Principles of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Marketing - Essay Example The formulation of a long term marketing plan ensures that the resort remains a popular tourist destination and highly competitive. In 2007, Alton Towers joined Merlin Entertainment Group which is the second largest and the most dynamic tourist attraction (Fyall et al., 2008). Merlin manages tourist attractions, hotels and holiday villages in different parts of the world. The growth strategy involves the continuous investment in all the attractions to improve quality of the customer service and experience. The company also aims to develop the theme parks into short break resort destinations with the inclusion of accommodation options and more quality entertainment along the Alton Tower model. Alton Towers is the ninth most visited theme park in Europe and the most popular park in the UK. The park attracts approximately 2.7 million visitors annually (Alton Towers, 2010). The resort has developed a 10 year plan to remain a favorite tourist destination and to ensure its competitiveness. Upon finalization, the plan should be handed over to the Council to notify them about the review process for the production of a n ew (SPD) Supplementary Planning Document for Alton Towers. Alton Towers should consider its environment before choosing the marketing principles to apply. The internal environment is composed of the staff, office technology and the departments in the organizations. The micro environment is composed of the customers, distributors and suppliers while the macro environments is composed of the Political (Legal) forces, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological forces which are popularly referred to as PEST (Hooley et al., 2004). These factors play an essential role in the creation of a marketing strategy. The success of an organization goes beyond the PEST analysis since it should consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are referred to as the SWOT analysis. The resort has positioned itself

Human growth and develpement module 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human growth and develpement module 2 - Essay Example Berger (2010) claims that an infant’s or a child’s temperament also depends upon his/her inborn predispositions which might not only become the reason of his/her anxiety problems but also invoke anxiety in the parents also. When I applied these same categories to my nursing experience, I felt a significant improvement in the way I became able to assess the rate by which any child improved or recessed in terms of emotional growth and development. It is a fact that infants are very vulnerable to the toxic effects of malnutrition. Malnutrition, if not handled appropriately and on time, can lead to weight loss, height loss, and intellectual problems as poor nutrition can lead to lower IQ levels. Cognitive impairments also affect a young child if there is malnutrition and iron-deficiency anemia can also develop which leads a child to behave sluggishly and learn slowly. Children exposed to malnutrition also have a poor defense mechanism due to which they are more often targeted by various infections and diseases. In order to address this concern, I would suggest drinking lots of water per day as plenty of water can help an infant or a child much against malnutrition. A body loses much water per day through sweat, breathing, and urine so it becomes compulsory to drink many glasses of water a day. Also, vegetables should be made an essential element of daily diet as they help in strengthening the immune

No child left behind Essay Example for Free

No child left behind Essay No Child Is Left Behind (NCLB) is a federal state act of 2001 which was proposed by the then president, George W. Bush immediately after being inaugurated in to the White House. This legal framework was aimed at ensuring that the primary and secondary education system was improved by advocating for increased accountability and transparency in its management. It further focused on the education system increased the flexibility on how parents can choose the learning institution their siblings will attend. This paper provides a broad overview of the act and it includes its history, scope, player involved challenges, among other issues. Brief discussion of the relevant history The law was authored by John Boehner and Judd Gregg, a representative and a senator respectively from the Republican Party and George miller and Edward Kennedy, a senator respectively from the Democratic Party. It was then signed by G. W. Bush. Beside aiming at improving the performance primary and secondary education and increasing accountability, improved the focus on reading and re-authored the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Act. The act was brought forward in the 107th congress whereby it was passed in the House of Representatives and US senate on 2001, May 23rd and 2004, June 14th respectively. It was later signed in to law on 2002, January 8th. Scope The act was brought to the lime light after realization the quality of the education being offered was directly affecting the students, parents and all the citizens at large. At the international level, since the world was becoming a global village as a result of globalization, the quality of education needed to improved since many of the Americans’ children had little hope in the future due to high levels of illiteracy and low self esteem (self doubt). The act was of paramount essence since the US, the world largest economy needed to produce intellectuals that would transform America and the globe at large. Context (historical, political, economic, social) At the time George W. Bush introduced this blueprint, he noted that though the American was entering the 21st century with a lot of promise and hope, many of the children who were in need of education support and aid were being ignored and thereby left around. 70% of the fourth graders residing in the inner city could not read or even pass the national reading trial which involved the elementary level of education. The senior high school student in other parts of the world, South Africa and Cyprus to be specific perform very poorly on the international mathematics test. Almost a 1/3 of the college freshmen of American origin take compulsory remedial courses prior to initiating the regular college level courses It is the responsibility of the parents, state and all the citizens to ensure that quality education is guaranteed for all the American children in order to have a bright future. This has not been the case and the United Sates Federal Government is to be blamed for condoning the poor results and failing to address the failure in the education system. The federal government has controlled the Americans, schools since through education policies since 1965 when the first major initiative on the elementary –secondary was undertaken. Since then the federal government has established so many programs/ projects geared towards facilitation of quality education. A major drawback for these programs is that the results have not been analyzed to evaluate whether the programs achieve their objectives or not. Another factor for the failure of the programs is that they are formulated by the congress and the locals are not consulted, as a result, local population education needs are not addressed. There have been programs that are formulated for every single education program and this had led to a pile of programs across the federal states. These programs costed the federal government