Pluralist and the System Theories Essay

In the essay below I will try to unveil and discuss the view that in the modern societies the pluralist and the system theories are the mostly widely used theories to explain employment relationships. Industrial relations refer to processes and outcomes involving employment relationships. The term industrial relations is usually used for employment relationships involving collective representation of employees in the form of a labor union or employee association, especially in the modern societies, Bendix(2000). Industrial Relation is a relation between employer and employees, employees and employees and employees and trade unions. And the â€Å"process by which people and their organizations interact at the place of work to establish the terms and conditions of employment†. In modern societies , the term industrial relations is used to cover such aspects of industrial life as trade unionism, collective, bargaining, workers’ participation in management, discipline, grievance handling, industrial disputes and interpretation of labor laws and rules and code of conduct, Armstrong(2006). There are various approaches in industrial relations like the system and pluralist approaches. A system is basically a combination of parts and subsystems. Each part may have various subparts. Parts and sub parts of the system are mutually related to each other. The systems approach had been formulated by Dunlop in 1985. In Dunlop’s approach, an industrial relations system at any one time in its development is regarded as comprised of certain actors, certain contexts, an ideology, which binds the industrial relations system together, and a body of rules created to govern the actors at the workplace and work community. The systems approach was quite helpful in studying the industrial relations that is it focuses on participants in the process, environment forces and output. The systems approach states that none of these institutions could not act in an autonomous or independent. Instead they were shaped at least to some extent by their market, technological and political contexts. The basic elements of system approach are, participants in the system, workers and the organization, Management and their representatives, government agencies, environmental forces, technological characteristics, market or economic constraints, the locus and balance of power existing in a society, the output is the result of interaction of parties of the system which is manifested in the network of rules, country labor policy and labor agreements, that facilitates fair deal to workers. The Dunlop’s model gives great significance to external or environmental forces. In other words, management, labor, and the government possess a shared ideology that defines their roles within the relationship and provides stability to the system. The theory assumes the use of a biological analogue saying organization are just like cells that require food and combine with own chemistry and converts into energy then it survives. Similarly cells were related to inputs which are being processed into outputs. The pluralist approach focus is on the resolution of conflict rather than its generation, or, in the words of the pluralist, on ‘the institutions of job regulation.’ Kerr is one of the important exponents of pluralism. According to him, the social environment is an important factor in industrial conflicts. The isolated masses of workers are more strike-prone as compared to dispersed groups. When industrial jobs become more pleasant and employees’ get more integrated into the wider society, strikes will become less frequent. The pluralistic ideology accepts that an enterprise contains people with a variety of different interests, aims and aspirations; it is therefore a coalition of different interests rather than the embodiment of one common goal. The problem of the government of plural society is not to unify, integrate or liquidate sectional groups and their special interests in the name of some overriding corporate existence, but ot control and balance the activities of the constituent groups so as to provide for maximum degree of freedom of association and action for sectional and group purposes consistent with the general interest of the society as conceived, with support of public opinion by those responsible for government. The pluralist acknowledge the existence of a limited level of confliction interests at workplace and views the organization as miniature of democratic state with sectional interest of divergent groups which the government tries to maintain some dynamic equilibrium, Fox(1996).The pluralist goes on to argue that employees and managers have sectional interest which are legitimately recognized . The pluralist criticize the assumption of a unified team with management or managerial authority which is based on class conflict .the management pursues the effectiveness of organization and achievement of goals .employees pursue own sectional interest and bitterness of terms and conditions of their employment,. The existence of these sectional groups with divergent interests signals potential conflict over sharing scarce resources, Salamon (2000) Furthermore, the pluralists argue that the institutions of democracy operates to resolve the differences that occur between management and labour ,this result in the existence of a common set of rules and procedures determining behavior in workplace . The behavior is then controlled to meet the major objectives of the organizational entity .the pluralist also emphasizes that the different parties have assumed equal power and influence and compete for power , this competition causes all the parties to fight for the existing resources which sometimes leads to industrial actions . In addition, the pluralist views is flexible because it allows for adaptation for complexity environment and allows for ideological tolerance, that is the values, interest, beleaves and norms, so trade unions leaders are vied as necessary because they represent the legitimate constituency in the organizations .as the result conflict is being viewed as normal because of scarcity of resources in organizations. So the pluralist viewed conflict as normal and permanent. To sum the above discussion, all these characteristics and assumptions causes many organization to adopt the theories but there is no organization who adopt one theory but they borrow concepts in relation to their situations. They most probably mix up those favorable to their ethics either from system or pluralist.

A Critical Reflection of My Own Experience of Leadership

Introduction This critical reflection is focused on my own experience of leadership whereby I suggest areas for my own development. I am also using herewith leadership theory and concepts in analysing and evaluating the leadership case that I am presenting. Leadership is a process or series of actions directed toward group goals; it is a consistently demonstrated pattern of behaviour with certain objectives (Ricketts and Ricketts, 2011). The leadership experience that this paper tackles is centred on my previous supervisor in a previous job, who I call â€Å"Mr. M.† I deem it interesting to use my experience with his leadership case as I believe this would allow me to suggest areas for my own development. The case is therefore an observation of leadership in action where I am not a leader. Critical Reflection: Analysis and Evaluation Mr. M delegates tasks as a way to manage the myriad responsibilities within the workplace. Often, meetings are called for in order to update the whole team on the work that members have accomplished. Mr. M’s listening skills were excellent, in that he never missed any single point of information being related to him. From this set of information, he was able to synthesise clearly the ideas being presented to him; regard each chunk of information as a potential contribution to what the team was trying to achieve, and identify the problems and challenges along the way. He did all this with the help of the team, in which it must also be noted that teamwork is a necessary element of leadership, which must be considered in successful leadership (Parker, 2008). A good attribute that was commendable of Mr. M was his ability to see positively a certain scenario despite our perceived griminess of it. He was a democratic leader who held the final responsibility whilst delegating authority to others. With his leadership, our communication – both upward and downward – was active. There was likewise high employee commitment because we were able to participate in the decision-making process of our team. This way, Mr. M. was able to encourage employees to function beyond just being rank-and-file workers. This concept of leadership was also present in Pride and colleagues (2010) in their discussion of leadership styles. Moreover, this scenario was harmonious with transformational leadership theory, which is focused on people’s interaction with others as they create a solid relationship that leads to trust, which in turn leads to increased intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in both the leader and the followers (Gittens, 2009; Lu ssier and Achua, 2010). Job autonomy was also encouraged much in the team and the organisation itself, with a minimum space for supervision from the supervisor himself. This way, as a member of the team, I was able to enhance my commitment to the job as I likewise felt being the one who owned the tasks and felt a sense of achievement in return. Greater job autonomy certainly created identity in the job amongst us who were tasked to fulfill them. This atmosphere of responsibility and autonomy made me and the others appreciate our jobs better. This was also parallel to what Bligh and Riggio (2013) say about autonomy and job control in which they claimed that they (autonomy and job control) lead to employee empowerment. May I say that my own engagement with my work was drawn from high levels of empowerment and autonomy, which my supervisor helped to foster, especially in leader-follower distance, with the leader not always being present to look over the followers’ shoulders (e.g. Bligh and Riggio, 2013 ). Transactional theory could be found in the case example, whereby it demonstrates a transaction between the leader and the followers, giving importance to a positive and mutually beneficial relationship (Martin et al., 2006). The effectiveness of this theory is found in the development of a mutually reinforcing environment, for which individual goals and those of the organisation are in synch. Furthermore, problem solving was not a sole task of our supervisor, but one that involved everyone in our team; thus, a group-shared activity. Mr. M acted as much to take the role of a facilitator in his intention to involve everyone in problem solving, laying down his views and opinions toward a particular direction, without dismissing others’ perspectives. The path-goal theory is seen in this example, whereby the leader directs activities, with varying manners. The theory maintains that the leader sees a path that needs to be trod and gets the group to accomplish it by commanding, rewarding, soliciting suggestions, etc. (Griffin and Moorhead, 2012). However, I came to know that he did not go through development programmes for creative problem solving, which I think is necessary, considering that for a leader, the use of collaborative skills and creativity techniques is part of the leadership strategy, just as what Higgins (2012) had suggested. In this regard, since Mr. M enabled his people to work well in delegation, he was able to function well as a coach. He was the kind who was willing to delegate and was comfortable to hand off assignments to the team. The kind of matters he delegated to those he led was not simply those referring to tasks but to responsibilities, which also harmonised with the discussion of Lussier and Achua (2010). Mr. M was not the kind of leader who would think that he was the boss with adequate knowledge and experience as an approach to problem solving. Solving problems by a leader because he thinks he is the most capable one is what Tracy (2013) called reverse delegation. Instead, Mr. M avoids committing this reverse delegation by making us define the problem clearly, developing a range of solutions, and selecting a solution being recommended. I believe Mr. M was able to grow his staff – which was one of his major responsibilities as a leader – by helping them develop problem-sol ving skills. I once asked him for a solution to a certain problem, and his responses was (as always) â€Å"What do you think must be done in this situation?† Thus, in many cases, he was able to make team members determine the best course of action for a certain problem or situation. There were times when a problem seemed too overwhelming to be handled by a member and would seek his help, to which his usual response would be to insist that the person must learn how to do it, with his guidance. Incidentally, Tracy (2013) stated that in case an employee returns to the leader with a complain that he/she could not do the job rightly, it is better for both of them if the leader guides the person in accomplishing the job rather than taking it back and adding it to his load, which is probably full. As much as he could, Mr. M does not take sides or intervene in interpersonal problems, to which some people in our team would attempt to make him a mediator or a counselor. His tendency was not to express an opinion showing favour to one party over the other. This stance was also taken as positive by Tracy (2013), who said that as a rule, one would not be able to have the full story, and once a leader takes a particular position, it might mean weakening his authority with both persons in the future. As a result of good performance, the performing employee was rewarded by the leader. Areas for My Own Development Based on the case presented, the suggested areas for my own development as a leader are: delegating responsibilities to my team members, promoting decision-making through problem solving, and motivating the workforce through a high degree of autonomy and job control. I have learned through this exercise that delegating responsibilities is not only to free or unburden the leader of the many workloads but to provide opportunities for growth. Similarly, involving the whole team toward a problem-solving activity results in providing an opportunity for decision making. Noteworthy here is the fact that decision making allows employees to become more involved in the job (Bhattacharya and McGlothlin, 2011). I am also noting that a high level of autonomy in the job necessitates corresponding skills sets for the work, in which employees with high job autonomy tend to perceive greater responsibility for either the success or failure of their efforts, and are also likely to experience increased job satisfaction (Lewis et al., 2007). My members’ skills must therefore be in synch with the level of autonomy required in their job, and that I could help them work on developing their skills through related training and coaching. Conclusion To conclude, the leader plays a crucial role in the development of members and in achieving organisational goals. This insight was demonstrated by this critical reflection through its discussion of delegation, problem solving, job autonomy, and maintaining one’s authority by not taking sides in members’ problems with interpersonal relationships. Mr. M was able to promote trust and motivation both for himself and for his team members, typical of transformational leadership theory. Transactional theory had also demonstrated a specific transaction based on a mutually beneficial relationship between the leader and the followers. This case also complemented with the path-goal theory in which the leader guides the members in treading a desired path. The case led to identification of my own areas for development. References Bhattacharya, A. and McGlothlin, J. D. (2011) Occupational Ergonomics: Theory and Applications. Second Edition. NW: CRC Press. Bligh, M. C. and Riggio, R. E. (2013) Exploring Distance in Leader-Follower Relationships: When Near is Far and Far is Near. NY: Routledge. Gittens, B. E. (2008) Perceptions of the Applicability of Transformational Leadership Behavior to the Leader Role of Academic Department Chairs: A Study of Selected Universities in Virginia. Parkway: ProQuest LLC. Griffin, R. W. and Moorhead, G. (2012) Organizational Behavior. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage-Learning. Higgins, J. M. (2012) The role of HR in fostering innovation in organizations. In G. M. Benscoter (Ed.) The Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management: Thematic Essays (pp. 226-238). NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Lewis, P., Goodman, S., Fandt, P., and Michlitsch, J. (2007) Management: Challenges for Tomorrow’s Leaders. Mason, OH: Thomson Higher Education. Lussier, R. and Achua, C. (2010) Leadership: Theory, Application, and Skill Development. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Martin, B., Cashel, C., Wagstaff, M., and Breunig, M. (2006) Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice. IL: Human Kinetics. Parker, G. M. (2008) Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration. NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Pride, W., Hughes, R., and Kapoor, J. (2010) Business. Tenth Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Ricketts, C. and Ricketts, J. (2011) Leadership: Personal Development Career Success. Third Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Tracy, B. (2013) Delegation and Supervision. NY: AMACOM.

