Literature Review - Organisational Change Essay Example for Free

Literature Review Organisational Change Essay Team report you are to list 6 issues facing CanGo that you gleaned from the week 1 and 2 videos. They should be prioritized in order of importance. They should be numbered. The team must then come up with an actionable recommendation for each of the issues found. These should also be numbered. 1. CanGo does not have a a concise vision or mission statement that defines who they are as a company. Solution: CanGo needs to find out what market they want to be in and also figure out what market they want to be in, and where they see themselves going as a company and what values they have. . CanGo did not approach the strategic planning correctly for the online gaming. They discussed going into a new market with no prior knowledge of how the market operates. They also do not have the proper staff to begin the new business venture. Solution: I think that CanGo should do more research for the online gaming market. I also think that if they decide to go in this new direction that they should outsource some of the work and train some of the people they have on hand to help save costs. Liz needs to sit down and complete all of he steps in the strategic management process, including: SWOT analysis, mission statement, long term goals, implementation, strategic choice, evaluation, revision, and vision statement. Conducting a firm financial analysis of the overall project can prevent and reduce higher costs. Setting short-term and long-term goals will give the team a better outlook on the launch of the online gaming system. 3. Nick’s issue with organization is indicative of a bigger issue; the company does not have a structured approach to scheduling, planning, or reporting progress. Solution: CanGo lacks organization. There should be a better system for filing information, and a clear understanding of what each individual’s responsibilities within the company are. This way they would have a better understanding of which staff members are capable to complete which jobs, and those which be able able to with more training. This way tasks will not be inappropriately assigned. Set up a training session or a number of sessions as needed to bring everyone up to speed as far as what is expected for status reporting, prioritizing, scheduling tasks, and de-conflicting schedules. . Nick and the team members are not organized and they are distracting to each other when they are supposed to be working. Solution: The members should be more considerate in talking about some other topics. They can talk about side topics after work, and not during meetings. The main focus is to help out Nick on how to be successful on their new venture. Nick needs to be organized and read y to do the job. 5. Nick did not have a proper plan in place for the launch of the gaming system. He also did not step up and ask for help when he needed it. Solution: Nick should have figured at a proper plan for the launch of the online gaming system. A strategic goal plan should have been approved and put in place before Nick and the team were able to start on the project . Nick should have prioritized and been specific about the goals in the planning of the project through the use of the Gantt Chart. This would have allowed him to give a breakdown of all the issues that needed to be addresses such as hardware, software, recommendations, price comparisons, and testing. Nick not only failed to ask for help, but he did not ask any clarifying questions when the project was assigned to him. The instructions he was proved when given the project were vague and incomplete. He should have advised someone if he was incapable of doing the job in the first place, but he also should have sought more information and assistance if he was capable of doing the job. 6. During the planning meeting the manager quickly points out issues and made statements such as, â€Å"we need†, â€Å"we should†. He never gave any specific assignments, no dates or expectations. Solution: Design a structure for meetings such as this. Have the manager come into the meeting with a determined list which everyone can add to and discuss. He should also assign people to specific tasks based on their skills along with an expected completion date to make certain nothing is dropped. Establishing the projected deadline and developing an outline of the tasks to be accomplished over the course of time will help him reach his goals.

Ethnic adoption Essay Example for Free

Ethnic adoption Essay Transracial adoption also known as TRA, is defined as the adoption of children of a different race or culture from their adoptive parents, has been a controversial issue in the United States. Social workers are usually the one that match the child with the â€Å"parents† when it comes to adoption. The number of adoptive parents does not relate with the number of adoptive minority children. Therefore, more parents of a different race are able to adopt them. Many social workers see transracial adoption as an ideal solution to the lack of adoptive homes for children of color. However, that is not the case with all social workers. There are some social workers that do not agree with TRA regardless of laws that have been set. They can prevent the placement of children of color with families of a different race by deciding they are not fit for different reasons. They are overlooking the reality of the situation. The reality is that there are children in America that need homes, and homes that need children. These social workers would rather have these children raised by the system than belong to a loving family all due to their argument that children should remain with their race to sustain their cultural background. Children need more than their cultural background. They need love, stability, and a good home. In America, a social worker’s mission is protecting children. When a child is neglected and needs to be removed from the home or situation their job is to find them an appropriate home. In most cases social workers view the situation as a whole and see that the child is taken care of regardless of the race of either the child or the adoptive home. In the process of finding a suitable home it’s important for the state, the child, and the adoptive home for the adoption to be successful. In any situation when making a match that will be successful it’s ideal to have as many common factors as possible. Race would be a factor in adoption to considerate when finding common ground. However, when the common factor is not available the option of looking outside of the common factor can prove to be successful. However, there are some people out there that disagree with this. The family members of the child or even some social workers will overlook the disposal of a home outside the race of the child in hopes to find a home of common race. Their argument is to place the child in an environment and culture in which they come from. In the meantime these children will remain within the system costing the system and  taxpayers money. The money used from the child being in the system is wasted as there is an available home for them to be placed in. The system the child is placed in is the foster care system. Although foster homes and foster families are adequately trained and certified by the state in which they live in to take children in their homes they are not the best place for a child. A child needs stability and a loving home, a permanent home.