hundred billions each year but quality of education on the other hand has been falling since the objectives are not being realized. This has resulted to a wide and an increasing gap between the rich and the poor in America. Faced with this dilemma, some citizens have proposed that the federal government should not be involved the education sector. Another proportion of the population suggests that the new programs should be added to the old education system. , the federal government was therefore required to come up with effective programs and projects which would restore confidence in to the American education system. After a braining search of the best option, the federal government came up with the No Child is Left Behind policy which would transform the American education system. During the signing of the bill, the then US president, George W. Bush said; Weve got large challenges here in America. Theres no greater challenge than to make sure that every child and all of us on this stage mean every child, not just a few children, every single child, regardless of where they live, how theyre raised, the income level of their family, every child receive a first-class education in America. Individuals/agencies involved including a discussion of the major decision makers The No Child is Left Behind policy would involve a number of parties in order to transform the American education system, these entities include; o The teachers o The parents o The local citizens o The federal government The teachers will be involved in ensuring the No Child is Left Behind policy work. They will be trained to improve their quality. The schools that will perform well will be rewarded while those not achieving the expected results will be sanctioned. The federal government is expected to fund the training of school teachers and improve the schools in general. The parents are required to monitor the performance of their children and at the same time access more information concerning the performance of his/her child from the school administration. Additional funds will be provided to the state and district schools by so that they can become more flexible. The local society is required to ensure that it provide a conducive learning environment so that the students can utilize their potential to the best of their capability (Hammond 2007). Major stakeholders involved (who the policy/issue affects, who has an interest in the policy) Among the major stakeholders who will be involved and will be affected by the NCLB will include the students, the teachers, parent, the local authorities and the federal government. The teachers will be required to play a crucial role in ensuring that the gap between the poor and rich is closed by ensuring that they maintain high standards and accountability, offering annual academic assessment to children which will then be evaluated by the parents. The teachers are further required to give reading a priority. The parents are expected to work closely with the teachers so that they can assist in progress of the children education. The parents’ flexibility and option for schools will also increase. The local authorities are expected to guarantee the teacher protection, promote school safety, rescue the schools from the schools that are not safe and advocate for character education. o The federal government is expected to provide funds and reward to the well performing schools and states in terms of accountability and transparency. The government will also give the teachers some initiatives like tax deduction in order to promote their performance. The role public administrators play in the policy/issue The public administers are expected to ensure that the funds provided by the federal government are utilized in the most efficient was possible while at the same time making certain that they reach the targeted entities. The public administrators are further expected to evaluate the performance of the school. They should also give feedback to the federal government on matter concerning the effectiveness of the No Child is Left Behind policy in meeting the academic needs of the American people (Samier, et, al, 2008). Policy alternatives and solutions Currently this is the best education program that has been formulated in the US. Proper implementation of the program will ensure that it becomes perfect since it will be evaluated from time to time. Corrective measure will be put in place to ensure that the expected results are achieved. Challenges facing policy implementation and solution The policy is faced with a number of challenges prior to its implementation. One of major critic is on the use of standards to gauge the performance of the states and schools. The schools or each state can lower their standards so that they cam purport to have improved in their performance. This is because each state has the capacity to set its own standards. This means that the incentives and penalties (sanctions) provided by the government would end up on the hand of wrong persons. This problem therefore calls for standardization of the examination if at all there is an expectation of correct unbiased results (Uzzell (2005). The use of standardized within states reduced the quality of education since the teachers â€Å"teach the test† to ensure that the students performs well in the schools. They, teachers, only teach the areas that are expected to be tested in the final standard exams. The standardized tests are also against Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The tests have also been condemned of promoting cultural bias since different culture value certain skills than others. To avoid this kind of bias, the policy of standardized test should be re-evaluated in depth and a sustainable standard established (Abernathy 2007). The issue of offering incentives to the schools performing poorly enables the schools to continue performing poorly. The schools that are rewarded after performing well in the standards test is likely to push out the poorly performing students so that hey can maintain the standards. In order to ensure that the poorly performing schools improve they should be offered with technical expertise and not financial resources. The top performing schools on the other hand should be closely monitored to ensure that the poor students are not expelled on academic grounds. The No Child is Left Behind policy focuses manly on the core subjects, that is English and Mathematics, this has made the student to improve in these two subjects while the other broader education is lost. This therefore requires the NCLB policy to be considerate of other skills and subjects to ensure that education meets its purpose (Menken 2008). Importance of the No Child is Left Behind policy Its enables the children to understand the policies that have been implemented in the efforts to improve the quality of education in order to face the global challenges in bold. Precisely, the understanding of this policy enables a person to understand the existing education policy’s roots, challenges and its core values. This policy is also an indication of the federal government interest in leading the global by providing its citizens with quality education which will ensure that the illiteracy level decreases significantly. The policy also explains in details the expected level of participation by all the parties involved in ensuring that it is a success. The policy also explains the importance of the accountability and transparency for any program or policy to succeed (Peterson, et, al, 2003). Overview of the important