High Involvement Management as a Management Tool to Intensify Work Essay

High Involvement Management as a Management Tool to Intensify Work - Essay Example According to Woods (2008), high involvement management as a management tool is focused on employee involvement in a particular work structure. The technique is mainly centered on the employee being allowed to make essential decisions regarding their jobs, as well as being part of the business. When looked at from a varying perspective, the employees are granted role empowerment. Bockerman, Bryson & Illmakunnas (2012) assert that employees who experience HIM have higher wellbeing and are less likely to absent from their duties when compared to like employees who are not subjected to the same conditions. Job demand control (JDC) model is founded on the fact that the value of employees in an organization is indispensable (Zirwatul, Ibrahim, and Ohtuska, 2012, 11). According to these authors, the success of an organization needs to be focused on the characteristics of the job as well as the wellbeing of the employees. Karasek and Theorell (1990) coined the job demand-control-support (JDCS) model that relates the characteristics of the job to wellbeing. From the brief definitions discussed, it is evident that JDC and JDCS models relate to high involvement management technique directly and with respect to the wellbeing of the employees. This brings back the thesis question; is high involvement management a tool that is used by managers to intensify work? Karasek (1979) points out that job demands are the stressors involved in completing an assigned workload. Such stressors are psychological and may relate to tasks that were not expected or a conflict between personal issues and the job (291). It is directly evident that work output by an employee who is stressed by such issues cannot be equal to a sober-minded employee who has no issue disturbing them. Karasek had an additional concept of latitude that that is based on decision authority and skill discretion (1979). e

British Government Essay Example for Free

British Government Essay Evaluate different methods of estimating the current extinction rate. Do you think that humans will induce a mass extinction on the same scale as the Big Five? Introduction: There is consensus in the scientific community that the current massive degradation of habitat and extinction of many of the Earths biota is unprecedented and is taking place on a catastrophically short timescale. Based on extinction rates estimated to be thousands of times the background rate, figures approaching 30% extermination of all species by the mid 21st century are not unrealistic, an event comparable to some of the catastrophic mass extinction events of the past. The current rate of rainforest destruction poses a profound threat to species diversity. Likewise, the degradation of the marine ecosystems is directly evident through the denudation of species that were once dominant and integral to such ecosystems. Indeed, this colloquium is framed by a view that if the current global extinction event is of the magnitude that seems to be well indicated by the data at hand, then its effects will fundamentally reset the future evolution of the planets biota. Robert Whittaker recognized an additional kingdom for the Fungi. The resulting five-kingdom system, proposed in 1969, has become a popular standard and with some refinement is still used in many works, or forms the basis for newer multi-kingdom systems. It is based mainly on differences in nutrition: his Plantae were mostly multicellular autotrophs, his Animalia multicellular, heterotrophs and his Fungi multicellular saprotrophs. The remaining two kingdoms, Protista and Monera, included unicellular and simple cellular colonies. Extinction rates in the fossil records: The time at which an organism is classified as becoming extinct is when the youngest fossil of its form is found. It is likely that there would have been later examples of the organism present, which were simply not preserved. It is known that some genera have existed for long periods around this time without leaving any known fossil record by the phenomena of Lazarus taxa. It is believed that these organisms were simply not preserved during the time they are missing, or preserved in offshore sediments as yet undiscovered. This may also be the case with many other organisms creating the illusion they are becoming extinct before they are in reality. Ecological Evolutionary Factor affecting the past extinction: Many claim that human activity caused a large scale of plants and animals extinction. The others claim that human caused extinctions are on a similar scale to those that occurred 65 million years ago at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary eras when most species perished including the dinosaurs. This causes two distinct worries: (1) The loss of species will harm humans (2) Quite apart from any harm to humans; there is a duty to prevent ecocide. According to Peter Raven (National Academy of Science) â€Å"We are confronting an episode of species extinction greater than anything the world has experienced for the past 65 million years. Of all the global problems that confront us, this is the one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that will have the most serious consequences. And, unlike other global ecological problems, it is completely irreversible. † Different people evaluate this duty differently. Since the purpose of these pages is establish the sustainability of material progress, Ill take the view that although biodiversity is an important amenity, we are mainly concerned with the extent to which losses of diversity are a threat to human progress. One interesting fact in the article concerns the effect of an increase in temperature on the north-south range of a plant species, especially of trees. It turns out that the northern limit of a species is determined by temperature. As that limit is approached the rate of growth goes to zero. However, the rate of growth of a species does not decline as it approaches the southern limit of its range but remains stable or even increases. What determines a species’ southern boundary is competition from other species that require high temperatures. For this reason the southern boundary of a species is likely to change slowly as its territory is gradually invaded by species liking warm temperature. The invasion is likely to begin in gaps caused by logging and various kinds of die-off. According to Lord Robert May (FRS)-Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government. â€Å"Hardly a day passes without one being told that tropical deforestation is extinguishing roughly one species every hour, or maybe even one every minute. Such guesstimates are based on approximate species-area relations, along with assessments of current rates of deforestation and guesses at the global total number of species (which range from 5 to 80 million or more. ) While such figures arguably have a purpose in capturing public attention, there is a clear and increasing need for better estimates of impending rates of extinction, based on a keener understanding of extinction rates in the recent and far past, and on the underlying ecological and evolutionary causes. † Scientists who worry about extinctions often agree that the world will reach a new equilibrium as temperature increases assuming it does. However, they worry that the rate of increase of temperature is unprecedented and that species, especially of plants, will migrate northward too slowly and become extinct. Roughly 43 percent of the earth’s terrestrial vegetated surface has diminished capacity to supply benefit to humanity because of the recent, direct impacts of the land use. This represents 10 percent reduction in potential direct instrumental value (PDIV), defined as the potential to yield direct benefits such as agricultural, forestry, industrial and medical products. Capitalizing on the natural recovery mechanisms is urgently needed to prevent further irreversible degradation and to retain the multiple values of productive land. Differences in extinction rates among groups: Estimated Future extinction rates from the species area relations: A better way of studying rates of complete biota extinction levels has been developed with the analysis of isotopic ratios of Carbon. When life is abundant there is almost completely carbon-12 within the geological record. Enzymes within organisms, passing into organic matter faster, more efficiently accept this isotope, which becomes lithified into rock. At times of lowered biotic activity, such as at an extinction event when a lot of life has been killed, the ratio of carbon-13 within the rocks will be higher as a higher proportion of carbon will be being fixed as carbonates inorganically. Inorganic precipitation of carbon does not differentiate between the different isotopes of carbon as life does. By analyses of carbon isotope ratios it is then possible to see, by peaks in the carbon-13, at what times there has been a reduction of biotic activity. This is independent of whether organisms present are being preserved or not, and shows at what rates the extinction is occurring. Estimated future extinction rates from IUCN red Lists: Recent extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times their pre-human levels well known, but taxonomically diverse groups from widely different environments. If all species currently deemed threatened become extinct in the next century, then the future extinction rates will be 10 times recent rates. Although new technology provides details on habitat losses, estimates of future extinctions are hampered by our limited knowledge of which areas are rich in endemics. The 2004 IUCN Red List contains 15,589 species threatened with extinction. The assessment includes species from a broad range of taxonomic groups including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and fungi. However, this figure is an underestimate of the total number of threatened species as it is based on an assessment of less than 3% of the world’s 1. 9 million described species. Among major species groups, the percentage of threatened species ranges between 12% and 52%. The IUCN Red List identifies 12% of birds as threatened, 23% of mammals, and 32% of amphibians. Although reptiles have not been completely assessed, the turtles and tortoises are relatively well reviewed with 42% threatened. Fishes are also poorly represented, but roughly a third of sharks, rays and chimaeras have been assessed and 18% of this group is threatened. Regional case studies on freshwater fishes indicate that these species might be more threatened than marine species. For example, 27% of the freshwater species assessed in Eastern Africa were listed as threatened. Of plants, only conifers and cycads have been completely assessed with 25% and 52% threatened respectively. References: Robert M. May, John H. Lawton and Nigel E. Stork. â€Å" Assessing Extinction Rates† â€Å"Extinction Rate Analysis† http://palaeo. gly. bris. ac. uk/Palaeofiles/Permian/rateanalysis. html â€Å"Restoring the value to the worlds degraded Lands† Gretchen C. Daily â€Å"The future of biodiversity â€Å" Stuart L. Pimm, Gareth j. Russell, John L. Gittleman ,Thomas M. Brook â€Å"IUCN Red List of Threatened Species†http://www. iucn. org/themes/ssc/red_list_2004/GSAexecsumm_EN. htm References: IUCN 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3. 1. IUCN Species Survival Commission, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, pp. ii+30. Parr C. S. and Cummings M. P. 2005. Data sharing in ecology and evolution. Trends Ecol. Evol. 20: 362–363. Purvis A. and Rambaut A. 1995. Comparative analysis by independent contrasts (CAIC): an Apple Macintosh application for analysing comparative data. Comput. Appl. Biosci. 11: 247–251. Sherwood, Keith and Craig Idso (2003) â€Å"The Specter of Species Extinction Will Global Warming Decimate Earths Biosphere? † 2003 September John Lawton and Robert May â€Å"BIODIVERSITY AND EXTINCTION RATES† 17-May-2004) www-formal. stanford. edu/jmc/progress/biodiversity. html

Attitudes of Men in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman :: free essay writer

The Yellow Wall Paper: Attitudes of Men I feel that The Yellow Wall Paper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written as a response to the attitudes of men and male physicians toward women during this time period.   Gilman experienced the ordeal the woman narrator went through and in the introduction it states, "Gilman consulted the prominent nerve specialist Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, and underwent his famous 'rest cure'--a regimen of total bed rest, confinement, and isolation" (p. 799).   The woman narrator was also isolated in one room with only the yellow wall paper.   I feel that this type of confinement led her to become delirious and she stepped over the boundary to insanity.   She sees that "the faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out" (p. 806).   The woman in the wall paper is the narrator herself trying to break free from a male dominated society.   This point of a male dominated society relates back to her husband, who is in fact a doctor, who is ordering her to take total bed rest.   She does not have any choice but to listen to her doctor husband.   Ã‚   The yellow wall paper has imprisoned her in this room.   I feel that the wall paper is a symbol of a male dominated society.   At first she absolutely hates it and then as she slips farther and farther out of reality, it grows on her:   "This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!" (p. 803).   The smell of the room itself is a symbol of male dominance:   "It [the smell] is not bad--at first, and very gentle, but quite the subtlest, most enduring odor I ever met" (p. 809).     Ã‚  Ã‚  Gilman experienced this male domination first hand.   "Returning home, her attempt to follow Mitchell's advice, which was to devote herself to domestic work and her child, [and] severely limit any intellectual work . . . almost drove her to the brink of 'utter mental ruin'" (p. 799).   By doing so, she had to succumb to what the doctor had ordered.   To give in to such orders and give up a passion of yours is humiliating just as the woman creeping by daylight is humiliating (p. 810).   Ã‚   In the story, the woman narrator, had to give in to her husband just as Gilman had done with Dr.

