Frank O’Conner: My Oedipus Complex

Everyone shows traces of the little green monster, known as jealousy, but some more than others. This specific trait has had a huge effect on the world over time, sometimes destroying, sometimes rebuilding trust, friendships, and even business opportunities. Jealousy is an extremely prominent element in most of Frank O'Connor's writings and is often shown through different literary concepts such as conflict, characterization, and obsessive love.In writing â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, O'Connor investigates the issue of jealousy through the various actions of his characters and the conflicts they get themselves tangled in, more importantly the ones involving their childlike obsessive love. To fully understand O'Connor's stories, you first have to delve deep into his background. Frank O'Connor was born in Cork, Ireland, on September 17, 1903 to Michael and Minnie O'Donovan. He was born under the name of Michael O’Donovan, but later created the pseudonym â€Å"Frank Oâ€℠¢Connor† that he would use for all of his writings (Gale).It was there in Cork that he experienced the horrors and distress of living in poverty. Even when the family had a small amount of money, O'Connor's father would regularly go out on drinking sprees and return home violent and cruel (Gale). O'Connor, being the only son, learned to help provide for his mother when his father's priorities fell short. O'Connor's education was minimal as he only attended formal school for a short period of time. Although, even after he couldn't afford it any longer, he continued to further his education by reading widely and often (Contemporary).Under the guidance and instruction of Daniel Corkey, O'Connor's biggest influence, he joined the Irish Republican Army. He fought against the British even after a treaty was signed ending the war in 1921 (Gale). O'Connor was then arrested and imprisoned for his involvement in abiding the fight (Gale). During his time in prison, O'Connor continued to educate himself until his release in 1923 and formed many of the ideas that he would use in his future short stories. After he was released from prison in 1923, O’Connor held various teaching posts at American Universities. He then went back to Ireland and worked as a librarian.Being a librarian and educator suited O'Connor well because he could never put down a book and he was eager to share his knowledge with the rest of the world, especially the day's youth. O’Connor continued to write and teach upon his return to Ireland and until his death, caused by a heart attack, on March 10, 1966 in Dublin. Although there were many worldly issues happening at the time â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† was written, O'Connor often chooses personal reminiscences over focusing on bigger, withstanding issues. â€Å"†¦ nothing that can be identified as social or political about ‘My Oedipus Complex'†¦ † (Literature Resource Center).Many of O'Connor's other stori es, however, were saturated with the conundrums of his time. In â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, Larry is forced to face the fact that now that his father has returned from the war, Larry is no longer his mother's first priority. This goes on to include the Irish Republican Army in O'Connor's past. Also, World War I was touched on lightly. The first conflict in â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† is an extremely obvious one. The main conflict occurs between a young boy, Larry, and his father. For as long as Larry can remember, he has been living with only his mother because his father was a soldier in World War I (O'Connor 337).While Larry was living with solely his mother, he was treated almost as an adult (O'Connor 343). Mother would often have long talks with her son in the mornings about the events that would occur later that day and what was running through her young child’s head. When father returns home, it is pure chaos between him and his only son as the morning ritual is interrupted and soon becomes forgotten. It is all that Mother can do to settle the constant bickering between her only son and her husband. It is impossible for her to choose a side because they both have such significant roles in her life.Father often treats Larry as if he were merely the child that he really is, while Larry, used to being treated fairly in his own home, believes that he is much more mature than his father (O'Connor 343). Larry was fully convinced that Father didn't deserve Mother's love and affection nearly as much as him, so naturally Larry did all that he could to prevent him from getting it. Larry felt that Father was too conceited for his own good and every time he spoke, Father’s words agitated Larry beyond belief (O'Connor 346). In other words, he saw Father as a self-absorbed, immature fool (O'Connor 340).These observations made Larry realize how much he hated Father at the time, but his attitude towards his father would soon change for the bette r. For the time being, Larry, as he was only five and not getting his own way, was full of spite as soon as Father got home. He even kicked Father a couple times the next morning so that he could lie in the bed next to Mother instead of Father (O'Connor 344-345). This angered Father and flared up his reclusive anger towards his son. Father didn't want to let his son or his wife