Health Care and Strong Organizational Image free essay sample

1. Describe how MinuteClinic puts the following promotion strategies to work for them: stressing tangible cues, using personal information sources, creating a strong organizational image, and engaging in post-purchase communication. What else could they try? MinuteClinic has managed to implement a variety of promotional strategies along time. Within the tangible cues we can find the physical evidence of the service such as the team of experts who are the nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Also they created a children’s area during the flu crisis of Minnesota and implemented to their facilities televisions, coloring books, and videos. The personal information source in this case can be seen in the individualized attention the team of experts is providing to patients. Minuteclinic has successfully created a strong organizational image by performing the best quality service as they differentiate for working long hours, and providing a quick service. Finally, by engaging in a post purchase communication MinuteClinic is able to keep track of their patients through their electronic records. We will write a custom essay sample on Health Care and Strong Organizational Image or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They could try to build long term relationships with their customers by following up with them and keeping in touch through calls and e-mails. 2. Are MinuteClinic’s services customized or standardized for patients? Do they incorporate any elements of mass customization? -MinuteClinic is a health care center which is in charge of solving minor ailments; however this does not mean all patients come for the same reasons. This is why MinuteClinic’s services are considered to be customized for patients with different needs. At the same time, MinuteClinic also provides a standardized service as they deliver a same service, and have a standard price. Yes, MinuteClinic does incorporate elements of mass customization as they keep electronic records of each patient. 3. In what way did MinuteClinic demonstrate reliability and responsiveness during the flu outbreak in Minnesota? How did it impress customers with tangible physical evidence that the clinics cared about them? MinuteClinic demonstrated reliability and responsiveness very quickly as the outbreak in Minnesota rapidly created a huge demand for flu shots. MinuteClinic quickly put a plan in place to address the crisis. Instead of boosting staff at all facilities in the Minneapolis area, the company chose a hub-and-spoke approach for better inventory control, offering the shots in only eight MinuteClinic locations. This effectively shows their ability to respond immediately to unexpected events and ultimately reflect their willingness to help by creating an image of reliability. They also impressed patients by creating children’s areas to make the wait easier for families, adding televisions, videos, and coloring books to keep little ones entertained. This is how MinuteClinic proved that they care for the wellness of their community. 4. How important has MinuteClinic’s place (distribution) strategy been to the company’s success? Which elements does MinuteClinic focus on with its marketing mix? Why? -The distribution strategy they decided to implement played very well in their advantage. As a 2006 Harris Interactive poll reported that 92 percent of the people who visited a retail clinic were satisfied with its convenience. MinuteClinic focuses on all elements: Price: they offer low prices services, compared to how much a patient will pay by visiting their usual doctor. Place: They have opened over 600 locations. They have successfully located themselves in one of the most biggest and famous pharmacy, CVS, in the US, assuring their long run success. Product: They have found a need and came up with a solution. By offering medical care services with standardized prices and quick assistance, MinuteClinic has accomplished success. Promotion: they have promoted the efficiency of their workers to create a reliable and credible environment. True or False questions 1. A key factor influencing the selection of a retail-based health clinic is convenience. T 2. The demand for health services in the United States is expected to drop off sharply within the next ten years as Baby Boomers age. F 3. Health services such as those provided by MinuteClinic tend to exhibit more experience and credence qualities than goods sold in the drugstore. T 4. MinuteClinic’s services are sold, produced, and consumed at the same time, which is an example of the heterogeneity of its services versus goods. T 5. When nurse practitioners follow up with patients with postcard surveys, telephone calls, or brochures, they are engaging in postpurchase communication. T MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. The basic difference between selling a healthcare service at MinuteClinic and selling a Band-Aid at the drugstore is that healthcare services are ________ performances. a. tangible b. intangible c. responsive d. standardized e. operations oriented 2. MinuteClinic’s services belong in which of the following categories? a. people processing b. possession processing c. mental stimulus processing d. information processing e. All of the above 3. Evaluating the quality of medical services at MinuteClinic may be difficult for a patient before or after being treated because services tend to exhibit fewer ________ qualities. a. intangible  b. search c. experience d. credence e. standardized 4. A nurse practitioner that addresses a patient by name and offers caring, individualized attention during his visit is practicing the service quality known as a. reliability. b. responsiveness. c. assurance. d. empathy. e. tangibles. 5. If MinuteClinic hired Patrick Dempsey, who plays a doctor on â€Å"Grey’s Anatomy,† to appear in commercials for them, they would be engaging in which type of promotion strategy? a. stressing tangible cues b. using personal information sources c. creating a strong organizational image d. engaging in post-purchase communications e. All of the above

Globalization As The Context For Modern Management Accounting Accounting Essay Essay Example