values Irrespective of the stake holders involved in implementing this policy, is of great significance to evaluate the important values of the No Child is Left Behind policy. This policy is expected to; o Result to grades for tests o General improvement of all the standards o Increased accountability of all resources in the schools o Creating opportunity for the minority groups o General improvement of the quality of education o Offering the parent the option to select school for children o Guarantying of the federal funding Conclusion Though the change is well formulated, it needs to be cleansed off some of the issues that are raising eyebrows. It needs to be refined to address all the children depending on their needs. The policy provides clearly detailed guidelines which will ensure that the quality of the education system in America greatly improves to solve the ever increasing global challenges. While comparing the old and the new education programs, this new NCLB is likely to have better results since it focus on all the children with emphasis on the children from the minority groups. The local population, citizens and the federal government should ensure that the proper implementation and evaluation is carried out to make certain that the best results are achieved. As time passes by, a research should be carried out to find out area or clauses that need to be changed for upgrading of the programs. References Abernathy Scott Franklin (2007) No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools, Michigan, University of Michigan Press, (pp 130-149). Hammond Linda D. (2007) Evaluating No Child Left Behind’ retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. thenation.com/doc/20070521/darling-hammond Menken Kate (2008) English Learners Left Behind: Standardized Testing as Language Policy, NY, Multilingual Matters Press (pp 118-140) Samier Eugenie Angele, Stanley Adam (2008) Political Approaches to Educational Administration and Leadership, NY, Routledge, (pp 139-154) Peterson Paul E. , West Martin R. (2003) No Child Left Behind? The Politics and Practice of School Accountability, Brookings, Brookings Institution Press, (pp13-14) Smith Marilyn Cochran (2004) Walking the Road: Race, Diversity, and Social Justice in Teacher Teachers College Press (p 157) The white house, Foreword by President George W. Bush, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/reports/no-child-left-behind. html The White House, President Signs Landmark No Child Left Behind Education Bill, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108-1. html Uzzell Lawrence A. (2005) No Child Left Behind: The Dangers of Centralized Education Policy, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. cato. org/pub_display. php? pub_id=3769

A Study On Amazon | Essay

A Study On Amazon | Essay E-commerce business Amazon.com is widely praised for having pioneered web-based customer relations, setting an industry benchmark in market-leading technological infrastructure. Kotler et al (2008) recognise that ‘the technology boom has created exciting new ways to create products and services tailored to individual customer needs (p.33). Amazon.com first entered the US e-commerce trading arena in 1995 under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, operating, as many do, from the comfort of home. As part of an emergent growth strategy, within ten years Amazon expanded at an alarming rate and penetrated the markets of several countries, basing fulfilment centres in the US, Europe and Asia with the aim of managing the product distribution process from supplier to consumer. Quarterly sales revenue has consistently grown year on year, to a current $5.45 billion in the third quarter ended September 2009 of this year a growth of 28% over the same period in 2008 according to Amazons investor press release (phx.corporate-ir.net). Further financial reporting presented in the press release shows Amazons US market exceeds total international income. The $5.45 billion consists of $2.84 billion in North America, and $2.61 billion from the UK, German, Japanese, French and Chinese sites. It has remained unscathed by the recent global economic downturn; quite the contrary, Amazon has capitalised on the reduced disposable income of consumers. ‘The research area is potentially fruitful since, even in recession, e-shopping volumes in the UK, for example, are continuing with double-digit growth, whereas traditional shopping is languishing in zero growth or less (Dennis et al, 2009: p.1122). Since commencing operations those years ago selling second-hand books in small volume, Amazon has vastly diversified its product portfolio. ‘You can find beauty supplies, clothing, jewellery, gourmet food, sporting goods, pet supplies, books, CDs, DVDs, computers, furniture, toys, garden supplies, bedding and almost anything else you might want to buy (money.howstuffworks.com). There are a number of ways in which the site operates. It stocks and sells its own products from reputable branded suppliers in fulfilment centres; allows stores to use Amazon as their portal for marketing both new and used goods; invites the public to join and sell their items in online auctions. However the true beauty of Amazons internet service lies within a highly innovative, targeted and versatile customer interface. The Oracle Corporation (an agent of the database design and implementation) has constructed a diagram of the database system as shown in Appendix 1. This study aims to demonstrate the concept of customer orientation as part of a marketing strategy and its effectiveness as a constituent of the holistic practices of Amazon. One may think, at first glance, that the concept of customer orientation seems obvious. Its basic definition confirms this, affirmed by Kotler et al (2008) as ‘a company that focuses on customer developments in designing its marketing strategies and on delivering superior value to its target customers (p.372). However, the extent to which a business devotes resources to the customer is often difficult (but not impossible) to distinguish at a contextual level. Marketing forms the foundation of our very livelihoods. Blink and its there right in front of you. Post-modern society dictates that organisations no longer navigate consumer trends merely by the commodities that they make competitive business has evolved in the realisation that ‘nowadays, ever more emphasis is placed on the importance and nature of the relationships that an organization has with its customers (Jones et al, 2007: p.106). The fruits of economic growth have no doubt spurred the strengthening of (both consumer and business) purchasing power and with it, variety-seeking opportunity. The opportunity presented by marketing (or rather customer) orientation opens up the potential to extrapolate future demand before the consumer even demands it. Here it is about identifying gaps in the norm, and, driven by innovation, manifesting those undiscovered wants into tangible demand. The marketing sphere has become highly complex, giving rise to certain implications. How does a marketer adequately identify profitable market dynamics in this day and age? Is it even possible to satisfy the needs of every targeted consumer? Amazons marketing strategy will be discussed in relation to its handling of customer needs, or rather, how the company perceives its customers needs are best served through the online innovator. Donaldson and OToole (2002) identify four marketing strategies; Amazons being the â€Å"high-tech, high-touch quadrant†. Porters (1996) â€Å"Five Forces