know that he was getting impatient, but Larry was starting to see that all his little annoyances were starting to add up.It was becoming more and more obvious to both Larry and his mother that Father was not at all pleased with Larry's actions. Larry would often catch Father glaring at him from the corner of his eye and referred to him as â€Å"a mountain out for murder† (O'Connor 346). All the tension within the family was starting to affect everyone in the household. â€Å"That settled it. Either Father or I would have to leave the house† (O’Connor 343). When the new baby (Sonny) is bor n, Father is thrown into the same position as Larry. Mother is suddenly ignoring not only Larry, but Father, too (O'Connor 349).Father seeks solace in Larry, climbing into bed with him and complaining about Sonny, and the two of them bond this way. Finally, an understanding is reached. Father is sympathetic towards Larry now that he knows what his son has been through because he has been going through the exact same thing ever since Sonny was born. Father even ends up buying Larry an expensive train set for Christmas because now he understands how it feels to be forgotten in the midst of other people. The unique way that O'Connor develops his characters has a prominent effect on the way he tells his story.Since Larry is the main character, he has the most divergent traits. He often expresses an astounding level of maturity, but after Father returns from the war, he often thinks about how there is a lot that he doesn't understand (O'Connor 342). Larry's lack of understanding is most noticable when he thinks about how things were when it was just him and Mother at home and compares it to how they are now that Father is back. Larry, being just a young boy, did not have very much patience or understanding for what was going on and he didn't like that Father was seemingly stealing Mother away from him (O'Connor 342).Growing up, O'Connor did not have a good relationship with his father, so he used that to supplement this story in particular. In addition to growing up without a positive father figure O'Connor had to take on a role of responsibility because of his father's alcoholism. In â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, Larry makes it clear that he feels that he is the more mature figure in his mother's life. â€Å"I had been through it all myself, and even at that age I was magnanimous† (O'Connor 349). Because of this, Larry also thinks that he is more deserving of his mother's attention, care, and love.The young boy viewed himself as responsible for his moth er's health and did not like it when Father came home and Mother was worried and concerned all the time (O'Connor 339). Although Larry saw himself as older and wiser than he really was, he had a very rich imagination. In the mornings, before he went upstairs to his mother's room, Larry would let Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right, his feet, have various discussions regarding the day's events (O'Connor 338). When Father returned home, Mother became instantly anxious and no longer had time for their morning talks (Website).Her concern for Father was overpowering her love for her only son, which again, fits in well with O'Connor's background and childhood. Larry becomes extremely upset when he starts to think that his father has seemingly taken his place in his mother's life. When he notices that Mother is becoming overwhelmingly concerned for Father, Larry quickly realizes that he despises seeing Mother this way (Website). When Father had finally returned from the war, instead of celebrating li ke they should have, Mother became extremely worried about Father's physical health (O'Connor 339).She was also concerned about his mental health because of the trauma he had endured. Larry was upset about this for two reasons, the first being that he didn't like seeing his mother anxious and worried. When she was upset, so was he (Gale). The second reason was that Larry didn't like that thought that his father was seemingly replacing him as his mother's first priority. Because of all these tensions, Larry felt that he had to make sure that Father knew he wasn't just going to give up the fight. Larry was openly willing to fight against his father for Mother's affection (O'Connor 347).He thought that Mother was with Father only because he was forcing her to be. With this in mind, Larry knew that he had to get Mother out of Father's grasp. By doing this, Larry felt that he was â€Å"rescuing† his mother in a way (O'Connor 347). â€Å"'I'm going to marry you. ‘ I said qui etly [to Mother]† (O'Connor 347). In his many short stories, specifically My Oedipus Complex, O'Connor creates conflict, a lugubrious family, and distinct character traits to interpret the theme of jealousy into the plot of his story.He also uses those three concepts as an insight to his background and childhood. Even though O'Connor doesn't have very many cultural influences over his writings, he makes sure that there are some working forces behind them. The only thing that differentiates O'Connor's writings from any other author's writings is that instead of have cultural influences, O'Connor has personal influences. He often uses his own life as a supplement to his fictional stories. O'Connor does a wonderful job of piecing together the small parts of his mind and connecting them into his writings.