Globalization As The Context For Modern Management Accounting Accounting Essay Essay Example Globalization As The Context For Modern Management Accounting Accounting Essay Essay Globalization As The Context For Modern Management Accounting Accounting Essay Essay the globalisation of economic activities is the most important development in the universe economic system in recent history. The volume and assortment of merchandises that have been included in the planetary trade have increased drastically. Likewise, the forms of ingestion and production are no longer every bit stable as they were earlier. Economic globalisation refers non merely to the geographic spread of economic activities but besides the functional integrating of internationally spread economic activities ( Huang, 2006 ) . Therefore, whole states, parts, and other transactional parties are formed into one functional planetary economic system through extremely intricate international systems of production, trade, and finance. Halawi, Aronson and McCarthy ( 2005, pp. 77 ) wrote that one of the chief ingredients for corporate success in today s globalized environment is to admiting how to make and prolong competitory advantage, which finally depends on what a company decides it will or will non make. Competitive advantage may be defined as the ability to ear returns on investing systematically above the norm for the industry ( Halawi, Aronson and McCarthy, 2005, pp. 77 ) and is apparent when the houses is able to make a value-adding scheme that is non employed by any of its current rivals. On the other manus, Becker and Huselid ( 2006, pp. 899 ) besides concur by stating that the right corporate scheme that creates competitory advantage consequences, in bend, to above-average fiscal public presentation. Continuous enjoyment of competitory advantage can merely go on if ( 1 ) the degree of public presentation that a house attains in its execution of the alone value-enhancing scheme is non at the same time being done by bing or possible rivals and ( 2 ) the rivals are either loath or unable to animate the benefits of this peculiar scheme. Therefore, competitory advantage can merely originate from the maximization of the right strategic assets. Organizational construction and direction accounting Hankins and Baker ( 2004 ) noted that the internal construction of an organisation could really impact how the accounting process is designed and carried out, and this rule applies to both the fiscal and the managerial types of accounting. For illustration, factors such as the organisation s type of concern ( fabricating versus service-oriented ) and purpose ( for net income versus non-profit ) would finally spell differences on the company s attack to measuring its current state of affairs. Furthermore, such parametric quantities would besides order how the organisation would explicate strategic programs for future concern waies, every bit good as the activities and alterations that it must use in order to accomplish its purposes and aims. From the point of position of direction accounting, these parametric quantities are the beginning of major considerations for explicating policies, long-range programs and strategic determinations that will finally impact the organisation s class. Because direction accounting trades with activities and processes more than exact quantitative figures, it is more comprehensive in range. It gives deepness to the figures by supplying penetrations into, say, the current accomplishment degrees of the organisation s employees and how these can be improved in order to run into the awaited rise in demand for the merchandise or services that it offers. For concern programs and determinations to be carried out efficaciously, a thorough apprehension of how the organisation works is a must. Management accounting helps on this mark because it delves deep into the different kineticss between work squads, the employees motives and ideas and about their occupations, the sort and quality of the accomplishments possessed by the employees, the effectivity of current operating models and other facets of the organisation s life. Armed with such accurate information, any alterations that the direction wishes to implement to follow a peculiar path in the hereafter is anchored more steadfastly on the worlds of the organisation, from its employees to its procedures and resources. The importance of direction accounting patterns Different companies use different determiners to mensurate the success of their concern activities, and profitableness is merely one of them. Some may look into the entire ingestion of natural stuffs to bring forth finished goods, while others may see market portion as the most dependable index of good public presentation ( Accounting Software Advisor, 2009 ) . Whatever determinant a company decides to utilize, it is imperative that the measuring is accurate, thorough, and reflective of world. A important intent of developing such a measurement graduated table is to hold a criterion system that will let the company to compare its existent public presentation against rivals. The measuring applied will finally impact the way that the company will take in the following planning twelvemonth, every bit good as influence of import determinations such as acceptance of new selling schemes, research and development, and enlargement or merchandise variegation. We make a differentiation between fiscal accounting, which is largely used for collating information that can be included in the fiscal study of a company, and managerial accounting, which is an analytic tool used by a company s direction to be after, measure, and direct their operations ( West Virginia Universtity, 2008 ) . Thus we can state that fiscal accounting is concerned with supplying an overall position of the organisation s activities and money flows within a specific period of clip for the usage of shareholders, creditors and other outside parties. On the other manus, managerial accounting is a quantitative appraisal of the same elements made for the directors, with a position to utilizing the information gathered for future planning ( Geense, 2005 ) . Traditional and activities based bing methods autumn under the tools used in managerial accounting. As such, they are of import internal analyses of the company s operations. This entirely guarantees their primacy as feasible research subjects for developing and bettering the measuring system used by companies in different industries. Today, there is an intensified involvement in their maps and pertinence as more and more accounting package are made available in the market. There is a demand to see which bing method is compatible with which package in order to maximise their common benefits. Competition in the planetary market place has forced most fabrication services and organisations to follow originative and flexible solutions that will enable them to maintain up their productiveness without incurring farther costs ( Akyol, Tuncel and Bayhan, 2005 ) . However, in order to keep an organisation s competitory border, one must be able to efficaciously and accurately use an appropriate cost computation mechanism. Apart from traditional and activities based costing, other signifiers of managerial accounting analyses are besides being used to cipher the cost of production, but these methods are non as widely used as the other two. These new costing methods are bottleneck accounting and balanced scorecard. Traditionally, direction comptrollers used discrepancy analysis to demo the the existent and budgeted costs and grosss within a specific production period. However, this pattern is now being used in concurrence with new public presentation study strategies such as constriction accounting and balanced scorecard. In constriction accounting, the comptroller can nail which constriction gave rise to an unfavourable difference between existent and budgeted gross revenues ( Geense, 2005 ) . This bing method allows for the designation of constrictions in the production and gross revenues mechanism. It besides shows which constriction to work out foremost, based on the sum of money lost for each. On the other manus, the balanced scorecard is a set of fiscal steps, operational steps on client satisfaction, internal procedures and the organisation s invention and betterment activities ( Kaplan and Norton, 1992 as cited in Geense, 2005 ) . The developers of the balanced scorecard argue that this can besides be used as a strategic direction system. Because of its holistic attack to mensurating a company s performance-from the point of view of clients, for example-it can help directors in making aims for each position and interpret these into specific responses. Fiscal accounting versus direction accounting The Encyclopedia of Management ( 2007 ) defines the traditional cost accounting system as a system of apportioning costs based on single-volume steps such as direct-labor hours, direct-labor costs, or machine hours that is more aligned with following with the demands needed for pulling sound fiscal studies. In add-on, it can besides demo gross and expense classs such as costs of good sold, wages, rent, supplies, depreciation, income revenue enhancements, and so forth ( Brimson and Antos, 1999 ) . Traditional cost accounting is a comparatively inexpensive and convenient manner of make fulling in the demands for fiscal coverage. In simpler footings, a company merely takes the existent public presentation within a specific clip frame and compares it with projected values to deduce a discrepancy. But given the comparatively surface degree analysis provided by traditional cost accounting methods, most companies today find it to be uncomplete and unrefined ( Manalo, 2004 ) . Users of this cost allotment attack say that point out that the natural information that is reflected in the budget sheet does non stand for a clear and accurate relationship between the cost and the cost object. Such booby traps in the system can take to hapless and ungrounded determination devising on the portion of the direction. One large job with utilizing the traditional costing method is that it is limited to reflecting a purely fiscal image of the company s public presentation, without associating the Numberss to peculiar activities within the company ( Brimson and Antos, 1999 ) . Because budgeting is concerned merely with the allotment of scarce resources, it does non concern itself with the creative activity of value utilizing the said resources, which is a more profitable terminal end. It besides misses out on supplying information that the direction can really react to and concentrate on client demands. All these defects of the traditional cost accounting attack has led to the development of an improved system that can make full in the spreads left by the former. For direction accounting, we shall look largely at activities-based costing, since it is the preferable type of direction accounting at present. Activities based costing or ABC was developed by the Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing International ( CAM-I ) in 1991 as a feasible option to the bing costing attack, that is, the traditional methods ( Manalo, 2004 ) . The traditional method was developed in the late eighteenth century and was a theoretical account that reflected the nature of concern endeavors during that time-that is, industry so was labour intensive, without mechanization, with small merchandise assortment and with by and large low operating expense costs ( Emblesvag, 2000 ) . The concern landscape has changed greatly since so, and this can possibly explicate the inability of the traditional costing method to reply to the diverse demands of industries today. In contrast to the traditional cost accounting attack, ABC measures non merely in footings of direct costs such as labour or machine hours, stuffs or other billable goods. Alternatively, ABC assigns costs to activities utilizing multiple cost drivers, and so allocates these costs to merchandises based on each merchandise s usage of these activities ( Akyol, Tuncel, and Bayhan, 2005 ) . Furthermore, this system calculates the entire cost of a merchandise as the amount of the cost of natural stuffs and the cost of all the value adding activities needed for its production. Therefore, it takes into consideration the organisation s usage of resources by the activities performed and links these costs with end products such as merchandises, clients and services. Each merchandise requires a figure of activities or phases of development ( i.e. design, technology, buying, production, quality control, stock list ) and each activity consumes different resources of assorted classs ( working clip, machinery, warehouse infinite, packaging stuffs, etc. ) . The ABC model has two axes that represent two different positions. The perpendicular axis of the model trades with the cost assignment position, that is, it specifies all the available resources that each of the company s activities can pull upon. On the other manus, the horizontal axis looks at the procedure position, which includes the cost drivers or agents that cause that causes the activity to use resources to needed to accomplish a peculiar undertaking ( Manalo, 2004 ) . This axis can assist organisations supervise the efficiency and effectivity of all activity attempts related to its operations. Despite its soundness, some writers argue that the ABC is non a complete option to the traditional cost accounting attack and is best used as a complementary analysis ( Manalo, 2004 ) . It is more utile as a transcriber of critical quantitative informations about the company s operations-instead of sum uping everything into a fiscal spreadsheet, the ABC method interruptions down costs in to activities and matching resources that can be easy understood. Decision From the predating treatment we have seen how two factors-one internal and the other external-have made an imprint on the manner direction accounting rules and patterns have evolved over the old ages. Today we are faced with the phenomena of globalisation, information engineering and trade liberalisation, to call a few, which are finally altering the manner concern organisations handle their operations. At this point, it is of import to observe that direction accounting will neer be able to come up with sure-fire ways of hiking an organisation s public presentation. It can merely supply guidelines and likely points for betterment. Other external factors can still impact organisational success in the hereafter, but direction accounting is a helpful tool for cognizing how to near the job decently.