It’s easy to become a football hooligan!

With reference to football hooliganism in Britain and the latest theories and research, state your views to agree or disagree with the statement? Who are hooligans and why do they do it? Discuss the latest theories. Football hooligans are noisy, violent people who want to make trouble. Evidence suggests that most of these hooligans are in their late teens or early 20's. And also that they come from mainly working class backgrounds. It is also suggested that generally hooligans are from low-income occupations- some are unemployed or are working in a poor economy. Hooliganism is actually non-violent. Hooliganism involves verbally abusing rival fans, threatening them with attack and most of the time they aim to have a laugh. Although seem of them do seem more interested in fighting rival groups who are, like themselves, looking for trouble. What is the motivation of the hooligans? There are many theories for this. The main reason is said to be the risk and excitement involved in hooliganism drives people (esp. them who are in their late teens or early 20's). For example, the British sociologist Paul Willis (sociologist analytical theory) talks about the tension involved in the fight situations and the risk in these attractive situations is what makes them do it. The sociological approach also states that male hooligans are formed because young men are expected to be able to look after themselves. Fights can be prepared for and enjoyed, not only because of the risk in it but also because of how these fights make the hooligans feel cool and masculine (i.e. manly). Young men like these defend their own, their gang's, and their town's reputation against similar rivals who are aimed at playing against their hosts. Most of this engagement is about insulting and verbally abusing opposing fans, but core hooligans also enjoy a f ight when they can get one. Not only this, but the rewards involved in such activities like the loyalty and the entertainment you get from hooligan involvement is very valuable for these young men whose opportunities for status and excitement from other ways are very limited. Heavy drinking, for example, is often considered having a good day out. Hence hooligans do this to get status and loyalty in the society also. The sociological approach also states that hooligans behave in this manner to act cool and to show-off (i.e. get attention). For example hooligans come wearing very fashionable casuals and try to compete with their hooligan rivals on the means of stylish and expensive clothing. The socialist approach also tells us to read the act of hooliganism as a form of resistance to the intrusion of more middle class sensibilities1 into sport and local cultures. The anthropology approach is more bent towards the theory that hooliganism is performed because of its attractions as social drama and the opportunity it provides for a sense of belonging, for competition and risk, achieving honor and throwing shame on rivals. Another approach/theory is the social-psycological one, which is based more on the meaning of the activity itself than on the social background of those involved. They see hooliganism as an example of the search for a peak experience, which is an intense, emotional experience not usually, encountered in everyday life. Peak experiences allow for an open expression of collective emotionality: an outpouring of joy or sadness, and a strengthening of a common social identity via suporting a team. Hooligans, like other fans, seek peak experiences through their involvement in football. These were the three theories for why do hooligans do what they do. All of these theories are convincing though we still do not have all the data required to agree or disagree with the statement. Do only the English Produce Hooligans? No. There have been many cases of hooligan violence in other countries- even the more serious ones. Some examples would be: * In December 2000 a match between Strasbourg and Metz in the French First Division was abandoned because an assistant referee was injured by a firecracker. * In Italy, hooligan groups known as ‘ultra's' clashed with rival firms and the police. * In Greece, AEK Athens were banned from playing in their own stadium for four matches after their fans threw missiles and invaded the pitch during a Greek Cup tie with Olympiakos. * Perhaps the most serious football-crowd disorder takes place in Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and South America where serious crowd rioting is much more common place than in the U.K. So it is not only UK who suffers from these troublemakers. Most of the world does. Is their hooliganism in other sports? Yes. Certainly there is. Hooliganism at sports like boxing, rugby league and cricket provoke very regular panics about the behavior of spectators. There have been disturbances even at horseracing competitions. But the difference is that hooliganism at football gets lots of newspaper coverage while the others don't. And nor are these problems as routinised as they seem to be at football. I have seen hooliganism in Cricket myself in a match between England and India in India where some people started throwing water bottles (known as water missiles) and other stuff on the English cricket players. As we have read from the theories, the main of hooligan-like behavior is to get loyalties, be honored, and be involved in risk. Though the difference was that since it was an International match in India- there was no hooligan in the rivalry. Hooliganism is not tied to a sport as I said. Hooligans disturb matches because of the many reasons I have explained from the three different theories. Why is hooliganism linked to football? Well, I think that hooliganism is related to football simply because of the explanation given by the social theory and the others. The socail-pyschological theory tells us that these football fans have a passion for football. Hooliganism is a way to search for a peak experience, which is an intense, emotional experience not usually encountered in everyday life. Peak experiences allow for an open expression of collective emotionality: an outpouring of joy or sadness, and a strengthening of a common social identity via suporting a team. And since football is the world's most popular and one of the most intense sports it has got more advertisement in that manner. Hooliganism in football would hence be the easiest and best way to get loyalties, raise your status, have a peak experience and have risks. This is what I believe. Does drink have a part? Yes, but not all the time. In the English society, drinking heavily is considered being manly. Males of all social classes are often encouraged to celebrate special occasions with their male friends by drinking to excess. Football trips abroad seem regularly to involve male fans drinking heavily together in situations where drink is cheap and easily available. On occasions like this, situations can get out of control because Englishmen placed in an unfamiliar, and perhaps threatening culture have had too much to drink. This may increase the chances of serious hooliganism. However, it cannot be said that drink is the cause of hooliganism- yes, it can make it worse. Are political groups involved? There is no real evidence that such organizations are actively and effectively controlling hooliganism in England or anywhere else. Though yes, there are rumors, which cannot be, carried true until and unless evidence is provided. What is the role of the media? It is true that newspapers report on football using the language which seems to derive more from the world of war than it does from sport. Maybe this helps to heighten rivalries between opposing fan groups. And my sources also inform me that so do the predictions newspapers sometimes used to make that trouble is likely to occur between rival fans. Media coverage of hooligan activities worked at promoting if not causing hooliganism. The main reason for this which comes to my mind is that since the hooligans are doing this to get honored and be involved in risk (using the theories) media coverage will amplify and multiply the effects and its significance. After answering these questions I can discuss a lot on whether I agree or disagree with the statement that â€Å"It's easy to become a football hooligan!† Well, it is not easy to become a football hooligan- (from the theories we have) the situations and mental conditions of a person have to be very in a particular way to be a hooligan. In the below paragraphs (and some of the paragraphs I have already written) you will get to know from me that I do agree with the statement and I don't also. It is easy to become a football hooligan only if the situations are perfect i.e. you are mentally down, you want to be entertained- to be noticed, to be involved in risk, you want loyalties, you want to act cool or you deeply love your football club (which is the least chance for a person to become a hooligan). Also it depends upon which nationality or culture you are from. For example the Indian culture doesn't encourage us to drink (which may make situations worse) nor does it encourage us to get involved into fights of some kind. Generally it is very rare for Asians (i.e. Eastern hemisphere) to get involved in these hooligan fights. Not only this, but it depends upon the stable mentality of the person- if you are not mentally stable and are looking for attention- hooligan behavior might be the answer for your prayers. Also it matters what your status is in the society. If you are at a high post- fights and verbal abuses including so much life risk would not be the thing you would want to do- this may hurt your reputation. It is generally found that youths (late teens and early twenties) are the ones involved in such activity. This is because of the mental imbalances going on in their mind and how they react to what they see in the society. If you live in an environment where there is some existence of shame and security, a person would not get involved in such activities, (which is again found widely in the Eastern Hemisphere). If you looked at what the sociological theory is closely: The rewards involved in such activities like the loyalty and the entertainment you get from hooligan involvement is very valuable for these young men whose opportunities for status and excitement from other ways are very limited. Now, if you get opportunities and excitement and the involvement in risk (if required) from other ways (excelling in studies, participating in state or club teams and gaining reputation etc.) these activities will not at all be necessary to do. There is some affect of how you are brought up and what environment you live in. Peer pressure comes into play. And so do so many other factors. What I mean to say is that it depends upon how you are suppressed under the factors i.e. are all the factors positive to say that your requirements are of one to become a hooligan. It is very hard to answer this question that why some young men, rather than others, might find this sort of activity attractive and rewarding. Nor is it clear why, at particular times and in particular kinds of societies or in particular places, hooliganism of this kind should become so attractive. What my opinion is that things should match with those in the theories to give us some sense of realization that this person might be a hooligan because of these reasons. It is not easy to become a hooligan but it is not hard also.