Forklift Safety

Forklift Safety 1 Forklift Safety Many industries and operations (manufacturing, agricultural and warehousing) use powered industrial trucks (including forklift trucks or lift trucks) routinely in the workplace. Forklift trucks are used to move, raise or lower objects that are stored in containers or on pallets to other areas of the workplace. Their use helps to improve workplace productivity and reduces the need for excessive manual handling of goods and objects by employees.However, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health there are around 100 fatalities and 20,000 serious injuries each year. Here, in the USA, as a result of forklift truck incidents. Pre Operational Check Pre operational check is the single most important part of operating a forklift. Without properly doing so, you are asking for a disaster. Possible injuries or death to yourself or others could vary likely happen under the wrong circumstances. The equipment you are operating is subjec t to failure, and it is just a matter of time until it does.It is the operators responsible to check for these failures. OSHA requires that all forklifts be examined at least daily before being placed in service. Forklifts used on a round-the-clock basis must be examined after each shift. [29 CFR 1910. 178(q)(7)]. The operator should conduct a pre-start visual check with the key off and then perform an operational check with the engine running. The forklift should not be placed in service if the examinations show that the vehicle may not be safe to operate.A vehicle in need of repair, defective or in any way unsafe, should not be driven and should be Forklift Safety 2 taken out of service immediately. Any problems should be recorded on the appropriate documents and reported to a supervisor. Forklift Capacities and Load Handling There are many different types of forklift trucks with different load capacities and they differ for specified maximum weight and forward center of gravity f or a load. Worker injuries mainly occur as a result of falls from forklift, forklift overturn, pedestrian collision and crushing ncidents. Operator falls can result as the worker ascends or descends into the driver cab or is ejected from the vehicle in the event of a collision or other incident. Forklift trucks may overturn as a result of overload, unequal center of gravity of the load or travel over an uneven surface causing the vehicle to topple over. Forty-two percent of forklift fatalities are caused by the operator trying to jump from a tipping vehicle. Wearing your seat belt is the best safety measure.Pedestrian co-workers, without adequate preventative measures, are at risk from forklift collision or accidents associated with an unsafe load. Forklift Training Standards There are strict standards in relation to forklift training, operation and maintenance. For example, people under the age of 18 years, in non-agricultural industries, are not permitted to operate a forklift tru ck. All forklift operators must have undergone practical training before operation of a forklift and are required to undertake refresher courses throughout their operating careers.Powered industrial trucks must also comply with standards as defined in the Forklift Safety 3 â€Å"American National Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks, ANSI B56. 1-1969†. The OSHA standards that employers and employees must adhere to are those as stated in the General Industry Standards. â€Å"Powered industrial trucks†, and standards for Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917 Subpart C, â€Å"Cargo handling gear and equipment†) and Longshoring (29 CFR 1918 Subpart G, â€Å"Cargo handling gear and equipment other than ship's gear†).There are other directives and regulations that employers should be aware of. OSHA and NIOSH both comprehensively outline regulations or signpost employers and employees to all the regulations that apply. Conclusion Not just the workers working in the vi cinity, but even the forklift operator themselves are vulnerable to accidents which can result in minor or severe injury or even death. Forklift safety rules stress on lawful riding, speed limits, unauthorized operations, proper signals and load carrying capacity.Most often, accidents occur when these rules are not followed properly. Accidents are unfortunate mishaps which could take place anywhere, same is the case with forklift accidents. Though they can't be totally prevented, it is possible to minimize them by providing proper training to the operators, taking some safety measures and making use of our presence of mind. When you are operating equipment in an unsafe manner, not only are you endangering your life, but also those around you. Always remember, safety comes first. Forklift Safety Forklift Safety 1 Forklift Safety Many industries and operations (manufacturing, agricultural and warehousing) use powered industrial trucks (including forklift trucks or lift trucks) routinely in the workplace. Forklift trucks are used to move, raise or lower objects that are stored in containers or on pallets to other areas of the workplace. Their use helps to improve workplace productivity and reduces the need for excessive manual handling of goods and objects by employees.However, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health there are around 100 fatalities and 20,000 serious injuries each year. Here, in the USA, as a result of forklift truck incidents. Pre Operational Check Pre operational check is the single most important part of operating a forklift. Without properly doing so, you are asking for a disaster. Possible injuries or death to yourself or others could vary likely happen under the wrong circumstances. The equipment you are operating is subjec t to failure, and it is just a matter of time until it does.It is the operators responsible to check for these failures. OSHA requires that all forklifts be examined at least daily before being placed in service. Forklifts used on a round-the-clock basis must be examined after each shift. [29 CFR 1910. 178(q)(7)]. The operator should conduct a pre-start visual check with the key off and then perform an operational check with the engine running. The forklift should not be placed in service if the examinations show that the vehicle may not be safe to operate.A vehicle in need of repair, defective or in any way unsafe, should not be driven and should be Forklift Safety 2 taken out of service immediately. Any problems should be recorded on the appropriate documents and reported to a supervisor. Forklift Capacities and Load Handling There are many different types of forklift trucks with different load capacities and they differ for specified maximum weight and forward center of gravity f or a load. Worker injuries mainly occur as a result of falls from forklift, forklift overturn, pedestrian collision and crushing ncidents. Operator falls can result as the worker ascends or descends into the driver cab or is ejected from the vehicle in the event of a collision or other incident. Forklift trucks may overturn as a result of overload, unequal center of gravity of the load or travel over an uneven surface causing the vehicle to topple over. Forty-two percent of forklift fatalities are caused by the operator trying to jump from a tipping vehicle. Wearing your seat belt is the best safety measure.Pedestrian co-workers, without adequate preventative measures, are at risk from forklift collision or accidents associated with an unsafe load. Forklift Training Standards There are strict standards in relation to forklift training, operation and maintenance. For example, people under the age of 18 years, in non-agricultural industries, are not permitted to operate a forklift tru ck. All forklift operators must have undergone practical training before operation of a forklift and are required to undertake refresher courses throughout their operating careers.Powered industrial trucks must also comply with standards as defined in the Forklift Safety 3 â€Å"American National Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks, ANSI B56. 1-1969†. The OSHA standards that employers and employees must adhere to are those as stated in the General Industry Standards. â€Å"Powered industrial trucks†, and standards for Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917 Subpart C, â€Å"Cargo handling gear and equipment†) and Longshoring (29 CFR 1918 Subpart G, â€Å"Cargo handling gear and equipment other than ship's gear†).There are other directives and regulations that employers should be aware of. OSHA and NIOSH both comprehensively outline regulations or signpost employers and employees to all the regulations that apply. Conclusion Not just the workers working in the vi cinity, but even the forklift operator themselves are vulnerable to accidents which can result in minor or severe injury or even death. Forklift safety rules stress on lawful riding, speed limits, unauthorized operations, proper signals and load carrying capacity.Most often, accidents occur when these rules are not followed properly. Accidents are unfortunate mishaps which could take place anywhere, same is the case with forklift accidents. Though they can't be totally prevented, it is possible to minimize them by providing proper training to the operators, taking some safety measures and making use of our presence of mind. When you are operating equipment in an unsafe manner, not only are you endangering your life, but also those around you. Always remember, safety comes first.

Advanced Internet Application Development

The page you create should alternate between a summary display and an editor display. When the user first arrives on your page, show a summary list of contacts in a Greedier. In It, each name has an edit link beside it. 2. When the user presses an Edit link or button, open an edit screen so the user can change the name or contact Info for person listed by the link. When doing this, hide the summary information.The user should get a screen much like this: There should be no screen flicker when the summary panel is hidden and the edit anal is displayed. 3. You are welcome to design your own Implementation, but one way accomplish the page Is to create an paternal and Insert two Panel controls as Illustrated here: Copyright 02014 Doug Steel. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder.Page 1 4. This is an Ajax assignment, so there is no need to create persistent storage u sing a database. 5. Upload your assignment to the MIS. Cull. Deed server for grading. Please contact our ABA manager, Chris Ware, if you need help accessing your account. Submission Turn In your assignment on the MIS server (mils. Cull. Deed) on or before the due date. Late assignments are accepted but they accrue late penalties of 20 points (20 percent) per day after a 24 hour grace period.Assignments submitted more than 5 days after the grace period earn a grade of zero. Please note: 0 Assignments must be submitted on the Web server. (Instructions for accessing the server are at the bottom of the server home page at http://mils. Cull. Deed. ) Assignments turned in via e-mail or thumb drive will not be graded. Page 2 prohibited from â€Å"pre grading† or telling you about mistakes before you submit your work.Grading Criteria The grader will consider the following attributes of the project you submit 0 The project should compile and run without generating error messages 0 The code should be neat, organized, and easy to follow 0 Your submission should have a few comments in the code that explain what is to be accomplished and how it will be accomplished. 0 The program should meet the specifications spelled out in the problem statement. It should produce the correct output for a given input Page 3

Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of LOreal

L’OREAL INTRODUCTION Strategy analysis focuses on the long-term objective generating alternative strategies, and selecting strategies to pursue. The firm’s present strategies, objectives and mission, couple with the external and internal audit information, provide a basis for generating and evaluating feasible alternative strategies (David 200). L’Oreal has numerous competitors. To have an advantage on competition, L’Oreal has to apply some strategies that include internal audit information and external opportunities that will make the company stronger. They will also prevent competitors to have an advantage over L’Oreal. This report will be based upon the effectiveness of current strategies of L’Oreal, a real global leader in every segment of the industry. CURRENT STRATEGIES L’Oreal encounters threats and opportunities and they have weaknesses and strengths. It is known as the TOWS matrix. It is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO Strategies, WO Strategies, ST Strategies and WT Strategies. The external opportunities and threats were identified earlier (see part 1) by developing the â€Å"External Factor Evaluation Matrix† and â€Å"Competitive Profile Matrix† is important for the current strategies development. L’Oreal internal strengths and weaknesses will be discussed further in this report. SO Strategies SO Strategies uses the internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities of a firm. L’Oreal has always taken these advantages with their new innovations and global expansion. The company is reaching out to more people across a bigger range of income and cultures than just about any other beauty-products company in the world. L’Oreal strategy positions it beautifully to profit even further when the middle class begins to grow stronger in emerging markets. That makes L’Oreal competitors more hustling to catch up. ... Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of L'Oreal Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of L'Oreal L’OREAL INTRODUCTION Strategy analysis focuses on the long-term objective generating alternative strategies, and selecting strategies to pursue. The firm’s present strategies, objectives and mission, couple with the external and internal audit information, provide a basis for generating and evaluating feasible alternative strategies (David 200). L’Oreal has numerous competitors. To have an advantage on competition, L’Oreal has to apply some strategies that include internal audit information and external opportunities that will make the company stronger. They will also prevent competitors to have an advantage over L’Oreal. This report will be based upon the effectiveness of current strategies of L’Oreal, a real global leader in every segment of the industry. CURRENT STRATEGIES L’Oreal encounters threats and opportunities and they have weaknesses and strengths. It is known as the TOWS matrix. It is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO Strategies, WO Strategies, ST Strategies and WT Strategies. The external opportunities and threats were identified earlier (see part 1) by developing the â€Å"External Factor Evaluation Matrix† and â€Å"Competitive Profile Matrix† is important for the current strategies development. L’Oreal internal strengths and weaknesses will be discussed further in this report. SO Strategies SO Strategies uses the internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities of a firm. L’Oreal has always taken these advantages with their new innovations and global expansion. The company is reaching out to more people across a bigger range of income and cultures than just about any other beauty-products company in the world. L’Oreal strategy positions it beautifully to profit even further when the middle class begins to grow stronger in emerging markets. That makes L’Oreal competitors more hustling to catch up. ...

Zion essays

Zion essays Theodor Herzl was certainly not the first Jew to dream of Zion, but he nevertheless put the wheels in motion (Zionism 1). Zionism is the name given to the political and ideological creation of a Jewish national state. The rise of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century culminated in the creation of this state in Palestine in 1948. Herzl was born of well to do middle-class parents. He first studied in a scientific secondary school, but to escape from its anti-Semitic atmosphere he transferred in 1875 to a school where most of the students were Jews. In 1878 the family moved from Budapest to Vienna, where he entered the University of Vienna to study law. He received his license to practice law in 1884 but chose to devote himself to literature. Remaining in Vienna, he became o correspondent for Neue Freie Presse (New Free Press), the liberal magazine of the bourgeoisie. In 1889 he married Julie Naschauer, daughter of a wealthy Jewish businessman in Vienna. The marriage was unhappy, although three children were born to it. Herzl had a strong attachment to his mother, who was unable to get along with his wife. These difficulties were increased by the political activities of his later years, in which his wife took little interest. These political activities culminated in 1896, when Herzl published Der Judenstaat, an informational pamphlet in which he proposed that the Jewish question was a political question to be settled by a world council of nations. Although the liberal magazine he worked for tried to prevent the publication of Der Judenstaat and never so much as mentioned it in its columns, Herzl would not be deterred. He gathered a small coterie and set out to convene the First Zionist Congress that same year. Being the first political movement to unify the diverse proto-Zionists, five delegates among 200 men and perhaps as many as 10 women convened the First ...

Omo Kibish (Ethiopia) - Oldest Known Early Modern Human

Omo Kibish (Ethiopia) - Oldest Known Early Modern Human Omo Kibish is the name of an archaeological site in Ethiopia, where was found the earliest examples of our own hominin species, about 195,000 years old. Omo is one of several sites found within the ancient rock formation called Kibish, itself along the Lower Omo River at the base of the Nkalabong Range in southern Ethiopia. Two hundred thousand years ago, the habitat of the lower Omo River basin was similar to what it is today, although moister and less arid away from the river. Vegetation was dense and a regular supply of water created a mix of grassland and woodland vegetation. Omo I Skeleton Omo Kibish I, or simply Omo I, is the partial skeleton found from Kamoya’s Hominid Site (KHS), named after the Kenyan archaeologist who discovered Omo I, Kamoya Kimeu. The human fossils recovered in the 1960s and in the early 21st century include a skull, several pieces from the upper limbs and shoulder bones, several bones of the right hand, the lower end of the right leg, a piece of the left pelvis, fragments of both lower legs and the right foot, and some rib and vertebrae fragments. The body mass for the hominin has been estimated at approximately 70 kilograms (150 pounds), and although it is not certain, most evidence indicates Omo was female. The hominin stood somewhere between 162-182 centimeters (64-72 inches) tallthe leg bones are not sufficiently intact enough to give a closer estimate. The bones suggest Omo was a young adult at the time of her death. Omo is currently classified as anatomically modern human. Artifacts with Omo I Stone and bone artifacts were found in association with Omo I. They included a variety of vertebrate fossils, dominated by birds and bovids. Nearly 300 pieces of flaked stone were found in the vicinity, predominantly fine-grained crypto-crystalline silicate rocks, such as jasper, chalcedony, and chert. The most common artifacts are debris (44%) and flakes and flake fragments (43%). A total of 24 cores was found; half the cores are Levallois cores. Primary stone tool making methods used at KHS produced Levallois flakes, blades, core-trimming elements, and pseudo-Levallois points. There are 20 retouched artifacts, including an ovate handaxe, two basalt hammerstones, sidescrapers, and backed knives. Over the area a total of 27 artifact refits have been found, suggesting a potential slope wash or north-trending sediment slump before the sites burial or some purposeful stone knapping/tool discard behaviors. Excavation History Excavations in the Kibish formation were first conducted by the International Palaeontological Research Expedition to the Omo Valley in the 1960s led by Richard Leakey. They found several ancient anatomically modern human remains, one of them the Omo Kibish skeleton. In the early 21st century, a new international team of researchers returned to Omo and found additional bone fragments, including a femur fragment which conjoined with a piece collected in 1967. This team also conducted Argon isotope dating and modern geological studies that identified the age of the Omo I fossils as 195,000 /- 5,000 years old. The Lower Valley of the Omo was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 1980. Dating Omo The earliest dates on the Omo I skeleton were quite controversialthey were uranium-series age estimates on Etheria freshwater mollusk shells that provided a date of 130,000 years ago, which in the 1960s was deemed too early for Homo sapiens. Serious questions arose in the latter half of the 20th century about the reliability of any dates on mollusks; but in the early 21st century Argon dates on the strata in which Omo lay returned ages between 172,000 and 195,000, with the most likely date nearer 195,000 years ago. A possibility then arose that Omo I had been an intrusive burial into an older layer. Omo I was finally direct-dated by laser ablation elemental Uranium, Thorium, and Uranium-series isotope analysis (Aubert et al. 2012), and that date confirms its age as 195,000/- 5000. In addition, a correlation of the makeup of the KHS volcanic  tuff to the Kulkuletti Tuff in the Ethiopian Rift Valley indicates the skeleton is likely aged 183,000 or older: even that is 20,000 years older than the next oldest AMH representative in the Herto formation also in Ethiopia (154,000-160,000). Sources This definition is part of the About.com Guide to the Middle Paleolithic. Assefa Z, Yirga S, and Reed KE. 2008. The large-mammal fauna from the Kibish Formation. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):501-512.Aubert M, Pike AWG, Stringer C, Bartsiokas A, Kinsley L, Eggins S, Day M, and Grà ¼n R. 2012. Confirmation of a late middle Pleistocene age for the Omo Kibish 1 cranium by direct uranium-series dating. Journal of Human Evolution 63(5):704-710.Brown FH, McDougall I, and Fleagle JG. 2012. Correlation of the KHS Tuff of the Kibish Formation to volcanic ash layers at other sites, and the age of early Homo sapiens (Omo I and Omo II). Journal of Human Evolution 63(4):577-585.de la Torre I. 2004. Omo Revisited: Evaluating the Technological Skills of Pliocene Hominids. Current Anthropology 45(4):439-466.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2005. Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia. Nature 433:733-736.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2008. Sapropels and the age of hominins Omo I and II, Kibish, Ethiopia. Journal of Human E volution 55(3):409-420. Pearson OM, Royer DF, Grine FE, and Fleagle JG. 2008. A description of the Omo I postcranial skeleton, including newly discovered fossils. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):421-437.Rightmire GP. 2008. Homo in the Middle Pleistocene: Hypodigms, variation, and species recognition. Evolutionary Anthropology 17(1):8-21.Shea JJ. 2008. The Middle Stone Age archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: excavations, lithic assemblages, and inferred patterns of early Homo sapiens behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):448-485.Sisk ML, and Shea JJ. 2008. Intrasite spatial variation of the Omo Kibish Middle Stone Age assemblages: Artifact refitting and distribution patterns. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):486-500.