Retail pharmaceutical industry and its challenges

Retail pharmaceutical industry and its challenges In times of global economic recession, retailers will need to be more vigilant in meeting consumers demands to remain viable in the ever more competitive market. Retail pharmacy in Malaysia are faced with unique set of challenges deriving from historical past and cultural practices to consumers lifestyle changes. Therefore there is a need for retail pharmacy operators to re-evaluate existing marketing plans by means of understanding current market condition and observing future trend. Then recalibrate their marketing plans and strategies to reposition themselves securely in the market. 1.1 Objective The report aims to provide an overview retail pharmacy industry and evaluate factors that propel and restrain the market, government policies, sales trends, potential growth and market outlook. Challenges related to the pharmaceutical retail sector will be outlined and assessed, and insights into marketing plans being deployed to tap into available market opportunities in Malaysia will also be discussed. 1.2 Overview : Retailing in Malaysia Malaysia retailing environment has undergone a continuous and marked change over the years. The nation has been classified by the World Bank as a upper-middle income country with middle-income household making up more than 50% in 2007. Between 2004 and 2005, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, on an average, the urban household spent 1.8 times more than its rural counterparts that is about USD 735 (MYR2,285) monthly and USD 428 (MYR1,301) monthly respectively. By 2015, according to UN data, the urban population is forecasted to account for approximately 76% of the total population (Euromonitor 2010). Retail sales will likely benefit from this. According to Q4 BMI Malaysia Retail Report, it projected that retail sales will increase from USD 43.65 billion (MYR 153.76 billion) in 2010 to USD 71.44 billion (MYR 251.63 billion) by the end of the forecast period. The key factors supporting this forecast is due to low unemployment rate, rising disposable incomes and a strong tourism industry. BMI forecasts Over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical sales to grow from USD 404million in 2010 to USD557million which translates to 38% increase therefore elicit a positive effect on retail pharmacy. 1.2.1 Retail Pharmacy in Malaysia Malaysia total healthcare expenditure in 2009 exceeded USD 7 billion Figure 1.0, and is projected to surpass USD 10 billion by 2020. Malaysia ranks fifth among the Asian nations in terms of healthcare expenditure and is projected to grow approximately 13% yearly (Frost Sullivan 2008). Retail pharmacy sector contributes 17% of the total expenditure only due to restrictions pertaining to government policies, profession workforce, and population perception. The retail pharmacy sector can be described using organization size and product/service mix criteria. Sole units are comprised primarily of independent pharmacies, usually owned by pharmacists. Multiple-unit pharmacy organizations, or chains, can be divided into small chain and large chain (e.g. 30 or more units). Besides organization size, the retail pharmacy sector can also be characterized by the product/service mix of the organization. Some traditional categories include, supermarket (e.g. AEON), and, beauty and healthcare stores (e.g. Guardian, Watsons). Pure drug store is virtually non-existent in the Malaysian retail pharmacy sector because pharmaceutical products can be sold and dispensed by medical practitioners as well pharmacists. Consequently, this policy does not encouraged the setting up of pure drug store in Malaysia. Therefore, current retail pharmacies stores usually offer both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical product/services to maintain viable in the market. The major players in the Malaysian retail pharmacy scene are large multinational corporations such as GCH Retail (M) Sdn Bhd and Watsons Personal Care Store whereas local companies include Caring Pharmacy and Trustz Pharmacy, and a plethora of small independently operated pharmacies Figure 2.0. In 2009, the multinationals, GCHs Guardian and Watsons collectively dominated 54% of the total market share whilst 46% was divided among local retail pharmacies as shown above (Euromonitor 2010). Generally experienced in dealing with large industries, these multinational corporations compared to the domestic counterparts, have the experties in handling processing, packaging, logistics, inventory management etc. In addition, they have the advantages of economies of scale, retailing of in-house brand, increase in market profit and share, and wider discount parameter for retail healthcare products. 2.0 Current Market Status 2.1 External and Internal Factors Influencing Retailers Marketing Strategies The spillover from the subprime mortgage crisis has badly affected the global economies and Malaysias economy has not been spared too. In 2009, retailing current value growth (CVG) showed a decreased compared to 2008 but still at a positive pace (Euromonitor 2010). In 2010, real GDP growth is expected at 5.7% supported by stronger exports. Increased spending by private consumers as a result of improving labour market conditions will soon strengthen domestic demand (Euromonitor 2010). GDP forecast was reevaluated in May 2009 from 4% to 5% (Euromonitor 2010). Though consumer confidence dwindled, spending on health care continues to be a priority within the consumers household as seen in Figure 3.0. Consumers are still willing to spend a little bit more during promotional period or turned to cheaper alternatives such as mid-priced/economical in-house