Analysis† model can influence the 7 Ps of the â€Å"Marketing Mix† and the value a company can create for the consumer. It is a useful model for presenting the intensity of external market pressures from different angles. See Appendix 2. ‘If management wants to change how the firm connects with its customers, it has to change the organisation (Molineux, 2002: p.109). The culture behind Amazon since emerging online in 1995 as a simple bookstore has taken rapid progression in-line with its marketing strategy. The company has evolved through its heedfulness of the rising effectiveness of relationship marketing electronically around the end of the 1990s, so that ‘the dominant approach to IT and relationship research is being replaced by a relationship strategy rather than a transaction strategy position, focussing on information as opposed to technical (Donaldson and OToole, 2002: p.181). Dibb (1998) states ‘increasing evidence suggests that businesses have problems operationalising segmentation (p.394). Harvesting different segments with universally positive outcomes is often troublesome for organisations. ‘For most businesses it is simply unrealistic to satisfy the entire diverse customer needs in the marketplace (Dibb, 1998: p.394). Amazon is one of the few that can, or at least makes great attempts to. Many other online companies have only recently followed suit. Amazons system breaks the contemporary rules of market segmentation. Each customer is his or her very own segment, targeted by one versatile, adaptive system able to meet their personal characteristics by recommending a set of products at a variety of prices from low, second hand to brand new. The system epitomises customer relations management, catering for any socio-economic status, music taste, literature-lover, and so on. Amazon is a target marketer, for marketers. ‘Each customer is assigned a unique number Companies have databases for sales, marketing, service, inventory, payments, and so on (Buttle, 2009: p.103). Amazon utilises a complex, controversially patented Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) which the site draws from to personalise its content toward the customer and supplements functions such as the â€Å"one-click†. Contrary to the norm of a consumer initiating a purchasing process, Amazon acts as the initiator with its variety-fulfilling interface, performing a dual-class role as the â€Å"middle man† between the business and consumer market. Kotler et al express how Amazon leverages the benefits of electronic B2B relationships through ‘E-procurement [which] gives buyers access to new suppliers, lower purchasing costs and hastens order processing and delivery. In turn, business marketers can connect with customers online to share marketing information, sell products and services, provide customer support services and maintain ongoing customer relationships (p.307). McBurnie and Clutterbuck (1988) justifiably assert ‘until competitors copy or segment your segmentation, you have a competitive edge, even if you serve the segment with a standard product or service. If the product or service is specific to the segment then your competitive advantage is multiplied (p.23). Such is t he unique selling point of Amazons personalised service. Consumer behaviour is encapsulated within a set of layers that range from the collective culture right down to pinpoint developments in individual characteristics. Although identified separately, each layer bears a holistic influence on the outcome of one another. For example, a consumer might be into the skating subculture, meaning they believe DC shoes are the best buy in the market. However, as they grow older, they may grow out of skating and take interest in a different culture, likely to make a new trend of purchases. A consumers culture is therefore not set in stone, and as the learning process of life progresses, so too may the views and values of the individual. Career progression is equally important since it determines the level of disposable income. ‘There is evidence for the importance of social interaction and recreational motives, as demonstrated by virtual ethnography (webnography) of â€Å"Web 2.0† blogs, social networking sites and e-word of mouth (Dennis et al, 2009: p.1121-22). Amazon allows end users to share reviews and ratings of products so that future potential buyers are able to make a more influenced, informed choice. However everyone is unique and therefore what may appeal to one customer may be disliked by another. This is therefore contingent upon the orientation of the particular traits of a customer, which dictates the degree to which a person evaluates and therefore heeds the information he/she comes across. ‘Intention to shop with a particular e-retailer will be positively influenced by past experience (p.1124). Amazon does exactly that. It harnesses the past purchases of the customer and extrapolates correlations in the form of recommendations based on what the system recognises as the buyers personal characteristics and therefore purchasing influences from within. The system aims to successfully delineate a person and even interacts like a person itself, acting in a rather paternalistic manner, knowing what is best for the consumer. In a retail store staff are not likely to draw upon past purchasing trends for a particular customer and therefore cannot offer the sort of tailored service that Amazon.com does. Amazon offers a variety of convenient functions, not least the â€Å"Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering† option at the checkout. Dennis et al couple with this the notion of â€Å"web atmospherics† ‘Graphics, visuals, audio, colour, product presentation at different levels of resolution, video and 3D displays are among the most common stimuli (p. 1128). Visit the Amazon website and you will see that administrators have decided to implement a festive header, the promotion of gift e-vouchers customers can send to family via the internet, wish lists based on categories of relationship (for example husband, granddaughter, and so on) to name but a few of the sites seasonal customisations. ‘Customers have shown they dont want to be hunted like prey. They dont want to be managed; they just want companies to make their lives easier and less stressful (Newell, 2003: p.7). One of the implications for Amazon is, as shown by internet banks, that ‘online banks are finding that they also need an on-ground presence if they want to compete successfully (Zinkhan, 2002: p.414). Many businesses find equilibrium in their marketing strategy through the balance of both tangible and web-based enhancement of the Marketing Mix. Does Amazon seem challenged by the lack of localised Amazon service outlets? Its financial performance figures suggest not. The company strives on passing on the overhead saving to the consumer. As the SWOT analysis in Appendix 3 displays, outlets are nonetheless an opportunity for Amazon to grow, particularly where the consumer prefers to make a tangible purchasing decision in items such as clothing. ‘It is about creating an experience, personalizing the interaction with individual customers in ways directed by the customer, and thereby developing relationships (Newell, 2003: p.7). There is a fine line between assisting the customer through recommendations and effectively spamming them with products they might not like. Newell states that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is inferior to a new strategy of Customer Management of Relationships (CMR). Looking closely at the ways of Amazon, it is possible to