Multinational Enterprise Practice

Multinational enterprise practice between Australia and Indonesia using national culture comparison. Today’s business environment is consisting on high level of turmoil that comes from globalisation, news technologies, and great transparency (Reeves & Deimler, 2009); that demand organisation’s responsiveness for levels of dramatic, and often tumultuous, organisational change and development in order to achieve its organisational goals and objectives (Darling & Heller, 2009).Because of these revolutionary changes in the business environment (Stewart, 1993); the scope of organizations has expanded into a various sizes and types which lead to the important need for cross-cultural awareness and understanding of the daily operations of international businesses (De Cieri, Fenwick, Hutchings, 2005). Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to analyse the international human resource management’s challenges and opportunities when multinational enterprise operates in two different national cultures simultaneously.This essay uses Australia as the host nation, and Indonesia as the host nation subcontractor as the basis of comparison. The concept of external environment refers to a specific and general environment outside the organisation that can affect its performance (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter, 2008). These changes that create a revolution movement in the business world are mainly globalisation and information technology (Stewart, 1993). Particular changes in the external environment can affect their position in the market, dismantling traditional chain of command in the organisation, and restructuring organisation (Stewart, 1993).Thus, it is important to know a few factors that increase the practice of IHRM in multinational enterprises. In this essay the external environmental factors that are analysed are technology and globalisation. One of the factors that has a significant influence in the business environment is technology ( Stewart, 1993). The advent of new media and innovation in technology gives company choices in how to conduct their recruitment practices, such as online recruitment, which is quick, effective and cost efficient (Searle, 2006). This leads to he changes in the majority of work that have transformed from manual work to a more knowledge-based work, due to the increase in globalisation, competition, and technological development (Borland, Hirschberg & Lye, 2004). Technology is used as a tool that can eliminates physical borders; which then accelerated the pace of globalisation (Mendenhell et al. , 2003). * The second factor that has accelerated changes in business environment is Globalisation. It can be seen from a number of organisations that compete in the global market, that have increased substantially due to the increased development in technology (Mendenhell et al. 2003). Taking advantage of the growing worldwide competition is not limited to technology only; organisations also have to compete in their totality and human resources globally (Harpaz & Meshoulan, 2010). Globalisation has removed the geographical borders that make cultural and distance barriers obsolete when markets fuse together; and has shifted traditional rules, and transforms it to new rules that bring vague, unstable, counterintuitive, and full expectations (Mendenhell et al. , 2003).Thus, understanding cultural, political, legal and economic differences among countries and its communities can be significant challenges (Dessler, 2008). In addition, globalisation creates feelings of insecurity for employees in relation to the prospects of keeping their job, while the intensification of manual, and also of intellectual work, constituting a fertile ground for the creation of mental disorders, such as stress and depression, especially at a time when mental health is extremely important and vital for society and MNEs’ growth (Antonopoulou & Derivisi, 2009).That is why the proce ss of developing and implementing SIHRM strategy and practice in two or more countries is more difficult than developing and implementing SHRM strategy in one country. In the past 3 decades the practice of IHRM in organisations have increase because of a vast growth in the international trade, rapid advances in information technology and communication, distribution, and manufacturing technology (Hutchings & Ratnasari, 2006). International human resource management (IHRM) is the study and application of all human esource management activities as they impact the processes of managing human resource enterprises in the global environment (Briscoe, Schuler & Tarique, 2012). The purpose of IHRM is to enable MNE to be competitive throughout the world; efficient; locally responsive; flexible and adaptable within the shortest time periods; and capable of transferring knowledge and learning across their globally dispersed units (Schuler, Budhawar, & Florkowski, 2002).The practice of international human resource management in an organisation includes staffing and expatriates procurement, compensation, training and development, international labour relations, as well as performance evaluations and contribution (Wong, 2000). However, the best way in performing all the activities in an integrative manner still remains as a challenging task for HR managers (Schuler, Budhawar, & Florkowski, 2002). To fully understand the importance of integrated culture in MNE, we must understand the concept of national culture.An individual’s values in life are influenced by immediate family, societal and cultural norms, values and beliefs (Hofstede, 2001). Thus, national culture can be defined as ‘the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another’ (Hofstede, 2001). Thus, many cross-cultural management research ? ndings stated that national culture will have a signi? cant in? uence an indi vidual’s intrinsic and extrinsic work values (Gahan & Abeysekera, 2009). Hofstede also divided national culture into four dimensions, which are power distance, collectivist vs. ndividualist, femininity vs. masculinity, and uncertain avoidance (Hofstede, 1997). These four dimensions will affect the degree to which the parent company is willing and able to adapt its strategy and practices to suit the conditions in the subsidiary country; the degree to which it maybe necessary to adapt parent company strategy and practices to suit the conditions in the subsidiary country; and the degree to which the parent company strategy will be effective in subsidiary country (Dessler, 2008). That is why, human resource management researchers suggested that Hofstede’s four dimensions in work values need to be re? cted in HRM practice; in relation to understand employee goal-setting, designs job enrichment, and the design and use of performance-based pay of the target workforce (Gah an & Abeysekera, 2009). By using the cultural focus approach, MNE’s HR managers can have a better understanding of differences in social values and customs between its host nation culture and its subsidiaries’ nation (Lertxundi & Landeta, 2009). Furthermore, a comparison of multiple national cultures will provide greater insight for MNE before the organisation starts its operation in another country (Sims, 2006).It will also increase the awareness on several specific others business culture practice in the manners of etiquette or simple dos or don’t (Pruetipibultham, 2012). Therefore it is imperative for Australian MNEs that operates in Indonesia to understand the cultural characteristics of Indonesia’s society, in order for its operations to succeed. The comparisons between Indonesia and Australia are based on the work values and the concept of social status; and utilises Hofstede’s work on national cultures as a theoretical basis for comp aring the countries.Indonesia’s concept of social status is highly patriarchal and hierarchical, with what appears to be great power distances between levels of the social structure. Showing proper respect, in speech and behaviour, is an essential aspect of the culture (Pruetipibultham, 2012). Indonesia society is highly inclusive; everyone has a place, from the highest to the lowliest and hierarchy ensures that all individuals in society know both their place and their obligations within the social structure (Pruetipibultham, 2012).In addition to hierarchy, gender and age are important determinants of social status such as the younger person treat the older person with respect, in language and in attitude (Pruetipibultham, 2012). It often happens that when MNE send their young expatriate to work or negotiate in Indonesian company, the Indonesians may immediately feel a little insulted that somebody without proper authority was sent to deal with them (Pruetipibultham, 2012). The concept of life values has become a central in studies of individual level motivations and behaviour, particularly in HRM and organisational behavior (Gahan & Abeysekera, 2009).Among the various types of life values, work values (or goals) are often viewed as a central determinant of a wide range of an individual's work-related attitudes and behaviours (Noesjirwan, 1978). In organisational behaviour and human resource management (HRM) research domains, a number of researchers has suggested that these differences in work values need to be re? ected in HRM practice; notably employee goal-setting, job enrichment, the design and use of performance-based pay are dependent on the national culture differences of the target workforce (Gahan ;amp; Abeysekera, 2009).In Indonesia, most of the common perspective on what corporate priorities should be is respect, understanding and trust when dealing in day-to-day business relationships (Pruetipibultham, 2012). However, the interpretation s of how to demonstrate understanding, to show respect, and to develop trust where the Indonesian cultural value systems come into play (Pruetipibultham, 2012). To most Indonesian managers understanding means that business activity should be be combined with the traditions and ingrained attitudes in the Indonesian business culture (Pruetipibultham, 2012).In addition, some studies found that expatriates in Indonesia can gain respect by listening to and valuing the local manager’s opinions or making an e? ort to explain why they cannot take the manager’s advice and what can be done di? erently in the future, and giving credit to their Indonesian colleagues with measure of experience and merit (Pruetipibultham, 2012). Even though good relations are accomplished by MNE; however, when Indonesian managers encounter di? culties in their projects, it is likely that they will not provide a timely noti? cation and rational explanation of the di? culties.This show that failure to shame is negatively high in feasibility in Indonesia similar to the rest of East Asia (Begley ;amp; Tan, 2001). Whereas, in the past, the self-identity of Australians have been analysed as being a complex mix of equalitarianism and mateship (Ashkanasy, 2007). In addition, egalitarianism concept consists of sameness and equality (Thompson, 1994). This concept related to mateship that was born when the settlers had to live in the outback and dealt with the difficult environment without much of a family life (Feather, 1986). The sameness falls upon the in-group collectivism but only applied to other who is in the same in-group’ that share similar uniqueness with them (Perkerti ;amp; Sendjaya, 2010). Thus, the concept of sameness can be considered as a based of prejudice and discrimination actions toward Aboriginal tribes (Ashkanasy, 2007). However, the concept that is used by most Australians today is the concept of equalitarianism (Perkerti ;amp; Sendjaya, 2010). Especially, w hen equal right are protected and enforce by the Australian legislation and government; and if a person fail to abide this means that the person is liable for lawsuit (Campton, Nankervis ;amp; Morrisey, 2009).In 2008, more than 200 unions leaders developed ‘a new framework for future campaigns’ with six key priorities: a voice for working Australians and their families; improving wages and working conditions; creating a fairer society; growing union membership; organizing workplaces, industries and sectors; and connecting with communities and regions (Brigden, 2008). Thus, because of multicultural factor in Australia and the law also protect people from discrimination, it concept of social status is not as high compare to Indonesia.Nowadays, most of Australian (especially since generation x), values the concept of work life balance based on the balance between works and outside work commitment (Allan, 2011). Family is a crucial part of the life part in work-life balance concept for workers (Allan, 2011). Thus most Australian companies used the concept of â€Å"family friendly† as an attempted to support work-personal life balance and reduce labour turn over (Burke, Oberklaid ;amp; Burgees, 2003).Especially towards attracting and attaining women in the workforce, thus there is an increasing number of women in the workforce thus moving further away from the concept of traditional role of women (Burke, Oberklaid ;amp; Burgees, 2003). Thus, by using Hofstede’s four dimensions on Indonesia and Australia national cultures, HR researchers found that Indonesians score very high in power distance, very high on collectivism, moderately high in ‘‘femininity’’, and moderately high in ‘‘uncertainty avoidance’’ (Stening ;amp; Ngan, 1997).Whereas, Australian in the â€Å"Anglo† group scored low in power distance, very high in individualism, moderately high in masculinity, moderaly low in un certainty avoidance, and very low in long term orientation (Ashkanasy, 2007). After understanding the basic concept of subsidiaries nation culture, and compare it to host nation’s culture; MNEs need to assess the impacts of work values on behaviours and interactions in the workplace, particularly where these values might diverge among work team members and between superiors and subordinates (Piers, Stanton ;amp; Ostenfeld, 2006).Multinational enterprises (MNEs) recognize that human resources play an important role in developing and sustaining a competitive advantage in today's highly competitive global business environment (Briscoe and Schuler. 2004). Staffing of foreign subsidiaries continues to an important strategic human resource practice that MNEs use to develop and sustain a competitive advantage in the international marketplace (Tarique, Schuler & Gong, 2006).MNEs can staff their foreign subsidiaries with parent country nationals (PCNs), host country nationals (HCN s) and third country nationals (TCNs) or any combination of the three (Tarique, Schuler & Gong, 2006. ) One of the ways to reduce the labour turn over in international expatriate is by merging organisational cultures and personal interest in order to build a common value and relationship (Harpaz & Meshoulan, 2010).However, the challenges are the information sharing and integrating business conduct with foreign culture (Tarique, Schuler & Gong, 2006). The reliable information will become harde to interpret when cultural and physical distance increase, information asymmetry becomes more serious, complete and accurate information about subsidiary employee actions and performance becomes more difficult and expensive to obtain, and subsidiary actions become harder to interpret (Tarique, Schuler & Gong, 2006).These complicate both behavioural and outcome controls (Tarique, Schuler & Gong, 2006). Moreover, information sharing will not be efficient when expatriate is exp eriencing culture shock that set in when coping with the new environment on a daily basis becomes necessary (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Thus, expatriates in culture shock display a variety of ‘‘obvious symptoms’’, including excessive concern about minor issues, preoccupation with cleanliness of drinking water, food nd surroundings, fear of being cheated, robbed or injured, depression, feelings of helplessness, anger over delays and other minor frustrations, reluctance to learn the host language, dependence on long- term residents of their own nationality and lack of awareness about behaving dysfunctional (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). While there may be some commonly shared ethical attitudes across nations, even those countries that share similar national cultures may find quite conflicting ethical expectations (Sims, 2006). It is unreasonable to assume that one’s own ethical views are always superior (Sims, 2006).Yet, for cross- cultural businesses to be successful, a reasonable knowledge of the ethical attitudes of the residents of those countries in which we conduct business is a necessity (Sims, 2006) Thus, in order to maintain survival or/and competitive advantage, organisations should ? nd ways to assure that employees do not easily leave their positions to work for the competition; because their skills cannot easily be bought nor imitated (Harpaz & Meshoulan, 2010). This can be achieved with effective training programs before transferring to the subsidiary country and choosing prospective candidate that is the ‘best fit’ for the assignment.As organizations change and adapt to pressures in the external and internal environment, managers and employees are required to learn new competencies and skills by training programs (Pruetipibultham, 2012). Even though training program is costly, but it will most likely to benefit the company in the long run (Murray, 2011). Technical training and c urrent cross-cultural training programs, together with facilitation of expatriate networks, do not appear to adequately address expatriate failure (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006).When the destination of the expatriate is a culturally diverse country, training that addresses the ethnic networks and other socializing resources within the host country by retaining links with the home country; this should facilitate expatriate and family adjustment, leading to lower costs from a lower incidence of cultural shock and thus more effective assignments (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Organizations wishing to use expatriates in their inter national ventures might, during the planning stage for overseas start-ups, seek advice from Government and other bodies, uch as industry groups, on the presence, characteristics, and contacts of ethnic population groups in overseas locations (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Such information needs to be integrated into the expatriate tr aining process (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Ethnic group lifestyle is also likely to reflect changes in the home country that have been imported with each new arrival (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). This means that expatriate arrivals may help reduce the cultural distance of the ethnic minority group to their home country (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006).Hence, reverse cultural shock, associated with the expatriate’s retur n home on assignment completion, may also be improved upon (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Ethical conflicts that may emerge due to basic differences in the ethical attitudes of people who were raised in cultures quite different from our own (Sims, 2006). However, flexibility in adapting to changes can be achieved by merging organisational cultures and personal interest by building share values and gaining trust; and when workers in the organisation have the same share values they will more likely to have stronger commitment with each other (Barbash, J. amp; Barbash, K. , 1989). The transcultural value is de? ned as those values that have been shared among a variety of cultures throughout history or are crucial for daily functioning (Wieland, 2009). The transcultural value system is meant to guide corporations toward a somewhat uniform and universally accepted standard of ethical behavior (Hemphill & Lillevik, 2011). The commitment of individuals on how they behave and team spirit are a key factor to quality work rather than on their acquired technical skills and passive execution of orders receive (Barbash, J. amp; Barbash, K. , 1989). Thus, an improved understanding of corporate culture can be seen as a one step towards more successful negotiation strategies and the development of desirable outcomes (Moore, 1997). In conclusion, there are several difficult challenges to the practice of international human resource management (IHRM) arises from the different encounters in various countries and mul tinational enterprise (MNE) cultures (Briscoe, Schuler & Tarique, 2012). The adaptation erspective discussed in this article recognises that cultural distances exist and proposes country-specific cultural training incorporating technical competencies, expatriate networks, ethnic group social networks and resources, and ICT to bridge such distances (Piers, Stanton & Ostenfeld, 2006). Thus, the success of integrating cultural aspects in IHRM practice can have significant effects on the overall MNEs overseas operation; that will define the future performance of the organisation and the employees’ quality of life (Darling & Heller, 2009). Reference: Ashkanasy, N. M. 2007). ’The Australian Enigma,’ in culture and leadership across the world: A GLOBE report of in-depth studies of the cultures of 25 countries. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Allan, J. (2011). Mining’s relocation culture: The experiences of family members in the context of fre quent relocation. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 31 (5/6), 272-286. Barbash, J. & Barbash, K. (1989). Theories and Concepts in Industrial Relations. SC: University of South Carolina Press, 114-116. Bennington, L. & Habir, A. D. (2003). Human resource management in Indonesia.Human Resource Management Review, 13(3), 373. Brigden, C. (2009). Unions and collective bargaining in 2008. Journal of Industrial Relations. Retrieved from http://jir. sagepub. com/content/51/3/365 Briscoe, D. , Schuler, R. , Tarique, I. (2012). International human resource management: policies and practices for multinational enterprises (4th ed. ). New York: Routledge. Brewster, C. & Bennett, C. V. (November, 2010). Perceptions of business cultures in eastern Europe and their implications for international HRM. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(14), 2568-2588.Burke, R. J, Oberklaid, F. , Burgees, Z. (2003). Organisational values, work experiences, and s atisfactions among Australian psychologist. International Journal of Organisational Analysis, 11(2), 123-135. Darling, J. R. & Heller, V. (2009). Organization Development in an Era of Socioeconomic Change: A Focus on The Key to Successful Management Leadership. Organization Development Journal, 27 (2), 9-26. De Cieri, H. , Fenwick, M. & Hutchings, K. (April, 2005). 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Huck Finn Censorship Synthesis