brands or generic medications. Ongoing urbanization trend, higher education levels and better living standards have generated greater interest among consumers regarding self-medication. This further strengthened the importance of retail pharmacy stores as consumers are able to acquire OTC healthcare, nutritional products and prescription drugs from them. Overall trend of the retail pharmacy sector is gearing towards the sales of generics and OTCs. Profit derives from generics is generally higher compared to branded/innovator products (Shafie Hassali 2008). However, sales of non-prescription products such as OTCs, TCMs, vitamins and supplements are still the main contributor to the retail pharmacys revenue at 79%. Having said so, retailers still need to employ different marketing strategies to distinguish themselves from existing competitors and attempt to reposition themselves as market leaders some successful while some struggled. Strategies pertaining to each of the different type of organizations will be further discussed as follow: 2.2 Strategies Employed by Multinational Corporation The multinationals such as Guardian and Watsons have taken a broad spectrum approach by attempting to diversify from traditional dispensing services common to the concept of a pharmacy, into a wider market segments such as general health and beauty care. The retailers responded by engaging in regular promotions and extended sales period to encourage spending and offering a combination of both pharmaceutical services with beauty care. Rapid expansion strategies undertaken by leading chained retailers resulted in a substantial escalation in the chained store numbers in the nation. 2009 saw a slight improvement in the average selling space per outlet of beauty and health specialist retailers especially in larger shopping malls than standalone establishments. Survey has shown that these are the places where the crowd/consumers prefer. Variety in choices/shops and competitive price products are some of the factors that attracts them. Most beauty and health specialist retailers launch their retail chains in Klang Valley. This is largely due to greater purchasing power among urban consumers. Nonetheless, beauty and health specialist retailers are also expanding outside Klang Valley in order to serve the rising population and growing purchasing power of consumers in East Malaysia and secondary states. Launching of budget in-house brand is to cover a wider range of consumer segment. 2.2.1 Guardian : Target Market, Product Services, and Promotion GCH Retail (M) Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Hong Kong based Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. It is 78% owned by the Jardine Matheson Group, which is listed on the FTSE Stock Exchange and also listed on the Singapore Straits and Bermuda Stock Exchanges (Euromonitor 2010). In Malaysia, the company is involved in the operation of Guardian pharmacy, Cold Storage supermarket and Giant hypermarket outlets. In 2009, as a result of its aggressive expansion, 20 new Guardian outlets were added, and promotions including daily specials has boosted the companys pharmaceutical market share to 35% Figure 2.0, occupying the largest portion of the retail pharmacy market segment. Guardian retailing format is gradually becoming popular in Malaysia. For instance, Guardian spearheaded the concept of  modern retail pharmacy by providing professional consultation and service by registered pharmacists, plus holistic health and personal care solution. In response to the Malaysian governments support initiatives designed to spur small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, most of Guardian in-house brands are source and manufactured locally. Therefore, it is able to offer quality products at very affordable price targeting at all consumer segments and is expected to continue to source and develop wider products range. Guardian is aggressive in promoting its in-house brand products by advertising and promotions. For instance, Guardian dedicated half a page or full-page advertisements in their in-store brochures or leaflets for their in-house brand products. GCH Retails share of in-house brand products has been growing steadily largely due to developing brand recognition as well as the wider range of items available. External and Internal Analysis (Guardian) External Internal Threats Economic slowdown Decentralized marketing function: inconsistent brand image Weaknesses Retracted consumer spending Increased rivalry between competitors Opportunities Import/Export: Malaysian Ringgit vs Hong Kong Dollar Good management: able to respond to market change Strength Change in consumers spending pattern Both external and internal factors how the company decides to operate. The external factors will be same for all market players. 2.2.2 Watsons : Target Market, Product Services, and Promotion Watsons Personal Care Stores (WPCS), being the largest beauty and health retail chain in Asia, is a subsidiary of the AS Watson Group based in Hong Kong and wholly owned by Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. WPCS has been in Malaysia since 1994 and is considered one of the most accomplished personal care chain stores (Euromonitor 2010). Following the successful merger and acquisition of Apex Pharmacy Sdn Bhd in Jun 2005, WPCS has 211 outlets nationwide. In 2009 due to its extensive stores expansion and merger , its pharmaceutical value share managed to increase to 19% Figure 2.0 of the entire pharmaceutical retailing in Malaysia.WPCS still remains the largest community pharmacy retail chain in Malaysia. To support and reinforce its image positioning Watsons employs promotional pricing, selling list prices then running