful professional relationships. It is appropriate to maintain respectful boundaries with the supervisee and student both face to face and electronically. The supervisee should follow individual Codes of Ethics. The counseling supervisors should ascertain that the supervisees reveal their qualifications to provide services to their clients. The clinical supervisor should acquire and pay for their clinical supervision formal training. A clinical mental health counselor should comprehend that the clinical supervisor is responsible for her or his clients. According to Ethics Code, the mental health counselors are prohibited from having relationships that could damage their professional practice or tarnish their name. Therefore, to understand their clientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s background, they could consult with the people close to him or her and try to comprehend the appropriate channels to utilize when assisting (ACA, 2014). However, the counselor should protect the confidentiality of their clients despite the intentions being harmless. Professional Organizations The following professional organizations equip the clinical mental health counselors with licenses and the necessary training required for the practice. Additionally, the organizations provide employment opportunities, professional growth and development network opportunities, continuing educa...

Death - 2368 Words

Running Head: DEATH 1 Death Described In Many Ways Ericka Silva ENG 125 Oct. 8, 2012 Running Head: DEATH 2 Death Described In Many Ways When we think of death, we think and describe it in many different ways. It is perceived in many different ways when we read about it as well. Everyone who has experienced it though can say that it is not a delightful thing to experience. Whether it is a family member, a friend, a co-worker or even a pet, there is something to be said about how death can be described. I have chosen to talk about two very special literary works. The first one is A Dog’s Death by John Updike and the other being I Used To Live Here Once by Jean Rhys. Both of these literary works describe†¦show more content†¦You can imagine how well the dog is loved by the family, just by how the author talks about the dog. In both of these literary works the authors did a good job of showing the characterization. We know how the characters are by how the author described them. The point of characterization is to make us familiar with the characters in the stories. When the author tells us things about them it helps us to familiarize with the characters. â€Å"A distinct representation of something that can be experienced and understood through the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste), or the representation of an idea is what is called image (Clugston, 2010 sec. 2.5). When we read literature we usually imagine the scenery or the characters in it. The author usually describes things in such detail that that you can make an image in your mind of it. This makes literature more interesting to us as readers. The line â€Å"as we teased her with play, blood was filling her skin† is a description that lets you see the picture of the dog playing with the family and then the image of the dog’s body being filled with blood. Another line states â€Å"I stroked her warm fur and my wife called out in a voice overcome Running Head: DEATH 5 with tears.† With this line you can see the dog lying in the man’s lap, while hearing the woman cry in the background with her voice saddened by the passing of her beloved pet. Another image that you can picture is when the author states â€Å"MondayShow MoreRelatedDeath : Death And Death844 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States over two million people die a year (Death). With death comes the questions countless people wonder about. What is Death? Why did they die? Why couldn’t it have been someone else? When a loved one is lost, these questions could be circling through their heads. Death is when someone’s time on Earth has come to a close, there are numerous causes of death and people often wonder why it has to happen. Death is a part of life that everybody has to deal with. There is no way aroundRead MoreThe Death Of Death And Death1300 Words   |  6 PagesOn the topic of death, a question had been made on whether i mmortality is preferable to dying. In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates’ death scene, Socrates has one last philosophical conversation with his friends about what happens to the soul when it leaves the body after death. Socrates believes that the soul is immortal, meaning that it will live on even when the body does not. The themes in Phaedo are similar to those in Leo Tolstoy’s â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych,† which tells the story of a man named IvanRead MoreDeath Of Death And Death1270 Words   |  6 Pagesthought to the subject of death. To be more accurate: throughout my entire life I have never allowed myself to give much thought to the subject of death. Both of my parents are very easy going, optimistic individuals so death was not a subject that was ever really touched on. The only times that I really remember discussing it was in church (and I rarely ever paid attention to this). Despite this lack of contemplation, I have always known that I am very anxio us about death, so when I filled out theRead MoreThe Death Of Death And Death1515 Words   |  7 Pages Everyone is familiar with the theme of death. â€Å"According to experience, death is the stopping of a behavior, the stopping of expressive movements and of physiological movements and processes†¦It is a departure, a decease, a negativity to the unknown†¦a departure without a return†(Levinas). Regardless of belief, death is the one equalizer common to man. There are countless stories attempting to illustrate or explain both the feeling and the nature of death given many various outcomes, fortunate orRead MoreThe Death Of Death1218 Words   |  5 Pagesor in other words, 55.3 million people die per year. Death is never a comfortable conversation to have with others but death is common especially among the elderly population. Atul Gawande in Being Mortal talks about how death takes many people by surprise and the descriptions of aging and dying. All the while l iving better through the understanding of death. The author is trying to express that even those in the medical field struggle with death and not ensuring the well-being of the patients thatRead MoreThe Death Of Death And Death2332 Words   |  10 PagesDeath affects people in a variety of ways, often differing throughout cohorts and cultures. Death does not affect everyone in the same way, and often life experiences have a key role in shaping how we view death. Most of these interviewees were from rural Iowa, and could show a contrast from the single interviewee from Tennessee. For this paper, I intend to showcase how several individuals can view death in a variety of ways, and how they can each face their own unique set of problems and resourcesRead MoreDeath Is Not Death?2195 Words   |  9 Pagesyet inevitable fate of all mankind; death. We spend our entire lives fearing death as well as theorizing and developing ways to live longer and put off our own eventual demise. Death i s universally feared, even from a young age we are aware of the fact that death is the ultimately the worst thing that could possibly happen to any mortal being. Death is defined as the â€Å"permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue†. When thought of in these terms death does not seem like anything to be soRead MoreThe Death Of Death System898 Words   |  4 Pages The death system according to Kastenbaum (2012) is â€Å"the interpersonal and symbolic network, through which an individual’s relationship to mortality is mediated by his or her society† (p.102). This means that we face death as individuals and face it as a society and culture. The death system teaches members of a group concerning death, using mental, emotional and behavioral components and functions. There are five component: People, Places, Times, Objects and Symbols and seven function: warningRead MoreDeath Is The End Of Death1688 Words   |  7 PagesThere Is Nothing To Fear In Death. Everybody will die at some point. I know death is coming and there is nothing to fear about it because I believe that there is nothing about it on the other side to be afraid of. I was content, perfectly, to be precise before I was born and I believe it will be the same state even with death. In this essay, I will talk try to talk about why there is nothing to be afraid of in death. It is evident that death cannot be experienced, in the physical form. This is becauseRead MoreDeath By The Broom Of Death872 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"But death also goes through the world dressed as a broom, lapping the floor, looking for dead bodies, death is inside the broom, the broom is the tongue of death looking for corpses, it is the needle of death looking for thread.† Birth marks the beginning of life and is often celebrated while death gets such a bad reputation because of it signifies the end of life as an inevitable fate to humans. We tiptoe around death with hopes that it goes away and watch as it snuffs out life from those we once