Compare and contrast concessionary bargaining and two-tire wage Essay

Compare and contrast concessionary bargaining and two-tire wage systems - Essay Example And supermarkets will contribute only 35% for the pensions of new workers, down from their previous contribution of 100%. The United Auto Workers also accepted a two-tier structure in a supplemental agreement with the two major parts suppliers, Delphi and Visteon, that employ 52,000 workers. While workers at the "Big Three" auto plants average around $24 an hour, the new hires at the parts plants will start at $14 an hour and can eventually rise to $18.50. In the public sector, the 121,000 members of District Council 37, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), have approved a contract that allows its members to gain wage increases that will be paid for by reducing the pay, sick days and vacation benefits of newly-hired employees. A two-tier system violates the basic union principle of "equal pay for equal work." How should a newly-hired worker feel if he is doing the same work as another worker and getting only two thirds of his pay It turns the new hires into second-class citizens within the union, breeding dissatisfaction and division. It makes it more difficult to foster unity and solidarity. Moreover, employers, in addition to drastically cutting their labor costs, can use their hiring policies to weaken the union. As union power wanes, companies are finding it easier to plead global competition and request stringent concessions that workers are unable to accept. Such "concessionary bargaining" happens during recessions or industry-specific downturns when some companies face the prospect of filing for protection under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. What's unusual now is how many cases involve companies that are in good shape but cite increased global competition as the reason for the demands. "A lot of companies now are doing it just because they believe they can; it's opportunistic," says Ron Blackwell, chief economist for the AFL-CIO. WORKS CITED: Harry, Kelber. "Unions Accepting a Two-Tier Pay System Are Giving a Major Concession to Bosses". June 9, 2004 Online article

Potential impact of biotechnology on modern society Essay

Potential impact of biotechnology on modern society - Essay Example yeast cells have been genetically manipulated to produce vaccine against hepatitis B virus. myeloma cells and b-cells of immunized mice were hybridized to produce hybrid cells that consisted the characteristics of both the cells which were cell division and antibody production. following are the areas where biotechnology has done best.The maximum benefits to biotechnology have been utilized by health care. Biotechnology derived proteins and polypeptides from the new class of potential drugs. for ex insulin was primarily extracted from slaughter animals. since 1982 human insulin have been produced by micro organism in fermenters.some of the important products that have been produced are interferon for cancer and viral infection, human urokinase for plasminogen activator used in vascular disorder, insulin for treatment of diabetes, human factor for clotting for hemophilia, lymph lines for auto immune functioning, serum albumin in surgery, attenuated pseudo rabies virus antigen for vacc ine against rabies, tissue plasminogen activator in treatment of heart attack. Currently there are about 35 biotechnology derived therapeutics and vaccines approved by the USFDA alone for medical use, and more than 500 drugs and vaccines to reach in market . Agriculture:-biotechnology is making new ground in the food agriculture area. current public debate about BSTC, bovine somatotropin (a hormone administered to cows to increase the milk production).is an example of biotechnology product testing public acceptance. Food biotechnology valuable and viable alternatives to food problems, and a solution to nutritionally influenced disease such as diabetes, hypertension , cancer, heart diseases, arthritis etc.a transgenic golden rice have been produced by introducing three genes for the production of vitamin A in Taipei rice. A transgenic cotton named 'Inguard' was released in Australia which contain bt genes which provided resistance against insects. molecular farming is a new concept were therapeutic drugs are produced in farm animals for example therapeutics proteins secreted in goat milk. there are about dozen of countries that produce lactoferrin., tPA, hemoglobin, melanin, and interleukins in cows, goat and pigs. however it is not surprising that vegetables producing vaccines insulin interferon's and growth hormones would be available in market in 21st century, beside, human clones and several other miracles. Human genome project (HGP):- The major landmark in human history is the human genome sequence. the HGP is an international research development. almost the whole human genome has been sequenced and chromosome map has been developed in various labs World wide. objectives of human genome project are to :-construct the detail genetic and physical map of human genome, 1. determine the complete nucleotide sequence of human DNA, 2. store information in database, 3. locate the estimated 50,000-100,000 genes within the human genome 4. address the ethical, social, legal issues (ELSI )that may arise from the project, 5.perform similar analysis on the genomes of several other organisms. Environment:-the natural biodegrability of pollutants present in environment has increased with the use of biotechnology. the bioremediation

Operations Management - Discussion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operations Management - Discussion Paper - Essay Example The question of survival of the fittest has made the business organizations to increasingly take resort to the above strategy (Lawler and Worley, 2006, p.154-155). The paper endeavors to further divulge on the issue of gaining a new workforce at the cost of the existing people in a much detailed fashion. Maintenance of Stable Workforce within Organizations in Respect of Changing Markets The fact of changing market conditions impose challenges over the business organizations in regards to maintaining a stable workforce. It is found that to overcome the stress of external changes in the technological and competitive business sphere business organizations have shifted their endeavor to work for the development of the existing people to recruiting readymade skillful and productive workers from outside. Though it is held that retiring workers increases the turnover cost of the concerns yet it helps the concerns to strategize the development process of staffs to meet market demands. In ord er to compete with the technological and business development of its competitors the business concerns need to take in effective manpower that can be trained quite faster to help the organization counter market challenges. The policy of taking in new recruits and retiring the existing people in regards to market changes and opportunities is referred to as ‘travel light’ and was employed by Kodak when film technology shifted from chemical to digital. Chemical engineers were replaced by digital photography engineers (Lawler and Worley, 2006, p.154-156). Workforce Stability in Organizations based on Financial Position of the Concern It is observed that taking resort to the above discussed ‘travel light’ human resources policy endangers the business organization in regards to increasing the cost of human resources of the concern. The organization needs to both render immediate financial benefits to the retiring employees and also to invest quite enough to recru it and train the new workforce. Further the new workers need to be properly streamlined into the business process which requires enough time leading loss of productivity and thereby rise in business costs. Administrative costs also get highly tuned to such both in relation to rendering advertisements for recruiting and also in terms of generation of insurance, uniform and other costs for the new individuals. Again the new employees on failing to use the machineries in the right manner lead to increase in the cost of erosion of such. The time required for the new employees to be trained properly requires existing employees to perform the overtime work for which they are required to be rightly paid. This increases the cost of operations for the firm (Indicator Protocols Set: EC, 2006, p.7). Organizational Productivity in terms of Skills and Competition and Workforce Stability Organizations round the world in order to better compete with their competitors are found to take resort of ne wer and productive workforce based on new skill sets. However such practice of the business conc

Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Hinduism - Essay Example As for me, it is more than that, it should be a way of life for everyone including me and incorporated in every aspect in my life too. I believe in Hinduism as my spiritual healer and my way of living life. I belong to a Hindu family, and I am a follower of Lord Hanuman and Lord Krishna. I am not a Hindu just because my ancestral religion is Hinduism, but I have developed strong faith in its teachings and values. My family had always stressed on the importance of understanding the religious values and beliefs by reading the scriptures in order to get an in-depth and accurate knowledge. They have been the guiding force behind my perfect faith in Hinduism ideology. After a lot of research and thorough understanding, now my psychological roots are deeply attached to Hindu philosophy I chose not only to abide by the values which Hinduism incorporates but also would want to share the knowledge I have gained with as many people as possible. This paper is an attempt to provide all the important information on the birth and evolution of Hinduism and its salient features. Hinduism could be broadly described as a religion, culture and way of life. There is no specific timeline information about the origin of Hindu traditions. It can be said that it is a cumulative collection of communities, faith, beliefs and practices that have come together over the centuries. Its ancient roots are seen in the cultures of the Indus Valley, Saraswati River civilization and Indo-European people. Local traditions of these civilizations have entered Hinduism through the process of â€Å"Sanskritization,† whereby a regional deity becomes identified with pan-Indian gods and Brahmanization, the adoption of high-caste rituals by many communities (Narayanan). The stages of early Hindu history are marked not by remarkable personalities but by the composition of philosophically sophisticated and entertaining texts that were transmitted orally and through the generations primarily