Midterm Paper Rewrite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Midterm Paper Rewrite - Essay Example Does this reflect the true picture of what beauty stands for today Definitely not! The "Curse of the Fashionista" will rob you of your identity and will steal the personality that makes you uniquely appealing. We express our shock when a model publicly dies on the runaway from the culmination of years of anorexia. Yet, thousands more suffer in private, away from the public's eye while celebrities promote this disease and its disastrous consequences. The recent case of the Ramos sisters brought only a fleeting glance at the fashion industry's policies that condone and promote an unhealthy body weight. The lure of stardom is quickly traded away, and the unethical practices continue. Cosmetics can be an instant cover-up or a dynamic enhancement for a woman's natural beauty. However, the long-term effects of these chemicals on the skin are mostly unknown, potentially damaging, and may be fatal. The women of England began to paint their faces with powdered white lead to imitate the pale complexion of Queen Elizabeth I. The product worked wonders while the women fell ill to lead poisoning. Today, women taking oral tyrostat for skin whitening have little information about its unforeseen side effects. Recent events indicate that drug companies may have trouble detecting side effects even after years of rigorous testing.

Fainel exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fainel exam - Essay Example It is a house built of wood and it stands out as a brow house ext to a wall made of stones. Textures and window is a painting in a natural setting. It is a window which is next to a garden something common in most homes. It is presented in a very natural way using ordinary colors to make the painting familiar to the viewer. Antiquities angel is a painting reflecting the face of an antiquity shop. The different forms of antiquities one can find in such shops such as drum gives the painting its identity. Conclusively, Elizabeth Ann has stated that her work shows fragmented reality. She is inspired by music, sound, pieces and bits of manmade and natural forms of nature. With the use of light, color, and shadow she forms her paintings to represent nature around her. Use of logic in a dream world makes her paintings unique and exceptional. Gathering images from the real world, and putting them together in creative ways has ensured that her work is relevant in the modern contemporary

Digital and Visual Literacy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Digital and Visual Literacy - Article Example The secondary purpose is to indicate the lack of usage of the same to support the teaching part in the education system with digital literacy. The question that the authors are addressing is that what is it that defines literacy correctly in today's scenario, in a world where children are highly technology savvy. The question also addressed by the authors very precisely and lucidly is that what is the tool or manner which helps us have an ability to recognize whatever we witness, and infer correctly from what we experience. Yes the answer is digital as well as visual literacy. Unlike earlier times when overhead projector, handmade slides and chalk boards were used, these days, new media literacy technical skills are used in education like real time audio video interface, use of internet links for direct access, power point presentations, streaming videos etc. The authors have assumed their description of usage of digital tools in educational information to promote visual and digital literacy. This can be very well questioned as today educational institutions have are far more advanced than the view presented in the article. The reasoning of the authors supports the digital as well as visual literacy and its usage in today's competitive world and the reasoning is well supported by proofs which make a stronger case for better implications. 7. b. If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are: 30 If the authors' reasoning is not taken seriously, people would still

Final paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final paper - Assignment Example nfrontational competition has been a neglected topic over the past couple of years, owing to the ghost of Recession that snatched away finances from many small businesses. However, the scene is a bit different now. The United States, along with many other leading economies of the world have realized that investing time and money in small businesses which have novelty and new ideas is going to be a great way to begin building the shattered economies and reviving economic stability in these countries. Therefore, most business administration courses today have a significant chunk of literature dedicated to small business management and its various problems. Talking of growing small businesses, it has been noticed that most tech start-ups that get going are eventually bought by major platforms like Yahoo, Google, Microsoft or Facebook. Therefore, when it comes to having an original technology released in the market, the run is either for funding (crowd/venture) or getting enough traction to be bought by the bigger franchisees. This is where companies that are lean and want to maximize their incoming revenues, face the toughest of competitions. When we say competition, it is natural that one might consider it to be similar to market competition as faced by big businesses. However, the situation is different when it comes to small businesses and lean companies. To begin with, lean companies focus on a niche audience and offer products, services and deals of limited variety. A direct result of this is that they face two situations when it comes to competition. Firstly, they may face no competition at all. Secondly, they may not face wide market competition but have to put up with more focused confrontational competition wherein a direct competitor that is equal in size and strength makes moves that directly affects sales of the lean company. Let us go into each situation separately. Small businesses operating with limited resources have to face hardly any competition

Cyber Crime as opposed to Cyber warfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cyber Crime as opposed to Cyber warfare - Essay Example Nevertheless, new business and investment opportunities are created because of developments in infrastructure and modes of transportation that has enabled businesses to ensure utility of form, place and time. The use of intranet, extranets, internet and information systems across organisations have contributed significantly in growth and prosperity because it facilitates timely communication with business parties. However, the emergence of hackers and criminals that develop viruses and malwares have jeopardised the security of public and private business information and records in an organisation. The author, therefore, has decided to conduct extensive research over growing menace of cyber crimes and cyber warfare because the present 21st century is known as ‘information era’. Nonetheless, the organisations now consider greater focus on information and knowledge, which is viewed as most precious asset in today’s business environment. 1.2 – Cyber Crime and C yber Warfare: Cyber crimes refer to online frauds and internet-based crimes such as hacking email address, user accounts, stealing personal information (credit, visa and debit card pins, bio data, etc) from information systems of firms and from computers of end users, attacking computers through viruses in spam emails etc. Cyber Warfare is different from cyber crimes in a way it refers to online information war between two rival countries. Indeed, the hackers from Country A may attack government websites, information databases and networks of Country B through use of hacking tools in order to obtain clandestine information regarding foreign policy and agenda, military spending and power, diplomatic relationships and back channel diplomacy etc, economic and trade agreements etc. For instance, the main aim is to access implicit information and to destroy existing data warehouses and governmental networks to bring economic, technical and social losses to rival nation. 1.3 - Problem Sta tement Although systems and software developing IT organisations (such as Microsoft, Apple, IBM) have been striving to deal with the rising menace of cyber crime, there is dire need to develop strong anti-virus softwares to ensure information security. Nevertheless, cyber crimes (specifically viruses) do not only threaten security of software components, but also they may sabotage hardware resources, especially computer hard disks. In addition, the cyber warfare may disrupt a nation’s strategic functioning as it could damage mainframe and super computer systems used for keeping military and government records. 1.4 - Significance of Problem The issue of cyber crimes is not concerted to boundaries rather it could affect any end-user residing in any geographical region. The hackers do not target users in any specific area (or from any ethnicity, religion, cast, colour or language) but they may batter (virtually) any person for unidentified reasons. Still, the world has been seek ing appropriate solutions that could help improve their security in cyberspace. The researcher would like to argue that the probability that many nations worldwide may have Cyber Wars in future will increase, as more countries will enter cyberspace and send satellites in the orbit. 1.5 - Aims and Objectives The major aim of this research paper is to analyse the growing menace of cyber crimes from cyber terrorists and identify the weaknesses that should be overcome to avert cyber crimes. The objectives are as under: 1) To identify the

Final paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final paper - Assignment Example nfrontational competition has been a neglected topic over the past couple of years, owing to the ghost of Recession that snatched away finances from many small businesses. However, the scene is a bit different now. The United States, along with many other leading economies of the world have realized that investing time and money in small businesses which have novelty and new ideas is going to be a great way to begin building the shattered economies and reviving economic stability in these countries. Therefore, most business administration courses today have a significant chunk of literature dedicated to small business management and its various problems. Talking of growing small businesses, it has been noticed that most tech start-ups that get going are eventually bought by major platforms like Yahoo, Google, Microsoft or Facebook. Therefore, when it comes to having an original technology released in the market, the run is either for funding (crowd/venture) or getting enough traction to be bought by the bigger franchisees. This is where companies that are lean and want to maximize their incoming revenues, face the toughest of competitions. When we say competition, it is natural that one might consider it to be similar to market competition as faced by big businesses. However, the situation is different when it comes to small businesses and lean companies. To begin with, lean companies focus on a niche audience and offer products, services and deals of limited variety. A direct result of this is that they face two situations when it comes to competition. Firstly, they may face no competition at all. Secondly, they may not face wide market competition but have to put up with more focused confrontational competition wherein a direct competitor that is equal in size and strength makes moves that directly affects sales of the lean company. Let us go into each situation separately. Small businesses operating with limited resources have to face hardly any competition

Gender Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Sexuality - Essay Example This is interesting because it reverses the more common poetic tradition of male poets writing about female beauty from a male perspective. The history of Western love poetry goes back to the Middle Ages, and the tales of courtly knights who admired fair ladies. The lady was idealized in poetry, but in society men had a very much stronger position. Love poetry was therefore artificial, with very little reference to actual sex. In modern times there are more women poets, mainly because access to education, and to publishing facilities, are much more available to women. The two poems mentioned here are examples of a challenge to masculine literary tradition. They suggest there might be a different world order where women can take the initiative and use their power of writing to objectify and idealize men, according to a new set of gender rules which are much more equal. Ackerman’s poem shows how a meeting between a man and a woman can take place under water, using breathing apparatus. The first section shows how the underwater world is different from the everyday world on land. The fact that the man â€Å"had to ask twice† before the woman could interpret his gesture of love, suggests that the new environment requires a new type of body language, and a more subtle way of initiating sex. In fact as the poem progresses, the underwater location provides a whole new set of images and connotations. It is very noticeable that the the male partner is described with in terms of an octopus, sand, sea, kelp, shells etc. His hands are described as being â€Å"like tawny starfish†. These are not powerful images. The woman seems to be a part of the whole ocean, while the man is little more than a collection of timid creatures who want to be near her. It is clear that the woman feels at home in the underwater world, and the only disturbing moment in the scene occurs in the lines â€Å"drawing her close as a pirate vessel to let her board: who was this she loved?† (AFPP, lines 47-50). This reference to the pirate ship suggests that the man is an element of danger, but the thought is dismissed and the scene carries on. An important element in the scenery is the way that the underwater world is compared to a very feminine space: â€Å"an opium den† (AFPP, line 6) or â€Å"blue boudoir† (AFPP, line 90), complete with decor that is â€Å"pillow soft† (AFPP, line 91) with â€Å"quilted mosaics† (AFPP, line 100) and â€Å"twitching spangles† (AFPP, line 102). The ocean caresses the woman and the suggestion is that when a woman makes love, she returns to a previous evolutionary state, in which she is at one with the beautiful surroundings. The man is the pirate, who invades this matriarchal world, and she remembers him fondly, but she eats up the memory like a peach, showing that ultimately it was the union with the ocean that inspired her, and the man was just a small part of that whole experience. The poem by Joan Murray also writes about memories, but this time they are the collective memories of women who have been watching young men playing softball. For centuries men have been discussing women’s bodies, and evaluating them, for their own amusement. In this poem the tables are