Capital Budgeting Valuation Essay Example

Essays on Capital Budgeting Valuation Essay The paper "Capital Budgeting Valuation" is an excellent example of an essay on finance and accounting. The primary step in evaluating various investment opportunities is preparing a list of potential projects. A capital budget enumerates the investments and projects that a company strategizes to undertake during future years. Theoretical knowledge of capital budgeting differs from the real application of these skills due to various factors (Baker 10). Capital budgeting can be generally defined as methodical evaluation of how much capital to spend in one venture or asset and the exact assets companies should exploit to meet their investment objectives. This differs when it came to implementation. Most organizations are faced have limited resources and strict regulations, in addition, to a set of priorities hence a rift in implementation. Making best capital budgeting decision frequently necessitate identifying and accurate analysis of opportunities associated with the project. Inadequ ate assessments and decision tools jeopardize the likelihood of applying scarce resources to sections that give revenue less than the cost of capital, consequences in the destruction of value. This educational knowledge acts as a guiding principle; however, the chief financial officer may find it difficult to implement them 100 percent due to underlying factors in the organization. The popular methods used in capital budgeting include net present value, internal rate of return, profitability index, payback period and discounted payback period (Baker 120). Due to cost issues and complexity of some of the methods many organizations prefer alternatives thus hindering chief financial officers from maximizing on the methods. Monitoring of the capital budgeting is done by topmost officials of the companies. This act limits implementations of the recommendations that a chief financial officer might have instructed.   Statements of other students on the Discussion Board are ideal and tackle the discussion question adequately. In general, students have talked of the capital budgeting process, methods applicable, decision-making criteria, challenges facing the chief financial officer in implementing processes adequately and investment opportunities available.

Hard Times Critical Essay Example For Students

Hard Times Critical Essay Looking at Down, consider how Dickens presents the impact that Gradgrinds philosophy has had upon Louisa. What wider moral points is he trying to make? Dickens wrote Hard Times in the Victorian era as a criticism of the belief in controlling and filling people with knowledge. The character Louisa in the novel bears several similarities to John Stuart Mill, a real person who was brought up in a similar way to the ficticious Louisa with disasterous effects; he suffered a nervous breakdown at the age of 21. Dickens used Hard Times to bring to attention the potential harmful effects that a utilitarian system could have upon people. Dickens describes the dystopia of Coketown but with a kind of irony in that many of the population including Bounderby and Gradgrind believe it to be a utopia. In Down the catastophic effects of the system are revealed by Louisa, and Gradgrind realises that his syatem has failed. The novels satirical style shows Dickens dislike for labels and categories and other forms of measurement, which illustrates part of the moral message of the book, that love, imagination and fancy cannot and should not be suppressed. One example of the way in which Dickens makes us aware of this is in his descriptions, where the narrator sarcastically points out how good certain aspects of the Gradgrind philosophy are; everything that heart could desire and also by referring to fanciful things such as fairy tales in a kind of ironic counter reference; for example in the description a large black board with a dry Ogre chalking ghastly white figures on it, he is referencing a fictional creature, which is one of the things that Mr. Gradgrind despises most as it falls into his category of fancy. The narrator serves as the moral authorityof the novel. By way of frequent interuptions giving a kind of opinion, the narrator shapes our interpretations of the novel, for example: It is known, to the force of a single pound weight, what the engine will do; but not all the calculators of the National debt can tell me the capacity for good or evil, for love or hatred, for patriotism or discontent, for the decomposition of virtue into vice, or the reverse, at any single moment in the soul of one of these quiet servants, with the composed faces and the regulated actions. In this passage from No Way Out, we can see that the narrator disagrees with Gradgrinds belief in Fact, and instead believes that human nature cannot be reduced to facts and scientific principles. The narrator points out how little people know about what motivates the actions of other people. The quiet servants are the factory Hands and the narrator is suggesting that people need to understand them ,and the poor in general, better and also implies that this understanding cannot be attained through calculation, measurement and the accumulation of fact. He then suggests reserv our arithmetic for material objects, and to govern these awful unknown quantities by other means! This is a very clear example of how the narrator gives his opinion and also shapes ours as the reader. In the first chapter of Hard Times (The one thing needful) the reader is introduced to the Gradgrind philosophy; nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. One of the things that Gradgrind believes should be rooted out is fancy; in chapter two when Sissy says I would fancy-, she is immediately interrupted; Ay, ay, ay! But you mustnt fancy Mr. Gradgrind has brought up his children, Tom and Louisa, based on a utilitarian system of education, and the rooting out of creativity, imagination, emotions and fancy, and by doing so he has suffocated their imaginations and emotions and unintentionally made them unhappy. .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .postImageUrl , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:hover , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:visited , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:active { border:0!important; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:active , .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf64ab9699366716fde57635c894f6c8f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Should the west help spread democracy? EssayWe can see that their upbringing makes Tom and particularly Louisa both crave some kind of imaginative stimulation, when in Chapter 3 Mr. Gradgrind finds them both looking at the circus. This is also where Louisas love for her brother is revealed, when she stands up for him when her father accuses Tom of having brought his sister to the circus; she says I brought him Father I asked him to come.

Strategy of Google Company

Introduction Google Company was started in 1996 by two computer science graduates from Stanford University. The two graduates developed the search engine and named it Back Rub. One year later, the search engine had gained popularity among the Silicon Valley Internet Users.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Strategy of Google Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They changed the name from Back and Rub to Google in 1998. Since then, this company has experienced a massive growth in the internet industry. It was ranked the best search engine in the world. The company recently launched a mailing system, G-mail, which would allow its users to send and receive emails, share pictures and many other services that other industry players had not come up with in this industry. It has the largest market share, with a market growth that has remained positively skewed for the last ten years. Currently, the company has pa rtnered with a number of mobile telephone manufactures to develop internet enabled phones. This has earned it a lot of revenue. In 2006, it acquired YouTube as a strategy to expand its market share and sources of revenue. Through this, the company has become the largest internet advertiser, earning it more income. The management entered into alliance with Logitech, Sony, Adobe and DISH Network to develop Google TV. This would provide users with television channels and recorded programs on demand. SWOT Analysis This company can best be analyzed through SWOT analysis. Kotler and Armstrong (2010) note that this brings to focus a competitive advantage of a firm. The company has several strengths that make it maintain its market lead. This company has had time to expand its financial base. As at December 31, 2009, the company had an asset base of $40,496,477. This huge financial strength makes it easy to effectively compete in the market. The company has the widest geographical coverage than any other search engine. It was rated the best search engine in 2010. Its mailing system has been rated as the most reliable in the world, outsmarting some of the traditional players like yahoo. Its acquisition of YouTube has made it able to attract advertising firms, making it increase its market share. The company has a team of highly innovative employees. This has seen it develop some products that are widely accepted in the market. However, the company has some weaknesses that have limited its ability to expand at a rate that had been predicted by the management. One major weakness of this company is its inability to control spammers. Through the advertisements made by the customers, a good number are fraudsters. This has seen many of the Google’s customers complain because of the loss from this. Its aggression into the mobile telephone sector may also jeopardize its ability to concentrate in other sectors.Advertising Looking for case study on business economic s? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are several opportunities that exist for this company in the world market. Its partnership with Logitech, Sony, Intel, DISH Network and Adobe to provide programmed television services introduces it into a new industry that will enable it attract more customers to its current base. It also has the opportunity to attract Smartphone companies in developing other new models of phones. The main threat of this company is the competing firms in this market. Firms like yahoo, Ask, Facebook, Tweeter and Flickr are eating into the market share of this company. Other external threats include hackers who are able to hijack in the system and interfere with the normal operations of this firm. References Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of Marketing. 13th Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Press. This case study on Strategy of Google Company was written and submitted by user Ramon A. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Marx And Durkheim