Restaurant Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restaurant Management - Research Paper Example evelopingstandard test methods and conducting scientific testing on the energy performanceof both gas and electric commercial kitchen equipment and appliances, expanding the market for energy efficient commercial kitchen technology, and working with partners in encouraging innovative and sustainable ideas, products, services and operations which would reduce harmful effects on health and environment. Food service has been in constant dynamic growth over the years. As a food service increases, the need for technology to enhance the processes of receiving goods and supplies, storage, preparation and service, rises as well. Because of this, the sales of kitchen equipment and appliances that promote efficiency in food service kitchens are in continuous growth over the years. The utilization of these food service equipment and appliances placed food service industry to a high position in the pyramid of energy consumption by industry. Energy production, especially the burning of fossil fuels, is among the topmost enhancers of environmental deterioration. In this case, reinventing food service technology, in such a way that energy consumption is in minimum without compromising the quality and performance sounds promising. The continuous growth and expansion of the food service industry should not compromise the health and condition of people and environment, hence innovations that woul d address these concerns is of crucial and vital importance. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the term sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. In the same light, sustainable restaurants are food service providers that manage the social and environmental impact of their operations. These industries are promoting measures which address environmental and social issues such as climate change, animal welfare and food waste. Sustainable

The financial ratios of Rolls Royce and its major competitors Essay

The financial ratios of Rolls Royce and its major competitors - Essay Example According to the research findings every business, no matter small or large, constantly evaluates its company’s performance by comparing it with competitors, industry and its own past performance. In order to do so, businesses not only look at the figures of sales, profit and costs but also prepare other criterion for measuring performance which helps in reading between the lines of financial statements. The most widely known and reliable approach of evaluating a firm’s performance is by calculating and comparing its financial ratios. The basic reason for doing so is because this information is understandable for every person who has some level of knowledge of financial concepts. By comparing the ratios with the competitor of the firm or with its past performance, a clear idea can be obtained. For this purpose, the company which has been chosen is Roll Royce. It is a diversified company having its operations in the field of aerospace, nuclear market, civil defense and m arine and energy. It was founded in 1971 and has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Activity Ratio also called as Liquidity Ratio helps a firm in determining the ability of a firm to meet its current liabilities. Activity Ratio is that investment or cash which is used to pay off the short term debts as well as expenses. Current Ratio is determines whether the firm has enough liquidity to pay off its expenses and short term debt. Theoretically, if current ratio is around 2.00 then it is considered as the most preferable. This ratio possesses huge consideration because if this ratio is declining it means that the cash position of the company is getting eroded. For that reason, the quickest way which can increase cash is increasing the amount of sales. Quick Ratio This ratio is also known as Acid Test Ratio. This ratio determines that if inventories are excluded, then is the firm able to pay off its short term expenses? Quick ratio is usually preferable if it is 1 or near to 1 . If this number is decreasing, then it means that enough sales are not being generated to pay off the short term debt or day to day expenses. In order to improve such situation, intervention regarding Quick Cash Management is required. Net Working Capital to Sales This ratio determines the company’s performance in relation to its sales, after meeting the short term obligations or liabilities, Efficiency Ratio Efficiency ratio determines the efficiency of a business or in other words, how well the business operations are conducted. These ratios determine how well and quickly the company collects its accounts receivables, how quickly the inventory moves and how much sales are generated by the company’s assets. Efficiency ratios include: Inventory Turnover Receivable Turnover Payable Turnover Days Inventory in hand Debtors Collection Period Creditors Payment Period Inventory Turnover Inventory turnover ratio determines the total turnovers of inventory. This ratio determi nes the efficiency of inventory management. If inventory turnover ratio is higher, then it means that firm is really efficient in rolling over its inventory. However, in some cases high inventory turnover ratio also means that firm doesn’t have enough inventories on its hand and therefore losing its sales.

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example However, homosexual adults who have come to terms with their homosexuality, who do not regret their sexual orientation, and who can function effectively sexually and socially, are no more distressed psychologically that are heterosexual men and women (Duberman, et al., 1989). Being identified to be gay doesn't compose this person to be an alien because each and every one is a person within his or her own exclusive way. There is no trouble with gay people getting married since in the United States everybody is equal. Why then, is there a concern with gay citizens getting married, when a man along with a woman may get married with no difficulty. Gay couples will keep on living and giving out their lives together even though they don't get married. But if they do not get the opportunity to get married, there will still be gay partners. Gay marriages must be permitted everywhere for the natural facts that the gay society is growing day by day and gay people are individuals just like anybody else. Be it a gay partner or a straight pair, two people in love with each other should be together regardless of what anyone believes. There is no difference involving the love of two gay individuals and the affection of two heterosexuals. Gay marriage has become a controversial subject matter for some time now. There are more and more people that oppose to it, than there are supportive of it. The most important issue in this work is that gay marriage should have the same treatment under the law. It shows that the administration is concentrating more on the happiness of a particular person fairly than on whether or not this person is being treated equally. Who can tell, maybe the gay society have their personal religion which permits them to be wed. We could make God pleased if we loved the citizens who possess different manners of thinking. In God's eyes each and every one are all brothers and sisters, so why not make Him a proud God I just want all the people to recognize that there is nothing erroneous with two people who desire to be happy. Well, not each person trusts in the Bible or God, so why is the administration even declaring this The Free Exercise Clause states that the government is outlawed from meddling with the free exercise of religion inside the United States. Nowadays it seems as though the administration is promoting Christianity by stating that the Bible declares that God says that marriage was intended for one man together with one woman. If the government would try to please everyone within this nation, it may be a total catastrophe. I suppose that there has been way over concentration on gay marriages, and too l ittle on equal handling (Fisher, R. D., 1994). Gay marriages contradict the self-apparent truth of nature where male and female bodies are calculated for and match each other. Homosexual marriage may undervalue your marriage. An authorization to marry seems to be a lawful document, by which government may consider same sex marriage as if it were the same as the real thing, is a license which speaks for the administration and will tell the society that government states the marriages are equal. Any time a less important thing is made equal towards a greater where the greater is undervalued. If we were to ban same sex marriage we might be taking an enormous step backwards with regards to human rights.

Complete standartisation of offerings and marketing interactions in Essay

Complete standartisation of offerings and marketing interactions in International Marketing strategy is always the main goal to - Essay Example The economic reforms adopted by the governments in different economies across the world led to the inflow of investments by the companies in the foreign countries which opened up the global markets for the companies of different sizes across the world. The transformation in the business environment led to the modification in the international strategies adopted by the companies. Thus the marketing environment and the culture of the companies underwent rapid changes over the period of time. The developments in the market environment and the strategies adopted by the organizations have come up in order to respond to the changes in the consumer behaviour and demands of the customers in the economy. The advancement in communication technologies and other online applications as a result of strategic implementations in the global markets have changed the outlook of the customers of the companies. The customers have become more aware of the information on the products and the services offer ed in the global arena. The level of awareness of the customers has increased and they have started to weigh the different options for the products and services offered by the companies in the international markets. The customers have learnt to define their needs in a far better manner and seek solution to satisfy their wants on a consistent basis (Andrus, 1990, p.430). Apart from this, there have an increase in the competition among the business houses for offering the products and services in the market. In order to gain competitive advantage, the companies started to focus on their strategies to avoid duplication of information on the products and services offered by the company. This led to the standardization of the offerings and marketing interactions as an important trend in the international marketing strategies of the companies. International Marketing strategy The standardization of product offerings and marketing interactions is extremely important for the multinational c ompanies in order to increase the acceptability of the business in the eyes of their customers. As the approach of standardization helps the companies to achieve success in the business operations, the multinational companies include this approach in the international marketing strategies designed by the multinational organizations. The companies that have wide spread operations in various markets across international boundaries considers the changing trends of consumer behaviour in order to design international marketing strategies that are important for achieving successful and sustainable business operations. The experience and learning gathered by the companies in the local markets are applied to the several foreign markets where the company has expanded its operations. The companies ensure that there is no duplication of the information available to the customer on the product and service offerings of the company in different international markets. The international marketing s trategy also takes into account the activities of promotion and marketing interaction done by the executive in several foreign markets. The sequence of penetration and expansion of the business in the foreign markets are important part of the international marketing strategy (Cavusgil, 1994, p.20). The multinational companies that operate in the different foreign market are faced with situations of varying market demands and consumer behaviour