Investigation of Different types of Nanomaterials used in Cancer Research Paper

Investigation of Different types of Nanomaterials used in Cancer therapy - Research Paper Example eat advancements in the field of medicines and medical sciences but still it was difficult to control and suggest a proper treatment for cancer and according to the statistics, there have 13% deaths all over the world caused by cancer (Heath and Davis 02). If we analyse the trend of cancer patients then the result shows that there have been continuous increase in the number of cancer patients over last 70 years as compare to other diseases like heart attack, pneumonia or any other disease and the problem seemed to be out of control. Cancer could be cured by destroying the group of the damaged cells and stop supplying the blood to such cells so they may not grow further. But after several researches and studies chemotherapy and radiotherapy were introduced as a treatment for cancer. But the problem with these treatments is that these treatments not only affects the cancer cells but they also target the normal cells of the patients thus leaving dangerous side effects. It is almost predestined to occur the dangerous side effects of these chemotherapy treatments because it is a whole body treatment and in any way it will cause the harm. The most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents that are used are cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, platin umbased compounds, anthracycline, and hydroxycamptothecin with quite harmful side effects. That was the reason that it was a real need to research and invent a new treatment for cancer as the previous one was not a suitable one. And the recent improvisations in the medical sciences and the invention of nanotechnology are most likely a great blessing for the scientists who have been researching to find a different solution for cancer besides chemotherapy. Nanotechnology is basically related with the study of delivery of drug molecules with a particular target in the affected or diseased areas of the patients. This treatment not only offers the targeted delivery of drugs but with that it protects from dreadful conditions and controls

Teaching architecture, learning architecture Assignment

Teaching architecture, learning architecture - Assignment Example Zumthor asserts that students must learn architecture by using their reason and emotion. A good architectural design is both intelligent and emotion-laden. Furthermore, Zumthor believes that their reasoning about design comes from their growing-up experiences. Their first experience of architecture comes from their interaction with built spaces during their childhood and the impact of these places and spaces on their thoughts and emotions. Logical research on design is not complete without remembering the past, according to Zumthor. Aside from using reason and emotion, Zumthor asserts that architecture is always tangible, although it is based on intangibles. It is about concretizing memories and feelings. He explains that although architects work with materials, they do not have actual models. Instead, he asserts that architects have concrete objects. From concrete objects, they make their plans, and their plans embody their ideas. Ideas, however, for him must be based on new images. The past can only serve to offer old images, from which the materials of new images arise. Finally, Zumthor describes that thinking about design is thinking about the whole and its parts. The whole is not whole yet, however, but a work in progress. Design comes from the sensuality of the imaginative human mind. The actual physical work is not the real image; the image is still in the mind, in the senses of the architect, waiting to be discovered and

Strategic Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management - Term Paper Example The strategic leadership team will first look at economies of scale, the â€Å"decline in per-unit product costs as the absolute volume of production per period increases† (Keegan & Green, p.504). This determines entry barriers for competition and usually applies to cost, marketing and general business administration. The ability to differentiate product is also part of assessing the threat of new entrants, based on the current level of brand loyalty that exists with competition. In reference to Tesco, the environment is already saturated with many large-scale competitors such as Wal-Mart and thus Tesco must consider its branding strategies and also whether or not competition will find success with their own differentiation strategies through marketing and promotion. Capital requirements for new entry is also assessed through basic revenue analysis and needs for working capital (inventories) as well as advertising costs, customer credit, and information systems technologies. A ssessing distribution methodologies and capacity is also measured with this analytical tool when considering potential competitor barriers to entry and then measured against Tesco capacity opportunities. When considering supplier power, supermarkets like Tesco operate in an oligopoly, where there are few competition however businesses maintain the ability to exert control over market pricing and supplier bargaining power (investorwords.com, 2011). Thus, the Five Forces analysis tool shows that suppliers are made weak by their absolute reliance on grocery store successes related to consumer-based commodity products (Porter, 2011). However, as the case study has identified that traditionalist consumer diets are constantly changing in China, the Five Forces analysis tool has limitations as suppliers could regain power when Tesco is forced to utilize localised distribution and purchasing strategies for unique products catered to Chinese lifestyle