Sociology as an academic discipline is still very much in its youth as compared to disciplines of the natural sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The reason for sociology’s green roots is because it can be thought of as a response to modernity. The modern world only really began to develop at the turn of the 19th century and, since then, has continued to become more advanced at an exponential rate. Sociology came about as a response to modernity because people began to change the way that they lived their lives and, most significantly, how they thought about themselves and their lives. Many theorists in the 19th century, such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, wrote about this new discipline of sociology. They attempted to use sociology in order to explain the new ways that people were thinking and the new problems that arose in society because of that shift in people’s thoughts and how people lived. Karl Marx had a very disdainful view of capitalism, which was beginning to flourish as a result of modernity. The rise of the mechanization of labour in society provided the opportunity for things to be mass produced, which in turn meant that in order to be productive, people were also treated as factors of production. Within capitalism, everything began to be commodified. This meant that everything was given a dollar value, including the labour of people. The entire commodification of society, as Marx believed, would lead people to feel alienated from their work, and even from themselves. â€Å"The more the worker expends himself in work, the more powerful becomes the world of objects which he creates in face of himself, and the poorer he himself becomes in his inner life, the less he belongs to himself† (Sociology of Capitalism, p.178). Before modernity, this alienation of the worker, the commodification of time and labour, was never even a concept to be thought of. This was because people had always worked... Free Essays on Marx And Durkheim Free Essays on Marx And Durkheim Sociology as an academic discipline is still very much in its youth as compared to disciplines of the natural sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The reason for sociology’s green roots is because it can be thought of as a response to modernity. The modern world only really began to develop at the turn of the 19th century and, since then, has continued to become more advanced at an exponential rate. Sociology came about as a response to modernity because people began to change the way that they lived their lives and, most significantly, how they thought about themselves and their lives. Many theorists in the 19th century, such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, wrote about this new discipline of sociology. They attempted to use sociology in order to explain the new ways that people were thinking and the new problems that arose in society because of that shift in people’s thoughts and how people lived. Karl Marx had a very disdainful view of capitalism, which was beginning to flourish as a result of modernity. The rise of the mechanization of labour in society provided the opportunity for things to be mass produced, which in turn meant that in order to be productive, people were also treated as factors of production. Within capitalism, everything began to be commodified. This meant that everything was given a dollar value, including the labour of people. The entire commodification of society, as Marx believed, would lead people to feel alienated from their work, and even from themselves. â€Å"The more the worker expends himself in work, the more powerful becomes the world of objects which he creates in face of himself, and the poorer he himself becomes in his inner life, the less he belongs to himself† (Sociology of Capitalism, p.178). Before modernity, this alienation of the worker, the commodification of time and labour, was never even a concept to be thought of. This was because people had always worked...

Profit maximization questions x 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Profit maximization questions x 2 - Essay Example Therefore, the answer is, to strike a balance between the two, that is, to not run after the profits to the extent that morality and values come at stake. As corporations it is imperative for us to hold our businesses in a manner that our personal values, which, in the first place should not be against that of the company, are aligned with what the society expects from us. A Business carries a two fold mandate, to earn profits and to seek to justify the means of doing so. Corporate Behavior should be governed by business ethics and values and at the same time describe certain methods to induce profit maximization. Being a part of the top level management as executive I will seek to define moral and ethical guidelines in which to undertake the business, making it a part of my organizational behavior. The very culture needs to be such that it helps promote values and business ethic. It’s certainly undesirable to have cost cutting at the expense of low quality and sub standard pr oducts as in a way it may bring in short term profitability and increase shareholder wealth but in the long term it will lead to degradation of the company’s image. I would try to take measures and communicate throughout the organization to promote moral values and to not give in at the mere expense of profitability. However, this does not mean that the pursuit of profitability is of secondary value. As I stated earlier the key is to strike a balance between the two. I believe seeking profitability on the lines of personal values and beliefs will actually act as a catalyst and exponentially create wealth for the stake holders through better image amongst them. There is absolutely no point in running a business that violates personal values as it shatters the very being and makes him a slave of profitability. Once that violation is made the person has no moral obligation and can go to any extent to achieve the latter objective. Hostile take over’s, industrial espionage or even violating the rights of customers and suppliers may lead to some sort of profitability, but this type of corporate manslaughter is certainly questionable. Having a definitive framework in which to carry out the business would certainly be my initial responsibility and in order to see if its being followed, as most of the time there is a disconnection between the company's code of ethics and the company's actual practices, a corporate Value appraisal system should be in place to keep a check and balance. Ans.2 If we analyze the net profitability after tax the company has had around 11% profitability each year whereas the market moved 13% up in the initial two years and the difference between the last two years is about 8.8%. These numbers suggest that the company is performing in a somewhat similar manner as the market. Now, if the company holds a leading position in the industry and has been having a smooth run of profitability and yet the share price has remained constant, it is certainly a message for the company that something is certainly wrong. The share price explains the sentiments of its investors about that particular company, if they believe that the company will do well, the share price will show a bullish trend but if otherwise, the stock price will go down. Now the company needs to understand and analyze its competitive position in the market. It should seek to evaluate how the consumer perception has changed about the company. Having known that the share value of the competitors has grown, this is a

Archimede's Constant in Everyday Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Archimede's Constant in Everyday Life - Essay Example Originally, according to the Webster Dictionary, π is the 16th letter of the Greek Alphabet series. The constant π is called so because it is the first letter of the Greek Letter word perimeter. The first person to use this Greek letter word for the denoting the value of pi was William Jones. In-plane geometry, the constant pi shows the relationship that exists between the circumference and diameter of a circle, regardless of its size. This constant remains the same regardless of the size of the circle. So, π = C/d serves as the basic relationship. Further modification can also help to rewrite the relationship as π = C/r2. The number is also transcendental; it is a number that is not a root of any polynomial with rational coefficients, or it is not an algebraic number of any degree. The value of pi is 3.141519...The origin of this constant can be traced back to the times of 400 BC in ancient Greece; this was the first time there has been evidence of recording the cons tant pi by a mathematician. Greeks, especially ancient Greece has been known for making giant leaps in the field of geometry and the identification of this constant does not come as a surprise. In later years of 200-300 BC, it was Archimedes who was able to approximate the figure of 22/7 for pi, for the first time ever. After Archimedes’ death, the Romans took control over the world. They are not known for the mathematical achievements and research into this wonderful constant was next to zero at this time.After the dark ages of the Roman invasion, pi gained activity again in the Renaissance period in Europe. In the 1700s, after the invention of the calculator, the fastest calculation method for pi was developed by Leonhard Euler. Now that we have the facility of supercomputers it has been found that the constant goes up to 206, 158, 430, 000 digits and counting!