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Example for Free

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Using the virtual organization of Kudler Fine Foods, evaluations will be made to determine market structure and competitiveness. Kudler Fine Foods current strategic plan for 2003, marketing overview, and market surveys will provide information to evaluate how Kudler competes in its market and where its strengths and weaknesses are located. Based on the evaluation of Kudler Fine Foods an applicable market structure will be determined and the structures effects on the organization and its long-term profitability. Recommendations will be made for Kudler Fine Foods while comparing real-world organizations. Kudler Fine Foods Located in the San Diego area, Kudler Fine Foods has three locations offering imported and domestic specialty foods. Founder, Kathy Kudler found the joy of gourmet cooking to be a business opportunity and opened the first store in 1998. The first year of business was profitable and paved way to the opening of two additional stores. Shopping the world for the finest of products allows Kudler Fine Foods to offer the finest of wines, foods, and related goods. It is Kudler Fine Food’s mission to provide these fine selections coupled with knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful staff to create a pleasing shopping experience (Virtual Organization Portal, 2007). Strategic Plan 2003 To provide Kudler Fine Foods mission while staying competitive, profitable, and delivering the goods known for, strategic plans are necessary. In 2003 a strategic plan was generated, within the plan traditional supermarkets were thought of as competition. Albertsons, Vons, and Ralphs advertised specialty foods similar to Kudler Fine Foods in the area of meat and produce. However, Kudler stays competitive by attracting specific customers cooking gourmet. While competitive stores offer similar food, they do not offer the same customer service, gourmet accessories, and foods Kudler offers. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s offer similar product but aim to gain customers focused on healthy lifestyles not the gourmet experience. Foreign food stores are not a large competitor, they to do not focus on the gourmet experience. While foreign food stores may have particular ingredients, they lack the competitive advantage of selection, service, expertise, or tools Kudler Fine Foods provides. According to 2003s strategic Plan Kudler Fine Foods customers are less price conscious than competitors (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). There is no direct competition although there are competitors trying to gain Kudler’s customer base. The combination of services and goods Kudler Fine Foods offers sets it apart from competition. Kudler Fine Foods uses its differentiated goods, atmosphere, knowledgeable services, intimate customer loyalty, and expansion of goods and services to stay competitive within the market. Ultimately it is the gourmet experience that makes Kudler Fine Foods a competitive force in the market. Marketing Overview Experiencing significant growth, Kudler Fine Foods looks to increase the profitability and loyalty of consumers and expand services. Kudler is strategically increasing profitability and loyalty of its customers by increasing internal efficiency, enacting a frequent shopper program, and expanding the services offered. Using a frequent shopper program customer purchases shopping behaviors are tracked and refined so applicable products can be offered to valued customers. Frequent shoppers will be offered points for shopping to redeem rewards to maintain store loyalty. To expand services Kudler offers exclusive upscale events in the store and in the comfort of customers own homes, which increases word-of mouth marketing, customer loyalty, and social networking. In addition to expanding services and offering frequent shopper programs to increase revenue Kudler Fine Foods focuses on reducing costs by increasing efficiency. Using a large department store to benchmark, Kudler is engaging in developing employees through training programs and upgrading software systems. Costs are reduced by minimizing purchases while maintaining adequate amounts of stock. Using information retrieved form the frequent shopper program and the â€Å"dollar value and profit margin per transaction† orders are placed to best capture customers needs while tracking sales data for better forecasting, merchandise selection, and inventory management (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007, para.5). The store advertises the same sales and merchandise for the three stores and coordinates to maintain enough inventories within each store location to maintain a customer service level of 95% (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Like other retail stores customer satisfaction is a prime marketing tool but so is the ever changing gourmet items offered in the stores. New items are introduced regularly into the store; Kathy looks to competitors for pricing strategies and product comparison to market the new goods. While Kathy looks to competitors her customer differs from other markets in the area, they look for a gourmet experience. Market Surveys Kudler Fine Foods conducted market surveys in 2010 and 2011to collect data from consumers. The surveys help to identify opportunity, measure success, and identify strengths and weaknesses within the organization. The 2010 survey indicated that there was not a good selection of products present in the store. This was an area of weakness and an opportunity to improve; the 2011 survey showed an increase of satisfaction in the selection of products presented in the store. Once a weakness, the surveys measure success in the increase of product selection from 2010 to 2011. Surveys identify store hours, atmosphere, merchandise satisfaction, and knowledgeable service representatives as Kudler Fine Foods strengths. Weaknesses include merchandise displays and in 2010 selection and overall store satisfaction. The marketing surveys show improvements from 2010 to 2011 in both strengths and weaknesses indicated by customers (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Kudler Fine Foods Market Structure Kudler Fine Foods is a monopolistic competition market structure. Within a monopolistic competition market structure there come both positives and negatives effects for Kudler Fine Foods. Positives While there are many similar organizations Kudler Fine Foods goods and services are differentiated. Kudler Fine Foods offers physical product differentiation in the service offered. For example, customers look to Kudler Fine Foods for a gourmet experience that cannot be found elsewhere. Kudler Fine Foods overall performance creates an experience. This experience is different from competitors accounted for in the strategic plan. Another positive of a monopolistic competition is that they are price makers, because Kudler Fine Foods offers differentiated products and services they are able to set their own prices. Kathy uses competitors as a price guideline but sets her own prices. In a monopolistic competition market large profits are possible in the short run. Negatives Kathy easily entered the market and so will other individuals because there are no barriers to entry in the monopolistic competition market. The fewer barriers to entry in a market the more competition arises. The low barriers to entry in this market mean one must have an opportunity to differentiate; Kudler Fine Foods has this opportunity by offering different goods and services from its competitors. To stay actively competitive Kudler Fine Foods must engage in advertising to let customers know the difference between Kudler Fine Foods and their competitors. Advertisement costs time and money and can be difficult to make advertisements stand out against competitors. Long-term profitability As mentioned above in the short run profits are possible but because there are no barriers to entry many firms are attracted to the market, which increases in the long-run. As new firms enter the market Kudler Fine Foods products and services will become more elastic shifting the demand curve to the left, prices will be driven down reducing profits. In the long run these reduced profits will continue until Kudler Fine Foods reaches long run equilibrium, economic profit is impossible in the long run. Recommendations A personal recommendation for Kudler Fine Foods is to stay in the short run to continue making the most profits. They can do this by furthering product differentiation. For example, Kudler Fine Foods can look to competitors to make sure they are not selling the same products and offering the same services. Kathy already frequently introduces new products and should continue to do this. Staying innovative will also be beneficial, introducing online sells may help keep Kudler Fine Foods in the short run longer. Real-world comparisons In the real-world there are many monopolistic markets like that of Kudler Fine Foods. Taylors Market is an example, like Kudler Fine Foods they offer gourmet options. Taylors Market finds its competitive edge by offering specialty items, including an onsite butcher. Both Kudler Fine Foods and Taylors Market are one of many firms in a monopolistic competition market structure. They stay competitive by offering differentiated goods and services. While both firms start out inelastic in the short run, in the long run they become more elastic. Below is an example of how Taylors Market and Kudler Fine Foods monopolistic competition market structure compares and differs from other market structures.