In this modern day and age, everything offends someone. Eating at Chick-fil-A hurts the LGBT community, going to see the latest Adam Sandler movie gets the Jewish mad at you- so why is it surprising that Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being changed to please people? Whether they be teachers, students, black or white, there need be no change in Huck Finn. And if any change were to be made- that would be censorship. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn portrays a message that cannot be missed about the racist ideals of society at that time.Using demeaning words like â€Å"nigger† and â€Å"injun† serve purpose in Twain’s work. His repetition of ugly phrases like those show just how ugly community values were back then. In Source B, Gribben admits to changing those words to more family friendly terms, specifically â€Å"slave† and â€Å"Indian†. Those are not always correct, though. Often times, â€Å"nigger† is used fro m one African American to the other, to show an acceptance of brotherhood and a communal understanding of struggle. The replacement of â€Å"slave† is not correct in this case, or in others.â€Å"Slave† is defined as a person who is property of another. This is not accurate either, considering Jim, the main African American character in the book, ran away from his owner and no longer held that specific job. Even if he were still a slave, the correction would not be correct at all. African Americans were never kindly titled â€Å"slave†. They were spit at, and the harsh use of the word â€Å"nigger† slapped them across the face like it does to students across the country who read it now (Source D).Taking away Twain’s most purposefully placed word completely takes away from his message. Without the original vocabulary, society cannot learn the important message that Twain is trying to teach. Twain’s use of â€Å"nigger† is like a whole new form of imagery. Many students shift uncomfortably in their desks when they hear it out loud, some will even go as far as claiming to hate the book because of the tense and demeaning language (Source A). This is what Twain wanted.The use of â€Å"nigger† has not changed at all over the years, and ignoring it would be equivalent to ignoring an entire chapter of our history books, one that very much defined our country. The poster-word for the discrimination of African Americans is â€Å"nigger†, therefore Huck Finn would be ripped of its historical accuracy if the word were removed. Twain wants reders to empathize with the book’s victims, because only then would his readers be able to understand the harsh pain of the word. Twain’s message is simple: â€Å"nigger† is not okay.But there is no other way to prove this than to force it upon the reader. Twain was and continues to be a literary genius. His willingness to take a chance and make a reader empathize and feel something is what makes his book such a learning experience. Stripping the book of its most infamous word, â€Å"nigger†, cowards away from its most obvious message. If everything mildly offensive was censored, there would be nothing left to read. So instead of complaining about history, enjoy the beauty of Twain’s book, buy some Chick-fil-A, and the rent the newest Adam Sandler movie- before it’s too late.