Relationship Between the Brand Equity and the Sales of Bottled Water Industry Essay Example for Free

Relationship Between the Brand Equity and the Sales of Bottled Water Industry Essay This research basically pertains to find out the relationship between the brand equity and the sales of the product. The questionnaire was constructed and the pilot study using 15 respondents from ICBS was carried out to ensure that there were no confusions or ambiguities in the questionnaire. All ambiguities or confusions found were removed before administering the final questionnaire. The questionnaires were divided into two parts. On first of June the questionnaires were administered among half of the sample. The other half of the questionnaires among the remaining samples on 1st July 2007. As our research was basically descriptive in nature, we then quantified the values we were given in the questionnaire results and used them to graph the responses of the elements of the research. The results were then analyzed. Introduction The broad area of the research is related to the currently existing situation in the bottled water industry. As the bottle water industry is flourishing in Pakistan and new competitors are entering the market but still Pure Life has managed to maintain the considerable amount of market share due to its brand equity. The concept of brand is integral to the success of any given product. Brand equity necessarily affects the performance of a product. The concept of brand equity can have a marked effect on the longevity of a products performance. Brand equity is defined as the bundle of intrinsic features/attributes delivered by a branded product or service. It is measured as the price differential someone is willing to pay for a particular branded product or service over an identical product or service that is unbranded. Alternatively, this definition can be re-crafted to state that brand equity is the difference in utility between two products or services that are perceived to deliver an identical set of tangible benefits at the same price. Consumers see a particular brand name as a contract. A brands name may reduce consumers sense of uncertainty, allowing them to purchase, uncertainty reduction, or trust, thus improving their sense of value. Background Nestle have taken a strong interest in Pakistan at a time when the country’s food, drink and retail industries in general are all actually struggling to attract large-scale multinational investments of this nature. Although these companies all have more profitable product categories, which are their primary concerns in more developed markets, in Pakistan a key element of their business strategy at the present time is a strong presence in the increasingly competitive bottled water industry. Should economic growth continue, the introduction of their added-value, more premium products, will simply prove a bonus at a later date? Such investment cannot help but drive bottled water sales in Pakistan, while inflows from multinationals also provide much needed jobs and contribute to essential infrastructural developments in the country. However, there is a huge flipside to these advantages the creation of a population, which can barely afford to spend beyond necessity, reliant on a product that is still considered a luxury item in some of the worlds most developed economies. Pakistan’s response to this dilemma affects not just its population, but its likelihood of establishing itself as a destination for much sought after food, drink and retail industry investment in the future. Literature Review Brand equity is the value built-up in a brand. It is measured based on how much a customer is aware of the brand. The value of a companys brand equity can be calculated by comparing the expected future revenue from the branded product with the expected future revenue from an equivalent non-branded product. This calculation is at best an approximation. This value can comprise both tangible, functional attributes (e. g. TWICE the cleaning power or HALF the fat) and intangible, emotional attributes (e. g. the brand for people with style and good taste). It can be positive or negative. Positive brand equity is created by effective promotion and consistently meeting or exceeding customer thoughts. Negative brand equity is usually the result of bad management. In the early 2000s, the Ford Motor Company made a strategic decision to brand all new or redesigned cars with names starting with F. This aligned with the previous tradition of naming all sport utility vehicles since the Ford Explorer with the letter E. The Toronto Star quoted an analyst who warned that changing the name of the well known Windstar to the Freestar would cause confusion and discard brand equity built up, while a marketing manager believed that a name change would highlight the new redesign. The aging Taurus, which became one of the most significant cars in American auto history, would be abandoned in favor of three entirely new names, all starting with F, the Five Hundred, Freestar and Fusion. By 2007, the Freestar was discontinued without a replacement, and Ford announced record losses. In a surprise announcement, the discarded Taurus nameplate would be re-used on an improved Five Hundred which had disappointing sales and whose nameplate was recognized by less than half of most people, but an overwhelming majority was familiar with the Taurus. Brand Equity and Market Share Very often only the market share of a brand is looked at as a means of determining how successful the brand is. Although market share is of importance in assessing the performance of a brand, its relationship with brand equity is of great significance, as this relationship can be an indication of the potential success of a brand, or alternatively can direct strategy on how to attain such success. The following diagram illustrates the relationship between brand equity and market share: Brand equity and market share are not always proportionate. As can be seen from the diagram, the ideal place for a brand to be situated is in the top-right quadrant. This shows that the brand is successful in that it has a strong brand equity and high market share. However, this may not always be the case. It is possible that a brand may have high brand equity, but may not have an accordingly high market share (top-left quadrant). In order to improve the market share of a brand in cases such as this, regard must then be had to in-store issues such as display, shelf space, distribution etc. Thus, understanding brand equity plays an important role in that it gives an indication of how a brands performance can be improved. Where there is low brand equity and a strong market share (such as the bottom right-hand quadrant), the situation is extremely tenuous. Although the picture may look good owing to the strong market share, the reality is that, with weak brand equity, the product is vulnerable to competitor or other in-market activity. Therefore, measuring only the strong market share does not give the complete picture brand equity must also be considered, and by improving this, the full potential of the brand can be secured. What is Brand Equity? In layman terms brand equity is the value that a consumer attaches to a certain brand. Although brand equity can be measured tangibly by way of certain indicators, a large component of the concept is intangible, i. e. what perceptions and associations people have of a certain brand, and the familiarity of those brands in the mind of the consumer. The diagram below illustrates how brand equity is made up: From the diagram, it is evident that the sources that drive brand equity (brand awareness, consideration and the factors associated with it) will lead to certain outcomes. And the more powerful the sources are, the more significant these outcomes will be. Thus, a strong brand loyalty and ability to command a price premium will lead to resilience against any negative short-term market factors. And this is why brand equity is essential in assessing the performance of a brand: it has the potential to secure the success of the brand against many variable in-market factors. Further, the importance of brand equity is that, by understanding how brand equity drives market share, it is then possible to make use of this knowledge in order to grow the market share of a brand. Understanding the link between brand equity and market share will thus assist marketers in which strategies are required to grow market share. The Benefits of Brand Equity: What are the benefits of strong brand equity? Well, strong brand equity leads to, inter alia, strong market share, customer loyalty, more favorable response to price increases, less vulnerability to competitor activity, brand extension opportunities, and communication messages which reach the consumer. In attaining these benefits, strong brand equity will ensure that a product is of an enduring nature. Ultimately, strong brand equity will improve profitability. To build a winning brand, therefore, is to understand the relationship between brand equity and market share, and to leverage both to their full potential. In so doing, a brand will be successful and sustainable in the long term. It must be kept in mind that increasing market share does not increase brand equity, whereas increasing brand equity invariably leads to increased market share. Another benefit of brand equity is that it’s an asset which can be sold or leased. The importance of brand equity to customer loyalty: Keller (1998) argues that brand equity is unique from customer loyalty, and can be defined as: †¦ the differential effect that brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing of that brand. He argues that a brand possesses positive customer-based brand equity when customers react more favorably to a (brand identified) product and the way that it is marketed as compared to when it is not. Brands can also possess negative customer-based brand equity, expressed when consumers react less favorably to the marketing activities associated with a brand, as compared to an unnamed or fictitious named version of the product. Keller (1998) further states that one of the characteristics of brands possessing strong brand equity is stronger brand loyalty. This position appears consistent wit that of Aaker (1991) who argued that brand loyalty could be considered both a dimension and an outcome of brand equity. Problem Statement The problem statement of the research is to find out that â€Å"Are pure life sales greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle? † Nestle pure life was launched in Pakistan in 1998. The brand now holds a solid position as number 1 in Pakistan by having more than 50 per cent of the countrys small bottled-water market of 33 million liters (35 million quarts) a year. Pure Life is everywhere at roadside stalls, gas stations and rest stops. Its hawked at street corners in traffic-clogged Lahore. Middle-class shoppers buy it by the case in supermarkets. On the remote mountain road leading from Islamabad to the hill town of Murree, Pure Life billboards urge drivers to drive only Nestle Pure Life. At small stores along the way, a flurry of banners proclaim: Pure Safety, Pure Trust. The ideal water. From Nestle with love. As the purchase of the bottled water involves low involvement of consumers therefore factors such as price, packaging and taste are not as important as compared to the brand image of the product. Therefore, the research is conducted to find out whether the equity of a brand affects the sales of the product or not Limitations, Delimitations and Assumptions The concept of brand equity is important to every brand therefore it can be applied to every product in the Pakistani market. For the purpose of simplicity, researchers chose water bottled industry of Pakistan. In this industry Nestle Pure Life was chosen due to the fact that as purchase of bottled water involves low involvement of consumer so the only thing that matters