identify mixtures between the two, and therefore in the eyes of Newell, a conflicting and inefficient combination. On the one hand, there Amazon treats customers as individuals and understands their unique needs as part of the CMR mechanism. On the other hand, Amazon seems to know too much for its own good, since it is merely a computer system making the decisions. As Newell distinguishes under CRM, customers are likely to feel â€Å"stalked† and in some ways may feel forced into making a purchase. Against the positive, praising grain of this study thus far it is possible to suggest Amazons system contradicts the very foundation of ‘good marketing practice that is, to make people buy things they do not actually need and therefore want. Amazon makes them believe they want the product. Herein lies a fundamental implication Does the Amazon system really get to grips with an individual? Is it at all likely that a person can feel cared for by a computer? Donaldson and OToole (2002) affirm ‘the debate continues on whether e-relationships will reduce the inter-personal/social bonds prevalent in relationships (p.177). Keller (2003) in his study on Strategic Brand Management suggests ‘service firms should allocate fewer resources to traditional quality programs, productivity programs, and efficiency programs and allocate more resources to service-orientated revenue initiatives such as customer satisfaction programs, customer retention and loyalty, CRM and customer equity programs (p.245). Effectively he asserts a need for heavy weighting towards customer orientation, however the degree to which capital should be leveraged in favour of the customer and away from vital operational functions of the organisation is unclear and potentially adverse if perceived as unbalanced as it sounds. A company may well listen to the needs of the consumer wholeheartedly, but if process efficiency and output quality are neglected, the company will not succeed. In the case of Amazon, it remains a predominantly service-orientated company, combining the strong brand images and separate marketing strategies of the c ompanies it markets for, with its own e-market leading online interface aimed at maintaining high levels of brand equity. Amazon is not known exclusively for the products it markets, but the way it markets them. Any good book store will stock a copy of the latest J.K. Rowling fiction. The importance is this ‘Because of associations to product assortment, pricing, and credit policy, quality of service, and so on, retailers have their own brand images in consumers minds. Retailers create these associations through the products and brands they stock, the means by which they sell them, and so forth (p. 358). Although separate resource-consuming entities, the perceived quality of the Amazon service indirectly reinforces the marketing efforts of the brands and the products that it stocks and sells from its fulfilment centres. This is not to say, however, that efficiency is not of upmost importance. A fast, responsive inventory database is in action with the aim of delivering (for f ree!) to customers and managing stock replenishment with minimal downtime particularly important for seasonal demand such as Christmastime. Amazons pricing strategy is to minimise the cost to the consumer, through simple but nonetheless effective marketing communication. Customers incentive for their word-of-mouth marketing efforts is a manifested in highly competitive, low pricing since the profitable costing and mark-up of products does not need to earn a return on advertising investment. Remaining a sole e-tailer negates the need for a skimming strategy on the part of Amazon. The aim is simple minimal overheads and marketing expenditure, attractively low pricing, profitable mark-ups. Amazon has done remarkably well where other companies often underrate the power of the consumer as a communications tool. Dorward (1987) cites Doyle (1968) who ‘claimed that persuasive advertising will be more effective either when products are relatively cheap, as consumers will not expect to gain much financially from an extensive market search or when it would be difficult for consumers to evaluate the product prior to purchase (p.155). In the case of Amazon such factors are satisfied by the sharing of previous purchasers as influencers of the decision process, whereby it is much easier to read reviews than to, for example, visit different book or music stores to evaluate the product effectively. The relatively low cost product types that Amazon e-tails enforces the idea that person to person advertising is sufficient and that customers are more likely to take notice of the recommendations Amazon offers. In an interview with Jeff Bezos, wired.com (2005) uncovered why Amazon.com does not utilise media such as television as a form of marketing communication. ‘More and more money will go into making a great customer experience, and less will go into shouting about the service. Word of mouth is becoming more powerful. If you offer a great service, people find out (wired.com). Therefore to communicate its service the company simply relies on the conveyance of its high brand equity through personal communication channels, which Kotler et al recognise as ‘a major reason for Amazons success in growing sales per customer. You have probably made an Amazon purchase based on another customers review or the â€Å"Customers who bought this also bought† secton (p.708). ‘In most cases, it turns out that the most workable solution is often a hybrid, integrating the new e-tail channel with the traditional ones, so customers can purchase items through either e-tail channel or retail channel (Yao and Liu, 2005: p. 236). It is much more difficult to ensure performance gaps between expect and actual quality of service are minimised when dealing with tangible assets such as a group of employees. It is simply not as easy as a programming code alteration in the database system or interface design. Contemporary management practices would inevitably need to be implemented, and since the very heart of Amazon is based online, does it have the competency and experience to manage the working capital utilised for tangible outlets? Although fulfilling the human-human personal interaction function that online service lacks, there is the implication for Amazon as a brand to meet Kellers brand extension disadvantages. A store will most likely be unable to accommo date for the vast array of products that Amazon can deal with so efficiently online. If customer service does not live up to the tailored specification of the renowned e-system, there could be detrimental effects to Amazons customer-centric image. In-store service may override the comparatively low-overhead, low-pricing online service, drawing attention away from Amazon.com and therefore reducing sales. Perceived highly customer-focused service image could be tarnished with a more general retailer image, removing a key selling point for Amazon. ‘In 1988, building on their early research, PZB [Parasuraman, Zeithamal and Berry] published a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality, named SERVQUAL (Baron and Harris, 2003: p.23). There is a distinct lack of implementation in the Amazon system for a customer-to-management feedback approach. The â€Å"vibe† of the site emits an overly paternalistic, Amazon-knows-best interface without much functionality devoted to Total Quality Management-style input from the customer. Perhaps Jeff Bezos takes the view that the sharing of customer reviews between one another effectively deems the