Decision Making in Product Purchasing

Decision making in consumer purchasing is defined as the psychological process of selecting a particular course of action among other alternatives.   But for one to be able to do this, he must first go through various stages that will enable him be aware of the product and how to obtain it. These transactions are useful especially in determining the purchasing behavior of a consumer. The stages involved in this process are: Awareness this is a stage where a consumer must be aware of the existence of a particular product in the market.   The second stage is interest, meaning, the consumer must be interested in the product he intends to buy. This is then followed by understanding whereby, the consumer should be able to know how the particular product will meet his needs (Baker). The next stage is attitude under this the consumer must be able to develop a positive feeling towards the product. The final stage is the purchase which is the buying decision made by the consumer. Though there are many goods to choose from in the market getting more information about the product by visiting different stores, discussing with friends and relatives, reading, listening and watching advertisements in media and on the Internet helps in the decision making process. Considering the advantages and the disadvantages of the products, the availability of the product in the market and the resources available and how the good will meet my needs is a big part of choosing which products to purchase. The evaluation of the product’s quality, durability and usefulness among others was considered. The following factors enabled me to come up with a decision in purchasing the listed products. Need: The decision of the purchase of the official dress came as a result of need. It was recommended that to attend the meeting; one had to put on a particular kind of clothing.   Research was used in discovering the most cost effective place to purchase the clothing and the particular brand others would be wearing in order to fit the group. The purchase of the perfume was due to the need to have a good fragrance after a shower. The decision making process in this was personal taste (Baker).   It required sampling different fragrances to find the one that was the most appealing. The need for a good toothbrush, tooth paste and the mouth wash was to maintain the good health of the mouth including the teeth, gums, and tongue and maintaining fresh breath throughout the day. Again the decision of a particular kind over another was the result of personal preference.   Toothpaste and mouthwash needs to provide the most appealing taste possible. The need for communicating with colleagues and other members of the family or friends who are far away led to the purchase a mobile phone that would ease communication. Brand loyalty can be a factor in buying a mobile phone, but the best package of services provided for the cost is usually a better deciding factor. The need for a television set was entertainment and to be informed on what is happening globally. Through television we are educated on particular areas of our social lives.   The purchase of a television is often decided by brand loyalty.   People often go back to the brand they have had good luck with in the past.   The need to keep my self healthy by avoiding headaches during the day is why the medicine was bought.   This is decided by what works the best on each individual’s headache.   If it does not get rid of the headache, it is not worth buying. Motives: These are personal forces that make an individual engage in various purchasing activities which therefore satisfies his needs. Since actions are normally affected by motives, the following motives brought the need to buy these particular products. Love, safety, self actualization and esteem were the basic factors that contributed to the purchase of the listed products. Knowledge: Under this, the ability to learn is applied, whereby a persons’ behavior is changed through the information given to the product purchased.   In this case, my knowledge of operating the mobile phone and the television set led me to decide on the buying of these products knowing that there will be no loss or damage caused while operating them. Therefore the knowledge of the product to be bought must also be considered as a leading factor in a consumers purchasing behavior.   It is also important to know which brands and models as well as service packages best fit the buyer’s needs. Attitude: These are defined as the feelings towards a product this can be a negative feeling or a positive feeling this is normally learned through practice and communication with other people in society, through interaction with different people, including friends and family members. A positive attitude towards these products is one factor that leads people towards return purchases of the same product (Hoyer). Personality: This is the characteristics that make an individual unique; this normally derives from inheritance and personal experience. Such characteristics include: Self confidence, friendliness, ambitiousness, and aggressiveness. In different aspects of Lifestyle this is defined as a change towards an individual’s independence that leads to a preference for a particular type of life. For instance the buying of products such as a particular model of a mobile phone was decided upon by the type of mobile phones that a particular class of people in the country posses.   