for the consumer is the brand name. Furthermore another reason for choosing Nestle Pure life was that the researchers assumed that the sales of Nestle Pure life were greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle. There was another limitation that the researchers would only focus on a particular age group of people i. . people between 20-25 yrs of age. Theoretical Framework In the research the independent variable is brand equity, the dependent variable is sales, whereas there are three intervening variables identified which affect the relationship of independent variable and the dependent variable which are, production capacity, distribution and availability. There is a positive relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable because it’s assumed that the brand equity causes an increase in the sales of a product which is Nestle Pure Life. Coke and Pepsi entered the bottled water industry as their production capacity was 18000 crates but after production of sodas their production plant was idle so they decide to jump in the bottled water. industry. They had the advantage that the industry is developing and consumers are becoming conscious of the importance of pure drinkable water. And their setup was already developed. Their distribution is extensive and they can capture all the consumers who buy their sodas. There is a positive relationship between sales and the intervening variables that are production capacity, distribution and availability. Nestle has an advantage over the other bottled water competitors due to the fact that they are the market leaders and their production and distribution is much more then the other competitors and their production plant and capacity is only used for the bottled water only. Their availability is much more extensive because nestle food products are distributed all over the country and hence they utilize their already developed distribution setup. Hypothesis The hypothesis that the researchers intended to test was the following: â€Å"Pure life sales are greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle† Nature of study The type of research is basic or pure because the study aimed to find out the affect of brand equity on sales of Nestle Pure Life and literature review was done to find out the relationship between brand equity and sales and primary study was also conducted by distributing questionnaires to MBA students of various universities. The relationship between the brand equity and sales is also generalizable. No matter what the product is there is always the positive relationship between them. Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is descriptive. The study will help in better understanding of the relationship of brand equity of a product and its sales. It will also help the organizations to make decisions related to brand awareness, brand loyalty and brand preference that will affect the brand equity of a product. It will also help other researchers to work on the similar concept. Throughout the study the researcher interference was minimal as there was no control of researcher on the independent variable which was brand equity. The type of investigation was correlation as the study aimed at finding the relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable. It was a field study done in non contrived settings. Methodology Data Collection The initial data for research was obtained through secondary sources of information, which included internet articles, journals and books. It would not be enough to substantiate the hypothesis; therefore, the data collection technique of questionnaire survey shall be used. Population Our target population consists of business schools students in the age group of 20-25 years using Nestle Pure Life. Sample â€Å"Proportionate stratified random sampling technique† was used for the sample. UniversitiesNumber of Elements Proportionate sampling NCBA250250 * 32% = 80 LSE350350 * 37% = 130 GCU200200 * 25% = 50 Sample Size Out of the total of 800 students the size of the population, the sample was 80 students of National College of Business Administration, 130 Students of Lahore Scholl of Economics and 50 students of Government College University Lahore. The sample sizes were determined using table given by Uma Sekeran, using 90% confidence interval and standard error of 9. 5. Instruments Questionnaires were used as a tool to gather the primary data for the research. The questionnaire consisted of 7 questions and was administered among NCBA, LSE and GCU students. The questionnaire used in this study was a non-standardized instrument constructed solely for the purpose of this study. Copy of the questionnaire is attached in Appendix I in the report. Scale Dichotomous scale was used for five questions. YesNo Category scale was also used. Multiple items were given to elicit a single response from the respondent. From ranking scale forced choice scale was used which enabled the respondents to rank the brands of water bottles according to their preferences. Pilot Study A pilot study using 15 respondents from ICBS was done to ensure that there were no confusions or ambiguities in the questionnaire. All ambiguities or confusions found were removed before administering the final questionnaire. Reliability The reliability of the instruments was ensured through split- half reliability method. The instrument of the study which was questionnaires was divided into two halves. On first of June the questionnaires were administered among 40 NCBA students, 75 LSE students and 25 GCU students. The other half of the questionnaires among the same number of students on 1st July 2007. The reliability test will reflect the correlation between the two halves of the questionnaires. Validity The validity of our instrument was checked by the content and construct validity test. Results Question 1 Do you buy bottled water? Our population included only those elements who are users or buyers of the bottled water. So as the sample is the replica of the population then it can be said that the sample contained all the users or buyers of the bottled water. Question 2 Rank the following brands of water bottles according to your preference. As this question asked to rank the brands in order of preference it helped us to find out what brand people prefer. The results showed that 45% or 117 consumers prefer Nestle Pure life. Aside from that the other preference were 20% or 52 prefer Aqua Fina , 15% or 39 prefer kinley, 13% or 34 prefer Sufi and the least was aqua safe which is 7% or 18. It showed that the highest demand or preference is of Nestle Pure life. The name Nestle Pure Life was used because it is known as Nestle or Nestle Pure Life among people. Question 3 What are the reasons of your preference? This question asks about why the brand is preferred? And what is the reason for there preference? The results showed that 37% or 96 for international brand, 21% or 55 marked companied credibility, 18% or 47 went for quality seal, 11% or 29 marked packaging, 9% or 23 for price and 4% or 10 for certification. By these results we concluded that most people don’t know about quality seal and certification and some brand don’t have them so it wasn’t marked. One aspect was that those who marked nestle as their preferred brand marked international brand and company’s credibility as their reason for preference. Price and packaging was not such a major factor in their reason for the preference. It was only marked by consumers who use aqua safe and Sufi. Question 4 Do you recall any advertisement of your preferred brand? The results showed that 83% or 216 answered yes and 17% or 44 answered no. It showed that one reason of preference was the advertisement showed. Research shows that it has a major impact on people as it repetitive. It leaves the impression and the companies or brands qualities and messages in peoples mind. They do remember and recall it when buying a product. Question 5 How long have you been using your preferred brand? The results showed that most of the people have been using the brand for more than a year 45% or 117. 37% or 96 were using it for a year, 12% or 31 for 6 months and 6% or 16 for a month. The results also showed that most of the people have been using Nestle and Aqua Fina and Sufi and Aqua safe had a few consumers as they have not been using it for so long. Question 6 In your opinion are you brand loyal to your preferred brand? The results showed that 87% or 226 were brand loyal and 13% or 34 were not. The result showed that students are not brand loyal. But it has been observed that when people ask for drinking water they ask for nestle water. We also observed this at super stores that while passing by the water bottle shelves they pick Nestle. This behavior is same as schools and colleges. Question 7 What if your preferred brand is involved in an unethical business or fraud, will you still buy it? The results for this were that 64% or 166 answered as Yes and 36% or 94 answered as No. It showed that if a companied credibility is in doubt people back of from it. It does show a sense of rightness in people and also that for a brand to be successful it’s important that the company should be credible. As brand equity is the goodwill of the company and it’s important for a company to succeed and be reputable. Is also important because now, with media awareness people are becoming more conscious to these factors, so, the companies have to be conscious of these factors. Question 8 Would you prefer a brand which is popular in your social circle? The results of this question were that 55% or 143 answered as Yes and 45% or 117 answered as No. t helped to show that is the preference dependent on the social behaviors. But the result showed that it has a 10 % difference so it is slightly significance. For some people it who look for acceptance from their circle but it’s not that important as it low involvement purchase and it related to thirst which know no boundaries. But for some its status symbol to use bottled water as some peop le don’t care as long as its water. Discussion If the hypothesis is selected it would mean that the brand equity and brand image is important for the customers. They do take it into consideration while buying as its imprinted in their minds. Advertisement helps the customers to see the attributes of the company and the product . It keeps the brand equity in the minds of the customers. If the hypothesis is not substantiated by the questioner’s results, it would mean that some other factors are involved in the greater sales of the brand besides it brand name and the research would have to be conducted again with a new hypothesis. . Conclusions The conclusion of the study is that the Pure Life sales are greater than competitors due to brand equity of Nestle. The company should concentrate on things like brand preference and brand loyalty. They can do this by a lot of advertising and other promotional campaigns like public relations. Brand preference, brand loyalty and trust leads to establishment of brand equity which can be said as goodwill. Implications Brand equity is the customer’s subjective and intangible assessment of the brand, above and beyond its purely perceived value. In a market where many products are rather similar (i. e. commoditization), the brand can have a large effect on whether customers want to buy the product and what price theyre willing to pay. Brands therefore add more and more value to the basic product or service. Example: although a blind test panel taught researchers that most people prefer Pepsi above Coca-Cola, yet Coca-Cola is much stronger on the market. Our research findings shall help marketers understand the relation between brand equity ad sales. We have used Nestle Pure Life as a model for the study to illuminate the same relationship. As mentioned earlier, if there is a relationship between the variables, the marketers need to take it into account while designing their marketing strategies and policies.