price-off sales periodically, continuous marketing efforts and promotions such as television advertisements, complimentary beauty and health information to consumers, and storewide 20% discount campaign. Moreover, WPCS products are competitively priced and carry quality in-house brand products which are usually cheaper by 20% to 25% below manufacturers brand in the same product range. Its in-house brand lines consist of a large proportion of skin-care products, hair care, OTC healthcare products, toiletries, bottled mineral water, electrical items designed to meet the needs of the mass consumers . To further promotes its in-house brands, it has dedicated more shelf space in-store for them. Coupled with growing brand recognition and wider range of products to cater for all segments of consumers, this marketing trend may continue in future. External and Internal Analysis (Watsons) External Internal Threats Economic slowdown Over expansion resulting in dissipated consumer services Weaknesses Retracted consumer spending Increased rivalry between competitors Opportunities Import/Export: Malaysian Ringgit vs Hong Kong Dollar Extensive outlet coverage nationwide Strength Change in consumers spending pattern 2.3 Strategies Employed by Small Retail Phamacy Marketing model of smaller retail pharmacies focus on establishing good rapport with its customer base by providing individually customized pharmaceutical services for their clients according to their needs and wants, Furthermore, they also provide extended after working hour services for the convenience of their customers, to access to pharmaceutical items and advice. Loyalty marketing is also introduced to maintain or expand their customer base in light of even more competitive environment. This model is gaining popularity in Malaysia and is already established in Europe, Australia and Canada. Specialized services exclusive to pharmacy such as pre-packed dosettes medications (to ensure better compliance to medicine), insulin dose adjustments for uncontrolled diabetes management and methadone replacement therapy for heroin dependent patient, targeting a unique consumer segment is gradually incorporated into their marketing plans. 2.3.1 Caring : Target Market, Product Services, and Promotion Caring Pharmacy Sdn Bhd is a group of pharmacies under one banner collectively shares the same supply and inventory management similar to that of chain stores, however each outlets are independently owned and operated by pharmacists. Caring Group currently have 46 registered pharmacists operating 40 outlets in Klang valley. Therefore giving the Group the highest number of pharmacist to outlet ratio among retail pharmacy operators in Malaysia. With market share of 12% in 2009 Figure 2.0, Caring is fast emerging as one of the most established local community retail pharmacy. Providing extended hour services from the early hours up to midnight proved to be a potent marketing strategy in establishing its market share as it provides time flexibility to consumers. Caring offers professional consultation by registered pharmacists on uncomplicated ailments and medication management solutions such as pre-packed medications for consumers convenience. The group has been actively promoting its pharmacist consultation service. For instance, public awareness talks by pharmacists on health topics such as hypertension, diabetes, weight-management etc. are frequently organized. Launched in 2006, the first pharmacy reward program as a points accumulation and gift redemption card with Malaysias premier multi-party loyalty program BonusLink, enabled Caring to establish closer contact with their regular clients. External and Internal Analysis (Caring) External Internal Threats Economic slowdown Too focused on domestic/localization growth Weaknesses Retracted consumer spending Increased rivalry between competitors Opportunities Change in consumers spending pattern Good corporate core value: pharmacist service for all consumer segments Strength 3.0 Marketing Strategies 3.0 Strategic Recommendation For the Retail Pharmacy Industry Global economy remained sluggish in 2009, likewise in Malaysia. Even though consumer spending has retracted in Malaysia, where healthcare is concerned, consumers are still spending. Retail pharmacy registered an increment in sales of 0.2% for 2009 against 2008 Figure 3.0. 3.1 Marketing Mix Strategy Target consumers Promotion mix Sales promotion Advertising Sales force Public relations Direct online marketing Offer mix Product Services Prices Adapted from Marketing: An Introduction from an Asian Perspective ( Kotler et al. 2006) 3.2 Target Consumers : Population Demographic Outlook and Lifestyle Trend According to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2007 Malaysias population was just over 27 million and by 2015 it will be more than 30.7 million. In addition, nearly 60% of Malaysian is below the age of 30 in 2007 (Euromonitor 2010). Needs and wants of consumers changes with age. Marketers must use different marketing approaches for different age and life-cycle groups. The mature segment of the population in Malaysia, are usually relatively established in terms of financial, family and home and more aware of their health status. Marketers needs to woo this segment consumer by employing positive images and appeals. This segment will be the key buyers of medical and health-related products and services, including pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs, vitamins and dietary supplements, health drinks and medical equipment. While there will be new emphasis on products for mature consumers, younger consumers will still remain a potent force since they made up half the population in Malaysia by 2015. They are more savvy, health conscious and more willing to try new products thus exercising significant purchasing power and driving continuing demand for the wide range of youth oriented products. Hence, this will spur demand for core healthcare products and influence sales in tangential sectors such as food and beverages, and healthcare services. 