site a self-maintaining organisation one could perhaps interestingly compare Amazons values to the general outlook of the Conservative government in the 1980s in its approach of free market enterprise, de/self-regulation and cost-cutting efficiency with the ultimate aim of maximising value for society. Effectively Amazon supports what could be coined C2C Mark eting, a phenomenon hardly touched by academics in its own right. So where does the future lie for Amazon? Well it does not take long upon scanning the internet to find companies cottoning onto the customer-orientated ways which Amazon mastered a decade ago. Its year-on-year financial success displays itself how the companys brand equity is firmly embedded in the consumer market. ‘Amazon Services is building complete e-commerce solutions for companies that are potential Amazon competitors, leaving open the possibility that Amazon will ultimately head in the direction of technology service over retail sales (money.howstuffworks.com). This provides the opportunity to effectively control its competitors by leveraging its famous CRM patents and driving forward an Amazon-era of e-commerce which has proven so successful. The concept of customer orientation is prevalent in the case of Amazon.com. Right from the very outset the company sought to delineate the customer as an individual, and not merely a group with similar needs a segmentation strategy so many companies use and even then, some fail. This is not to say, however, that Amazon neglects other concepts in its mission to maximise brand equity. The other key aspect relevant to the context of the company, bearing in mind that the self-selling characteristic of Amazons customer orientation has already been mentioned (effectively deeming the conventionally separate selling concept unusually intertwined within it), is the production concept, controlled by an efficient RDBMS and strong B2B relations with its suppliers. Referencing: http://amazon.co.uk/About-Amazon/b?ie=UTF8node=203038011 http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon.htm http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon1.htm http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon3.htm http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664p=irolnewsArticleID=1345412highlight= http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bezos.html Jones, D., Bichard, M., Thompson, D., Green, A., Bilmoria, K., Peppitt, E., and Tusa, J., 2007. Six of the Best: Lessons in Life and Leadership. Hodder Arnold Publishers Ltd. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Wong, V., and Saunders, J., 2008. Principles of Marketing. 5th European Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. McBurnie, T., and Clutterbuck, D., 1988. Give Your Company the Marketing Edge. Penguin Books. Dibb, S., 1998. Market segmentation: strategies for success. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. Vol. 16, pp.394-406. Dennis, C., Merrilees, B., Jayawardhena, C., and Wright, L.T., 2009. E-consumer Behaviour. European Journal of Marketing. Vol. 43, pp.1121-22. Zinkhan, G.M., 2002. Promoting services via the Internet: new opportunities and challenges. Journal of Services Marketing. Vol. 16, pp.412-423. Newell, F., 2003. Why CRM Doesnt Work: how to win by letting customers manage the relationship. Kogan Page. Donaldson, B., and OToole, T., 2002. Strategic Market Relationships: from Strategy to Implementation. John Wiley Sons Ltd. Molineux, P., 2002. Exploiting CRM: Connecting with Customers. Hodder Stoughton. Buttle, F., 2009. Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Technologies. 2nd edition. Elsevier Ltd. Keller, K.L., 2003. Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity. 2nd Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. Doyle, P., 1968. Advertising expenditure and consumer demand. Oxford Economic Papers. Vol. 20, pp. 395-417. Dorward, N., 1987. The Pricing Decision: Economic Theory and Business Practice. Harper Row Ltd. Porter, M.E., 1996. What Is Strategy? Harvard Business Review. pp.61-78 Yao, D.Q., and Liu, J.J.. 2005. Competitive pricing of mixed retail and e-tail distribution channels. The International Journal of Management Science. Vol. 33, pp.235-247. Baron, S., and Harris, K., 2003. Services Marketing: Texts and Cases. 2nd Edition. Macmillan Press Ltd.

Eating Disorders and Reproduction Essay -- Pregnancy Health Papers

Eating Disorders and Reproduction Eating disorders have numerous emotional, psychological, and physical consequences; despite this, many affected individuals refuse to admit that they have a problem. One of the more serious problems associated with eating disorders that may convince a young woman to seek treatment, is the negative effect disordered eating can have on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing in general. In multiple studies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified, have been associated with infertility, low maternal weight gain, low birth weight in infants, increased neonatal morbidity, and problems in infant feeding (Stewart, 1992). Women who are afflicted with an eating disorder at conception tend to experience a worsening in their symptoms as well as other psychological problems. In order to avoid harming herself and her infant, women with eating disorders should seek psychological treatment before attempting to become pregnant. A literature review by Wade, Schneider, and Li (1996), used an array of female mammals to demonstrate the biological mechanisms behind the infertility of eating disordered women. In simple terms, when accessible energy is severely limited, animals preserve those activities necessary for survival (basic cellular functions, thermoregulation, etc.) and other less crucial functions, such as reproduction, are sacrificed for the time being. Fuel availability is thought to be detected by the caudal hindbrain and in the periphery; when a reduction in metabolic fuel is detected this information is relayed to the forebrain effector neurons that control GnRH secretion (a neurotransmitter used to regulate the ovulatory cycle) and reproductive behaviors. A r... ...feed their children: their recognition and management, Psychological Medicine, 28(1): 93-108. Spuy, Z., Steer, P., McCusker, M., Steele, S., & Jacobs, H., (1988). Outcome of pregnancy in underweight women after spontaneous and induced ovulation, British Medical Journal, 296: 962-965. Stewart, D., Robinson, E., Goldbloom, D., & Wright, C., (1990). Infertility and eating disorders, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 163(4): 1196-1199. Stewart, D., Raskin, J., Garfinkel, P., MacDonald, O., & Robinson, G., (1987). Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and pregnancy, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 157: 1194-1198. Stewart, D., (1992). Reproductive functions in eating disorders, Annals of Medicine, 24(4): 287-291. Wade, G., Schneider, J., & Li, H., (1996). Control of fertility by metabolic cues, American Journal of Physiology, 270(1): E1-19. Eating Disorders and Reproduction Essay -- Pregnancy Health Papers Eating Disorders and Reproduction Eating disorders have numerous emotional, psychological, and physical consequences; despite this, many affected individuals refuse to admit that they have a problem. One of the more serious problems associated with eating disorders that may convince a young woman to seek treatment, is the negative effect disordered eating can have on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing in general. In multiple studies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified, have been associated with infertility, low maternal weight gain, low birth weight in infants, increased neonatal morbidity, and problems in infant feeding (Stewart, 1992). Women who are afflicted with an eating disorder at conception tend to experience a worsening in their symptoms as well as other psychological problems. In order to avoid harming herself and her infant, women with eating disorders should seek psychological treatment before attempting to become pregnant. A literature review by Wade, Schneider, and Li (1996), used an array of female mammals to demonstrate the biological mechanisms behind the infertility of eating disordered women. In simple terms, when accessible energy is severely limited, animals preserve those activities necessary for survival (basic cellular functions, thermoregulation, etc.) and other less crucial functions, such as reproduction, are sacrificed for the time being. Fuel availability is thought to be detected by the caudal hindbrain and in the periphery; when a reduction in metabolic fuel is detected this information is relayed to the forebrain effector neurons that control GnRH secretion (a neurotransmitter used to regulate the ovulatory cycle) and reproductive behaviors. A r... ...feed their children: their recognition and management, Psychological Medicine, 28(1): 93-108. Spuy, Z., Steer, P., McCusker, M., Steele, S., & Jacobs, H., (1988). Outcome of pregnancy in underweight women after spontaneous and induced ovulation, British Medical Journal, 296: 962-965. Stewart, D., Robinson, E., Goldbloom, D., & Wright, C., (1990). Infertility and eating disorders, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 163(4): 1196-1199. Stewart, D., Raskin, J., Garfinkel, P., MacDonald, O., & Robinson, G., (1987). Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and pregnancy, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 157: 1194-1198. Stewart, D., (1992). Reproductive functions in eating disorders, Annals of Medicine, 24(4): 287-291. Wade, G., Schneider, J., & Li, H., (1996). Control of fertility by metabolic cues, American Journal of Physiology, 270(1): E1-19.

Hypnosis :: essays papers

Hypnosis Over the years, hypnosis has overcome a lot of skepticism. This research paper will explore the art, use, and questions about hypnosis both in recreation and in therapy. In this paper, you will learn what hypnosis is, different types of it, and different techniques for using it. Hypnosis, as defined by Roy Hunter, is "a natural state of mind, induced in everyday living much more than it is induced artificially". Another definition by Hunter is "guided meditation". Many people do not realize this, but you can be hypnotized by many things. Anytime you become engrossed in a book or a movie, you may enter a sort of meditative trance. There are different techniques for induction into a hypnotic trance. One is eye fixation. This simply uses a fixed gaze, and was very popular in the 1800's and is most commonly used by Hollywood. Another is progressive relaxation or imagery. You have someone imagine being in a safe or peaceful place, and then awaken to full consciousness. Another induction method is the mental confusion method which confuse the conscious mind to the point where it just lets go and becomes relaxed. Another one is shock to nervous system. This technique is commonly used by stage hypnotists and it is employing a sudden exited command in a surprising way. The participant will experience a "moment of passivity"(Hunter)where they'll either resist the trance or "let go" into hypnosis. Hypnosis also has some useful situations. One would be in the area of memory. When you are entranced in the hypnotic state, your sense of memory is enhanced. Although this is true, the things which are remembered can not be regarded a truth. Sometimes when a person is entranced, they will 'remember' things that never actually happened, but have great personal significance. One area that has caused tremendous controversy is in the area of hypnotizability. The question has been raised many times if there are certain people who can be hypnotized and certain people who cannot be hypnotized. There are indeed people who can and cannot. The only thing it depends on is how well you can focus. People who have better focus generally have better results with hypnotizability, and people who have a harder time focusing generally tend to be less susceptible, as a general rule. Although hypnosis is totally safe as long as your hypnotist is competent and trustworthy, some skeptical people still have fears and

Management Qualification Case Study Essay

Dear Amanda, as you know so many start-up small businesses like yours and often run in to the trouble of mismanagement because of so many assumptions based on establishing the business mission, vision statements; human resource management; lack of employee motivation; lack of properly defined working standards for employees and other outcomes measurable; not taking any concern of negative information about the organization especially from the clients which costs the organizations image and remaining too busy to pay attention to the establishment of problem solutions, lack of equity among employees and lack of proper follow up on the employees work. All these are consolidated in the four functions of management which are organizing, planning, controlling and directing. As the manager of Smith accounting and Tax service business, you I acknowledge the fact that you had the right qualifications and had a good start as you identified an opportunity to expand your business and did just like that of (Gronkiewicz, & Churchill, 2006). Your work is commendable however, the most important part of overseeing the business is what you put aside with the aim of acquiring more clients and make more returns. Planning is quite important for any business regardless if it is large or small. This is because all functions associated with management fall under planning and lack of planning is planning to fail (Guzzle, 2011). On one part of the business, the management was good because upon realizing that and expansion opportunity was available you seized the opportunity and announced  interviews for qualified professionals which was quite successful. However, the fact that Lisa was responsible for the interviews is quite a failure. This is because it is clear from your case that Lisa had not qualifications in the field of accounting and taxation. She may have been quite alright in picking the best and most competent employees from their application documents but this does not mean that your presence should not have made a difference (Rane, 2007).This clearly indicates that even though your company knew what they wanted to seize the expansion opportunity, there was lack of human resource planning which is clearly evident in the underestimation of the job description, job design, selection and recruitment. It is true Lisa had worked with you for some time and was doing great but there was no reason for the owner of the business to have little or no time for new employees during their interviews yet she is the one who knew what she needed most (Buzzle, 2011). The success of the interviews was yet another source of planning because, dear Amanda you came to believe that Lisa was competent enough to handle duties requiring your attention even without. This made your schedule too tight for responsibilities that you and only you could handle hence poor time management that found you too busy to have valuable time to provide guidance