Narration in The Turn of the Screw Essay -- The Turn of the Screw Henr

Narration in The Turn of the Screw Henry James makes the governess the narrator because she keeps the readers’ interest by also being involved in the story as a main character. However, being involved on this personal level, it can make the governess exaggerate at times and be over-emotional. Her determined and curious nature makes her an ideal candidate to explore the mysterious happenings, however her imagination keeps the reader in suspense, as we are never sure how much she has exaggerated the story. This also adds tension as the full picture is never revealed. This choice of narrator is therefore challenged by Susan Hill’s description that a narrator should be ‘unimaginative and straightforward’ as the governess’ increasing exaggeration, hysteria and ambiguity make her less than straightforward. The governess’s character is established at the beginning of the novel when she meets the master. Her impressionability is displayed when he immediately charms her. She has little experience at being a governess as it says she is ‘The youngest of several daughters of a country parson’, which also indicates her simple country background. Her naivety also makes her very romantic and imaginative. James writes that she has ‘†¦come up to London from the country’ which hints that the governess is very determined and eager for the job. Her trusting nature is also revealed when she doesn’t question the master’s bizarre rule; ‘that she should never trouble him again.’ She doesn’t question him, as she is enthralled and under his spell, hinting at her infatuation. This also could mean that the narrative would be biased in his favour. The governess first sees Peter Quint at dusk in the first few weeks of her gove... ...ry tragic and ambiguous circumstances. It is very intense at the end, because it is just the governess and Miles, and the governess is trying to force a confession out of him. When he does confess, Peter Quint appears and the governess immediately tries to protect the boy, seeing herself locked in a battle of good versus evil, where she is good and Peter Quint is bad. There are also several alternative reasons for Miles’ death open for interpretation to the reader; either the governess smothered him, shock (from seeing Quint), or Quint is involved somehow. The line ‘Peter Quint- you devil’ is in addition ambiguous. Miles is either confessing that Peter Quint is a devil, or that he sees the governess as tormenting him. James ends the story in this way because it leaves the reader questioning how the boy died, and the narrator’s sanity is also questioned. Narration in The Turn of the Screw Essay -- The Turn of the Screw Henr Narration in The Turn of the Screw Henry James makes the governess the narrator because she keeps the readers’ interest by also being involved in the story as a main character. However, being involved on this personal level, it can make the governess exaggerate at times and be over-emotional. Her determined and curious nature makes her an ideal candidate to explore the mysterious happenings, however her imagination keeps the reader in suspense, as we are never sure how much she has exaggerated the story. This also adds tension as the full picture is never revealed. This choice of narrator is therefore challenged by Susan Hill’s description that a narrator should be ‘unimaginative and straightforward’ as the governess’ increasing exaggeration, hysteria and ambiguity make her less than straightforward. The governess’s character is established at the beginning of the novel when she meets the master. Her impressionability is displayed when he immediately charms her. She has little experience at being a governess as it says she is ‘The youngest of several daughters of a country parson’, which also indicates her simple country background. Her naivety also makes her very romantic and imaginative. James writes that she has ‘†¦come up to London from the country’ which hints that the governess is very determined and eager for the job. Her trusting nature is also revealed when she doesn’t question the master’s bizarre rule; ‘that she should never trouble him again.’ She doesn’t question him, as she is enthralled and under his spell, hinting at her infatuation. This also could mean that the narrative would be biased in his favour. The governess first sees Peter Quint at dusk in the first few weeks of her gove... ...ry tragic and ambiguous circumstances. It is very intense at the end, because it is just the governess and Miles, and the governess is trying to force a confession out of him. When he does confess, Peter Quint appears and the governess immediately tries to protect the boy, seeing herself locked in a battle of good versus evil, where she is good and Peter Quint is bad. There are also several alternative reasons for Miles’ death open for interpretation to the reader; either the governess smothered him, shock (from seeing Quint), or Quint is involved somehow. The line ‘Peter Quint- you devil’ is in addition ambiguous. Miles is either confessing that Peter Quint is a devil, or that he sees the governess as tormenting him. James ends the story in this way because it leaves the reader questioning how the boy died, and the narrator’s sanity is also questioned.