Is Nakumatt Operating As A Monopoly Economics Essay

Is Nakumatt Operating As A Monopoly Economics Essay Introduction Here in Kenya, all big cities and many of the smaller towns have at least one supermarket. The quality (of goods and services) is usually quite high. When we enter a supermarket, we find Kenyan and other regional brands as well as many Western and International. A  supermarket  is a  store  that sells a wide variety of goods including  food  and  alcohol, medicine,  clothes, and other household products that are consumed regularly  [1]  .  The stores are usually part of corporate  chains  that own or control other supermarkets located nearby or even transnationally thus increasing opportunities for  economies of scale  [2]  ( this is the decrease in cost of production that occur as a firm increases all its output by increasing all its inputs. Economies of scales explain the downward sloping porting of the long run average total cost curve: as output increases, and the firm increases its size by all inputs, as the average cost or cost per unit, falls). The supermarket typically comprises  meat, fresh  produce,  dairy, and baked goods departments, along with shelf space reserved for  canned  and packaged goods as well as for various non-food items such as household cleaners,  pharmacy  products and  pet  supplies. Most supermarkets also sell a variety of other household products that are consumed regularly, such as alcohol  (where permitted),  medicine, and  clothes, and some stores sell a much wider range of non-food products  [3]  . In Kenya, the supermarket industry has grown from a tiny inch at the start of the 1990s to 20% of the urban food retail sector in 2003. Furthermore, Kenyan supermarket chains are increasingly sourcing from global markets and have started to expand their store network in the wider East Africa region (Kigali, Rwanda)  [4]  . With 18 big stores, Nakumatt is the biggest supermarket chain in Kenya. Its main competitor Uchumi used to be big too, but it had to close due to financial difficulties. Meanwhile it has reopened 14 shops again in major cities. In the Kenyan supermarket industry we also find Chandarana ltd and Tuskys. Nakumatt and Uchumi are two Kenyan supermarkets which not only have branches in Kenya but also in other parts of east Africa. Hence my interest and therefore my research question is: Is Nakumatt Ltd operating as a Monopoly in my residential area? I live at 500m from the YAYA Center; at my location, I am surrounded with 6 big branches of the main supermarkets in Kenya. The 6 supermarkets that you will find in this area are: on Ngong Road: Nakumatt Prestige, Uchumi hyper Ngong road, Tuskys Adams, Uchumi Adams, and Nakumatt Junction, in the YAYA Center: Chandarana Ltd. I have always been wondering how these supermarkets do to survive together and especially Nakumatt and Uchumi, why do they have to different branches in the same area. The purpose of this extended essay is to find out by using data collection and after an interview with the branch managers of all these supermarkets answering to the question: whether or not Nakumatt is operating as a monopoly in the supermarket industry in my residential area? Researching for this essay will enable me to understand or have an idea of how these supermarkets can cohabit-ate together in the same area. Methodology of data collection To answer this essay question, which is to know if Nakumatt ltd is operating as a monopoly on the consumers who live is the same residential area as me. To be able to pursue this survey, I used the most common research method which is to hand out a number of questionnaires to people that I know and others living in a range of 1km from me. I will use primary sources. First I will be giving out 50 questionnaires to people living in my compound and in the surrounding areas. With all the answers, I will be able to find out which one of the supermarkets located near where I stay is more popular, is averagely earning more and their pick hours. It will also help me to know how often people usually frequent these supermarkets, how much do they spend and how long do they stay in there depending on the time. The fact that I am giving out the questionnaires, I not to show that I did some research but to see (hear) what the public(customers) have to say about the supermarkets because their opini on counts as equal as or even greater than the one from the owners of these supermarkets because we are all humans and it is expected for the managers to be bias about their supermarkets. The second method I will use is the face to face interview with the branch managers of these supermarkets which is also very important but more significant because it will help me to have real data statistics on the population that frequents them daily, weekly monthly and annually. And also it will help me to know their strategy and plans on the market to be able to understand the structure in which they are operating on whether it is a monopoly or an oligopoly market. This method will be the hardest because having the chance to have a meeting with these managers when you are not a businessman who can contribute in the well-being of the company can be a hustle( very complex task); these people are very busy men and have very many things to do on their agenda. I will also use a secondary source: The Internet. With the internet, I will be able to have supplementary information and have a greater number of sources. Related information Market Structures A market structure describes characteristics of a market organization that determine the behavior of firms within an industry. There are four types of market structures identified by economists: Perfect competition ( also known as pure competition) Monopoly Monopolistic competition (also known as imperfect competition) Oligopoly A market structure can be defined on the basis of four main characteristics: The number of firms in the industry. The ability of the firm to control the price at which the good is sold in the market. The types of product, in particular how similar or different are the goods or services produced by firms in the industry. how easy is it for new firms to enter the industry and begin producing, which depends on the degree to which there are barriers to entry in the industry; barriers to entry include anything that can prevent a firm from entering and beginning production  [5]   Perfect competition This is a purely theoretical type of market. It has a very high level of competition and has the following characteristics: there are an infinite number of buyers and sellers, all the firms produce the same identical product (homogeneous) without any differentiation (branding). There is perfect information and no trade secret which allows the consumers and the other producers to know what is happening in the market at any time, there is no intervention of any government in the way the market interacts. Monopoly A monopoly is a market structure in which we only have one firm in the industry and the firm is the industry. A monopoly operates with the following characteristics: the barriers to preventing new firm form entering the industry are very high; the firm is the price maker which means that output will depend on the price set by the firm; the monopolist is a short run profit maximizer. In facts, we have two types of monopolies: natural monopoly and pure monopoly. A natural monopoly exists when there is great scope for economies of scale to be exploited over a very large range of output. Indeed the scale of production that achieves productive efficiency may be a high percentage of the total market demand for the product in the industry  [6]  . A pure Monopoly exists when a single firm is the sole producer of a product for which there are no close substitutes  [7]  . An Actual Monopoly is when the firm has more than 25% of the market shares  [8]  . Monopolistic Monopolistic competition  is a form of  imperfect competition  where many competing producers sell products that are  differentiated  from one another (that is, the products are  substitutes, but, with differences such as branding, are not exactly alike). In monopolistic competition firms can behave like  monopolies in the  short-run, including using market power to generate profit. In the  long-run, other firms enter the market and the benefits of differentiation decrease with competition; the market becomes more like  perfect competition  where firms cannot gain economic profit. Monopolistic competitive markets have the following characteristics: We have a large but not infinite number of producers and a greater number of consumers. And due to their relatively small size, there is not a single firm that has total control over the market price. But the producers have only a degree of control over price. Consumers perceive that there are no differences in price between the competitors branded products. The barriers to entry and exit are very few (not to say that they practically do not exist). The costs for the firm are very low, which makes it easy for new arrivals to enter the industry or others to leave. Oligopoly An Oligopoly is a market structure where we have a few firms who dominate the market, these firms might be producing similar products, but the products can be differentiated (branded). Supply in the industry must be concentrated in the hands of relatively few firms and dominating firms are independent. Barriers to entry are present especially due to collusion and economies of scale; and prices are likely to be rigid as firms use non-price competition. Firms can make abnormal profit in the long run though they may not be very high  [9]  . When firms decide to collude, they start charging at the same price, and also having a monopoly power and acting as one monopoly. Any monopoly profit made is divided up among the firms taking part of the collusion. Background information To carry out this investigation, and base our theory on our findings, we must know about the past of these supermarkets: because it is very important to know how their started, who owns them (government, cooperation or family), their real market shares, how many branches have they managed to open so far. Nakumatt Nakumatt was established in 1987 as the brainchild of the late retail guru Mr Maganlal Shah who founded Nakuru Mattresses before passing the mantle to Mr Atul Shah, the current managing Director. The supermarket chain was founded as a ten square foot emporium which has grown to cover a selling space of more than one million square feet, with the head office and distribution center occupying some 140,000 square feet of storage and office space. The payoff line You need it, weve got it! indicates Nakumatts commitment to providing the largest variety and highest quality of local and international brands at reasonable and uniform prices. The Nakumatt Smart Card is a loyalty program started in 2003 that enables customers to accumulate smart points with their purchases. On accumulation a certain amount of points, clients can claim smart rewards and prizes. Smart Card shoppers also enjoy discounts with service providers, random surprises on birthdays, off-peak time double points and redempt ion points for purchases. The retail chain has grand plans for the future. These include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increasing the range of goods available to Kenyan consumers at affordable rates. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improving the local economy by employing more Kenyans. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Delivering expected financial results by providing quality, variety, exceptional, service and enhanced lifestyles. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increasing investments in training and development of staff to ensure performance and job satisfaction. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing an integrated nationwide Network. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increasing turnover to KSh 20 billion (285.7 million US dollars). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Expanding to the sub-continent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Listing on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Source: http://www.superbrandseastafrica.com/assets/Featured-Brands/PDFs/129-nakumatt.pdf Tuskys Tuskys, is said to be the second largest retailer in the country with more than eighteen stores all over the country, operates supermarkets and has been able to seal any gaps left by Nakumatt. The retailer recently rebranded from Tusker Mattresses to Tuskys, a sign of the companys transformation from a family business to a corporate entity. Due to popular demand and the lack of land available in the capital for large sized stores, Tuskys has been forced to relocate some of its stores in Nairobi and the retailer is currently expanding its network into suburban districts such as Thika, Athiriver and Rongai. Tuskys latest store has also opened further afield in the lakeside city of Kisumu in the west of  Kenya, close to the Ugandan border.  [10]   Tuskys is the first supermarket in the whole of Kenya to introduce the use of the fidelity smart card. This is a loyalty card which gives a 1Ksh voucher to the card holder for every 100Ksh purchase this voucher can be used to buy any items at any times just buy presenting your identification. Uchumi Uchumi  is a  Kenyan  supermarket chain  which was founded in 1975 and which was listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange in 1992.The name  Uchumi  means economy in  Swahili, the Kenyan National language. Uchumi operates 4 hyper-stores, 8 supermarkets and 2 convenience stores, and employs more than 1,000 people. Uchumi has stores in the major towns of  Nairobi, Karatina,  Eldoret  and  Meru  [11]  . Whilst Nakumatt and Tuskys are playing a leading role in  Kenyas burgeoning retail market, Uchumi Supermarkets, currently positioned in fourth place in  Kenya, has had a history of financial problems. The companys problems have derived from general mismanagement and corruption issues, and Uchumi was expected to either die a natural death or be sold to another retailer when its former managing director, John Smith, announced its closure in June 2006  [12]  . Uchumi closed down, albeit temporarily, in June 2006 after 30 years of business.  At the time, its cl osure was described as one of the greatest corporate disasters in independent Kenya history  [13]  .  However, the government is one of the founders of Uchumi Ltd so letting Uchumi close down was not in their interest. So they had to sell 50% of the companys shares to the public in order to rescue the brand. Then Uchumi started reopening all over Nairobi from July 15, 2006. Uchumi receives more than 3000 customers daily. The government controls the quality and the pricing of the goods. All the goods in Uchumi are certified and approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standard (KBS). Uchumi used to have an annual magazine showing all the items they have in stock; but this stopped when it closed down. They use multiple ways of advertising like the radio, the television and the newspapers. They also have a smart-card. Only during Christmas, the stores are opened 24/7, this is because, they think that it is not effective in Kenya. They offer a home delivery service orderable from their web site and the charge depends on the distance of your location. Uchumi believes that what makes them attracts their customers is their customer service and also believe that their competitors havent reached that level. Uchumi own all their buildings. They have the option of paying electricity bills with a Kenya power counter; this attracts also the customers to enter the supermarket as they can avoid any congestion instead of going to the Kenya Power office. Chandarana Chandarana Supermarket Ltd is a retail chain in Kenya dealing with consumer products. It is currently headquartered at Mobil Plaza, Muthaiga in Nairobi. It has four Branches within Nairobi Yaya center, ABC Place, Muthaiga and Highridge. In this research, only the one located in the Yaya Center will be studied. I chose to include Chandarana in my study because when we first came to Kenya (my family and me), we bought from there everything belonging to the house there and even food supplies. Presentation of data collected To carry out the survey I gave out 38 questionnaires to first peoples living in the same compound as me then some people that I know in the surrounding houses and apartments. I know that I didnt meet my objective which was to give out 50 questionnaires as I mentioned in the METHODOLOGY OF DATA COLLECTION, but this was due to multiple reasons. I could only do the survey with people who knew me because other maybe didnt trust me (even though I showed them my school identification card and my recommendation letter) or felt like I was asking them questions about them private life. I gave to all of them a period of 3 weeks to review their habits and be able to answer without having to make hard choices. The reason why I gave them 3 weeks is because people tend not to say the truth when they are given 5 minutes to answer. With all this period of time, they can analyze every question and answer it with a calm and clear state of mind. As I said it earlier, I live near the YAYA Center in Kili mani. The YAYA CENTRE is a modern multifunctional shopping mall, it was founded in the late eighties in Nairobi and is today one of the leading shopping malls housing over 100 shops and offices  [14]  .The diagrams below shows the results of my investigation. Nakumatt Uchumi Tuskys Chandarana 27 2 6 3 71% 5% 16% 8% This table shows the repartition in numbers and in percentages of the consumers depending on the supermarkets they frequent the most. This pie chart has the same function as the table above it. This chart is easier to understand and shows the differences between the supermarkets in terms of popularity. But I believe it is a good representation of the whole population in my residential area. By the end of this research, I found out that 71% of the surveyed population was Nakumatt truthful customers, 5% of them were Uchumi customers, 16% of them were Tuskys customers, and 8% of them were Chandarana customers as shown on the table and the pie chart above. As we all know, in a monopoly market, we only have one firm, and that firm is the industry. If we refer to the pie chart and stick to the traditional definition of a monopoly, we cannot assume at 100% that Nakumatt is operating as a monopoly in my residential area, because we also have other different supermarkets operating in the same area. If we were to base our facts on the data from the investigation, we could say that the representation of the supermarkets in my residential area demonstrates that Nakumatt Ltd is the most dominant supermarket in Kilimani. And view to its relative size and number of customers, we could also say that it does have monopoly power in my residential area; because if we may say, it controls 71% of the population. Age Nakumatt Uchumi Tuskys Chandarana Total under 18 3 1 4 19-25 4 2 6 26-30 5 5 31-35 6 1 1 1 9 36-45 8 1 2 11 over 45 1 1 2 total 27 2 6 3 38 From this table, we can see that the age differentiation doesnt matter because these supermarkets are stocked in order to satisfy the whole of the population that can afford their items. This means that the age of the individuals will not be an obstacle for them meeting their wants as the supermarkets are prepared to satisfy anyone. I do not think that we should place a theory on a supermarket for being destined more for a specific age class. Conclusion Generally supermarkets in Kenya and all over the world belong to the Oligopoly market. This is because the supermarket industry I being run by a little amount of important brands. It might be confusing for saying that Nakumatt is a monopoly and later saying that it is not. This is because by studying how Nakumatt operates in the industry and how they interact with their customers and also their total market shares, we could post them in a position of a Monopoly. Although, even though they might have the characteristics of a monopoly, the presence of other firms (Uchumi, Tuskys and Chandarana) discredits the possibility of them being one. After doing all the necessary research, I came up with a conclusion which states that Nakumatt doesnt operate as a monopoly in my residential area, but in that oligopoly market, it has a monopoly power on customers, which makes them practically all choose Nakumatt.