3.3 Offer Mix : Product Portfolio Adjustment and Pricing Tactic 3.3.1 Product Portfolio Adjustment Consumers remained largely loyal to established brands mainly because these brands are trusted names that consumers used to purchase or are just comfortable with its effectiveness. Coupled with strict registration requirements in Malaysia for all medicines, either branded or generics, in-house brand is unlikely to perform well in certain healthcare lines such as oral analgesics, cough, cold and allergy but may do well in other health product category. For example, in-house brand such as wound care, vitamin and supplements are projected to grow due to regional disease outbreak and economic slowdown. As living costs, including healthcare costs increases, consumers will be more adventurous to try out economical in-house brand products and self-medicate. Using the pull and push marketing strategy, potential consumers will come to understand the helpfulness of vitamins and dietary supplements as preventative measures against environment, diet, importance of taking balance nutrition and age-related ailments such as joint and back pain, immune systems, osteoporosis etc. Personal selling and sales promotion will be expected to heightened awareness of in-house brand products. Marketers need to expand their consumer healthcare product ranges in order to maintain competitive in the market. Figure 4.0 shows that in-house brand product line will continue to grow. Therefore, marketers should focus on marketing in-house brand products such as topical analgesics, antipruritics, other wound treatments, vitamins and dietary supplements, that enjoy strong demand. 3.3.2 Pricing Tactic Consumers will be shopping around for the best deals. It is not necessary for retailers to cut list prices, but may offer more short termed price promotions, lower quantity threshold discounts, provide credit to long-standing customers, and more aggressively price smaller pack sizes. In tough times, price cuts attract more consumer support than promotions such as mail in offers and sweepstakes. 3.4 Promotion Mix : Conventional Advertising and Online Marketing 3.4.1 Conventional Advertising Despite the growth of electronic communications, printed newsletter and television still play an important role in Malaysians daily life and their pursuit of information and entertainment. As shown in Figure 5.0, printed adspend dominated 54% followed by television adspend at 37% of the total adspend respectively for the year 2009. Major newspapers include three English-language dailies, two Malay-language dailies, five Chinese-language dailies, and two Tamil-language dailies. The Malaysian has a wide range of magazines covering lifestyle, fashion, business, and special interest topics such as fishing, motoring, health and wellness and childcare. Magazines in Malaysia are usually published on a fortnight or monthly basis and are available via subscription, at retail outlets, convenience shops and small grocery stores. Although there seems to be a slight plateau Figure 6.0, conventional printed media will still be the medium of choice currently to disseminate promotional information for pharmacy retailers. 3.4.2 Online Marketing The internet has had a significant impact on Malaysia over the past several years. The number of internet users grew from nearly five million users in 2000 to more than 12 million users in 2007, reflecting growth of 144%. Just as significantly, the household penetration rate of personal computers in Malaysia increased from 13.5% in 1995 to 34.7% in 2007. Tethered with such growth, online adspend recorded 72% spike growth from 2007-2009, and is expected to continue capturing readership share at the expense of printed media, in-line with household penetration rate of internet enabled computers increases in Malaysia. Mobile advertising will be in vogue as internet handheld devices gains market penetration, particularly among the younger population. Advertising platforms such as Apples iAd is a prime example of cutting-edge mobile advertising where advertisements are not just informative but interactive as well. Advertisements of this kind, can be updated real time by retailers with short-term sales promotion similar to Malaysia Airlines lunch-hour flight deals or provide interactive online shopping experience, will revolutionize conventional concept of promotional advertising. Pharmacy retailers can tap into this market and formulate marketing plans unique to loyal mobile shoppers. Conventional in-store consumers are bombarded with too much product information creating confusion thus delaying purchases. Retailers and manufacturers should collaborate to satisfy consumers needs such as using attractive colors and creating simplistic product packaging to facilitate consumers search for healthcare products. Hence, online advertising and internet retailing is expected to increase. This will have an impact on how retailers attempt to reach Malaysian consumers and, in a less significant but growing way, on how Malaysians shop. 4.0 Conclusion Consumers in Malaysia are changing their healthcare shopping behavior in various ways. While many opted for other more economical retailers, there are some who remained loyal to their preferred retailers. They are more comfortable in seeking out deals and using coupons, and will purchase both in-house brands or branded products whichever provides the best value. Definition of value is also changing. Previously, value is often perceived as quality and options, but now this is synonymous with price, value will mean that consumers get what they want at the best possible price. Pharmacy retailers can capitalize on consumers needs by providing increased personalized marketing and shopping experience. Consumers are also seen shifting towards meaningful and unique shopping experience, particularly in purchasing healthcare items. 