2014 Scholarship Essay Contest Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Woman and Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Woman and Human Rights - Essay Example It was acclaimed in New York on18 December 1979 (Haan, 2010). This document proclaims that women should be protected by the government against discrimination. Numerous aspects connected with gender discrimination are considered in this document. Another regulative document is Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict acclaimed on 14 December 1974 (Haan, 2010). This document guarantees protection of women and children rights in armed conflicts. Thus inhuman acts violating the rights of women and children are considered to be destructive in this document. Very often civilians suffer from armed conflicts for liberation or a struggle against an enemy. This issue is considered in the document in detail. Another document is Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women acclaimed by General Assembly resolution 48/104 on 20 December 1993 (Haan, 2010). This document propagates that â€Å"the rights and principles with regard to equality, s ecurity, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings† are practically and legally applied to women. Basically, the violence against women is understood as violation of rights and basic freedoms of women. As far as this document propagates non-violation against women it can be claimed that this document would practically help a ‘full advancement’ of women.... In accordance with world’s analysts, â€Å"unless we empower and render justice to women we stand little chance of making a dent on the problems of conflicts, underdevelopment and injustice† (Women Gaining Voice). Therefore there is a need to focus attention of the International Commission on human rights and other related organs on the necessity to centralize women interests and rights. On their behalf, Women’s organizations around the world should proclaim their rights and appeal to the society to support all women in the world. The situation is better in EU and America, but the countries of the Third World experience even greater complexities connected with women’s rights regulations (Pillai et al, 1999). For example, in Africa there is a fast development of women’s movement directed on development of women’s partnership with media, educational and training institutions etc. Thus, it is evident that hindering factors of promotion and prote ction of human rights in Africa are facilitated by active participation of women’s organizations in that country. The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is a non-governmental organization though it has a strong goal: â€Å"to participate effectively the development of our continent and †¦ensuring that African women voices influence decisions made at different levels that impact of their lives† (Women Gaining Voice). Therefore it is evident that a struggle against oppression of human rights in Africa conducted locally is a sign of advancement of ‘women’s empowerment, development, equality and peace in Africa’ (Women Gaining Voice). Basically, reforms of women’s attitudes to their rights

Non Profit Taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Non Profit Taxes - Essay Example Non-profit organizations do not operate to bring about profit, a characteristic widely deemed to be the crucial aspect of such organizations. Still, a non-profit organization can accept, hold and pay out money and other items of value. Non-profit organizations may also legally and morally trade at a profit. The degree to which it can produce income may be constrained, and the use of those profits is doubtless restricted. Therefore, nonprofits are characteristically funded by donations from the public or private sector, and generally have tax exempt status. Private donations are sometimes tax deductible. In several countries, non-profit organizations may apply for tax exempt status. This allows financial donors to claim back any income tax paid on donations and, furthermore, the organization itself can be exempt from income tax. In the United States, Tacoma Washington included, following a recognized legal entity that has been created at the state level, it is traditional for the non-profit organizations to ask for tax exempt status with respect to income tax. That is achieved by applying to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS reviews the application to ensure the purpose of the organization. If certain conditions are met then the organization is given the status of a tax exempt organization (example: a charity).

Performance Appraisals and Reviews Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Performance Appraisals and Reviews - Term Paper Example The workers are aware of what is expected of them and hence work towards fulfilling their expectations. Since annual appraisal are involving and time consuming for managers, they arrange to carry out surveys or reviews on a regular basis in order to simplify the annual appraisal process (Arthur, 2008).All members of the organization are subject to appraisal if the organization has to achieve its vision and mission and improved performance. Communication is vital in carrying out performance appraisal. The management discusses with the employees regarding their performance and areas that require assistance and also involve them in designing appraisal forms. Conducting annual salary reviews which coincide with performance appraisals have been criticized by many scholars but Chapman (2011) argues that using annual performance appraisal as the basis for salary review enables the firm to plan its finances for the next budget year. When carrying out performance appraisal, the managers shoul d ensure that the mode of appraisal is in line with the employment laws which prohibit all kinds of employment discrimination. For the employees to trust and accept the results the method used should be consistent; ‘same employee classifications should be evaluated based on the same criteria’ (Arthur, 2008). ... Procedure for Carrying out Performance Appraisal Proper planning and execution of staff appraisal ensures effectiveness, reliability and validity of the results. It also ensures acceptability by the appraisees hence commitment to achieve the set objectives. Involving staff in every step of the process is vital to ensure a feeling of ownership and commitment. The appraiser and appraisee prepare all the materials required for the appraisal such as past appraisal documents and achievement records. The appraisal form is designed by HR department or through collaboration with those being appraised and with the approval by management. Understanding the appraisal form by the appraiser and appraisee is vital in simplifying the process (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). The items to be discussed are sequenced and encompass all aspects of staff development. Self-assessment forms are given in advance for staff to appraise themselves by filling the forms. The next step is to clarify the purpose of the a ppraisal and the method to be used. The appraisee is informed on the date of appraisal and the venue and given ample time to prepare his/her own records. The venue should be carefully chosen in a private and quiet atmosphere for discussion. The layout of the room and sitting arrangement affects the behavior of the person being appraised. It is thus advisable to set the room in a relaxed atmosphere to reduce tension. Bacal (2003) argues that the managers should choose appropriate sitting position such as at a round table for more informal discussion and relaxed atmosphere. The introduction stage is vital in determining failure or success of the process. If the appraiser begins by criticizing the appraisee, he/she may feel uncomfortable and may lose interest

Make up one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Make up one - Essay Example As mentioned in the review, delay in time affects â€Å"jury’s decision† which prolongs a victim’s agony. A recent example of this is illustrated in the recent news report by New Haven Register : â€Å"A backlog at the state forensic laboratory is contributing to a delay in the case against a 33-year-old West Haven man accused of raping and killing a 7-year-old girl, a judge said Thursday†( Tinley, 2010) The second recommendation that should be done is to simply establish the right procedure for forensic requests. The first-come first-serve basis must be observed along with a system that thoroughly evaluates the importance of a request. This recommendation shows that the crime lab has difficulty in providing timely forensic results which deters catching criminals. â€Å"All labs have to be accredited, which costs money. But ask police and prosecutors and they will tell you it is the best expenditure that they ever made. Nobody hates bad lab work more than a prosecutor does, thats how cases get lost. They hate it. It is another win-win proposition for the criminal justice system†(Lyons & Burton, 2001, p. 10) A serial killer may be able to escape and continue to commit crime in other states as a result of this delay. Again, implementation of this depends on the managers of the crime laboratory. They may not be wanting in forensic skills, however they need to be trained about management so they can evaluate, and assess their current policies. The third recommendation that must be implemented the least is developing a system of notification for cross-over requests. Again, the recommendation I chose is all about establishing a system which can be delivered by the Technical Assistance Section. It is ironic that while victims are suffering and perpetrators are on the loose, evidence is ready but no one is fully aware of that. Its implementation depends on how the management of the