Essay on Justice vs. Morality in Measure for Measure and Merchant of Ve

Justice vs. Morality in Measure for Measure and Merchant of Venice    There are many similarities shared between Shakespeare's plays, "Measure for Measure", and "The Merchant of Venice".   The underlying theme of each work is well defined by the phrase "Justice without the temperance of mercy, is power misused".   I will support this claim by drawing upon some of the characters and situations that are consistent in each story. In each story a man's life depends on the interpretation, and sanctioning of justice.   In the, "Merchant of Venice", Antonio (who I believe represents mercy), had sealed a bond with Shylock offering a pound of his flesh for the loan of three thousand ducats.   Unfortunately he forfeits this bond, (Merchant III,ii) "Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all miscarried.... my bond to the Jew is forfeit....".   Shylock (who to the strict letter of the law represents justice), is unyielding to any type of compassion and desires nothing other than what he feels is justice, (Merchant III,iii) "I'll have my bond... beware my fangs. The Duke shall grant me justice...".   In, "Measure for Measure", it is Cladio (representing mercy), whose life hangs in the balance of law and morality.   Cladio has slept with Julietta out of wedlock, (Measure I,ii) "I got possession of Julietta's bed... she is fast my wife... Save that we do the denunciation lack...".   For this crime Angelo (who in place of the duke, representing justice), much as Shylock, desires that Cladio's sentence be carried out exactly as stated by the law, (Measure II,i) "  Ã‚   'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus Another thing to fall... Sir, he must die". In both cases the guilty parties have committed a crime punishable by death, additionally each man also r... ... of the law, and by not yielding to human decency and compassion, Shylock would have been   given his just deserts.   The same was true for Angelo who desired Cladio's head as the unaltered law required.   It certainly seems to me, that Mr.. Shakespeare was simply stating that in within the realms of these plays' one could easily say that "Justice without the temperance of mercy, is power misused". Works Cited Black, James. "The Unfolding of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 26 (1973): 119-28. Leech, Clifford. "The 'Meaning' of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71. Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure. The Arden Shakespeare. Ed. J.W. Lever. London: Routledge, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. The Riverside Shakespeare. Eds. G. Blakemore Evans and J. J. M. Tobin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.