This is often a large deciding factor for brand loyalty, because a person only wants to purchase the brand that the people around them or like them have.   Designer labels are a result of this. Culture and Sub-Culture: These are values, and attitudes accepted by family members and the society at large these factors determine what product is tolerable within the family. This is normally used to determine what people wear, eat, and how they travel. Packaging clothing to include the hang tags and labels that provide information on how to take care of the garment creates a positive attitude towards the garment leading to its purchase. Also, the fiber content and the place of its manufacturer led to deciding on purchasing the item that is probably going to last the longest, require less care and look better. The companies known for better production of these products are known to be implying the best marketing strategies that will enable them to achieve the targeted market these strategies include: Pricing-the company uses the pricing methods to enable its product to reach its marketing standards. Whereby various pricing methods are applied such as Premium pricing this is where the uniqueness of the company product is defined. This pricing is normally high and is totally used where there is a substantial competition of the product in the market. For the company to be able to gain the market share, it therefore applies the penetration pricing whereby, once the company achieves the market share, it increases the price of its product. Also in situations where the company’s need to promote the product in the market, then it uses the promotional method of pricing in which a consumer is asked to buy a product and the purchase is accompanied by a free sample of the product (Hoyer). The place or the channel of distribution, this is the activity that is used by the companies to move their product from the production to consumption. These companies are said to have come across various channels of distribution to enable their products reach the targeted market. This means that they either use the direct or the indirect channels, that is it may be to the consumers directly or through wholesalers. They normally consider the following, in deciding on the type of the distribution channel to use.   They ensure that the market segment the distributor is familiar with in which therefore the distributor is made familiar with the company’s target markets. They ensure that their company policies, strategies and image match that of the distributor. There are various types of channels the producers apply in the distribution of their products this includes: wholesalers, these are said to be buying goods in bulk from the company and selling them in smaller packages for resale by the retailers. They also provide storage facilities for the products. Wholesalers offer the companies a reduced physical contact cost between the producers and consumers. They also use agents who are normally used in international markets; they are used to widen the international market for the goods. Retailers are also used who have a strong personal relationship with the consumers through whom the products are exposed to the buyers, they offer credits to customers thus promoting and merchandising the companies’ products. (Brassington). The internet is also used through which the companies have a geographically wider market and this has enabled their products to reach a wider audience. The other element used by the companies is promotion. This is the marketing communication that is used by getting the products into the market and pushing the consumers to the point of purchasing the products. The following is practiced; Personal selling, this is a way of maintaining personal customer relations in which the sales person acts on behalf of the companies. These sales people are trained and have the personal selling techniques. Advertising is largely   used to create awareness of the products by the consumers so that the companies may gain responses from their target markets. There are many advertising mediums including, print (newspapers, journals and posters.) and electronic(television, internet and radio). Mediums of communication the companies use to create awareness of the products by buyers. Public Relations are also applied by these companies, which has led to a sustained and planned effort in establishing and bringing understanding between the companies and its consumers. Lastly, they use the exhibitions to make new contacts and renewing the old contacts, this is used to increase the awareness of the products to the consumers thus giving the companies an opportunity to meet both the trade and consumers (Kotler). The other customers will not be able to have the same opinions since marketing opportunities increase when customer groups with varying needs and wants are recognized. Markets can be segmented or targeted on a variety of factors including age, gender, location, geographic factors, demographic characteristics, and family life cycle, desire for relaxation or time pressures. Segments or target markets should be accessible to the business and large enough to provide a solid customer base.   