Case Study Mcdonalds Essay Example for Free

Case Study Mcdonalds Essay It operates over 35000 restaurants in more than 100 countries on six continents. 5 It has an unparalleled global infrastructure and competencies in restaurant operations, real estate, retailing, marketing and franchising. McDonald’s website says that it is a leader in the area of social responsibility and is committed to protecting the environment for future generations. 7 Strong and wide communication channel in the market. (deng, 2009) 8 Play areas for children. 9 Large target markets. 10 Recession resistant (Birchall, 2008) 11 In September 2003 successful backing up of new products was launched with MTV’s advertising campaign featuring the new tag line, â€Å"I’m Lovin’it†. (Jennifer, 2004) WEAKNESSES 1 McDonald’s has not achieved its growth expectations in past several years. Narrow Product lines. (deng, 2009) 3 McDonald’s brand association as a junk food. (deng, 2009) 4 Few option for healthy eating 5 High employee turnover rates. (macy, 2012) 6 McDonald’s also have some bad effects on environment. (ltd. , 2006) 7 McDonald’s also faces many types of legal actions on many issues. OPPORTUNITIES 1 Product packing for McDonalds now features QR codes for customers to get nutritional information. Mcnamara, 2013) 2 Opportunity to enlarge market, the consumers who care about health issue. (deng, 2009) 3 Slightly changing market brand image of McDonalds. (deng, 2009) 4 In 2009, McDonald’s launched its hefty Angus burger in all U. S. A locations. 5 Introduction of trans-fat-free French fries in all restaurants in the U. S. A and Canada. 6 Introduction of McCafe. 7 Testing marketing fruits and vegetables as happy meal at some outlets. 8 McDonald’s franchises overseas became a favorite target of people and groups expressing antiglobalization sentiments. Entry into new and highly popular product categories. THREATS 1 Public attack about obesity issue. (deng, 2009) 2 Changing taste of consumers. (deng, 2009) 3 Unable to keep patrons as special order sandwiches offered by rivals Burger King and Wendy’s. 4 Promotional plans like McDonalds game found conspiracy with 51 people charged in a part of scam winning $24 million by stealing winning McDonald’s tickets. 5 McDonalds showed a delayed effect than other restaurants operators in switching over to zero trans-fat cooking oil. In 2001 McDonald’s was sued for hurting religious sentiments by vegetarian groups for not revealing its flavors in French fries as it added beef extract to vegetable oil and showing it as veg in menu. 7 Consum ers began filing law suits that eating at McDonald’s had made them over weight. 8 Competition from burger kings and Wendy’s. (Thomadsen, 2007) MARKET SEGMENTATION TARGET MARKET| BABY BOOMERS| GENERATION X| GENERATION Y| GENERATION Z| DEMOGRAPHICS| 45-65+| 35-44| 19-34| 0-18| GEOGRAPHICS| URBAN| URBAN| URBAN| URBAN| PSYCOGRAPHICS| More concerned with low cholesterol food| More concerned with low fat food| More concerned with physical fitness food products| Generally eats taste oriented food products| BEHAVIOURAL| Mostly concerned with good quality of food products| Requires access with quick and fresh food service| Generally catch-up food by themselves by reaching out| Check out with friends and family| ISSUE ANALYSIS In 2004,Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film Super-Size Me gave very criticism to McDonald’s fast â€Å"nutrition†, in which he shows how he gains fat and destroy his health by eating McDonald’s. 2 In 1998 McDonald’s started â€Å"Made for you† System but it was not successful. There was a decrease in growth of sales in stores. 3 In 1999 before the implementation of â€Å"made for you â€Å"scheme ,McDonald’s planned to provide about 190 million in financial assistance to its franchisees ,but the actual cost of implementing the system ran much higher than the corporation had estimated. In 2001, 51 people were charged conspiring to rig McDonald’s game promotions over the course of several years, revealing that $24 million of winning McDonald’s game tickets had been stolen as a part of scam. 5 In 2004, McDonald’s was sued for extracting a small amount beef added in to the vegetable oil used for cooking French fries. 6 Many people still complain that the food served by McDonald’s is not hot to eat. RECOMMENDATIONS PRODUCT :- 1 McDonald’s should provide hot food to eat because many customers complaint that their food is not so hot to eat otherwise it will affect sales. McDonalds should bring some new healthier products for all ages because bad effect on health is one of the weaknesses of McDonald’s and bringing some healthier food will help to overcome this image. 3 McDonald’s should provide some free snacks because it will help it compete with its competitors and increase sales. 4 McDonalds should make their products in fat free oil because it will have good effect on health. 5 McDonald’s should also provide some regional food because in this way some rural people will also start accepting its products. Launching of new fried and bone in treats in Chicago. PRICE:- 1 The price of products should be affordable because if they will not be affordable to small income group then its sale will be affected and it will also give the opportunity to competitors to increase their sales. 2 The prices of products should be regularly checked so as to compete with competition because people will buy those products which they can get in low price. PLACE:- 1 McDonald’s should open new franchises in small cities also . It will help them to expand its business and increase growth. McDonald’s should increase the number of its franchises in all countries in order to expand its business. PROMOTION:- 1 McDonald’s should provide some discount on more products purchased because in this way people will buy more. Because some people will start purchasing more items if they can get discount. 2 McDonald’s should provide home delivery service because sometimes some people can’t go to store in order to pu rchase them. It will increase sales. 3 McDonald’s should provide online sale because in this way people can place their orders online. McDonald’s is working on new salads and wraps . (wong, 2013) 5 McDonald, s will test the new fried and bone in treats in Chicago. (wong, 2013) 6 Success of mighty wings in Atlanta. (wong, 2013) BEST RECOMMENDATIONS PRODUCT:- McDonald’s should provide some healthier food for all ages because health obesity is the major problem with McDonald’s . In this way they can get good image regarding health. PRICE:- Prices of products should be regularly checked in order to compete with competition because people will cheapest product. PLACE:- McDonald’s should open new small franchises at small cities also because it will help him to expand its business and increase growth rates. PROMOTION:- McDonald’s should provide home delivery service because sometimes people can’t go to store in order to purchase product. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography Birchall, J. (2008). McDonalds claims fast food sales fighting off slowdown. Financial times. deng, t. (2009, may). McDonalds new strategy on changing attitudes and communication. International journal of marketing studies, 37-42. Jennifer, R. (2004). online branding :the case of McDonalds. ritish food journal. ltd. , n. m. (2006). ICCR sponsered proxy resolutions on genetically modified organisms gain recognition among shareholders at wendys McDonalds . financial wire. macy, a. (2012). financing a remodel:a case of McDonalds Franchisee. journal of case research in business and economics. Mcnamara, B. (2013). McDonalds give the people what they want. Nutrition business journal. Thomadsen, r. (2007). product positiong and competion:the role of location in the fast food industry. Marketing science. wong, V. (2013). will McDonalds mighty wings fly? Business weak.