Organic Food Industry Analysis Essay

The organic products industry has shown consistent growth over the last 25 years, growing 3,400% (Flynn, 2014). The organic industry earned $35 billion in 2014 up from $1 billion in 1990 (Flynn, 2014). Credited with being the primary market force drivers, food safety and health concerns have been driving the industry since the end of the 2009 recession. This research paper examines the organic products industry and identifies how supply and demand affects future prices of organic products. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 3 Organic Industry Analysis This paper provides a succinct market analysis of the organic food and product industry. The paper provides background and description of the organic product market. The paper examines U. S. and global market trends of the organic food and product industry by examining demand and supply for organic products. This paper identifies key box store retailers and describes their roles in driving the organic food industry. Analyzing various studies from the USDA and its Economic Research Section (ERS) identified the driving market forces behind the popularity of the organic foods and products, which are the improvement of health and reduction of pesticides from individual diets. The purpose of this paper is to identify market trends and the driving forces behind the global organic food and product market. The driving forces behind the organic food market are health conscious millennials and new mothers who want to reduce chemicals from their diet. Background and Description The term organic has been the topic of controversy for academics and business leaders since the 1940s. The controversy involves several sub-topics such as lack of international standards for organics, cross contamination of organic products during transport, genetically modified organisms (GMO), chemicals and pesticides, and costs to produce organic goods. The definition of organic is: made or grown without the use of artificial chemicals (Organic, 2015). The premise of organic food is not new; however, the creation of national standards has objectively standardized what may be considered an organic product. As the global population grows, the demand for food has caused farmers to increase efficacy and reduce crop waste; however, the methodology utilized to preserve crops may be more of a detriment to human health resulting in the higher demand for uncontaminated food sources and products. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 4 Demand The organic food market was supply driven for many years; however, demand now drives the organic market (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, p. 10). The demand for organic products is increasing every year as people use marginal analysis to justify the higher expense for organic products: Do the benefits out weight the costs? Consumer mistrust in conventional food producers, who add harmful dyes, trans-fats, and high fructose corn syrups to products, is another variable driving the organics market. Environmentalists are also another market force mechanism contributing to the demand for organic products because organic farming reduces environmental pollution. The emergence of organic food is directly linked to an amalgam of food safety and health concerns, which directly relate to ingestion of chemicals used to grow, treat, and preserve foods. The organic food industry has shown consistent global growth over the last two decades and is projected to continue to grow until 2018 (Research and markets adds report: ‘United States organic food market report 2013-2018, 2014). The organic food market has grown 3,400 % in the last 25 years (Flynn, 2014). Organics are divided into several categories such as, fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, and packaged organic products. In 2014 annual organic food sales, mainly fruits and vegetables, reached $35 billion, $290 billion if packaged products are included, up from $1 billion in 1990s (Flynn, 2014). The United States and Europe have the highest demand for organic products compared to other nations (Lohr, n. d. p. 68). Identifying potential organic product consumers is a challenge, but some market research has shown consumers who choose to purchase organic products are generally well educated, millennials, higher income families, and households with children (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 5 p. 4-5). The United States consumes approximately 44% of the global organics market followed by Europe at 41% (Aggarwal, 2014 p. 3). The remaining countries that contribute to the consumption and export of organic foods may have difficulty in exporting goods due to individual national standards and export acts (Aggarwal, 2014 p. 3). Demand for organic products is not central to one part of the world; many countries and cultures realize the importance of consuming foods free of harmful chemicals. Supply Demand has grown for organic products; however, there is a shortage of organic farming land, which may negatively impact supply. The organic industry is constrained by its supply chain; there are only so many farms to produce organic goods and organic goods can only be shipped so far. According to the 2012 U. S. Census of Agriculture, there are now around 17,000 organic farms in the U. S. out of an estimated 2. 1 million total farms; acreage used for organic agriculture accounts for just 0. 6 percent of all U. S. farmland, while organic food sales make up over 4 percent of the total annual food sales. (Young, 2014) The organic farm shortage is an important variable to the organic industry because consumers who tend to purchase organic products generally want to support local farmers in a grass roots type of movement; excluding climate specific food such as, bananas, coffee, limes, and pineapples (Greene, 2013). Contributing to the supply shortage in the United States are strict national standards set in place by the USDA and strict requirements for potential farmers looking to transition into the organic industry. Also contributing to the shortage in organic food and ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 6 products are large box retail stores, such as Whole Food Markets, Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Target. Wal-Mart is the United States’ largest grocer and is competing for organic goods to remain competitive against its competitors, such as Target, which has made agreements with organic producers to supply products for its stores (Hopkinson, 2014). Partnering with organic companies, large retail box stores have created their own brands of organic products to reduce costs associated with providing customers a wide range of product choice. Price Changes Due to Supply and Demand: Historically, organic food is more expensive than conventional food (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009, p. 5). Organic food prices come with a premium due to costs involved in growing and harvesting crops. Prices are set through the suppliers because the organic standards restrict the certification of potential farmers. The certification process slows down potential farmers entering the industry, which reduces the number of producers available to farm the produce and make products. The reduction in organic products available reduces supply and increases demand. Market shelf placements of organic foods are fetching premiums and farmers are realizing the advantages of entering the market. As demand rises for organic products, the current producers are not able to sustain sufficient crop production compared to industry growth. In any competitive market, when demand rises so does opportunity. Due to the premium prices associated with producing products in the organic industry, many farmers may potentially conform to industry standards and convert their farms. The potential for commercial organic farms may also increase due to the undeniable growth of the industry. As more competition enters the organic industry, prices will drop. Large retail box stores, such as Whole Food Markets, Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Target may also have a significant effect on the price of organic ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 7 foods and products. Wal-Mart’s expansion into the organic market has the capability to reduce organic food prices alone due to the numbers of stores across the nation. In conclusion, the undeniable growth in the organic industry is a product of consumer mistrust of conventional growers, mainly due to toxic chemicals used in the production of food. The growth of the organic food industry is directly related to food safety and health conscious consumers who do not mind spending more money to consume uncontaminated products. Consumer demand has been the driving force of much of the organic industry since the end of the recession in 2009. The high consumer demand for organic food is part of an initiative from well-educated people, millennials, higher income families, and households with children, resulting in a 3,400% in the last 25 years creating a $35 billion industry (Flynn, 2014). With the high demand for organic goods, suppliers are unable to maintain sustainable level operations due to lack of organic farmland. Many of the problems associated with the organic food industry are centered on strict certifications that are necessary to maintain product integrity; the stringent certifications are creating supply shortages. The strict organic standards hinder potential farmers from entering into the organic industry. For example, farmers must be pesticide free for at least three years before being certified to produce organic food. Large retail box stores are recognizing the growth of the organic food industry and are currently adding more products annually, but even so, demand exceeds supplies. As the organic food industry continues to grow, prices for organic goods should reduce due to the increased competition in the market. ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 8. References Aggarwal, P. (2014). Supply chain management of locally grown organic food: A leap toward sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www. cognizant. com/InsightsWhitepapers/Supply-Chain-Management-of-Locally- grown-Organic-Food-A-Leap-Toward-Sustainable-Development-codex928. pd Dimitri, C. , & Oberholtzer, L. (2009). Marketing U. S. organic foods recent trends from farms to consumers. USDA, Economic Research Service, (58). Retrieved from http://www. ers. usda.gov/media/185272/eib58_1_. pdf Flynn, D. (2014). Report: Organic industry achieved 25 years of fast growth through fear and deception, Food Safety News. Retrieved from, http://www. foodsafetynews. com/2014/04/report-fast-growing-organics-industry-is- intentionally-deceptive/#. VL0ILWd0xjo Greene, C. (2013). Growth patterns in the U. S. organic industry. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1518534011? accountid=35796 Hopkinson, J. (2014). Will Wal-Mart gobble up organic food supply? Retrieved from http://www. politico. com/story/2014/04/walmart-organic-food-105631. html Lohr, L. (n.d. ). Factors affecting international demand and trade in organic food products. USDA, Economic Research Service. Retrieved from http://www. ers. usda. gov/media/293617/wrs011j_1_. pdf ORGANIC INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 9 Organic. (2015). In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/organic Research and markets adds report: ‘United States organic food market report 2013-2018’. (2014). Manufacturing Close – Up, Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/1498350288? accountid=35796 Young, T. (2014). Organic check-off. Retrieved from https://ota. com/organic-check.

How to Use Job Keywords to Score a Job Interview

How to Use Job Keywords to Score a Job Interview You’ve heard all about job keywords and how important they are in the job search process, particularly for getting your resume read and landing an interview. But are you feeling at a loss about what exactly job keywords are and how to wield them? Here are four steps to keyword domination.1. Use the language of your industryYou want to include the jargon of your industry in your resume. How do you find out what that is? Easy. A bit of internet research can help you turn your resume and LinkedIn profile into a shining beacon for recruiters.Make sure not to use too many terms, or very obscure terms, or you might alienate potential recruiters from other fields. Run your keywords by a person from another field to make sure they make sense to anyone who’ll read your resume, but still include enough specifics for you to be taken seriously within your industry.2. Think about your most valuable skillsWhat skills do you use on a daily basis in your current job? Start keeping a ru nning list. When in doubt, pull out your old job description for a few vital ones. Look to current job descriptions for positions similar to yours within your field. If there are skills common to all current postings for the kind of job you want, then those are pretty good examples of keywords to include in your resume.3. Read the job description closelyTake out your highlighter and dissect the job description. Treat it like a grade school reading assignment, and ask yourself what this company is looking for? Highlight everything you think this employer requires, and then create a case for how you tick all the boxes.Similarly, if a job description lists preferred or required skills, then those are the ones to focus on in your keyword use. Just be sure you don’t claim to have a skill or experience that you do not. Keep it honest.4. Extract from word cloudsGet familiar with wordle.net or wordclouds.com to see how you can feed documents through these services and extract a word picture with the most commonly used words identified. This can save you a step with longer documents when looking for keywords.When in doubt, remember to always back up every keyword you use with actual examples in your work history of how you wielded that particular skill or put out that particular fire. Use keywords intelligently and you’ll not only get past the computer screenings, you’ll get past the human reading the resumes and handing out the interviews.