Flaws of the Employment System in the United States Research Paper

Flaws of the Employment System in the United States - Research Paper Example The white settlers adopted superiority complex hence crediting them with civilizing them. The false notion came to be known as the white man’s burden. It was used to justify Europeans taking land away and enslaving the natives. This became a system of exploitation and discrimination as naturally-occurring differences became apparent. It became a system of denying people access to rights, representation or access to resources as it was institutionalized to affect virtually every aspect of life even the judicial system. Though progress has been made in the eradication of racial discrimination in employment, there is still some ground to be covered in eradicating the rampant prejudice. The situation is worsened by the statistics that are still a characteristic of modern day America which show that black people who have been arrested, charged or served a jail term can hardly get employment. The statistics show that one in every three black men has to be incarcerated in their lifetime, one in six Latino and one in seventeen Caucasian men. Disciplinary actions still are harsher for the black comparatively. The immigrants’ rights are not guaranteed as natives while per capita employment levels comparatively show that blacks are four-times less employable than the whites (â€Å"American Law Reports: Annotations and Cases† 115). Most of the big companies as is presently constituted in its ranks show that the majority of top management is white-dominated. Even if, there is an equal opportunity in hiring upward mobility is still a problem as most of the blacks remain in the same position for long a time. On the contrary, the white counterparts are being promoted to take positions of responsibility. They are segregated into the lowest level positions and still earn less than the white counterparts even if they are in the same job cadre.

Outline and critically evaluate theories of globalisation in Essay

Outline and critically evaluate theories of globalisation in communications - Essay Example Globalization is associated with new expertise such as use of internet, communication and cultural exchange across diverse continents and areas and has led to increase in international trade, international capital flow, flow of information, cultural exchange and international movement of labor (Fischer 2003, P3). Though globalization has been given varying definitions as well as its impacts across various disciplines such sociology, economics, political and cultural, there is a common acknowledgement of development of information and communication technology as a major contributor to globalization. Therefore communication is a major element of globalization (McAnany 2002, P 3). Globalization has led to emergency of global markets that has both negative and positive effects on people in regards to their occupation, spiritual values, and personality. The theory of globalization is wide and therefore it interpretation has several effects on understanding of globalization and can be subd ivided into several theories with universal focus to social analysis and changes (El-Ojeili and Hayden 2006, P.2). This paper will outline and critically evaluate theories of globalization in communications. Theories of Globalization There are different theories in regard to globalization but most of them are based on a common viewpoint, worldwide associations and pattern (Ardalan 2012, P. 94). Previously definitions on globalization suggested that it is a continues process that have existed from long time ago as people travelled to different areas to trade to the current state of globalization where trade barrier has been minimized with free movement of labor and capital across nations. In recent times globalization has been expanded to include economic, cultural and political theories. Globalization has been associated with development of information and communication technology and there communication is an important factor of globalization. Each theory can be explaining under di fferent consideration depending on the current situation and discipline of study but all theories depend and interact with the other theories and therefore the theories of globalization will be discussed as follows for easy understanding: World economical theory World political theory World cultural theory World communication theory World economical theory People around the world have interacted over a long period for trade and globalization has been associated with the spread of capitalism and trade in the globe (Robinson 2007, P 125). Growth and development of contemporary world economy has been associated with traditional European trade that have evolved and expanded over time to the whole world due to global market, multinational companies, international borrowing and lending, international trade organization, environmental regulatory bodies and communication technologies that connect people across the continents. European economy developed in sixteenth and seventh centuries and later started venturing into other parts due to development of technology and this later grew to world trade (Lechner 2001). With improved technology there was improved production, established military group and developed modes of transport that helped to reinforce economic ties with different areas thus

Legacies of colonialism in the world today Essay Example for Free

Legacies of colonialism in the world today Essay The colonization of one country by another is rampant throughout history. One country invades and subdues another, extending its sovereignty over the said country or territory for various reasons. Mainly, it is to use the resources of the invaded territory in order to enrich and strengthen itself. As early as the 16th Century, various empires were colonizing nations and territories all over the world. The Portuguese, French, Japanese, British and Spanish were all out to enlarge their territories and empires. When the age of colonialism was finally over, many of the colonized people found that there way of life had changed. Their colonizers had left legacies, both good and bad. Three area’s were the legacy of colonization is felt strongly are economic development, civilization development and cultural transformation. 2. 0 Economic Development Prior to colonization, the indigenous people of any country traded mostly with the surrounding peoples. Most of it was a barter trade that was aimed at making sure there was an even distribution of resources among the people. When the colonizers invaded the countries, they came in search of what resources they could use to enrich their own country, often at the expense of the natives. They looked at agriculture, what crops would easily grow in the region based on the climate of the colony that would satisfy the demands of the people in their home country. They also looked at the natural resources and minerals available in the said colony. In so doing, the colonizers dominated trade, trade routes and even products that could be traded. In the 15th Century Portuguese ships were exploring Africa, Asia and the America’s. Henry the Navigator was pursuing trade in gold and slaves on the West African coast, Bartolomeu Dias was discovering the Cape of Good Hope on the Southern tip of Africa, and Vasco da Gama reached India (Portuguese Empire). Islands like Madagascar, discovered by Trista da Cunha, did not escape. In all these places they established trading posts and fortresses, moving aggressively in their quest to dominate. They took over the ports and controlled trade in the bordering oceans. Brazil, discovered in the year 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabral, become Portugal’s most important colony. The Portuguese were able to get gold, sugar cane, coffee, precious stones as well as other cash crops from Brazil (Portuguese Empire). 2. 1 Trade in Brazil The economic backbone of present day Brazil is still agriculture, mining and manufacturing. Having discovered the importance of their natural resource during the error of colonization, Brazil’s economy has been doing very well with a GDP per capita of US$ 10,300 estimated in the year 2008 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009) With the rise of the sugar industry in Brazil established by the Portuguese, it became apparent that there was a great need for labour to ensure that the crop received the needed attention. This gave rise to a new form of international trade with a new product, African slaves. Diagram 1 – Slave Trade Routes Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www. unc. edu/wrc/maps/08-Map. png Using their connections in Africa, Portuguese slave traders imported slaves by the millions to meet the demand for labour in the sugar plantations (Portuguese colonization). It is important to note though, that slave trade had began way before the need ever arose in Brazil, by the year 1470, the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, was already a major slave port. The rise of coffee plantations in the 19th century further increased the demand for slaves. There were other advantages to Portugal in businesses that were associated with the slave trade. These included the trade of Portuguese commodities that were traded and exchanged for slaves as well as goods produced by the slaves. In this period the Portuguese imported approximately three and a half million slaves (Slave routes, 2009). Due to this importation of slaves as well as the immigration into Brazil of other cultures, native Brazilians today are a minority. Of the approximately 180 Million Brazilians, 55% are Europeans mainly from Portugal, 38% are of mixed African and European descent, 6% are African and 1% are classified as other, which includes Amerindian (Brazil demographic profile). 2. 2 Introduction of new cash crops and plants. When the Portuguese came to Brazil they started the plantation method that had worked very well so far in their African colonies. This plantation method continued even after they left and is still in effect in Brazil today. Seeing as it is the world’s largest producer of coffee, sugar cane, orange juice frozen concentrate and tropical fruit, it is easy to understand why they have kept the plantation method all these years. Additionally, Brazil is also the world’s largest producer of beef, with 170 million head of cattle. Among the other cash crops produced by Brazil are soybeans, cotton, tobacco, cocoa, corn as well as forest products (US Department of State, 2009). Many plants were introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese when they came to colonize. Mangoes were among them, introduced to Brazil in the 1700’s (Tropical fruits). They also introduced rice and coffee, which was introduced in the 1600s and became the major cash crop of Brazil by the 1800s. Additionally, they brought sugarcane from South East Asia in the late 16th Century. Furthermore, the dende palm tree, whose oil is used in making most Brazilian foods was also introduced from Africa in the early 17th century and with it came hot peppers as well. Another plant introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese is okra, used in many Brazilian dishes today (Hamilton, 2005). It is therefore clear that Brazil owes much to their Portuguese colonizers who taught them how to farm by introducing the plantation method, introduced many plants and cash crops that are now the backbone of the Brazilian economy, and brought racial diversity to the country that in turn has created links to many parts of the world. 3. 0 Civilization Development Civilization development is tied in with human development. In many of the colonized territories, though the people had empires already in place, they were not literate, did not written laws or medical facilities. The colonizers brought these aspects to the colonized territories. However, in the process of bringing in their civilized ways, they erased much of the indigenous culture found there. 3. 1 French West Africa Much of West Africa was colonized by the French with a port set up in Senegal in 1659. By the early 1900s, countries like Mali, Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea were under French rule. They were French subjects and were used in forced labor as well as imprisonment in a bid by the French to expand and maintain their interests. Agriculture was the main economic sector and they farmed cotton and peanuts where the climate allowed. They encouraged migration by the natives to areas where these plantations existed by touting them as wage-earning areas (Ali-Dinar). This is a legacy that has remained and pervaded all of Africa, with people in the countryside migrating to the cities in search of jobs. This has led to the creation of issues related to urban cities such as the creation of slums as low income housing, vices like prostitution as well as high crime rates. By the year 1960 all French West African countries were independent (Ali-Dinar). Diagram 2 – French West Africa Source: Earlham College http://www. earlham. edu/%7Emodelun/images/gif/west-africa. gif 3. 2 Legacy in Government in Senegal Prior to the French Colonization of Senegal, the Wolof Empire was ruling. It was ruled by a King who also doubled up as a religious ruler. The Portuguese, who had already been in Senegal before the French, had a mutually beneficial trade partnership with these people before the French came on the scene. (Wolof Empire, 2009). After they were colonized, the Senegalese people took a new form of Government that was introduced by the French. Even after the French were gone, that same form of government remained. Along with it, laws that had been laid down by the French stayed as well. In so doing, the traditional rulership of the Senegalese people was erased and the new form, which was very French, took over. The constitution, created in 1963, backs up a civilian government that has an executive branch, a judiciary that is independent and a National Assembly. In addition to these, the Senate, which is also legislative, was formed in 1999 (Diajayette). The president has the power to elect his Prime minister and together they elect the Council of Ministers who serve as the cabinet. The National assembly is made up of 140 members while the Senate is made up of 60. Of the 60 in the Senate, 45 are elected to office by local government officials and members of the National assembly, 12 are presidential elections, and Senegalese citizens in the Diaspora have the privilege of electing 3. Senegal is divided into 10 regions that are ruled by a governor. In regards to the Judiciary, Senegal has four courts above the level of tribunals and lower courts. These are the Council of State, the High Court, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council (Profile-Senegal). In addition to taking on French law and government as the basis of the countries executive, legislative and judicial system, the Senegalese also took on the French education system. Prior to colonization, there were no formal schools of any kind. Today the system includes primary, secondary and tertiary education. Senegal has six national languages and one official language, French (Bruhn, 1984). French is also the language of instruction in tertiary institutions although the Senegalese are undertaking English lessons as well. 3. 3 Formal Education in Senegal Along with the introduction to formal education that opened the Senegalese up to the rest of the world, there was an introduction to medicine. Whereas previously the sick would visit a witch doctor or a medicine man, now they have access to modern medicine. It is important to note that as the colonizers traveled, they brought with them diseases that the natives had no immunity against. As such, many of them died from these diseases since they did not have a cure for the same. This went a long way in causing the defeat of the natives, especially in the America’s where a small pox outbreak would kill almost whole colonies. The diseases brought by the colonizers included chicken pox, typhus, dysentery, measles, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery (Eddins). The legacies of colonialism in government, education and medicine have been beneficial and far reaching.