East West Culture Differences Cultural Studies Essay

East West Culture Differences Cultural Studies Essay In todays global business environment, with the increase in international business and in foreign investment, more and more of us are required to understand people coming from countries and cultures different from our own, so the impact of difference between Oriental and Occidental cultures on international trade becomes increasingly exposed. Therefore, this article makes multidimensional analyses of these matters arising out of cultural differences in transnational commerce. International trade is the exchange of goods and services among different countries. Owing to various socio-cultures, enormous differences exist in commercial culture of nations. The East and the West are the two mainstream cultures in the world; meanwhile, the gaps of them are obvious, appearing in values, conventions, languages, consumption patterns, social organizations and structures, etc. This paper aims at discussing the cultural differences that are faced in todays commercial transaction in the world and evolving appropriate measures to deal with those.    Key words: East-West cultural differences; international trade; international communication 1. Introduction This section is an introduction, which gives a general account of the importance of cross-cultural communication, purpose of this thesis, and the significance of the thesis. 1.1 The importance of being aware of the East-West cultural differences In our world of expanding technology and shrinking geography, people of different cultures have increasing frequency of contact and need for effective communication on a daily basis. Speaking a different language is an obvious obstacle to intercultural communication, but a greater and more difficult hurdle is to speak a different culture. Even though we may learn the words, the grammar, and the recognizable pronunciation of a language, we may still not know how to navigate around the greater obstacles to communication that are presented by cultural difference. The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole. Due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other. There are so many differences in culture between the East and West. However, there is a trend that the culture in both countries has been mixture. There are problems may be caused by our failure to recognize cultural differences. Nowadays the world is becoming much more mobile than ever before. With the powerful modern transportation tools like airplane, people can travel to other counties just in a few hours. Under this circumstance, it is not uncommon to find some problems caused by the ignorance of cultural differences. Apart from different languages (and you will benefit greatly if you can learn to understand, speak or write some of them), each country has its own social systems and laws and ways of implementing them to resolve problems and disputes during international businesses. In addition, the diversity is reflected in management philosophy, operating procedure, marketing methods of merchants and the specific trading activities. In conclusion, to be successful and skillful as an international trader it is important to recognize and accept that there are differences between the East and the West. 1.2 Purpose of the study Entitled On the East-West Cultural Differences and the Influence on the International Trade, this thesis endeavors to probe into the nature and practical method to give a description of various kinds of cultural differences, their impact upon international commerce, and how to deal with the difficulties appearing in the business communication. Eastern people often feel confident that they know quite a bit about western culture. In fact, they may have seen many western films, may eat at KFC regularly, may know more about the National Basketball Association or about current popular music than many Americans, may speak quite fluent English, but that does not necessarily mean that they know western culture the way a Westerner knows it. It doesnt mean they know the cultural grammar or can swim in those cultural waters. It doesnt mean they can avoid miscommunication or even conflict during communicating. Just as Wolfson points out, In interacting with foreigners, native speakers tend to be rather tolerant of errors in pronunciation or syntax. In contrast, violations of rules of speaking are often interpreted as bad manners, since the native speaker is unlikely to be aware of sociolinguistic relating. (Wolfson,1983: 62). The thesis attempts to make out a system and makes comprehensive study of the pervasive culture by means of definitions, classifications to improve the culture awareness. From some researchers perspective, culture is like an iceberg in the ocean, what we see and feel such as artifacts, clothing, was the surface part of iceberg, this part is easily to be recognized, while the hidden part of iceberg such as values and beliefs which are not immediately observable and felt, rather, hidden behind the daily verbal and nonverbal communication, and directs and regulates peoples speech and behavior. The assumption of the identification of this category is that different areas in the world are characterized by different values and features. 1.3 Significance of the study Knowledge about cultures, both general and specific, provides insight into the learned behaviors of a group. It helps the learner to gain awareness of what makes a people unique. The factors are its customs and traditions, values and beliefs, attitudes and concepts, hierarchies and roles, time and space relations, and verbal and non-verbal communication processes. Information gained in cross-culture studies will enable businessmen to become more cosmopolitan, to cope more effectively abroad, to reduce stress and resolve conflict more readily in the international area. Now with the Open Policy, many enterprises are involved in international trade. Those engaged in the import-export trade, depending on their understanding and skills in cross-cultural relations, can either advance or hamper their sales and exchanges. Transcultural studies benefit businessmen as follows: Foster interaction, good will and customer relations, as well as business and profits. In a competitive society, the global businessman should function like an intercultural researcher seeking various ways to establish good relationship with his partners whose behaviors are strongly affected by cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. But the cultural factors exert the broadest and deepest influence on them. Offer better understanding of both domestic and international markets. To be successful in international business, a good market research project requires as much careful planning as a well-designed product. Market research must allow for cultural differences in a foreign market. For example, orange juice is not a breakfast drink in France; Middle Easterners prefer spicy toothpaste; the Japanese like rice and tuna for breakfast. These cultural differences will help one make a successful marketing decision. Provide insight relative to organizational culture and personal behavior. Intercultural study offers us better understanding of the culture in which one is going to work. For example, one aspect of American culture is that people must work hard to accomplish their objectives. We can see this in the corporate culture of Microsoft, while Chinese tend to work together and accomplish a project step by step with explicit hierarchical relationship. Help one to gain a better sense of self and cultural heritage for more effective intercultural interactions. In order to create cultural synergistic solutions to problems lying in international business, a global businessman must know his culture and business practice to deal with different partners with different cultures. In a word, cross-cultural study offers better international relationships, which are bound to be enhanced when management, sales, and technical personnel can deal with cultural differences within the world market place. 2. The difference between east culture and west culture Success on international business journey depends significantly on understanding culture and appreciating how profoundly values, attitudes and behaviors are shaped by it. Unfortunately, culture is a complex phenomenon, The understanding of which is aided neither by the diffuse use of the term in everyday conversation nor by the wealth of definitions in current use. At the very outset, we face the challenge of developing an understanding of culture that both captures its essence and will serve as a practical guide to the broad spectrum of cultural diversity. 2.1 A brief introduction to culture The word culture often brings up more problems than it involves. So far, culture has been defined in many ways by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. Culture, according to Robert Kohls, the former Director  of Training and Development for the United States  Information Agency, is an integrated system of learned  behavior patterns that are characteristic of the members  of any given society, the total way of life of particular  groups of people. It includes everything that a group of  people thinks, says, does, and makes-its customs,  language, material artifacts and shared systems of  attitudes and feelings. Culture is learned and transmitted  from generation to generation. It is not identical with  the genetic heritage that may differentiate one group of  people from another. These differences in shared  systems of attitudes and feelings are one of those more  subtle areas of difference that foreigners experience  when they leave home.  Cul ture affects peoples ways of thinking and their  views of the world. Every culture has its distinct  characteristics that make it different from every other  culture. Some differences are quite evident (e.g.  language, religion, political organization, etc.). However, in a word, culture generally refers to the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws morals, customs, habits, and capabilities acquired by individuals who interact in a specific area of society. Others  can be so subtle that while foreign visitors may be  vaguely aware of them, making adjustments is a  complex process and one may remain uncomfortable  and off balance for quite some time. 2.2 Causes for culture differences The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish  each other by a lot. This is because the culture systems  are two separate systems on the whole.  The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two  countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are  gestated by rivers: the Yellow River in China and the  Hindu River in India. These two cultures were  developed for several thousand years and formed their  own styles. Then in Dang Dynasty of China, the  Chinese culture gradually went overseas to Japan,  mixed into the Japanese society and shaped the  Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from  the Chinese one, it belongs to the same system. When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern  culture, another famous culture was brought up on the  Mesopotamian Plain-the Mesopotamian Civilization.  This civilization later on developed into the cultures of  the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two  are well-known as the base of the European culture.  Like the Chinese culture, the European one also crossed  waters. When the colonists of England settled down in  America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic  Ocean. So the American culture is similar to the  European one.  At the same time, the difference of the language  systems adds to the cultural differences. In the East,  most languages belong to the pictographic language  while the Western languages are mostly based on the  Latin system.  Other factors like human race difference counts as  well. But whats more, due to the far distance and the  steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures  seldom commu nicate until recent centuries. So they  grew up totally in their own ways with almost no  interference from the other. 2.3 The Role of Culture in Business With the development of globalization, cross-culture  communication is indispensable to an open society in  which we live today. Therefore, cultural differences are  everywhere. The cultures between the East and the West  are distinguished by a rather large scale. It means not  only the opinions or ways of thinking are different, but  how do people behave in daily life is also not the same,  sometimes may even the opposite. This paper will first  probe into the causes for cultural differences and then  some of the typical examples to illustrate the cultural  difference between east and west, finally, ways to fit in  different cultures. What role does culture play and can it be a positive one? A manager in a Swedish pharmaceutical firm described what happened when a multicultural team was put together. Product design was traditionally carried out at our Stockholm headquarters. Once, by accident or design, we brought in an international team to discuss the design of a new allergy product. Due to extreme differences of opinion on what constitutes good medical practice, the team designed the new product with maximum flexibility to suit the major demands of each country. Later, we discovered this flexibility to be of great advantage in developing and marketing international competitive products. Regarding cultural differences as a challenge rather than a problem may mean a little more investment of time and funds, but it is more likely to produce international workable teams, systems and products. This general approach albeit with variances in each case, has helped Japanese, Germans and Scandinavians adapt successfully to international markets. It has also helped cultivate the deep awareness of quality and consumer-friendliness, which characterizes the products of these successful countries, and pervades business thinking and aspirations. So if international companies are to tackle the challenge of culture where do they start? Let us look in more detail at the areas of business activity, which need to be culture-responsive. Steven Globerman discussed this issue as follows: Culture differences do not as a rule that prohibits doing business internationally, although they often oblige management to modify the way business is done from region to region. While modifications may be required, to a greater or lesser extent, in virtually all of the international firms activities, the particular areas that seem to be affected by cultural differences are the marketing and personnel relations functions. It points in the right direction and its implications are clear: managing and communicating with a culturally different or varied workforce requires new methods and techniques. Success in this first objective is needed so that the company may understand consumers whose behavior and tastes are different from that of the home country. 