and management direction concerning the works of the other of your employees (Rane, 2007). I am glad you identified your failure before it was too late as with right planning of your time as the manager, and with such a dedicated assistance such as Lisa, planning your time to suit all your responsibilities with little or no delegation of powers is quite essential.Amanda, you and me agree that your business wants to go places in the future, but with the presence of conflicting interests and always delegated duties, chances are that the business will fail and the future remain doomed (Frankiewicz, & Churchill, 2006). So what is right to bring your business back on feet is to ensure that you deal with the present problems one after the other and promise your clients to expect even better services in future. Reassure your employees that their trust in your services is not in vain and  that you will work towards that by implementing proper time management leaving time even for emergency matters that may call for your attention even away from the day’s schedule. After the business is up, ensure you implement proper human resource planning, job design and description, selection and recruitment processes. Be there and let the new employees get to know who they will be working for and what is expected of them (Rane, 2007). Probably Lisa lacked the knowledge to tell them what was expected of them and which made even you to assume that you were dealing with intellectuals who understood their job well and would always give their best. Amanda, remember that planning for all businesses is ongoing. The reasons for my arguments are because the external and internal factors affecting your business aren’t constant. For instance in your case, it was only after four months in business that Lisa started receiving calls from unsatisfied clients (Frankiewicz, & Churchill, 2006). Despite the fact that these clients held the future of your business, you chose to ignore them and left Lisa to maneuver her way out in dealing with them. Clearly, Lisa isn’t qualified in that field and as a manager you delegated duties and locations to your newly employed accountants which mean Lisa was carrying the burden of another employee. Having received such calls from clients meant that you as the manager had to call an urgent meeting with the employee responsible and deal with the problem from that point on. However, you chose to depend on the mission and motto of the organization assuming that the zeal it brought to you was th e same given to everyone else (Rane, 2007). In such a case Amanda, a manager must always offer directions to the employees after assessing their work and performance. It is true that new clients were forthcoming as can be seen from the range of returns brought in by the employees, 100-175. However, the quality of services was way too far from what a business in need of a larger market share and a competitive advantage was after (Buzzle, 2011). Including directions in your management is important in a number of ways. First, all employees are prone to deviating from the business goals and objectives probably due to the pressure that comes with the work they are to do. However, this does not  mean you leave them to themselves to solve such problems. Instead, as a manager, there is need for constant provision of guidance and instructions geared towards achievement of the organizations goals and objectives. Lisa, your role as a manager should be offering directions and instructions and that is what is wanted. For Amanda who was your acquaintance at the initiation of the business, good work is always rewarded. However, the other new employees, despite working hard and bringing commendable results within the first taxation year, no rewards have been offered to them. Employee motivation is quite essential in employee performance (Rane, 2007). This is because having great qualifications for the job doesn’t mean that the client must always offer their best. Something must be done to make them feel as the most important part of the organization without the efforts of which the organization would not be where it is. Amanda, adopting directions or leadership in your management will provide influence to the employees as well as mould their behavior towards the attainment of the organizations goals and objectives. Additionally, this will serve as a guide to the employees towards the attainment of personal and career goals. Influencing the employees through employee motivation may include provision of incentives and other benefits and rewards to hard working employees (Frankiewicz, & Churchill, 2006). Additionally Amanda, with effective communications, the relationship between you and the employees is bond to improve for the better and this will work effectively in problem solving as problems will be discovered on time, discussed and efficient solutions achieved for the same. Your leadership efforts are appreciated in incorporating the Monday mornings for meetings to discuss individual progress. However, you leave out an important point of requiring knowing the challenges and the different problems being faced by the individuals in their working places. This s important in identifying areas of concern that affects all employees including yourself and searching for solutions to make your services of better quality and reliable. As a manager, you lacked control of your organization. Amanda this allows me to point out several occasions such experiences happened (Marcic, & Daft, 2010). For instance, despite employees being aware of their duties and responsibilities, you failed to provide them with standards. For companies such as yours where one is recognized by the number of new clients they bring in, it is easy for the employees to forget the other performance requirements like quality, timely and satisfactory services (Rane, 2007). This is what happened in your case as well, it was only after about four months of operations the newly acquired clients started complaining of poor services. Instead of depending on their qualifications, you should have insisted on an evaluation and job performance reporting session that would have provided the details of one’s work and how they meet organizations goals and objectives. This way you could have kept track of the performance of each employee for guidance and directions. Lastly Amanda, as a manager you should have been the best organizer for the company. By organization it means that everything should be done for a reason and everything done must be accounted for (Marcic, & Daft, 2010). Allocating employees to different locations was one step to organization but much needed to be done in terms of matching the input resources to the outcomes in terms of consumer satisfaction and company’s returns (Frankiewicz, & Churchill, 2006). Your workplace for one wasn’t organized since everything was left as the role of Lisa your assistance. This would have been probably the source of low motivation amongst employees to meet the organizations objectives in their services. I recommend that you as a manager handle all the personnel and resources in the most profitable way to your organization.This way, you gain respect, employees feel responsible for their actions and the workplace becomes something everyone longs to be in (Rane, 2007). bibliography Buzzle, (2011). Management concepts. Buzzle.com. retrieved on 14 Oct 2011 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/management-concepts-the-four-functions-of-management.html. Frankiewicz, C., & Churchill, C., (2006). Managing for improved