Above and below the line promotion

Above and below the line promotion 1 Introduction In terms of the general perception of all of the marketing mix elements that a firm may employ, it is perhaps promotion that is the most prominent P in the 4 Ps. In fact to many people promotion is marketing. Promotion is a part of a firms overall effort to communicate with consumers and others about its product or service offering. Both the company and the consumer have needs which they aim to fulfill; the profit making company wishes to improve or maintain profits and market share, and gain a better reputation than its competitors, and the consumer aims to reach his or her personal goals. The total product offering allows each party to move towards these goals, offering a bundle of satisfactions which fulfill needs in an instrumental and a psychological sense. The phrase Marketing Communications is generally preferred to the term promotion, this term being reserved for a branch of communications called below-the-line sales promotion. 2 Promotion or Marketing Communication? In a sense all marketing communication activity is a form of promotion, that is in one way or another is attempting to promote the interest of the brand, product range and/or company. What differentiates above the line activity from below the line activity is a somewhat arbitrary division. There is no universally accepted definition of either. Below the line activity is loosely classed as non-media advertising. Basically if an advertisement is submitted to a publication and a commission is paid to the advertising agency to feature the piece then this is deemed to be above the line communication. If no commission has been paid, for example in the case of a public relations press release, a trade exhibition or a sponsored sports event, this is referred to as below the line activity. This distinction is accepted by most and is the distinction adopted here. 3 Real and implied product attributes The role of marketing communications is to communicate the benefits of the product, service or firm to potential consumers and indeed the same process is undertaken in not for profit situations like political parties. The benefits marketing communicators try to convey can be real although many of attributes are implied through association or suggestion. This has been described as a total bundle of attributes that the consumer perceives in a holistic manner. In other words, consumers see the product or service offering as a unified whole, rather than a bundle of separate component parts such as its price, packaging, shape and so on. In this way, marketing communications conveys the meaning of the companys total product offering, helping consumers attain their goals and moving the company closer to its own goals. Many products, particularly in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) category, are very similar to other products in their class. For example margarines are basically similar no matter what brand is selected, and the same goes for many fmcg products. In times of shortage, such as during the war years, goods were treated as homogenous commodities, and basically soap was soap! In less developed countries the same is true today. From the study of buyer behaviour it was noted that Maslow described the different needs of human beings as being hierarchical in nature. At the bottom of the pyramid physiological needs such as hunger and thirst are of primary concern to the individual, almost to the exclusion in fact of anything else. Marketers can make use of this phenomenon and this can be witnessed in advertising soft drinks such as Coca Cola or fast food such as Burger King, McDonalds or KFC. Only when these basic, but important, physiological needs are satisfied will the individual turn his or her attention to the next category of need in the hierarchy. Their next need is safety and that of their family. In modern society these needs are reflected in goods and services such as burglar alarms, car locks and alarms, double glazing, external lighting, insurance, saving schemes etc. Marketers use the motive of fear in order to market such products. Thereafter loftier concerns assume more importance. People need to feel part of a group, appreciated by others and have the opportunity to both give and receive love. Fashion items like perfume, supporting the same pop group or sports team are all examples of how marketing uses social needs to sell products and services. Esteem needs can be translated into products and services through high status marquee cars, designer clothes or expensive holidays. Finally we reach the higher order need of self-actualisation. Only in very wealthy countries is it possible to have large sections in this category. The best example here is probably in California, especially in cities such as San Francisco where people can indulge in a variety of alternative life styles. Books by self help gurus, health supplements exercise videos are examples of products aimed at this motive. 4 The marketing communications mix Promotion describes the communications activities of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity/public relations. Advertising is a non-personal form of mass communication, paid for by an identified sponsor. Personal selling involves a seller attempting to persuade a potential buyer to make a purchase. Sales promotion encompasses short-term activities such as giving coupons, free samples, etc. that encourage quick action by buyers. The company has control over these three variables, but has little control over the fourth variable, publicity/public relations. This is another non-personal communication method that reaches a large number of people, but it is not paid for by the company and is usually in the form of news or editorial comment regarding a companys product or service. Companies can gain some control over the publicity it receives by the release of news items. Put together, these promotional activities make up the promotional or communications mix with varying emphasis on each element according to the type of product or service, characteristics of consumers and company resources. Company size, competitive strengths and weaknesses and style of management all influence the promotional mix. Other communications elements with which promotion must be coordinated are the product itself, price and distribution channels used. Product communication, including brand name, design of packaging and trade-marks are all product cues which convey a message about the total product offering. Price can communicate different things under varying circumstances, for instance conveying prestige appeal for those buyers who perceive that a high price is equal to quality and prestige. The place in which the products are to be found also has notable communications value. Retail stores have personalities that consumers associate with the products they sell. Products receive a halo effect from the outlets in which they can be found and two stores selling similar products can project entirely different product images. For example, a perfume sold through an upmarket store will have a much higher quality image than one sold through supermarkets. 5 The Marketing Communications Process Effective communication means effective marketing. Buyers perceptions of market offerings are influenced by the amount and type of information they receive as well as their reaction to that information. There must be a good flow of information between seller and buyer to assist decision-making that precedes a purchase. An effective marketing communications system also allows feedback from the consumer to the seller. Some people have a psychological predisposition to buy products and services that are new to the market. This predisposition can be modeled with the use of a normal distribution. Certain people derive a great deal of pleasure from acquiring new products and being first in the market. Such people have a low level of perceived risk and in fact they positively like the risk and excitement associated with the purchase of new, innovative products. These people are referred to as innovators and, according to Everett Rogers account for about 2.5 % of the population. The next group of people displaying a tendency to buy new products are known as early adopters and account for approximately 13.5 % of the market. These are still highly adventurous purchasers and the possession of innovative new products gives them a high present value. They still have a low level of perceived risk but are slightly more risk adverse than the innovator category. The next two groups, Early Majority and Late Major ity account for the bulk of the potential market, 64% in all. Most people fall in to one of these categories. Finally the Laggards are people who are not really infested in new product development and tend to purchase products only when their old product is worn out and stops working. This theme is returned to later under product issues. A key question for the marketing communicator is: Are the innovators and early adopters also opinion leaders? The majority of potential customers are too risk adverse or too disinterested to be first in the market for an innovation. They are largely unaffected by the media communication about the innovation. Instead, they are influenced by people that they know who they regard as opinion leaders. Although some individuals my be innovators for many products and services, it is more likely that they will be classified as such for a limited range of products. For example a computer enthusiast may be regarded as a innovator for new computer products. Similarly, someone who is interested in photography may be regarded as opinion leaders in relation to this product but not others. A new brand of toothpaste containing baking soda is not really that new to people; after all, it is still just toothpaste. A vacuum cleaner for your garden is on the other hand quite a radical innovation. These products have recently come on to the market although most people, even keen gardeners seem a little unsure as to whether they should buy one or not. If these products are good, then the message will soon circulate by word of mouth and soon most households will own one, just as most own a lawn mower or a lawn edger and indeed these latter products were considered to be a radical innovation only a few years ago. 6 Marketing related messages. Marketing communications can be defined as the process of: presenting an integrated set of stimuli to a market target with the aim of raising a desired set of responses within that market target; setting up channels to receive, interpret and act on messages from the market to modify present company messages and identify new communications opportunities. As both a sender and a receiver of market-related messages, a company can influence customers to buy its brands in order to make profit. At the same time it can stay in touch with its market so that it can adjust to changing market conditions and take advantage of new communications opportunities. 6.1 The source of the message Receivers of a message are often greatly influenced by the nature of its source. If an audience perceives a communicator as credible, then they will be more likely to accept his or her views. If, on the other hand, the audience believes that the communicator has underlying motives, particularly ones of personal gain, then he or she will be less persuasive than someone the audience perceives as being objective. Some advertisers use candid television interviews with homemakers in order to enhance their credibility and eliminate intent to persuade, sometimes asking consumers to explain why they buy a particular brand or asking them to trade their chosen brand for another. Another method used by companies to increase credibility is to have the product endorsed by an expert with appropriate education and knowledge on a given subject. This source will be more successful in changing audience opinions. Specialized sources of information are often perceived as expert sources, and are successful due to the fact that messages are aimed at selected audiences, for example the use of sports professionals as promoters for brands. The credibility of a source is also a function of its perceived status or prestige. The higher the perceived status of a source, the more persuasive it will be. If a receiver likes a source, it will be more persuasive. It is clear that age, sex, dress, mannerisms, accent and voice inflection all affect source credibility and subtly influence the way an audience judges a communicator and his/her message. A source high in credibility can change the opinion of receivers, but available evidence suggests that this influence disperses in a short time after the message is received. It has also been observed that where an audience initially receives a message from a low-credibility source, their opinion change increases over time in the direction promoted by the source. This is referred to as the sleeper effect. Another aspect of this is that when a high-credibility source is reinstated, for example by a repeat advertisement, it has been found that audience agreement with the source is higher after a period of time than if the source had not been reinstated. For a low-credibility source, reinstatement results in less agreement with the source than with no reinstatement, and it is said that under these circumstances reinstatement negates the sleeper effect. 7 Media Advertising Media advertising communicates information to a large number of recipients, paid for by a sponsor. It has three main aims: To impart information To develop attitudes To induce action beneficial to the advertiser (generally the purchase of a product or service). An advertisement for washing powder is paid for by the manufacturer to achieve greater sales; a party political broadcast aims to increase votes. It must be remembered that advertising is only one element of the communications mix, but it does perform certain parts of the communicating task faster and with greater economy and volume than other means. How large a part advertising plays depends on the nature of the product and its frequency of purchase. It contributes the greatest part when: Buyer awareness of the product is low Industry sales are rising rather than remaining stable or declining The product has features which are not obvious to the buyer The opportunities for product differentiation are strong Discretionary incomes are high A new product or new service idea is being introduced. 8 Advertising models These have been drawn from several sources, particularly psychology, and from advertising practitioners in order to explain how advertising works. 8.1 The stimulus/response formula This was used at first, later models taking into consideration the environment in which the decision to buy is made. Daniel Starch said in 1925 for an advertisement to be successful it must be seen, must be read, must be believed, must be remembered and must be acted upon. This model assumed that the advertisement is the main influence on the state of mind of the consumer in respect of the product and makes no allowance for combined or multiple effects of advertisements. 