4.1 Consumer In Charge Consumers know what they want and many will go the distance in search of the best offers; some consumers, due to their lifestyle fluidity simply require products that satisfy their needs. By giving consumers multiple product choices at different price and benefit levels, brands especially in-house brand, can be capitalized by using different marketing strategies to make them to stand out from the crowd. Mobile shopping, will be the next frontier for retailers to venture into as on-the-go consumers will emphasize on shopping convenience and speed of transactions. 4.2 Retailers Diversity and Rebrand to Stay Relevant Pharmacy retailers diversifying into in-house product line need to factor in consumers shopping preference on established branded healthcare products when formulating in-house product marketing plans. Many consumers maintained loyalty to established brands due to familiarity to a product or confident with its effectiveness. New and improve in-house product lines with convenience in mind such as topical analgesics and sachet digestive remedies, will appeal to consumers particularly the younger customers. Retailers may need to revamp certain product lines with new design, improve in-house brand offers and promote them with a compelling ad-campaign, to appeal to target consumers. 4.3 Future of Retail Pharmacy in Malaysia Retail pharmacy landscape is shifting largely attributed to economic changes, the growth of online retailing and more recently mobile commerce. With increasing use of smart handheld devices in Malaysia, mobile advertising and commerce is projected to grow substantially. Retailers will have to employ a multi-channel marketing approach. Online retailing will provide a platform for retailers to disseminate unique and targeted product offers for consumers to research, plan their shopping trips and ultimately attract consumers into stores. Consumers will also look for premium service coupled with simplified shopping experience in terms of product availability and ease of locating the products. Now more than ever, consumers are becoming more sophisticated and informed in making choices.They desire to know the origin of the product, what they are made of and how their lives can be improved with them. In general, future consumer wants a simplified, personalized and meaningful shopping experi ence with a focus on value. In summation, regardless of the organization size and retail focus, marketers must have the foresight to recognize change and take advantage of it by shifting its resources in line with market trends.

Measuring Customer Service at American Express :: essays research papers

Measuring Customer Satisfaction at American Express   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Express is a world wide travel related service company. American Express works with both consumers and business with their financial planning as well as offers numerous amounts of credit card products and travel assistance. They have many products and services that are used throughout the world by consumers and businesses. As American Express moves towards the future, like most credit card companies, they want to be competitive and responsive to the needs of the consumer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Express sends out customer service surveys to the card members that call in to the telephone service center. The surveys are sent out randomly with a coding on the bottom of the survey so that the results and comments are given back to the correct employee. The employees are aware that any card member that they speak to could receive a survey. With this said, each employee goes through extensive training on the telephone behaviors that must be demonstrated while speaking to card members. The employees also go through extensive training on the policies and procedures that each card product and service has. This training is to ensure that each card member is handled with the most utmost professional behavior and their issues are handled correctly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the surveys are returned to the company, they are returned to the Customer Satisfaction Action Team. This team reviews the surveys, separates them by employee and then by the results.. The results are separated by â€Å"Excellent† and â€Å"Very Good† and then â€Å"Fair† and â€Å"Poor† marks. The card members that score a â€Å"Fair† or â€Å"Poor† mark on the survey is called back by one of the team members and the issue is discussed further to find out why the survey was marked that way. The comments that the card members make on the surveys are returned to the employee’s team leaders. The team leader gives the feedback to the employee and discusses with them their best practices or opportunities that need to be worked on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This tool is an excellent way to get in touch with our card members and to see how they feel the company is doing and what they feel is going right and what needs to be worked on. By doing this the company can take this information and better the customer satisfaction by either up training of employees are reviewing and possibly changing the policies or procedures.