In The Red

In The Red Hester Prynne admonishes Pearl not to "always talk in the marketplace of what happens in the forest." (Hawthorne 206) Hester's words capture the essence of Puritan life- the vast stretches of the mind skirting the edges of common existence. Hawthorne's juxtaposition of the marketplace and the secret woods illustrates the incredible difference between the Hester presented to the world and Hester as she knows herself.The "mystery of the primeval forest" (Hawthorne, 192) represents the "moral wilderness" (Hawthorne, 192) Hester wanders. The forest's "shadowy uncertainty" (Howells, 278) paints the fears, doubts and passions present in Hester Prynne. Yet she masks these with indifference and her good works; they remain unseen by those who dwell in the marketplace. The community rejects her initially because of her sin; she retreats to the edge of the village into the forest. Her remoteness physically and spiritually widens the gulf between her and her peers.Leigh Hester

Technology Implementation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Technology Implementation Paper - Essay Example There are numerous examples: travel and holiday agents are all linked by networks directly to the databases maintained by airlines, railways and holiday companies making possible virtually instantaneous booking, computing cash tills and bar-code readers in supermarkets are linked to computers and form part of an integrated stock control, ordering and sales analysis system without which modern supermarkets could not function. New technology is having effects on organization structures. Because of the easier and speedier communications and the increasing sophistication of automatic decision making by computers, middle management is tending to disappear in many organizations including service centers and manufacturing, hospitals and trade organizations, etc. (Frame, D.J., (2002). Organizations are becoming flatter and leaner because top management are able to monitor operations more directly and computers are now taking many decisions previously taken by middle management. Examples include: computerized stock and production control in manufacturing, automatic credit scoring and loan authorizations in banks. IT is also changing the nature of the debate about centralization versus decentralization. Properly planned technology systems with distributed data processing enable both more centralization of standards, performance targets and policies and more decentralization of operations through more immediate an d speedier service to customers (Bretschneider, Heintze, 2000). Also, restructuring involves changes in routine processes towards goals-oriented performance. Following Bohmer et al (2001) "The design of a technology often reinforces a habitual routine; for example, the design of a commercial aircraft's cockpit is conducive to certain standard operating procedures for takeoff and landing" (685). In this case, transaction processing systems are pre-specified and changes require the intervention of system specialists; transaction processing comprises: activity processing, report processing and enquiry processing. Businesses are increasingly being reorganized into processes rather than functions (Knop et al, 1998). This is known as process re-engineering and means that firms must identify their core processes and design them so that delays, confusion and demarcations are reduced or eliminated. For instance, the case of The Bell Group vividly portrays implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship management) system and its success for the company. The project includes such areas as accounting, manufacturing, warehousing, field service, and shipping systems. All technological systems were launched separately in order to avoid mistakes and errors (The Bell Group, 2005). It is now possible for managers to obtain information on organizational performance down to the level of specific transactions from just about anywhere in the organization at any time. This new intensity of information makes possible far more precise planning, forecasting, and monitoring (Schwalbe, 2005). A New Employee Managers must deal with new people issues because the changes brought about by technology definitely require a new kind of employee. The use of technology requires more problem solving skills and the ability to interpret data and is thus likely to lead to a widening gulf between skilled and unskilled workers. Routine tasks requiring a low level of skill are

GMCs Hummer Vehicle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GMCs Hummer Vehicle - Essay Example The realist considers Hummer for its practical purposes, and will therefore make use of the vehicle's off-road prowess. The discerner is a connoisseur for the finer things in life, who appreciates Hummer's status, but is unlikely to go off-roading. The conqueror is a successful person who wants people to know it, who appreciates Hummer for its exclusivity and attention grabbing looks. The fourth type of buyer is the adventurer, who wants to take the Hummer off-road. (Amazing Cars - Magazine) By analyzing the percentage of the population that has these qualities, Hummer's U.S. target market segment is males between the ages of 25 and 64 who earn over $100,000 per year. ANALYSIS Demographic Information: "Hummer's target market segment cannot be very large because of the high price of the vehicle, which can be in excess of $90,000. Hummer must gear its marketing strategies towards this small group of individuals."1 Hummer's market segment consists of males between the ages of 25 and 44 who earn over $100,000 a year. This demographic group consists of Generation X'ers and some of the Baby Boom generation. These males are looking for specific vehicles that are geared towards luxury and status. According to 1999 census data , in the approximation of 40,698,000 males between the ages of 25 and 44, only 2,011,000 of them earn enough money to purchase a Hummer. This would give Hummer a market base of over 2 million consumers. This market segment is growing because of the change in this base from 2005 to 2006. The number of males within this age group who earned over $100,000 was 1,730,000 in 2004. That reveals a growth rate of 16% in one year. Also, you can infer that the number of people in general who can afford a Hummer is increasing due to the low unemployment rate, and the steadily growing U.S. economy. 1 ANALYSIS Demographic Information Hummer's sales would continue to grow due to the increase of its market segment coupled with the fact that the company is preparing to release new models that may cater to a whole other marketing segment. Cultural Trends, Attitudes, Values of Target Market The outlook on the buying attitudes of Hummer's target market remains robust in the future. The demand for luxury items has been steadily growing for the past couple of years. With the existence of a bull market, and a steady increase in national prosperity, today's high-income individuals have a healthy demand for luxurious goods and services. The SUV market in general has been steadily increasing over the past five years. According to American Demographics , forecasters estimate that 49% of the new vehicle market will be that of light trucks in 2005, and light truck sales will be greater than that of car sales in 2005. Today's consumers stress safety over other attributes when buying vehicles, which show the increase in demand for SUV's, which are proven to be safer than most cars in crashes. Also, American Demographics' study revealed that empty nest baby boomers are not moving towards sedans, but towards SUV's. Another value of today's consumers is in styling. Today's SUV's have been appealing to consumers because of their current styling blend of ruggedness and beauty. The image factor is also big in analyzing consumer trends. Consumers have a liking for