8.2 The DAGMAR philosophy Colleys DAGMAR model in 1961 (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results) allows for the cumulative impact of advertisements and also maps out the states of mind consumers pass through: From unawareness to awareness; to comprehension; to conviction; to action. This is described as the marketing communications spectrum. Advertising, along with promotion, personal selling, publicity, price, packaging and distribution, move the consumer through the various levels of the spectrum as follows: Unawareness/awareness The advertisement tries to make potential customers aware of the products existence. Comprehension The customer recognizes the brand name and trademark and also knows what the product is and what it does; knowledge gained from the advertisement or from an information search prompted by it. Conviction The customer has a firm attitude, preferring a particular brand over all others. Preferences may have an emotional rather than rational basis. Action Some move is made towards purchase, thus the advertisement has been acted upon. This illustrates the concept that the purpose of advertising is to cause a change of mind leading toward purchase, but it is rare for a single advertisement to have the power to move a prospect from complete unawareness to action. Effectiveness is judged by how far an advertisement moves people along the spectrum. 8.3 The Lavidge and Steiner model This consists of a hierarchical sequence of events on six levels: Awareness Knowledge Liking Preference Conviction Purchase These steps divide behaviour into three dimensions: cognitive (the first two), affective (the second two) and motivational (the third two). Although this differs from the DAGMAR model in the number and nature of stages, there is agreement that purchase is the result of the persuasion elements, making the assumption between changes in knowledge and attitude towards a product and changes in buying behaviour there is a predictable outcome. Dissonance theory, however, illustrates a two-way relationship, with behaviour influencing attitudes as well as attitudes influencing behaviour. After making a decision to purchase, the prospect will be involved in cognitive dissonance and will actively seek information to reinforce the decision, focusing on attractive features and filtering out unfavourable data. The major implication of this is that advertising for existing brands in the repeat purchase market should be aimed at existing users to reassure them in the continuation of the buying habit at the expense of the competition. 8.4 The Unique Selling Proposition This was developed by Rosser Reeves (1961) who reported the principles his agency had adopted for 30 years. This states that the consumer remembers one key element of an advertisement a strong claim or concept. This proposition must be one that the competition does not offer, which will be recalled by the consumer and will result in purchase at the appropriate time. 8.5 The brand-image school This was led by advertising practitioner David Ogilvy who focused on non-verbal methods of communication to invest a brand with agreeable connotations aside from its actual properties in use, such as prestige and quality. It must be remembered that an advertisement is the channel through which the sponsor communicates their message. The encoded message reaches recipients, through advertising or salespeople, who then decode and absorb it either fully or partly. The quality of the transmission can be distorted by noise occurring because the receiver does not interpret the message in the way the source intended (due perhaps to differences in cultural backgrounds of the two parties). It may however be because of cognitive dissonance which occurs when peoples receipt of the message does not agree with what they previously believed. Dissonance may cause a number of different reactions by the receiver: Rejecting the message Ignoring the message Altering the previous opinion Searching for justifications The first two reactions are of course negative, and from this feedback the source may change the message or stop communicating altogether with a particular receiver who is not receptive to the sources ideas. It can, therefore, be seen that advertising does not always convert people into users of a particular product. It can, however, have a positive effect in preventing loss of users, and increasing their loyalty. 8.6 Advertising by objectives Advertising situations are so varied and unique that it is not possible to generalize about how advertising works. Any potential advertiser should therefore adopt an advertising-by-objectives approach that will make clear what they are trying to achieve, how they will achieve it and how they are going to measure its effects. Few companies give any detailed scientific thought to exactly what they are trying to achieve through advertising. Clear objectives are needed to aid operational decisions, which include: The amount to be spent on a particular campaign The content and presentation of the advertisement The most appropriate media The frequency of display of advertisements or campaigns Any special geographical weighting of effort The best methods of evaluating the effects of the advertising. Corkindale and Kennedy (1976) found that systematically setting and evaluating objectives provided the following benefits. Marketing management has to consider and define in advance what each element in the programme is expected to accomplish. An information system can be set up to monitor ongoing performance, with the nature of information required clearly defined. Marketing management will learn about the system it is operating from accumulated experience of success (and failure) and can use this knowledge to improve future performance. Majaros (1970) major study on objective setting revealed that most managers saw increasing sales or market share as their main advertising objective. In fact, this is a total marketing objective and it is unreasonable to expect to achieve this objective through advertising alone (unless it was the only element of the marketing mix used, as in direct mail and mail order businesses). Majaros study also revealed that methods of evaluation used by most companies were not relevant, and that clear, precise advertising objectives, known to all involved, would rectify this situation. The following advantages of the advertising-by-objectives approach became clear. It helps to integrate the advertising effort with other ingredients of the marketing mix, thus setting a consistent and logical marketing plan. It facilitates the task of the advertising agency in preparing and evaluating creative work and recommending the most suitable media. It assists in determining advertising budgets. It enables marketing executives and top management to appraise the advertising plan realistically. It permits meaningful measurement of advertising results. When setting objectives, all personnel in a company who have an interest in, and influence on, advertising decisions have different ideas of the purpose of advertising. The Chairman may be concerned with corporate image, whilst the Advertising Manager may see it as an investment direct toward building a brand image and increasing market share. Marketing objectives have to be separated from advertising objectives. Overall marketing objectives should be defined, and the next step is to determine the contribution that advertising can efficiently make to each of these. An advertising objective is one that advertising alone is expected to achieve. Advertising objectives should be set with the following points in mind. They should fit in with broader corporate objectives. They should be realistic, taking into account internal resources and external opportunities, threats and constraints. They should be universally known within the company, so that everyone can relate them to his or her own work and to the broader corporate objectives. They need to be flexible, since all business decisions have to be made in conditions of partial ignorance. They should be reviewed and adapted from time to time to take account of changing conditions. Setting advertising objectives should not be undertaken until all relevant information on the product, the market and the consumer is available. Consumer behaviour and motivation must be thoroughly assessed, particularly that of the companys target group of customers. The statement of an advertising objective should then make clear what basic message is intended to be delivered, to what audience, with what intended effects and the specific criteria to be used to measure success. Corkindale and Kennedy used five key words to summarize the elements of setting advertising objectives: WHAT What role is advertising expected to fulfill in the total marketing effort? WHY Why is it believed that advertising can achieve this role? (What evidence is there and what assumptions are necessary?) WHO Who should be involved in setting objectives; who should be responsible for agreeing the objectives, coordinating their implementation and subsequent evaluation? Who is the intended audience? HOW How are the advertising objectives to be put into practice? WHEN When are various parts of the programme to be implemented? When can response be expected to each stage of the programme? 9 Below-the-line promotion. The terms below-the-line promotion or communications, refers to forms of non-media communication, even non-media advertising. Examples of non-media promotions are exhibitions, sponsorship activities, public relations and sales promotions such as competitions, banded packs and price promotions. Below-the-line promotions are becoming increasingly important within the communications mix of many companies, not only those involved in fmcg products, but also for industrial goods. For example dealer incentives, exhibitions and sponsorship activities are all growing in popularity. All forms of non-media communications are a form of promotion if we use the word in the broadest sense. Specific forms of below-the-line sales promotion are discussed below. 9.1 Below the line sales promotion Below the line sales promotions are short term incentives, largely aimed at consumers, but also aimed at the trade e.g. wholesalers, retailers, distributors, etc., along with company employees, usually the sales force. Over the past 20 years or so there has been greater pressure on marketing budgets and a greater demand on marketing management to achieve marketing communications objectives more efficiently. Hence marketers have been searching for a more cost-effective way to communicate with their target markets than conventional media advertising. A move to below the line promotion is one result of this. A definition of below-the-line sales promotion is given by Hugh Davidson: An immediate or delayed incentive to purchase, expressed in cash or in kind, and having only a short term or temporary duration. This definition highlights one important characteristic of below-the-line sales promotion that is its short term nature. Most conventional above the line advertising campaigns are medium to long term in nature. Below the line sales promotions tend to be short term in nature. Rarely does a sales promotion last for more than six months, and the majority last for much shorter periods. All promotions are variations of one basic type or another, but since the sales promotion is dynamic by nature new types will be developed in the future. The sphere of sales promotions generally include the following: Display materials (stands, header boards, shelf strips, wobblers) Packaging (coupons, premium offers, pack flashes) Merchandising (demonstrations, auxiliary sales forces, display arrangements) Direct mail (coupons, competitions, premiums) Exhibitions Industrial promotions also include the above elements, but with modifications to make them closer in type to those used by manufacturers of consumer goods for their retailers; designed to gain orders over long periods. 9.2 Sales promotion planning A full plan is needed to ensure that each stage of a promotion is reached: Analyse the problem task Define objectives Consider and/or set the budget Examine the types of promotion likely to be of use Define the support activities (e.g. advertising, incentives, auxiliaries) Testing (e.g. a limited store or panel test) Decide measurements required Plan timetable Present details to sales force, retailers, etc. Implement the promotion Evaluate the result 9.3 Advantages and disadvantages of sales promotions Advantages Easily measured response Quick achievement of objectives Flexible application Can be extremely cheap Direct support of sales force Disadvantages Price-discounting can cheapen brand image Short-term advantages only Can cause stress with retailers Difficulty in communicating brand message 9.4 The importance of sales promotion It is often difficult to know which marketing expenditures can be attributed to sales promotion. For example price reduction can cause confusion 10% off a packet of biscuits is a sales promotion, but what about price discounting by manufacturers? 10 Telephone marketing Telemarketing can be defined as any measurable activity that creates and exploits a direct relationship between supplier and customer by the interactive use of the telephone. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company define it as the marketing of telecommunications technology and direct marketing techniques. Telephone marketing can take the forms of in-coming call and out-going call. In-coming call telephone marketing usually makes use of special numbers, which enables the caller to call free-phone or at local call rates. Such campaigns are usually used in conjunction with other marketing communications tools. 11 Direct mail and direct marketing Direct mailing is the use of the postal service to distribute promotional material directly to a particular person, household or firm. It is often confused with the following related activities, which all fall under the general heading of direct marketing. Direct advertising One of the oldest methods of reaching the consumer, with printed matter being sent directly to the prospect by the advertiser, often by mail, but sometimes by through the letter box personal delivery, handing out to passers-by or left under the screen wiper of a car. Mail order Mail order advertising aims to persuade recipients to purchase a product or service by post, with deliveries being made through the mail or other carrier or through a local agent. Thus it is a special form of direct mail, seeking to complete the sale entirely by mail and being a complete plan in itself. Mail order is a type of direct mail, but not all direct mail is mail order. Direct response advertising This is a strategy of using specially designed advertisements, usually in magazines or newspapers, to invoke a direct response, such as the coupon-response press ad, which the reader uses to order the advertised product or request further information. Other variants offer money-off coupons and incentives to visit the retail outlet. The usage and acceptance of direct mail