The State of Despair in American Beauty Essay -- American Beauty Films

The State of Despair in American Beauty In life, everyone must make choices. Choices give an individual the freedom to decide upon the path to which they will follow. Since it’s beginnings, the film making industry has focused on showing the direct relationship between the choices that people make and the resulting consequences they must face. In the movie American Beauty, the character of Lester Burnham must make many important choices that could either lead to his ultimate happiness, or draw him further into his despair. In the movie American Beauty, it is evident that Lester Burnham is in a state of despair. Lester’s dull and monotonous voice introduces the audience to his daily routine of life. When Lester declares plain and simply, â€Å"This is my neighborhood, this is my street, this is my life,† he exposes the lifelessness and unhappiness to which he has become accustomed. The hopeless tone that Lester has set continues when he cynically comments, â€Å"jerking off in the shower will be the high point of my day.† He realizes his family life is no better when he becomes aware that both his disdainful wife and his troubled daughter consider him â€Å"a gigantic loser.† It is easy to recognize and understand Lester’s disheartenment through analysis and symbolic car scene. In this scene, Lester sits slouched down in the back seat with a look of emptiness while his daughter Jane sits up front, next to his wife Caroline who is driving the car. The symbolism is shown through Carolyn driving the car, as she drives the family (especially Lester). She has evolved into the decision-maker, and leader of the Burnham family. Sitting in the backseat, Lester avoids further conflict with his wife, leading him to become an even unhappier and more desperate person. It is understandable why Lester feels like a sedated visitor in his own life. It is also easy to empathize with Lester when he states that he feels â€Å"in many ways already dead.† For Lester, his life at work is nothing better than his life at home. After fourteen years on the job, Lester is asked by an efficiency expert at work to write a memo justifying his position. This requires making the first of several choices, which will ultimately affect his future happiness. Should he justify his job and continue to provide for his family or choose freedom and a new life? To answer this question the audience must examine... ....† This is the first time in the movie in which it is apparent that he wants to know his own family and is just working out how to go about doing it. But it also allows Lester to be happy, happy for Jane to experience the â€Å"best thing he once had† a true loving relationship with Carolyn. Lester finds himself not sad that he is now missing that loving relationship, but happy that he got the chance to experience it at one point. By the end of the movie, Lester actually seems sincerely happy in his thoughts, in his mind and in his life. This is the happiness that he has been searching for all along. The discovery of happiness and the extinction of despair are two of the greatest feats known to humans. Everyone chooses which of the two will ultimately rule their life, but sometimes life itself can get in the way. Lester Burnham is a man with limits, a man without the freedom to know himself, but with the ability to overcome these boundaries. Throughout this movie Lester is taken down a path to which hedonism is the roadblock and morality is the hidden passage. For some the choice will never be able to be made, but to Lester, life was much too beautiful to ignore the possibilities.

Atlantis :: essays research papers

Atlantis Over 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean populated by a noble and powerful race. The people of this land possessed great wealth thanks to the natural resources found throughout their island. The island was a center for trade and commerce. The rulers of this land held sway over the people and land of their own island and well into Europe and Africa. This was the island of Atlantis. Atlantis was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her. Cleito gave birth to five sets of twin boys who became the first rulers of Atlantis. The island was divided among the brothers with the eldest, Atlas, first King of Atlantis, being given control over the central hill and surrounding areas. At the top of the central hill, a temple was built to honor Poseidon that housed a giant gold statue of Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by winged horses. It was here that the rulers of Atlantis would come to discuss laws, pass judgments, and pay tribute to Poseidon. To facilitate travel and trade, a water canal was cut through of the rings of land and water running south for 5.5 miles (~9 km) to the sea. The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and spread across the plain covering a circle of 11 miles (1.7 km). This was a densely populated area where the majority of the population lived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles (530 km) long and 110 miles (190 km) wide surrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The climate was such that two harvests were possible each year. One in the winter fed by the rains and one in the summer fed by irrigation from the canal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surrounding the plain to the north were mountains which soared to the skies. Villages, lakes, rivers, and meadows dotted the mountains. Besides the harvests, the island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits, and nuts. An abundance of animals, including elephants, roamed the island. For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. But slowly they began to change. Greed and power began to corrupt them.