Case Analysis: Medical Center of Southern Indiana Essay

Introduction The Medical Center of Southern Indiana (MCSI) has had a turbulent tenure as a hospital since its inception in 1973. Unprofitable from the very beginning, MCSI has gone through multiple ownership changes, creating a distrusting atmosphere between Clark County, IN residents, the local medical community, and MCSI. The city of Charlestown purchased the hospital at the end of 1991 in the hopes of turning the facility into a profitable medical center offering key services to the community. An aggressive expansion strategy was developed by management contractor American MedTrust in 1992 and this led to an operating profit in 1998 of $480,545. This marked a turning point for MCSI, as it was the first year in a very long time that the hospital had turned a profit. As they look to the future, MCSI needs to determine if it should continue with the aggressive strategy of expanding services or slow its expansion pace and focus on providing excellent service within its current capacity and looking for ways to reduce cost and enhance revenues. Key Demographics and Facts Certain elements of the MCSI case are essential in determining the appropriate strategy to pursue in the future. The external community general hospital environment has not been thriving during this time period. Of the roughly 5,000 community hospitals in the United States in 1997, 22% had bed capacity of 50-99. From the year 1980 to 1997, the number of hospitals with 50-99 beds decreased by 24%. As a 96 bed facility, the national trend does not bode well for MCSI. When the hospital was purchased by the city of Charlestown, American MedTrust came in with its aggressive â€Å"revitalization initiatives† to help MCSI become profitable. Under American MedTrust’s leadership, MCSI spent more than $3 million from 1992 to 1998 to accomplish these aggressive strategies. Two key elements of those initiatives involved expanding the services offered and rebuilding relationships with insurance companies and the local medical community. As a full-service hospital, MCSI already offered a variety of medical services. Because of a consistently low census (occupancy rate around 45%), developing ways to attract new patients was vital. A new inpatient geropsychiatric unit, skilled nursing facility, and a home health agency were added to the mix when hospital executives determined that there was a need in the community for these services and that the competition was not offering these services. By 1998, all three new service lines were bringing in at least $1 million in gross revenue. Other key investments included the creation of an outpatient mall, purchasing new technology, and the creation of satellite specialty and primary care clinics. Finding and expanding sources of revenue was also a key feature in the aggressive strategic plan. MCSI knew that to enhance revenue, the hospital had to contract with managed care companies. Because of sour relationships between MCSI and the insurance companies, MCSI enlisted the help of the state legislature and the state insurance commissioner to pass the Any Willing Provider bill that required insurance companies to work with providers like MCSI and provide written explanations for any declinations of contracts. In 1994, MCSI had two managed care contracts; there were twenty-five managed care contracts in 1998. With 65% of its patient base on Medicare, it was essential for MCSI to increase these managed care contracts if the organiza tion hoped to expand their revenue stream. Because of the enhanced services offered, the number of full time equivalent employees also increased from 183 in 1994 to 270 in 1998. MCSI has benefited from a low 11% employee turnover and a lean organizational structure. Even with these systems in place however, the salary and wage expense has nearly tripled from $3.3 million in 1992 to $9.88 million in 1998. Of the 270 FTE employees, there are 75 active members of the medical staff. Gross revenue generated by physician was a bit lopsided in 1998 with 11 out of 75 physicians generating almost 75% of the gross revenue. As MCSI plans for the future, revenues generated by physician, by department, and the related salary expenses need to be carefully examined to determine the optimal mix of services provided to the Clark County community. The location and demographics of Clark County continue to provide challenges for MCSI and the creation of future strategic plans. Clark County is a rural  area with the majority of its population living in the southern half of the county, near the Indiana and Kentucky border. While Clark County does enjoy a low 2.7% unemployment rate, the average county household income was a middling $36, 726 in 1997. Only 11% of Clark County residents had earned a bachelor’s degree as of 1998, thus the probability of the average household income increasing by any great degree was small. 65% of the MCSI patient base in 1998 was a Medicare patient. MCSI is located in the north central section of Clark County. Its closest competitor is Clark Memorial Hospital in the southern half of the county. Clark Memorial has about 3 times the number of beds as MCSI and the majority of the county’s population lives closer to Clark Memorial. Louisville, KY is about 15 miles from MCSI. Any future expansion plans must include a close analysis of the population growth trends in the area and an analysis of the service mix offered by both competitors, Clark Memorial and the Louisville-area health systems. Both of these competitors are better positioned to capitalize on any growth trends in the area and have the financial resources to aggressively expand to meet these trends. Even though MCSI has posted an operating profit for the first time in many years, the majority of MCSI’s assets are tied up in receivables. The current ratio and days cash on hand are well below industry standards. With increasing salary expenses and various interest expenses increasing, investing in capital expenditures or investing large sums of money in new service lines might cause MCSI’s operating profits be negative. Recommendations The Medical Center of Southern Indiana should continue to grow and improve the service lines that are currently offered such as home health, skilled nursing, and geropsychiatric services. These services have been marginally profitable in the past for the facility. The home health agency has seen a tremendous growth increasing from $422,000 to $1.75 million in four years. Skilled nursing facility revenues have grown in four years from $1.07 to $4.7 million. In order to keep these existing service lines thriving, MSCI should plan moderate renovations that keep the facility up to date with current service lines. Renovations should be similar to the $300,000 remodeling that was done to the outpatient service mall and should include the purchase of medical supply equipment that will help MCSI stay up to date  with its competitors. Large capital expenditures should be avoided at this time. Additionally, MCSI should expand its marketing campaign to target the local populations and keep patients from the surrounding five counties from migrating into the Louisville area to receive care. This has been a problem for the facility in the past, and has led to losses in revenues. Another point of emphasis that should be addressed is the inclusion of the Ivy Tech College population and the Indiana University Southeast population. This population of students has yet to be targeted by the facility, and are a large source of potential revenue. The marketing strategy should also focus on the recruitment and retention of physicians. Recruitment has been an issue in the past and recruiting and retaining quality physicians is a key component to the success of a facility. Currently, a minority of physicians bring in a majority of the revenues. Having