Human Trafficking Essay -- forced labor, sex trafficking, debt labor

Introduction Human trafficking is phrase that is used to describe the various ways in which a person â€Å"obtains or holds another person in compelled service† (U.S. Department of State, 2011, p. 9). There are several categories of human trafficking, such as forced labor, sex trafficking, and bond or debt labor. Human trafficking can affect adults and children, with the trafficking in children for sex being particularly egregious (p. 9-11). Human trafficking frequently goes unnoticed, and victims often blame themselves for their problems and therefore are unlikely to self-report (Office for Victims of Crime, n.d.). Although many might think of this is a third world problem, human trafficking occurs in every country in the world, including the United States. It is believed about 600,000 to 800,000 victims of human trafficking cross boarders each year, and somewhere around 15,000 of them are brought to the U.S. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). Countries are ranked in a tiered system by the State Department, with Tier 1 countries being the most proactive towards recognizing, preventing, and prosecuting these crimes, and are required to report incident numbers annually. As of 2010, Tier 1 countries reported a total of 6,017 prosecutions for human trafficking, with 3619 resulting in convictions. But more importantly, Tier 1 countries identified an astounding 33,113 number of human trafficking victims during that same year (U.S. Department of State, 2011, p. 38). Myths and Misconceptions There are a variety of misconceptions held by the public about human trafficking crimes that can hinder discovery. Many people believe only foreigners can be victims of this crime, but in truth anyone from any nationality ... ...Victims of Crime. (n.d.). Anti-human trafficking task force strategy and operations e-guide. Retrieved from https://www.ovcttac.gov/TaskForceGuide/EGuide/Default.aspx. Polaris Project. (2006). Common myths and misconceptions about human trafficking in the U.S. Retrieved from http://ccatcoalition.site.aplus.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/common- myths-and-misconceptions.pdf. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2004). Human trafficking fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human2004.pdf. U.S. Department of State. (2011, June). Trafficking in persons report: Introductory manual. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/index.htm. Warren, V. (2008, October 30). Nude photos, massage lead to indictments. Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-19414528.html.