The Impact of Transnational Corporations on Less Economically Developed Countries

A transnational (TNC) corporation is simply a large business organisation which operates and has ownership of assets in more than one country. Most TNCs operate in just a few countries, are involved in manufacturing and services and have their head offices in more developed countries. TNCs are responsible for employing over 40 million people worldwide, indirectly influence an even greater number, and to control over 75 per cent of world trade. At first, many branches of TNCs were located in economically less developed countries, but there has been an increasing global shift to the affluent markets of Europe, North America and Japan. The reason why TNCs originally decided to locate in less developed countries was due to the existence of valuable resources, but the most important reason was the level of incentives offered by the home government. Also read this  Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy If a TNC decides to settle in an LEDC, there will be huge benefits. Many new jobs will be created, which will be filled by local labour. The jobs will probably be better paid than other jobs supplied by industry which developed within the country. On the other hand, the wages will be much lower than the wages given for the same job in an MEDC. This is another reason why TNCs choose to create branches in LEDCs. The jobs supplied by the TNC will probably require some basic skills, especially if it involves the manufacture of a good. The education will be supplied by the TNC, and will probably be of a fairly high standard if they want the branch to be very productive. The employees will benefit from these skills, because they would be able to use them in other aspects of their lives. The TNC will supply the expensive machinery used in manufacturing for the employees, which may also introduce new technologies as well. This will enable the country to progress and allow companies to use the new technology to develop. Because worker wages is increasing, demand for consumer goods will increase as well, another reason why new companies will be tempted to develop. Mineral wealth and new energy resources will develop, Because there is more trade in the country, there will be more reason for roads to be built, as well as railways and airports. The TNC may help fund the development of these because it will improve the importing and exporting ability of that country. The government will probably supply money for the transport links as well, due to the increasing amount of money coming into the country. The increased amount of money made by the country can also be used for many other things. Health control could be introduced, which means workers will be given improved working conditions and health plans. This could also help to improve output further because workers will be in a better environment and mood to work. Money can also be used for environmental control, which could include developing ways of minimizing the amount of pollution certain industries create and even developing new production methods. Although the advantages to the country are numerous, there is a negative side which includes many disadvantages. Although the new TNC will supply many jobs, the cost of investment will be high. The new TNC will know that wages in the target country are very poor and so they will not have to pay workers as nearly as much as they pay employees in MEDCs. This is quite unfair, because the TNC is taking advantage of the people in the LEDC. Furthermore, employees will be made to work very long hours with little or no breaks. The TNC will most likely choose not to employ local highly skilled workers, because they will expect higher salaries and better working conditions. This will mean that low skilled people will be given jobs, but higher skilled workers will remain unemployed. As previously mentioned, the TNC will most probably enjoy large profits if they set up branches in LEDCs. The problem is most of this money will not stay within the country because the main branch of the TNC will be situated in an MEDC. This means money will not stay in the LEDC; there will be an outflow of wealth. If money is going abroad, the GNP of the TNC will increase rapidly. The GNP of the LEDC used will increase as well, but at a slower rate. This means that development speed of the MEDC will far exceed that of the LEDC. This defeats one of the main reasons why TNCs setup branches overseas; they want the country to catch up with the growth rate of other countries. Technological advancements in the LEDC can eventually cause problems. Mechanisation will mean that fewer workers are needed because robots can do the jobs that the workers once did. The only workers needed will those used to maintain the machinery, which means the work force will be decreased substantially. The raw materials which are located in the LEDC will most probably be exported instead of manufactured locally. If the country is using as lot of energy to develop, then this can cause a national debt. Therefore, the rate of development will be stunted and the country will have been taken advantage of. This could cause upset within the workforce, creating strikes. This can cause further problems because the firm is not located within the country. They could choose to pull out when ether they like, meaning many jobs would be lost. This would not be a great loss to the TNC though, as they have many other branches they can rely on. The money created by these TNCs would probably be better off spent on improving housing, diet and sanitation than roads and airports for trade. The problem is that the TNC would not benefit as much from these improvements so it does not concern them. The development of new firms can damage the environment because land must cleared for factories to be built. This could destroy the natural homes of species of animals, which is very difficult to correct. Because the target country will not be aware of the amount of pollution produced by industry, the laws on pollution control will not be as tight as the country where the firm is located. This could cause health problems, especially if a lot of waste is produced and dumped into the local water supply, for example. It is clear that there are many advantages and disadvantages in terms of TNCs creating branches in other countries. The real problem is that the disadvantages mostly affect the target country, not the TNC. So until LEDCs are aware of the problems caused by firms settling in their country, the chance of the growth of TNCs slowing down is very small. This could cause the gap between the levels of development in LEDCs and MEDCs to become even wider in the future.