Marketing Strategies Used By Nokia

Marketing Strategies Used By Nokia In order to execute the project on hand I have select Nokia. Nokia was founded by Fredrik Idestamin in 1865 as public limited company. Nokia is leading the cellular phone industry with around 38% of the market share, while Motorola, which is American based is having 12% of total market share. Nokia used be a diversified conglomerate up till 1980 with business includes pulp, rubber tire production, paper, telecommunication equipment, cable manufacturing, and consumer electronics. The geographic target market of Nokia was mainly limited to Scandinavia (70% market share) and US (33% market share) (123helpme, 2010). It should be noted that Nokia had never enjoy monopoly in any market including Finland and the company share is due to its competitive marketing strategy, state of the art product designing and manufacturing, pricing strategies and creative marketing campaigns. The company has constant record of launching new product that either low costs or cutting-edge technology, and flair have not yet been stopped. These two characteristics of the firm are giving it competitive advantage and the company is still the most profitable company of the mobile-phone manufacturing industry (Kumar, Banthia, Sharma, 2010). Nokia headquarter in situated in Espoo, Finland. The Research and Development wings of the company are situated in 10 countries around the globe. The device manufacturing factories of the company are located in nine countries while the company transacts its business in more than 150 countries of the world. In this paper we going to investigate that how does a Finnish organization become a world leader in the highly sophisticated cutting-edge industry from the marketing viewpoint? Importance and the use of Information in their Marketing Strategies of Nokia: In the decade 1990s the telecommunication industry around the globe experience three significant positive changes that sets the foundation for future growth. These three trends were increase in the use of internet, deregulations of the market that led to easy access for new competitor and the advent and popularization of wireless services. Nokia then adapted the three strategies in its marketing program. This was a mega turn in the history of Nokia. In order to get the exploit the opportunities provided by the environmental factors and decrease the potential demerits of changes that might have impact on the business, Nokia initiated an information system project. It has decided to install an information system that will facilitate decision maker across the organization in its various functional departments. For this sake Nokia takes advantage of Management Information System (MIS), Decision Support System (DSS), Executive Information System, Transaction Processing System (TPS) etc. Through the use of these systems the organization not only was able to manage the organization effectively and efficiently but was also able to coordinate its different RD departments (that are situated in 10 countries), its manufacturing facilities (that are situated in 9 different countries) and its distribution networks that situated in 150 countries. Organizational Marketing Strategy Used by Nokia: Organizational Strategy: Nokia historical logo was three arrows that were created in 1966, the company then devise its presently used organizational slogan connecting people. This slogan was design by Ove Strandberg. The company is the world 6th most loved and fastest growing brand of the world. All this was possible due to Nokia consistent organization wide supportive culture, shared values and vision. The vision statement of Nokia is our vision is a world where everyone is connected, and its promise is Our promise is to help people feel close to what is important to them. The approach the company used for to achieve this objective is Trusted consumer relationships, Best mobile devices everywhere, and Context enriched services (Nokia, 2010). Marketing Strategy: In order to achieve its organizational objectives, the marketing wing of the Nokia is doing remarkable job. In the following we explored different aspects of the marketing strategy used by Nokia. Market Segmentation: Geographic: Both Rural and Urban areas Demographic: Male and Female Age: 22-50 (almost 80% of the sales comes from this segment Consumer Segments: All the three types of users including high-users, medium users and light-users. (Kumar, Banthia, Sharma, 2010) Product Strategy: The focus of the marketing efforts of Nokia is mostly on handset manufacturing only. The company is constantly enhancing its product portfolio by inventing constantly new models. The mobile phones that are manufactured by Nokia have two diverse focuses: either low costs or cutting-edge technology. The products of the company are adopted as per the specific markets situation. For example handsets distributed in Middle East have an Arabic language function, while in France the language is tailored as French. Branding Strategy: Nokia use two types of branding strategies. It is due to the fact that its target market consumer consists of two types of customers: Upscale buyers and Economy seeker. For upscale buyer the company built its brand with high-end multimedia handsets, while for economy seeker in emerging markets its branding strategy focuses on providing economical handsets (123helpme, 2010). Pricing Strategies: The pricing strategies used by Nokia vary from situation to situation and from product to product. For cutting-edge technological products that are newly designed by the company RD, the company use first the skimming marketing strategy, and then decrease the price. While for cost-effective products that focus on economy, the company use penetrating pricing strategy. Promotion Strategy: The company success can be traced to the excellent promotion activities carried out by the organization. The company use integrated marketing communication to promote its various products in different region of the world. The promotion activities are directed toward replacement Place Strategy: The company distribution network is situated in 150 countries, and the company is still using its aggressive marketing strategy to boost its network, and market development strategy to target new markets from around the world. Nokia has come up with new place strategy by opening of the retail outlets known as Nokia Priority. Nokia: in the Global Context: Nokia has successfully used its marketing strategy to target diverse customers from around the world. Its products are equally used by rural as well as people belong to the urban areas. The company is using the right blend of standardization and adaptation. By studying the global market strategy of Nokia one can argue that Nokia standardized its products when possible and customize its products when needed. For example Nokia introduced its dust-resistant mobile phone with anti-slip grip and flash light in less developed markets including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. the product was customized according to the needs and wants of the rural market of the people living in these countries. Such sort of commitment to the needs and wants satisfaction of the target market by Nokia shows Nokia genuine commitment towards the local customers needs. The competition in the global market for Nokia is increasing with the passage of time. As the market for cellular phone is passing through the growth stage of product life cycle, constant entrance of new cellular phone manufacture is continued. The competition for Nokia includes: Motorola, Sony Ericson, Samsung, Siemens, Panasonic, NEG, Toplux and Sagem and many more. In order to keep its share in the international market Nokia must continue to exploit its competitive advantage to get ahead of competitors. It needs to have more focused marketing strategy. Nokia late arrival of can-bar phone and missed design trends like clamshell phones are some of the factors that has led to decrease in the market share of the company (Kiley, 2007). Nokia market share was 66% in 1999, which now stood at 38% (2009), it means that although in terms of sales its revenue is increasing with the passage of time, but in terms of market share, competitors are capturing niche from Nokia. Nokia is using aggressive marketing strategy in the global market. Since 1997, the company has acquired 37 companies around the world. The acquisition includes, Cellity a mobile software company, OZ Communications of Canada, Navteq which is a U.S. base supplier for a price of $8.1 billion, and Enpocket supplier of mobile advertising technology and many more (Kumar, Banthia, Sharma, 2010). These acquisitions have strengthened the market standing of Nokia, and help the company to boost its competitive advantage. The global sales of Nokia are increasing and the organization is constantly using four types of strategies to increase its sales in the global market. Nokia is increasing its sales in its existing market of already available products through increase strong positioning strategy, promotion activities, and competitive pricing strategies, and thus company is able to increase the sales for its products. The company has constant record of launching new product that is either low costs (that target low-income group) or cutting-edge technology (that target upper-upper and upper-middle class of the market), and flair have not yet been stopped. New market offer exciting opportunities to Nokia and the company is continuing to explore new market in the world. Currently the distribution network of the company has been established in 150 countries in all the continents of the world. The company now developed multifunctional cell phones, and continued to put up its business in significant on the rise markets such as India, China, Middle East and Indonesia where the target market are still looking for reliable hardware. The strategy is working for Nokia and over the year it has been able to launch series of new version in the global market. And Nokia is now looking to target 200 million middle class population of China for whom the company has developed customized products that costs under 63$ (Kiley, 2007). On the other hand, the situation in US is quite different. Thats why the company is using different strategy to target that market. In US market growth is tough because the market is driven by cell-service provider. For example Verizon Communication sell phone to customer at subsidized rate to its target market. Nokias relations in US with cell phone operator are not as strong as those of competitors that are why the company is suffering in this front. To tackle this trend, Nokia have reportedly spends $5.4 million in 2007 and $2 million in 2008 on lobbying in the U.S. market to hold its market share. The strategy was very successful for the firm, as it resulted in favorable political environment for the company. Had the company adopted the same strategy in before the results for the company must have been quite different and it must have not lost its market share in the US market? On the other hand the condition is quite change as compared to condition in US and the consumers can buy the cell-phone of ones own choice, and then shop for their service. In order to take advantage of favorable market conditions Nokia has joined hands with Siemens Networks and formed a joint venture in 2006. Nokia Siemens Networks services are available in 150 countries around the world. Both the companies have merged their fixed line and mobile phone network equipment business to create the worlds biggest network. This has resulted in 1.5 billion Euros for Nokia in year 2009. Nokia e-Business Strategy: For Nokia e-business is not just limited to web presence to make easy buying selling. Nokia is exploiting the collective power of the internet and IT to vitally convert its strategic business strategies and business processes. Nokia is one of the successful ventures of the world that is using the e-commerce and e-business solution in its flair to build successful relation with its target market. Nokia e-business is known as Nokia Payment Solution that was initiated in 2001 (Nokia, 2010). The Nokia Payment Solution is unique program that enables payment service providers to mediate payments between three parties including financial institutions, distributor and consumers. This platform allow Nokia to collect, manage and clear payment initiated from mobile phone and other web-enabled terminals all the way through different payments methods including debit cards, credit cards, operators prepaid and postpaid system. Nokia provides Nokia Signet Server that serves the purpose of verification and payment transaction of non-repudiation through digital signatures. The verification and digital signature connecting the client and server are satisfied using the wireless Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology. On the other hand Nokia is using its e-Business strategy to successfully integrate its various divisions across the world. Nokia factories are situated in 10 countries, and its RD wings are situated in 9 countries. E-business provides an opportunity to Nokia to cut its costs dramatically through e-procurement, which is as a way for Nokia to better track and manage their purchasing. Nokia also provides various blogs in an effort to know its target market. This e-chat provides Nokia a form of technical and customer support is an excellent example of its customer focused e-business strategy. This e-business strategy that supplement Nokia traditional phone support is a system that saves precious time for Nokia while providing opportunities to know its customer more deeply. Nokia e-business strategy has helped the marketing strategist to better plan their product offerings, keeping in view the latest trends of the market. The products are designed and manufactured keeping in view the needs and wants of its target market. Through the use of e-business the marketing department is able to develop and retain its valued customers. Nokia website provides online support to its valued customer in the form of free download (music, video, themes, etc), software solution, and integration of different task related to products. . This had helped the company not only in creation long-lasting, and satisfied customer creation but also helped the company to prolong the product life cycle of its various products. On the other hand Nokia has formed strategic partnership with Facebook. Facebook is a social network website that connects people and work as link between them. This had provided remarkable opportunity to Nokia, because the Facebook application for Nokia is available for download in more than 150 countries. Nokia is the only mobile company of the world whose handsets can be connected to Facebook. This has created a world of opportunities for both Nokia and Facebook. (Nokia, 2010) Conclusion: Over the last two decades the mobile-phone market has gone through tremendous changes, with unbelievable products and rapid growth in the market. The growth of the market is still continued. Nokia is using its creative marketing strategies to hold its market share through strong positioning and competitive strategy in order to beat the competition. The company sales performance has been increase dramatically in the past few years, although it has lost a portion of its market share to new rivals in the market. If the company continue to tailor its marketing strategies according to the needs and wants of the target market, its chances for success in the market will increase even more.