Decreasing Violence in America Essay -- Violence Media Crime Televisio

Decreasing Violence in America Today in St. Paul two people were murdered. It has been reported that the two were fighting with a third party about a phone call that was made. The suspect is in custody and the case is under investigation,† a reporter in the ten o’clock news reports. â€Å"Spouse and child abuse are on the rise. This year alone over ‘6 million men, women, and children were victims of severe physical attacks from their spouses or parents’(article 16)*,† another reporter reports. Is it just me or does this seem like something that is all too often heard on the news? The violent acts in the United States are out of control. But what can be done about it, and how much worse are things going to get? It seems to me that what is being done now isn’t enough, because things just keeps getting worse. There are twelve main things that have been being studied in depth lately by sociologists. They include: spanking, child abuse, spouse abuse, the punishment for the offenders, gun control, the media’s affect on violence, the role sports play in violence, the role religion plays in violence, pacifism, and international violence. My paper will discuss each of these aspects as well as my opinions and state some facts. Before I can say how I feel, I think there is a need to define violence, aggressiveness, and assertiveness and explain the difference between them. Violence is a physical act that intends to harm or hurt another person. Violence includes many things; such as, hitting, punching, biting, killing, stabbing, shoving, and so much more. Violence can be linked to two other words that have also become a part of every day life for many people; aggression and being assertive. Aggression is a hostile, or destructive act that is forceful. Aggression is usually related with someone being dominant. Being assertive is to stating something (i.e. your opinion) boldly. Both aggression and being assertive do not involve a physical force. Although these three words have different meanings, I think they very closely related. When a person is being assertive and not getting their way, or getting their point across, they can often become aggressive, and aggression often times leads to a violent act. This domino effect closely relates all these words. Violence, it has become something that society has to deal with every day now. â€Å"Much newspaper space is c... ...efend yourself or your team. What I do see a problem with is what sports figures do in their personal lives. When an athlete does something that is against the law they should lose the privilege of being a professional athlete. To get rid of international violence we need to have a peace conference where all the heads of the nations meet and work things out peacefully. I don’t really know what to predict when it comes to the future of the violence. It seems like whenever things seem to be looking up, something happens that makes the future of world peace look bleak. I think that if people start to care more and take action that things can change. We can no longer sit back and expect things to get better on their own. If any of my suggestions were to go into affect I think that a lot of the violence in America would decrease. I think the most important thing that needs to be done is outlawing of handguns. If this were to happen, I think the amount of violence acts would drop 50%. Unless this happens, violence will increase. Violence has become a problem that is way out of hand. Something needs to be done, and fast, or our once beautiful, peaceful country will go to ruins. Decreasing Violence in America Essay -- Violence Media Crime Televisio Decreasing Violence in America Today in St. Paul two people were murdered. It has been reported that the two were fighting with a third party about a phone call that was made. The suspect is in custody and the case is under investigation,† a reporter in the ten o’clock news reports. â€Å"Spouse and child abuse are on the rise. This year alone over ‘6 million men, women, and children were victims of severe physical attacks from their spouses or parents’(article 16)*,† another reporter reports. Is it just me or does this seem like something that is all too often heard on the news? The violent acts in the United States are out of control. But what can be done about it, and how much worse are things going to get? It seems to me that what is being done now isn’t enough, because things just keeps getting worse. There are twelve main things that have been being studied in depth lately by sociologists. They include: spanking, child abuse, spouse abuse, the punishment for the offenders, gun control, the media’s affect on violence, the role sports play in violence, the role religion plays in violence, pacifism, and international violence. My paper will discuss each of these aspects as well as my opinions and state some facts. Before I can say how I feel, I think there is a need to define violence, aggressiveness, and assertiveness and explain the difference between them. Violence is a physical act that intends to harm or hurt another person. Violence includes many things; such as, hitting, punching, biting, killing, stabbing, shoving, and so much more. Violence can be linked to two other words that have also become a part of every day life for many people; aggression and being assertive. Aggression is a hostile, or destructive act that is forceful. Aggression is usually related with someone being dominant. Being assertive is to stating something (i.e. your opinion) boldly. Both aggression and being assertive do not involve a physical force. Although these three words have different meanings, I think they very closely related. When a person is being assertive and not getting their way, or getting their point across, they can often become aggressive, and aggression often times leads to a violent act. This domino effect closely relates all these words. Violence, it has become something that society has to deal with every day now. â€Å"Much newspaper space is c... ...efend yourself or your team. What I do see a problem with is what sports figures do in their personal lives. When an athlete does something that is against the law they should lose the privilege of being a professional athlete. To get rid of international violence we need to have a peace conference where all the heads of the nations meet and work things out peacefully. I don’t really know what to predict when it comes to the future of the violence. It seems like whenever things seem to be looking up, something happens that makes the future of world peace look bleak. I think that if people start to care more and take action that things can change. We can no longer sit back and expect things to get better on their own. If any of my suggestions were to go into affect I think that a lot of the violence in America would decrease. I think the most important thing that needs to be done is outlawing of handguns. If this were to happen, I think the amount of violence acts would drop 50%. Unless this happens, violence will increase. Violence has become a problem that is way out of hand. Something needs to be done, and fast, or our once beautiful, peaceful country will go to ruins.

The Gaunilo Argument

To what extent does Gaunilo’s criticism of Anselm’s argument succeed in demonstrating that the argument fails? Gaunilo, a Benedictine monk and contemporary of St Anselm was the first to raise objections to Anselm’s idea that God exists by definition, claiming within â€Å"On behalf of the Fool† that Anselm’s argument was not logical and needed to be discredited. Gaunilo famously claimed that Anselm’s conclusion that the non-existence of God is â€Å"unintelligible† cannot show that God necessarily exists.Firstly, Gaunilo argued that the â€Å"fool† character featured in Psalm 53:1 may have been referring not only to God but to any number of other things that do not exist in reality. Gaunilo utilizes the example of someone hearing about a person from gossip; he suggested that the gossip was unreliable and the person and event were made up to trick you. As an idea later developed by Middle Age philosophers who believed you cannot prove from what is said (de dicto) what exists in reality (de re), Gaunilo argued that you cannot define the concept of â€Å"God† into existence.The most famous argument posed by Gaunilo was that of a perfect island which can replace the idea of God in the Ontological argument. Gaunilo argued that anyone can think of the most perfect paradise island for the notion of â€Å"the most perfect island† exists as a concept in our understanding. Gaunilo developed his argument by employing Anselm’s logic to say that for such an island to exist in our minds means that this is inferior to the same island existing in reality. The island must therefore exist in reality as it cannot possess the inferiority that comes from it being only a concept if it is to be â€Å"the most perfect island†.While the most perfect island can be conceived of, this does not mean it exists; we cannot bring something into existence just be defining it as superlative. Furthermore, Gaunilo concluded that Anselm cannot demonstrate that the idea of God as the greatest possible being means that God exists in reality. â€Å"When someone tells me there is such an island, I easily understand what is being said†¦however, he does on to say†¦this island†¦actually exists somewhere in reality†¦I would think he were joking†. John Hick 1990) Despite the blatant credibility of this argument recognized by Anselm who went on to including it in later versions of his own book, Anslem was able to respond to the argument using the claim that God’s existence is necessary. Anslem argued that though Gaunilo was right in the case of the island, the same objections were not valid when the ontological argument was used of God, because the island has contingent existence, whereas God’s existence is necessary.The ontological argument remains credible, Anselm argued, because it applies only to God who exists necessarily and uniquely. Within his â€Å"Libe r Apologeticus Contra Guanilonem†, Anselm rejects Gaunilo’s argument that the island’s existence can be proved from the idea of it alone for the island is not a thing which can be conceived not to exist. Moreover, philosopher Alvin Plantinga suggested that Anselm could also argue that there is no â€Å"intrinsic maximum† to the qualities of scenery that the Gaunilo’s island could have; however great an island is, there could always be one better.Further discrediting the argument posed by Gaunilo, both St Thomas Aquinas and Kant have posed more successful and valid arguments in response to Anselm’s ontological argument. St Thomas Aquinas, unlike Gaunilo, seeks to undermine Anselm’s â€Å"faith seeking understanding† as he was firmly convinced of the existence of God himself. Aquinas rejected the claim that the existence of God is self-evident; human beings cannot fully understand the nature of God, thus â€Å"God exists† i s not an analytic statement.Although we are able to approach an understanding of God, God will always remain unknowable to the finite human mind; â€Å"now because we do not know the essence of God, the proposition is not self-evident to us, but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more known to us† (Summa Theologiae, 1a). Aquinas used the example of the existence of truth to support his argument, suggesting that no one would be able to accept the truth of the statement â€Å"truth does not exist† unless truth actually existed.Though it is impossible to have a mental concept of the non-existence of truth, it is not a contradiction to have a mental concept of the non-existence of God, because people are able to, including the fool who says â€Å"there is no God†. Kant’s argument in opposition to Anslem’s ontological argument stands as more credible than that posed by Gaunilo as it successfully reputed the argument, diminishing the extent to w hich the ontological argument is arguably still valid. Kant argued that â€Å"existence is not a predicate† for it does not tell us anything about that object that would help us to identify it in any way.When we are thinking of God we are thinking of a concept and whether this concept is actualized cannot be resolved simply be adding â€Å"existence† to the different predicates ascribing to the concept. Though the argument could be responded to with the knowledge that whilst everything exists contingently, God exists necessarily and this necessary existence can only be a predicate of God, a sceptic could easily counter this argument by pointing out the circular nature of the ontological argument for we must accept that God exists necessarily in order to come to the conclusion that God exists necessarily.Though Gaunilo’s argument still holds some value as it could be employed by an atheist to support their opposition to the theory, the ease by which Anselm was ab le to counter the argument limits its success in demonstrating the failure of the ontological argument. Later arguments posed by Aquinas and Kant further limit the extent to which Gaunilo’s argument is still credible as they offer more successful and more widely accepted oppositions to the ontological argument, posing questions which could not be so easily countered by a response from Anselm. Beth Albuery