quality physicians that provide services that the community wants and needs will also help enhance revenues. Because so much of the patient population is on Medicare, these revenue enhancement strategies need to be complemented by cost saving strategies. MCSI has a bit more control over their expenses than it does over their revenue sources. After years of having a defender style of strategic plan, this aggressive prospector strategy has allowed MCSI to have the resources to better meet the needs of the community and find a way to be profitable. However, at this point, it would be best to take a step back and shift to analyzer mode before continuing in an aggressive manner. Data The Medical Center of Southern Indiana created a decision matrix to identify decision criteria in pursuing a solution going forward. MCSI choose to analyze physician partnership, its top service lines, expansion of market campaign, and expansion of the Ivy Tech population in order to decide whether or not it should continue its aggressive expansion campaign. Major criteria areas taken into account included market position, competition, potential profitability, and alignment with MCSI’s mission. As shown in Figure 1, it was recommended for MCSI to continue building physician partnership and enhancing its top three service lines (home health agency, skilled nursing facility, and geropsychiatric services). There was the  recommendation to possibly pursue expansion of its marketing campaign and Ivy Tech population. MCSI should slow down its aggressive expansion strategy of adding new services and consolidate gains from those presently in place. In doing so, MCSI would shift from a prospector to an analyzer. MCSI achieved its largest operating profit of $480,545 in 1998. Looking to continue aggressive expansion could potentially lower its operating profit going forward. Overexpansion of services may lead to a dilution in the quality of care. The hospital is already structured as lean to help control costs. With such a low operating profit, MCSI does not have the resources to continue their expansion. As an analyzer, MCSI will look to enhance its existing resources and wait to see what the competition does. Improvements can be made to MCSI’s top three services lines. Allocating resources for future renovations and purchases of equipment will help keep these areas successful and allow them to continue generating profit. These three service lines respond to the needs of the Medicare patient base. For physician partnership, MCSI must keep its physicians who represent a majority of gross revenue. There is a large disparity for both gross revenue brought in and patients seen amongst physicians. Keeping MCSI’s top physicians while also looking to recruit other good physicians can lead to an increased efficiency of patient care and a reduction of cost. Involving the physicians in issues central to care and day-to-day operations is needed for a high physician retention rate for MCSI. It is important to have physicians included in the processes because they are the ones caring for the patients. If MCSI has the available resources, it should pursue expanding its marketing campaign and look into expansion of the Ivy Tech population. The solution for MCSI to focus on its current service lines instead of continued aggressive expansion will require coordination amongst a wide-range of sections within the medical center. Kevin J. Miller, the President and Chief Executive Officer of MCSI is responsible for asserting leadership of the planning and implementation of this solution. He must be involved in the process to avoid disengagement within MCSI. It is critical for him to be a leader, but not take over the entire process. The next step would be defining and communicating the responsibilities and roles of the  organizational leaders in the various departments of the medical center through the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. It is their role to provide oversight and then let the organization take control. Physician partnership through Independent Practice Association (IPA), home health agency, skilled nursing facility, and geropsychiatric services would involve those under the Physician Affiliates, Chief Nursing Officer, and Assistant Administrator of Specialty Services, respectively. Expansion of marketing campaign and Ivy Tech population would involve those under the Director of Human Resources and Director of Business Development. Those under the Chief Quality Officer are then responsible for insuring the facilities are up-to-date through renovations for these service lines. Those under the Chief Financial Officer would be responsible for keeping track of the records and looking at the profitability from services already in place. All of these areas of MCSI must work with each other through active communication. It is necessary to have strategic plan schedules in order for the solution to be successful. Starting with monitoring day-to-day activities, MCSI should complete a full strategic planning process every three years with annual updates on each of the areas in the decision matrix. MCSI must have the resources to provide for this solution. The solution identified by the decision matrix is responsible for MCSI’s ability to earn and increase annual profit. Collecting data in these areas in addition to monitoring the internal and external environment can allow for MCSI to evaluate effectiveness of consolidating gains from services already in place in the future. Current Status of the Medical Center of Southern Indiana The Medical Center of Southern Indiana became a subsidiary of Saint Catherine Healthcare LLC on May 1, 2006. Questions from the end of the Case: 1.Should MCSI slow down its aggressive expansion strategy of adding new services and consolidate the gains from those presently in place, or continue the aggressive expansion strategy of adding and investing in even more services? We feel that MCSI should not continue its aggressive expansion strategy. Rather, they should focus on continuing the upkeep of their current service lines that have been so profitable for them the past  four years (home health, skilled nursing facilities, and geropsychiatric services) Continuing to expand these existing services is what has allowed MCSI to grow and beat out competitors in some areas. Instead of focusing on expanding the service lines any further, money should be invested to keep existing facilities â€Å"top of the line†. 2.Should MCSI reassess present services and retrench those that are not yet breaking even? MCSI should definitely carefully consider all present services, especially those that are not yet breaking even. Certain service lines will never break even, but are required as part of the community hospital services. However, reducing or retrenching these services could possibly be the best strategy moving forward. 3.Should MCSI change its fiscal orientation and focus on cost reduction versus revenue enhancement? With 65% of the patient base on Medicare, revenue enhancement might not be guaranteed. A combination of cost minimization and revenue enhancement strategies through increasing the number of managed care contracts would be the best orientation for MCSI. 4.Should MCSI pursue a joint venture with physicians in limited partnerships? Yes, MCSI should pursue a joint venture with physicians in limited partnerships. In 1998, 4 of MCSI’s 75 physicians brought in 44% of the gross revenue and 11 physicians brought in almost 75% of the gross revenue, which was $39,679,356. It is critical to identify the top earning physicians and keep them at MCSI. Part of MCSI’s mission is to â€Å"increase physician recruitment, retention, and collaboration.† MCSI must continue to involve the physicians in issues central to quality and their day-to-day operations.

Battle of Stoke Field in the War of the Roses