3. The basic content of business communication 3.1 Understanding Globalization Although globalization has come to the world ¼Ã…’most of the worlds businesses are not globalized ¼Ã… ½Business globalization is the ability of a corporation to take a product and market in the entire civilized world ¼Ã… ½International firms have subsidiaries or components in other countries ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºhowever, control of the foreign operations is maintained at the home country headquarters. Multinational firms allow their foreign operations to exist as domestic organizations ¼Ã… ½Most firms are international ¼Ã…’either sourcing ¼Ã…’ producing ¼Ã…’or exporting ¼Ã… ½Thus the personnel of an organization must have a global mindset in order for the firm to succeed in the international marketplace. Laurent (1986), in a study of multinational corporations, found that successful multinational corporations do not submerge the individuality of different cultures completely in the corporate culture, that intercultural contact can promote a determination not to adjust to other cultures, and that new management theory and practice can be presented only to individuals who are culturally able and willing to accept it ¼Ã… ½Rhinesmith (l993) states The corporate culture contains the values, norms of behavior, systems, policies ¼Ã…’and procedures through which the organization adapts to the complexity of the global arena ¼Ã… ½Companies with franchises abroad have had to make certain adjustments to accommodate the taste and preferences of individual countries; for example. Tex-Mex cuisine is prepared kosher in Israel. According to Rhinesmith (1993), Diversity-both domestic and international will be the engine that drives the creative energy of the corporation of the twenty ¼Ã… ½first century ¼Ã… ½Successful global managers will be those who are able to manage this diversity for the innovative and competitive edge of their corporations. Since globalization has become an irresistible trend pervading throughout the world, international businessme n should take it into consideration and try their best to better cross-cultural business communication in the course of their international business journeys. 3.2 Understanding Intercultural Communication The term intercultural communication was first used by Edward T. Hall in 1959. Hall was one of the first researchers to differentiate cultures based on how communications are sent and received. Hall defined intercultural communication as communication between persons of different cultures. The subject of intercultural communication is beset by a major problem, since there is really very little agreement on what people mean by the idea of culture in the first place. Intercultural business communication is a relatively new term in the business world and is defined as communication within and between businesses that involves people from more than one culture. Intercultural business communication allows us to work on the procedural issues of country-to-country contacts, diplomacy, and legal contexts; it allows us to become involved with the substantive, cultural level and helps sensitize us to differences. It also allows us to gather information to make decisions when we are in an intercultural environment (Rohrlich, 1998). 3.3 The specific embodiment of business communication Business communication refers to the exchange of information resources and the touch of each other for a set purpose to establish a commercial relationship based on mutual benefit promoting the business activities to succeed. Cross-culture Communication in commerce is either a sort of business proceedings, or procedures for culture dialogue and betting game. To make business communication more effective, honest social relation needs to be created. Business Communication: communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer. Business communication is somewhat different and unique rather from other type of communication since the purpose of business is to get profit. Thus to make good way for profit the communicator should develop good communication skills. Everyone knows that in the present day tren ds the knowledge alone wont be a fruitful one to have sustainable development. By knowing the importance of communication many organizations started training their employees in betterment of Communication techniques. Essentially due to globalization the world has become a Global village. Thus here the importance of cross cultural communication plays a vital role. Since each and every nation has their own meaning for each and every non verbal actions. The way we appear speaks a lot about us in business communication. A neat appearance is half done verbal communication. But developing communication is not a day work, it needs constant yearly practice. There are several ways to get trained in excelling business communication such 1. by our own, 2. by practicing from trainers, 3. by internet contents, 4. by books. 4. Cultural differences exhibited in international trade Numerous studies have been done to identify specific  characteristics that distinguish one culture from another.  The cultural difference between east and west is no  exception. Lets sum up some of the typical examples to  illustrate such differences. Greeting How do we Chinese greet each other? Informally, if we  meet a friend in the street, we are used to saying: Hi,  have you had your meal? or Where are you going?  When it is the case of two gentlemen, they tend to shake  hands.   However, in the western countries, the above  questions are just questions, not greeting at all. They  may think youre inviting them to dinner if you ask  about their meals. Usually, theyll just give each other a  smile or greet with a Hi. Theyll shake hands only in  some formal situations. By the way, Westerners can leave a party or meeting halls without a formal conge,  nor should they shake hands with every attendee like  most of us will do here. Showing Gratitude Think of the situations below. Your mother is busy in  the kitchen. She suddenly asks you to fetch a bowl for  her. You do so. Whatll your mothers response be?  Probably shell just continue doing the cooking. After a  while, the dinner is ready. Your mother hands you your  bowl of rice. Whats your response? Probably just begin  to eat. Chinese rarely say Thank you to other family  members for receiving help or service. Neither will we  say so between good friends. Its such an unpopular  response that if you say it, the counterpart will think you  are treating him as a stranger, otherwise you are lacking  of intimacy. But in the West, thank you is one of the most  frequently used sentences. Teachers will thank a student  for answering a question; husbands will thank his wife  for making a coffee. Table Manners The ways people eat-the table manner, really  distinguish a lot. Chinese use chopsticks or sometimes  even grasp rice straightly with hands as Indians do. The  thin and long chopsticks cannot be used to cut food, so  we use teeth as knives. We hold our food, meat or  vegetable, with the chopsticks, send them to the mouths,  bite off a part and remain the other part on the  chopsticks. Thats the usual way we eat. We are also  used to holding up our bowls when having rice or soup.  But all these are considered rude in the Western  countries. The etiquette in the West requests that when eating,  bowls and plates cannot leave the tables. Food should be  cut by knives to fit into the mouths. Your mouth cannot  touch the plates or bowls. So the regular process is cut  your steak on the plate with fork and knife, send the  meat cube into the mouth with fork and nothing will be  returned back but the fork alone. The reason for this is  probably because of the different dining tools and  menus. Symbolization Symbolization is how people imagine or regard  something, which reflects the way of people thinking.   We often  attach different signicance to different colors, because  we feel differently when facing different colors. On the  last day in the APEC summit held in Shanghai several  years ago, the presidents from all over the world wore  the traditional Chinese Dang suits and took a photo  together. The colors of the suits were chosen by  themselves freely. However, its quite interesting to find  that most Easterners chose red while most of the  westerners preferred blue. To explain this, its easy to  realize that what red means is almost opposite in the  East and the West. Red means luck, fortune here.  Chinese often use this color to decorate in festivals,  such as red lanterns, red Chinese nodes, and red bangers.  But red stands for blood, revolutions in the West. So the  presidents avoided wearing the unlucky color. In the East,  dragons are imagined as something like snake and are  flowing in the sky for most of the time. The dragon is  said to have the face of the horse, the horns of the deer,  the ears of the ox, the body of the snake, the claws of the  eagle and squama of the fish. We regard dragon as God  and view ourselves the offspring of the dragon. The God  of Dragons of the four seas can charge the rainfalls. But  in the West, people think dragons as dinosaurs, which  can stand on the ground with feet and fly with huge  wings. They lay eggs just like dinosaurs. The dragons of  the West have the ability to erupt fire, instead of water.  The fire can destroy everything so the dragons are not  welcomed at all. They even become the symbol of the  Devil. Unfortunately, attempts to categorize cultural  characteristics often end up in cultural stereotypes that  are unfair and misleading. In adjusting to your study  abroad environment, you will therefore have to deal not  only with real cultural differences, and also with  perceived cultural differences. Keep in mind that people  of other cultures are just as adept at stereotyping we  Chinese as we are at stereotyping them-and the results  are not always complimentary. The following are a few  examples of the qualities (some positive, some negative)  that others frequently associate with the typical  Chinese: hard working, being economical, reserved,  and ignorant of other countries, generous, hospitable, and  superstitious. While a stereotype might possess some  grain of truth, it is obvious when we consider individual  differences that not every Chinese fits the above  description. Most Germans, Japanese, Italians, etc.,  have stereotyped perceptions of the American, just as  most Americans have stereotyped images of Germans,  Japanese, Italians, etc. In short, misperceptions may  exist on all sides. Frequently, the stereotype of the  American is far from complimentary: the boorish tourist  who expects everyone to speak English, the arrogant  patriot who thinks every country in the world should  pattern itself after the United States, the drunken reveler  who sees the anonymity of traveling abroad as an  opportunity to drop all civilized inhibitions-all have  contributed to the development of this unfortunate  stereotype. It is up to you to behave in a manner that will  convince your hosts that this is indeed an unjustified  stereotype that cannot be applied arbitrarily, at least to  yourself. 5. Conclusion 5.1 Research findings With the globalization of the world economy, organizations, especially multinational corporations, are culturally diverse in their formation of the workforce and in handling al kinds of business activities. China has seen an increasing number of FIE (Foreign Individual Enterprise) entering the Chinese market, since the country adopted the policy of opening to the outside world more than twenty years ago. The culturally diversified workforce has brought greater vitality to business, but business people today are facing many problems in their cross-cultural communication. More and more business people have become aware of the strong impact from culture, and they have come to realize the importance of understanding cross-cultural communication. As all nations have their own cultures, it is not difficult to find that people bring along with them their cultures wherever they go and tend to cling to them. As more and more Chinese business people are employed by FIEs, they are facing the same problem of learning and respecting foreign cultures as the Western business people do with the Chinese cultures. In many cases, business people find that it is really nor easy to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. Sometimes, people may mistake someone as a culturally identical person, which often ends in troubles. In order to avoid misunderstandings in our cross-cultural communication, we should pay attention to the ways to decrease or eliminate the cultural conflicts. 5.2 Suggestions Globalization, for better or worse, has changed the way the world does business. Though in its early stage, it is all but unstoppable. At the same time, it also provides for global businessmen a challenge as well as chance. To be triumphant in international business, one should learn how to live with it, manage it and take advantage of the benefit it offers. The globalization of economics has created a confluence of cultures when it comes to business practices. Meshing these cultures has proven difficult even as it has proven necessary. In many cases the quest for a one-size-fits-all set of standards for global business behavior has progressed quite far. Global business is moving toward a world standard. In this sense, it is unpractical to accommodate stereotyping cultural theories to developing relationship in the course of international business that is developing all time along. With time going, more and more new problems and conflicts will occur when doing business internationally whatever in managing, negotiating or cooperating. Cultures will gradually melt with each other, but rooted values and norms will still cause the occurrence of clashes. Thus problems can only be solved in certain circumstance at certain time. Invariable solutions with shaped cultural ideas will only lead to prejudice and more conflicts; while adaptable solutions according to specific situation of intercultural communication is more valuable and worthy of being conserved. Nothing can be unchangeable, thus is the same with the study of cultural differences in the course of international business. Therefore, dynamic research should be furthered and kept so as to keep up with the development of international business.