The Unselfish Gregor in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

Gregor was the most unselfish person in The Metamorphosis. This characteristic shows with his dedication to his work. He was the only family member with a job, believing he was the only one capable of it. Sacrificing his social life for his work, he had no friends at work, and never went out at night. His only hobby was fretwork, sitting alone in his room. The only person he was ever intimate with was his sister Grete. His devotion to his work was remarkable. In all of the five years he had worked for his father's creditor, he had never once been absent. Always ready to go out on his rounds as early as possible, he never took advantage of time for a break. By the time he got back, the other employees were still eating breakfast. Under the belief that he was the sole provider for the family, Gregor took up a job with his father's creditor, before even consulting his family. They, at the time, were of course impressed. The flat they were living in was chosen by Gregor. Making enough mo ney, he hired a cook and servant. He was even thinking of sending Grete to the conservatorium to further enhance what he believed to be musical talents. Even after his metamorphosis, he never asked for much. Showing his concern for others' wellbeing, he hid under the couch so as not to disgust anyone by his sight. Although they brought him food everyday, he barely ate any of it. He even wished he were not such a burden on the family, and that he could have transformed back into his old self. All of the actions mentioned above displayed Gregor's unselfishness. After his metamorphosis, nobody indicated they were grateful for what he had done. After his first absence, the chief clerk himself appeared at Gregor's house to see what was the matter. When Gregor did not open his door, the chief clerk accused him of stealing the company's funds, and degraded him in front of his parents as being insubordinate. After the transformation, Gregor's father gave little or no love or support. Instead, he had hurt Gregor many times while ushering Gregor back into the room. Grete and her mother do, for some time, show a little support. After having Gregor around for a while however Grete asserted that they should somehow get rid of him.

Analysis on Eastern European HRM Model

Many Western firms are rapidly investing in, or forming joint ventures with, firms in Eastern European countries. Despite the growth in Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) in Eastern Europe, Western managers know relatively little about the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of these countries. In this paper HRM practices are discussed in Eastern European states, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Russia. Although there are both historical and cultural differences between these countries, these countries will be dealt with together, as they all have numerous elements in common that enable managers or researchers to see them as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to analyze if an Eastern European HRM model can be constructed on the basis of an analysis of Eastern Europe on several areas. First, the environment is analyzed, in which several aspects are covered, such as political context and history. The emphasis lies on culture and (possible) implications for business, and HRM specifically. Secondly, specific Eastern European HR practices are dealt with in chapter three. Here too, several topics are analyzed. In the fourth chapter the implications of EU enlargement are considered in relation to Eastern Europe. As many of these countries are potential candidates for a membership of the EU, the necessary changes and implications are investigated. Based on all the forgoing, an attempt is made to establish an Eastern European HRM model in the fifth chapter. Finally, in chapter six, conclusions are given followed by directions for future research. The analysis of the environmental aspects of Eastern Europe include the following aspects: Looking at Eastern Europe's history, several main events can be identified that have an impact on today's business or cultural situation. First, the two World Wars had a major impact on the creation of the political and economic gap between Eastern and Western Europe, especially the Second World War. Eastern Europe came under the influence of the former Soviet Union, which implied that all countries were under direct political, military and economic control resulting in a very centralized economy. This type of economy had a profound impact on the HRM practices that were used in those countries, which is further explained in the next chapter. Secondly, under Gorbatsjov as the president of the former Soviet Union, contact with Western Europe was sought, resulting in the break-up of the Soviet Union and the start of a new era for Eastern Europe. Slowly, but gradually a shift was realized from a central towards a market economy, again with the necessary implications for (HR) management. The qualities that were required by managers of Eastern European enterprises were the ability to bargain, the possession of a network of suppliers and purchasers, and the ability to manipulate production and financial data. This style of management was driven by the response to the allocation of resources by a centralized bureaucracy in which rivalry between enterprises for resources led to unnecessary hoarding of materials. The history of Eastern Europe still impacts today's business operations. Many personnel directors and executives have their jobs because of Party connections rather than technical expertise. Creativity and original thinking was not encouraged or reinforced under the centralized government control. Top down communication was the norm. Common US practices such as MBO or 360-degree feedback, or Western European structures such as strong employee involvement or self-management work teams will not be easily transferred to the Eastern European work environment. Business practices that stem from political corruption or organized crime activities are still realities and may violate other countries' laws and ethical norms. Despite the great changes that have occurred in Eastern Europe, western managers must patiently accept these differences and strive to form successful business relationships given environmental and political constraints. As mentioned before, the dominant political system in Eastern Europe was communism. This implied that a lot of the large companies were state-owned and the government heavily influenced trade unions. The view projected to the outside world by communist governments, was that of in a worker's state, such as the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites, the interest of the workers were as one with the government, because the government was controlled by a dictatorship of the proletariat. The problem with such a unitarist system is that it allows for little realistic criticism that might afford changes and reforms to meet real challenges. In theory trade unions were a separate entity from the Communist Party, but in reality they were often controlled by Party members. This meant that under communism, unemployment was unknown due to manipulation with statistical data and hidden unemployment (a certain job is being done by more people than necessary, just in order to provide more people with a job). The transition from a central to a market economy was initiated together with the transition from a communist to a capitalist political regime, and was started in 1989 after the fall of ‘the iron curtain'. This transition had several consequences. First, due to the hidden unemployment and in an attempt to make organizations more efficient and to cut costs, unemployment rose. Still now a major problem faced by Eastern European countries is persistent structural unemployment. Secondly, after a couple of years a lot of state-owned companies were privatized. In these companies usually an employee culture of the planned economy remained. The educational system has been and still is rather good. An analysis of 256 Russian CEO's from all over the country, the overwhelming majority (91,4 %) of them had college or graduate degrees. In the Eastern European labor markets a clear emphasis is put on a technical background, more than a formal management education. This was also backed up by the analysis: about 60 % had engineering and other technical backgrounds, whereas only around 20 % had a formal management degree. However, due to this strong emphasis on a technical background, there is a significant shortage of local executive talent. Expatriates remain a key component of the management market – an estimated 25 percent of all managers in Eastern European firms are expatriates. On the other hand, this lack in education is rapidly changing. Also due to the efforts to prepare for EU enlargement, a shift in education is clearly noticeable. More and more professional management studies are initiated and further developed, sometime through the help of an exchange program (for instance CEMS). Therefore, we also see a shift in recruitment: more sophisticated methods of attracting managers – such as the use of university recruiting and executive search – are on the upswing for senior-level managers, gradually replacing newspaper advertising and word-of-mouth. Â   Regarding Eastern European managers, Hofstede hypothesized that they would be characterized by a high power distance (in other words, they would display high tolerance toward inequality in the society and business relationships), high uncertainty avoidance, medium individualism, and low masculinity. As a comparison point, the United States are characterized by a low power distance, high individualism, high masculinity and low uncertainty avoidance. These hypothesizes were further backed up by study performed by Bollinger, who found the exact same results. Analyzing these results, we see that the Eastern European culture differs from Western cultures, depending on what country. For instance Western European countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands have more similarities with this culture than United States culture or Japanese culture. In order to develop and manage adequate HR policies, the factor culture plays an important role in this process. This Eastern European culture is still influenced by the past of communism and central economy. The eastern European business environment is very complex and very different from the western business environment. Despite Eastern Europe's large consumer base and natural resources, western businesses have not been very eager to invest in these countries on a large scale, such as in China. As knowledge increases about Eastern Europe and its business opportunities, and as countries in this region join the EU, increasing western attention will focus on conducting business in this region. Yet, relatively little has been written to guide western managers in Eastern Europe. The system of Human Resource Management and industrial relations in Eastern Europe has been undergoing enormous change since 1989 and will continue to do so for some time to come. The fundamental problem is the transition from a unitarist system, very tightly controlled by communist governments that influenced every corner of the economy, to a more pluralist system operating in some type of free market. It is obvious to most observers that some form of pluralistic balance needs to be achieved to contain uncontrolled free market forces. At present most Eastern European countries are stuck in the transitional phase between these two states. For instance, work habits have changed dramatically – with 50-hour weeks and taking work home more and more the norm. At the same time, absenteeism is low, indicating a strong commitment to the job. In this chapter the following current Eastern European HR practices are analyzed: recruitment and compensation. Attempts by Eastern European firms to modernize their workforces by recruiting young graduates and contract staff have left older employees on the side. Underqualified graduates and disabled people are also suffering as a result of Eastern Europe's drive for free-market flexibility. Firms in former socialist nations need to embrace diversity if they are to avoid repeating Western bad employment practices. In comparison to the West, Eastern European HR practices are not mature. Eastern European countries focus more on personnel practices than the integration of HR practices with corporate strategy. At the same time, managerial practices are becoming more westernized – an ‘East Goes West' trend that is expected to continue. The sleepy, bureaucratic firm of pre-reform days is a thing of the past. On this area we see a dual path. In the lesser-developed Eastern European countries, such as Russia and Rumania, foreign investors usually enjoy special privilege to import whatever materials and products they may need in their operations, and thus are more able to obtain these luxury products than domestic firms. These imports may be used to recruit, retain, and motivate workers. Therefore, western managers accustomed to providing challenging work and learning opportunities to motivate high level employees instead emphasize material over intrinsic rewards due to the lower standard of living in these countries. On the other hand, in the Eastern European countries that have a relatively high standard of living, salary increases for local talent are high – even in the lowest categories (state-owned and manufacturing firms), they have grown by more than 25 percent in a two-year period, and in the new private firms they have nearly doubled. These increasing salaries are dictated by the difficulty in attracting good local managers. In this fluid market, many firms review salaries twice a year or more – and benefits for local managers are approaching the levels of expatriates. But, according to a new EIU report, cash alone is not the key to retention. Staff in crisis-prone countries remains fixated on salaries. But where market economies have been starting to develop, a fair salary will suffice, provided employers deliver on a package of other rewards, incentives and working conditions. Benefits packages vary from country to country, but certain perks have emerged as key motivators across the region: cars and life & health insurance. Increasing stress is being laid on enhanced job satisfaction.