Marketing Analysis Of First In Show Pet Foods

Marketing Analysis Of First In Show Pet Foods However, to start any new business venture, several factors have to be considered. The management is therefore presented with the task of formulating the best approach inclusive of objectives, constraints, available resources, monetary budgets, period, operation market areas and nature of competition amongst many others. For First in Show Pet Foods, Inc it was not an exception hence the attempts by the executives in formulating the best approach to undertake in venturing in the now desirable new market. The marketing firm representatives would provide a detailed proposal to the companys executives for analysis and possible formulation of the strategies towards the start of business in the particular market of retail dog foods. Further, the information from the food brokers was to be considered in structuring the appropriate approaches, policies and strategies for the new business activity. 2. Situation analysis The companys main goal is in 2009 and at Boston market area to effectively introduce and promote the Show Circuit dog food sale. The availability of this Show Circuit dog foods considered to be among the costliest would be through supermarkets. The quality of Show Circuit is finest and prepared as a full balanced dog food to be stored in refrigerators. It has for years, received positive recommendations from many professional owners of show-dogs. However, Show Circuit is publicly unknown by many and essentially considered as a new product despite such a vast history. An advantage that can be capitalized by the company is the fact that, at supermarkets frozen food section, only the Show Circuit dog food will be rightly available for customers. The successful marketing of Show Circuit requires the initial accomplishment of two important objectives. First, public awareness should be achieved in relation to the high-quality component of the Show Circuit dog food, the packaging designs an d the dog foods brand name. Secondly, at the supermarkets, dog owners should be directed towards the frozen food section when making dog food purchases. The environment under which the business for dog food is done seems not fully exploited. The tapping of the dog food industry is far from full potential yet because of the fact that prepared dog food is regularly fed to less than half the number of dogs owned in the United States. Based on manufactures prices, a total of $ 10 billion from the sale of dog food will be made in 2009. The analysis of four trends helps justify that such optimism in dog food industry is indeed well founded. First, the increase in dog ownership has consequently created benefits at the dog food industry. The owned-dog population in the U.S is approximately about 65 million. This steady growth in numbers is expected to continue, as more people require protection and the increased desire for companionship from dog owners. Secondly, another positive trend has been the increased investment on human companions by pet owners. On many settings, owners consider and treat pets as family members in possession of human qualities. For instance, according to research, a dog owner usually identifies himself/herself with the pet as well as assigning human characteristics such as needs, feelings, language and thoughts. A big number of dog owners, about 75% not surprisingly offer their animal companio ns the feelings of Mom and Dad. In addition, about 95% of dog owners would hug their pet on daily basis. Therefore, not surprisingly that annual veterinarian fees, accessories, clothing, dog toys, dog medication and furniture spend by dog owners are more than $ 20 billion. Thirdly, a positive trend has been the growth in dog food industry such that there is now the production of dog foods classified as premium and super premium. Such dog foods are of higher quality and are therefore higher priced. The increased rate of dog ownership together with this type of dog foods has spurred the growth in sales made from dog foods. Fourthly, a growing trend involves dog owners increasingly making claims for the introduction of a new product in the dog food industry. Such new dog food product should be enriched in vitamins and minerals, all natural and with no preservatives or additives. The table (1) below represents claims for the introduction of new dog food product for the period 2006- 2007 and 2007- 2008. Claim Claim frequency (2006- 2007) Claim frequency (2007- 2008) % change No additives/ No preservatives 95 146 53.7 Vitamin/ mineral enriched 94 144 53.2 All-natural 107 138 29.0 The distribution channel to be chosen is that of supermarkets. The distribution of all dog food in Boston market and the rest of United States at manufactures prices through the supermarkets accounts for about 36%. Other channels may include independent pet stores, mass merchandisers, farm/feed stores, pet superstores and veterinarians. The Boston market environment seems to be the ideal area to launch a new dog food product. The population at Boston area is estimated to be 1.2% of total U.S population. Because of the strong correlation between human population and dog population, the dog population at Boston area is also about 1.2%. In addition, the national expenditure of the Boston population is approximately average to expenditures on pet products. The analysis of the situation affecting the First in Show Pet Foods, Inc executives must take into account critical aspect of competition. The United States dog food industry approximately has about 350 dog food types and 50 manufactur es of dog food products. In the year 2008, five major companies made about 75% of sales of all the U.S dog food products. These companies were the Master foods USA, Hills Pet Nutrition, Del Monte Foods Inc, Nestle Purina Pet Care and the Iams Inc. Considerable percentage of the sales did accrue from supermarket dog food sales. This presents a huge concern for the Executives of First in Show Pet Foods, Inc since they intend to sell their new dog food product through the supermarket distribution channel. The marketing strategy for the introduction of Show Circuit in the dog food industry should indeed be well planned. The forms of advertising as well as the spending by competitors on advertising require major considerations. 3. SWOT analysis 3.1 Strengths First In Show Pet Foods, Inc has been supplying Show Circuit exclusively in the U.S to the show-dog kennels hence the improvement of dogs coats. Because of the products quality, the company is intends to supply this product in retail market to cater for normal dogs. Show Circuit is a dog food of high premium with ingredients of cereals and fresh meats and also being additives/ preservatives free. Such unique food components could remarkably improve the dogs coats, making a normal dog beautiful and healthy. Professional dog owners have recommended and used this food product for years in addition to being proven as the dog food of finest quality. Dog owners who largely consider issues of beauty and health for their dogs will be definite customers of Show Circuit. This dog food product will be the first available in the U.S market of the type of organic dog food. The product will be frozen packaged hence the fresh and uncooked meat will not spoil. This presents an advantage for the comp any because after the introduction of the product into the market, the frozen section of the supermarkets will only have this dog food product. 3.2 Weaknesses Show Circuit will be a new product name being introduced into the market. Further, the products premium quality makes its price quite high in comparison to other available dog food products. Because of this problem, the company has to create brand awareness in the market through aggressive communication in an attempt to compete with other brand names already known to dog owners. Besides that, the frozen packaging form presents difficulties to the company with regard to product placement and distribution. The supermarket is the only distributor available because of the freezing space although this space is prioritized for human food rather than frozen food. 3.3 Opportunities The company has an opportunity in the U.S market to tap its vast potential as represented by the annual growth of sales (64%) of organic dog foods. The willingness of consumers who own dogs to pay premium prices for dog food products is expected to rise. About 65 million people in the U.S own dogs and the number is expected to increase as more desire to own animal companions. The Boston market area presents a good potential for this business with a population of 1.2% of total U.S population. Expenditures by Boston residents on pet products are approximately averages national expenditure. The Boston supermarkets have no other pet products of the type of complete frozen dog foods hence the chance that, Show Circuit will be the first dog food available in frozen-food section of the supermarkets. 3.4 Threats Besides the benefits that the product offers, this company will face competition from other companies providing the market with dog foods. The company will struggle to outcompete established companies such as Nestle, Mars Inc, Delmonte Foods Inc. as well as Procter Gamble. In addition, difficulties are expected to arise in convincing distributors (supermarkets) to provide in their stores freezer space. Majority of these supermarkets have limited freezer spaces where such frozen products are to be kept. The distributors will also have problems as it is a long process when making available the thawing time for frozen food. To deal with this, a 7% commission is to be offered based on the proposed price to retailers. 4. The problem/Decision statement With the market situation analyzed in terms of the dog food industrys environment, competition and opportunities, the executives should make decisions based on objectives, alternative strategies and the organizations strengths and weaknesses. The introduction of new dog food product into the market is faced with problems and challenges. A sound decision needs to be made if such business activity venture proves successful in the future. The executives of this company have to deal with problems such as, adequate market segmentation, specific market target, distribution channel, Show Circuit sale price, advertising models and most important the return on sales percentage. Such decisions in any business set up need a well-constituted problem-solving model that balances total variable costs with revenues. For First in Show Pet Foods Inc, the introduction of Show Circuit dog food at dog food industry requires well-calculated strategies. The supermarkets have already other brands of dog foo d products such as the treats, canned and dry. To achieve substantial brand shares at the supermarket channels, consumers have to be educated on the new Show Circuit with regard to brand, price, packaging and ingredients. 5. Presentation of alternatives There exists a possibility that at supermarkets, the frozen dog food will be subjected to varied objections with regard to freezer space and thawing time requirements. An alternative to overcoming such anticipated objections would be suggestions for fast thawing, the longest time to keep the food in the refrigerators and the thawing time indicated on the packaging container. The use of microwaves should also be suggested as a possibility for consumers who purchase such frozen dog food from the supermarkets. The pricing aspect of this new dog food product is very important considering the general price sensitivity of dog owners. In addition, the dog owners are more concerned with the welfare and health of their pets. A premium price may be good for Show Circuit considering its quality and the retail prices of other frozen dog foods sold in supermarkets. There are opportunities that can be seized up with the introduction of Show Circuit in frozen dog food market. Boston supermarkets pr esent a huge market potential with regard to the sale of frozen dog foods. In addition, there is a trend that organic dog foods are increasingly becoming popular in the dog food market with consumers willing to acquire such foods at premium prices. The company can capitalize on this opportunity in an attempt to acquire substantial market share. Another very crucial alternative is the opportunity to constitute the groundwork through which to rollout Show Circuit dog food into the national market. 6. Analysis of Action Plan The introduction of this new dog food product requires implementation of very creative strategies. Show Circuit will be positioned in the market as the truly dog food available at reasonable price. The advertising strategies will target both married and unmarried consumers occupying the age bracket of 21 to 54 years. Such target market group should also have a household income of higher than $ 25,000. The reason as to why such target market is selected is the trend that, married couples and single adults with or without roommate households or children treat their dogs as family companions. The advertising strategies through various campaigns will adequately justify the Show Circuit dog food as a unique product. The advertising campaigns will incorporate a variety of concepts in an attempt to create customers attention on the dog food identification. The packaging container will have an introductory coupon displayed prominently to emphasize on the quality the Show Circuit dog food has . Sections such as the television, sports, society and dining will carry out ads considered for special interests. Based on the unique qualities the product posses, they warrant media placement that is varied and intense. In covering a wider audience, the advertising campaigns will cover locations beyond the Boston market geographical area. The sales packets are designed to provide information in the most persuasive manner. Such information include, the acceptance of the dog food by chain stores, the manufacturers retail price, quantity discount schedule, market potential, promotional schedule, user endorsements and order information. In advertising, different types of media will use different creative strategies. For instance, the positioning of the product relative to its competitors is through the print media. The product is compared with other categories of dog food such as the dry and canned products. On the other hand, television adverts will emphasize on the products location in the supermarket hence minimizing problems when looking out for the product. It is evident that dog food industry receives heavy advertising and therefore the company must follow suit. In order to remain competitive in this industry, the First in Show Inc should carry out intensive advertising. The developed media advertising strategies aim to achieve the following objectives: Awareness creation of the new brand Attainment of distribution through supermarket channels Coupon redemption to motivate trial Motivation of trial by the emotional impacts created by the television 7. Recommendation The introduction of Show Circuit as a new dog food product is quite viable for this company considering the environment, nature of competition and the potential opportunities available. By employing, the strategies proposed in line with the organizations objectives, this new business venture would be a success. The organizations strengths that outweigh the weaknesses place it well to compete with other companies in exploiting the vast potential at Boston market and beyond. With the dog ownership industry expected to expand so does the expected return in sales of dog foods. The launch of the business activity in Boston market will involve incremental costs of about $ 30,000. The program budget inclusive of advertising expenses and slotting fee will range between $ 500,000 and $ 700,000 as shown in the table (2) below. Item Budget Levels Budget Levels Television $359,000 $529,000 Newspapers/magazine $100,500 $130,500 Collateral (sales pack) $9,750 $9,750 Miscellaneous $5,250 $5,250 Agency fees $25,500 $25,500 Total $500,000 $700,000 The expenditure is reasonable since countrywide media promotion for established brands cost $ 7 million to $8 million. A high initial expenditure for a new product is essential and the company will use savings to cater for the expenses.