Animation Essay

MICHELLE LEE IAT 343 – D104 #301097226 ANIMATION ESSAY The two three-dimensional animated films that are chosen are Pocoyo animation shorts and a music video by Genki Rockets. I am using music video and short animation for comparison is because they are wonderful at sending messages within a short amount of duration. Also, I will be comparing the cinematic style and techniques of the animations. Pocoyo animations is originated in Spain and targeted towards pre-school children. Their videos often present a certain moral or â€Å"lesson† in them.In the animations, Pocoyo (the main character) and his friends often dance around and play. In an animation, physical actions and facial expressions brings audience into tense anticipation. The narrator talks throughout every episode and leads audience into the story. There are zero backdrops and environmental set design, which gives their targeted audience (pre-schoolers) a more room for endless imaginations on how the surroundin gs may look like depending their background. Hierarchical structures are within Pocoyo animation as some groups of 3D objects are more dominant than other ones.For example, some characters are smaller/further than other ones, and their body structures. This defines importance of the parentschildren relationships. Color creates mood; bright colors flatter children in a content way. The composition of each shot and scene help audience to understand the characters in the story and their actions; keep in mind that their targeted audience are preschoolers, therefore it is more about the storytelling, and compositions will not be complex. In this series, diverse camera views are being lacked.There is only one camera view throughout every episode. Therefore, emotions might not be able to present at its maximum potential. However, tilts and rolls is in there every now and then so it gives scene a stylized look that helps visualize the audience actions and scene tensions. Lighting is also on the minimal setting. It could be the sun being the infinite light, or in a room with fluorescent lights. The music video by Genki Rockets is called â€Å"make. believe†. Genki Rockets is a Japanese virtual band with non-existent musical band and a fictional ocalist. According to their webpage, the vocalist, Rumi who was born â€Å"in space† and has â€Å"never been to Earth†. Due to the fact that the vocalist claims to be from the future outerspace, most of their music videos are computer-generated. Various camera views are widely used and not only can those camera views deliver information, but also able to maximize the scene emotion. Backdrops are shown and surroundings are beautifully illustrated. Slow motion or sudden pause creates time being stopped and makes audience anticipate on the upcoming events.The vocalist (girl in the music video)’s facial expression remains straight for the majority of the video gives 1 MICHELLE LEE IAT 343 – D104 # 301097226 ANIMATION ESSAY the impression that she does not obtain human emotions and traits. Many 3D modeling were done in this video. Scenes like forest, outer-space, castle, desert, skyscrapers are implemented. Lightings play a heavy role in the music video, especially the lighting stimulations with ray-traced reflections, which create realism. Colored lightings always create dramatic in the video.Because of the band and background nature, this video especially captures audience who are interested in space. With both being animations, different mood is conveyed in both of them. Both are created to cater their targeted audience with different compositions. Each shot aids the views to expand their knowledge of the story and characters more. Therefore, both videos have same objective but different results. References: Kerlow, I. (2009). The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effect. (4th ed).New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Lee KJ (2011). IAT 343 Animations Lecture Notes (Week1 â₠¬â€œ Week11). Zinkia Entertainment. (2011) Pocoyo. http://www. pocoyo. com/ Granada International. (2011) Pocoyo USA. POCOYO – WHALES BIRTHDAY. Youtube Video http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=gh0KClm8w2s Sony Records. (2011) Genki Rockets. http://www. genkirockets. com/en/ Sony Music Publishing. (2011) Akatoubutudan (2010). Genki Rockets – make. believe. Youtube Video http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=tRDo13wthew 2

Callaway Golf Company

Callaway Golf Company (CGC) Harvard Business School Case Study Ely Callaway had a vision, â€Å"If we make a truly more satisfying product for the average golfer, not the professionals, and make it pleasingly different from the competition, the company would be successful† (Lal & Prescott, 2011, p. 1). Key factors that led to Callaway’s success included his vision, his understanding of consumer behavior, his product variety, and his ability to build a premium brand. Furthermore, the company’s relationship with its retail partners, the company’s new product development, and the company’s marketing strategy were key contributors to Callaway Golf Company’s success between 1988 and 1997. Callaway understood the competitive nature of the game and the competitive nature of the consumers. Golfers were consumers driven by social factors such as reference groups. According to Kotler and Keller (2009), â€Å"Reference groups consist of all groups that have a direct (face-to-face) or indirect influence on a person’s attitude or behavior† (p. 8). Reference groups expose people to new behaviors and lifestyles, influence attitudes and self-concepts, and create pressures for conformity that affect product and brand choices. Because Callaway understood the behaviors of his target market, he was able to strategically introduce new products that offered more satisfaction than the former products. With product modification , managers try to stimulate sales by improving quality, features, and style (p. 185). Callaway understood each product’s life cycle and introduced new products every two years. He discovered that after two years, the sales and prices typically declined (Lal and Prescott, 2000, p. 4), causing him to continually make his own products obsolete. However, this business process solidified the consumer’s expectation that Callaway Golf Company would always deliver a high quality product, a value-delivery system successfully established by the company. The Callaway brand was strong, therefore, giving the company marketing advantages such as improved perceptions of product performance, greater loyalty, less vulnerability to competitive marketing actions and marketing crises, larger margins, greater trade cooperation and additional brand extensions (Kotler and Keller, 2009, p. 131). There was consistent brand reinforcement with every product as Callaway’s marketing methods always conveyed what the brand represented, what core benefits it supplied, and what needs it satisfied. Additionally, Callaway conveyed how the brand made superior products that were strong, favorable, and unique. Various consumer spending and golfing behaviors left Callaway no choice but to change his marketing strategies. Callaway realized they could not depend on their 1982 original marketing strategy. Callaway believed there was no brand loyalty when it came to golfers. The bottom line was that golfers tend to purchase golf clubs they think will improve their game and will often blame the golf equipment for their lack of skill (Lal and Prescott, 2000, p. 4). Callaway knew their products had to be unique. Callaway also knew as the popularity of the game increased, golf equipment had to also increase in purpose and design. In 1998, Callaway experienced a decline in profits. The company lost $27 million because sales dropped 17%. Consequently, Ely Callaway realized he would have to change the way his company had been doing business. He refocused Calloway Golf Company’s â€Å". . . retail channels, new-product development, and marketing strategies† (p. 1). One force that drove Callaway to continuously change his strategy was the life span of the golf equipment. Callaway was quick at determining whether a product was a money maker or not. He measured the profit growth of a product within the first two years the product was launched. If sales decreased within the first two years, the product design was redesigned and â€Å"improved. † This could possibly lead to excessive inventories of one product and shortage of another. Through evaluation and control methods, Callaway was able to make the best product marketing decisions for the bottom line. Annual plan controls helped determine if the new product results were being achieved. Profitability controls determined if the new product was making or losing money. Efficiency controls balanced the spending and marketing expenditures. Strategic controls confirmed whether the company was targeting the best opportunities with the retailers, media, and advertising (Kotler-Keller, 2009, p. 331-333). Richard Helmstetter, vice president and chief of new products, joined Callaway Hickory Stick, Inc. in 1986. He transformed CGC â€Å". . . from a niche producer to an innovation powerhouse. . . † (Lal and Prescott, 2000, p. 2). Helmstetter viewed research and development differently than others in the industry. He challenged the scientists, engineers, and golfers he had hired to answer questions like â€Å"Where does backspin come from? † and â€Å"Why does a shot on the club toe hook left instead of right? † (p. 2). Helmstetter was correct in believing that by answering these types of questions the company would create better clubs. New product innovations included the development of the S2H2 (short, straight, hollow, hosel) model which redistributed the weight of the hosel. This allowed the weight to be better utilized elsewhere in the club. Following the S2H2 model was the development of the Big Bertha. It was a club with a bigger club head. The larger head allowed for fewer mishit shots and a better drive. This allowed the average player to have a better experience when playing, which led to loyalty to Callaway, despite the cost. Callaway found it challenging being caught in the middle of a changing marketing communication environment. Callaway had to take a deep look at the company’s marketing communication mix and decide if it was still effective. The marketing communication mix includes: advertising, sales promotion, events and experiences, public relations and publicity, direct marketing, interactive marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, and personal selling (Kotler-Keller, 2009, pp. 275-276). Callaway Golf Company did very little advertising. Callaway felt that word of mouth was the best way to promote his clubs Word of mouth marketing was what golfers used excessively. Whether a golfer wanted the latest, greatest style of club or testified to the improvement of a stroke due to the club, word of mouth marketing was huge amongst golfers because of the amount of time golfers spent with each other during a round of golf. Callaway knew that most non-professional golfers played in foursomes and would give live demonstrations each time they played. Furthermore, he built a premium product and recruited professional golfers who were the leaders in the sport to promote his products. These endorsements validated the products quality and superior technology. The professional golfers â€Å"not under contractual obligations† used Callaway products because of the performance enhancement the clubs provided. Eli Callaway knew his company had enjoyed many years of positive growth and he knows that many more years of positive growth lay ahead. Additionally, he knew that he would always be faced with decisions concerning what products to develop, what accounts need to be closed, what retail relationships should be developed, and what marketing strategy should be employed. â€Å"When asked if CGC could stay ahead of the competition, he said, citing Newton’s first law of motion, ‘No problem. Bodies in motion tend to remain in motion. ’ He continued, ‘It’s a hell of a story, and it’s not over yet’† (Lal and Prescott, 2000, p. 14). References Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L. (2009). Analyzing consumer markets: A framework for marketing management, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Lal, R. & Prescott, E. D. (2000). Calloway Golf Company. Pearson custom business resources. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Case Analysis of Callaway Golf Company, (2009, May 16,). Retrieved on April, 5, 2011 from http://www. docshare. com/†¦ /Case-analysis-of-Callaway-Golf-Company2