Therefore, a business must analyze the needs and wants of different market segments before determining its niche. References: Baker, M. (2000): Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edn: Macmillan Business, London. Blythe, J. (2001): Essentials of Marketing, 2nd edn: Prentice Hall, New York, Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2000): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, Harlow, New York Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001): Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edn: Houghton Mifflin Company, New York Kotler, P.; Armstrong, G.; Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, New Jersey Decision Making in Product Purchasing Decision making in consumer purchasing is defined as the psychological process of selecting a particular course of action among other alternatives, this is said to be the simplest process that a consumer needs to apply before purchasing a particular product. But for one to be able to do this, he must first of all go through various stages that will enable him be aware of the product and how to obtain it. These transactions are useful especially in determining the purchasing behavior of a consumer. The stages involved in this process are:Awareness this is a stage where a consumer must be aware of the existence of a particular product in the market, this is because, if a buyer is not aware of the product then there will be no action taken on the purchasing process. The second stage is interest, meaning, the consumer must be interested in the product he intends to buy, therefore he is persuaded by the content of the message that the product is relevant to his needs. This is then followe d by understanding whereby, the consumer should be able to know how the particular product will meet his needs. [1] The next stage is attitude under this the consumer must be able to develop a positive feeling towards the product depending on the persuasive message given about the product by the producers.Then the final stage is the purchase which is the buying decision made by the consumer, this may take some time later after trying to get the shop that stocks the favorite. Though there are many goods to choose in the market the following factors, made me have the knowledge about the listed products that I had to purchase so that they meet my needs, getting more information about the product this was done by visiting different stores ,discussing with friends, relatives, reading, listening and watching advertisements on media and also most information about the products was found on the Internet; through which various comparisons were made by considering the advantages and the disad vantages of the products, the availability of the product in the market and the resources available and how the good will meet my needs. The evaluation of the product’s quality, durability and usefulness among others was carried out. The following factors enabled to come up with a decision in purchasing the listed products.Need: The decision of the purchase of the official dress came as a result of the need whereby it was recommended that to attend the meeting; one had to put on a particular kind of the clothing. The purchase of the perfume was due to the need to have a good fragrance after shower, before leaving the house so that it can bring freshness throughout the day avoiding the odor that come as result of hard work throughout the day. [2]The need for a good toothbrush, tooth paste and the mouth wash was to maintain the good health of the mouth including the teeth, gums, and tongue and maintaining a fresh breath throughout the day.Also the need for communicating with co lleagues and other members of the family or friends who are said to be far led to the purchase a mobile phone that would ease the communication thus enabling the sharing of information among the society members. The need for a television set was to be entertained and to be informed on what is happening globally and also through television we get to be educated more on particular areas of our social lives so this led to the purchase of the good. The need to keep my self health by avoiding the headache cases during the day so for preventive measures the medicine was bought.Motives: These are personal forces that make an individual to engage in various purchasing activities which will therefore satisfy his needs. Since actions are normally effected by motives, the following motives brought the need to buy these particular products. Love, safety, self actualization and esteem were the basic factors that contributed to this purchase of the listed products.Knowledge: Under this, the abili ty of one to learn is applied, whereby a persons’ behavior is changed through the information given to the product purchased and in this case my knowledge of operating the mobile phone and the television set led me to decide on the buying of these product knowing that there will be no loss or damage caused while operating them. Therefore the knowledge on the product to be bought must also be considered as a leading factor in a consumers purchasing behavior.Attitude: These are defined as the feelings towards a product this can be a negative feeling or a positive feeling this is normally learnt through practice and communications with other people in the society, through interaction with different people and friends among them my family members, a positive attitude against these products was developed whereby the decision to all the listed products. [3]Personality: This is the characteristics that make an individual unique; this normally derives from inheritance and his persona l experience. Such characters include: Self confidence, friendliness, ambitiousness, and aggressiveness in different aspects ofLifestyle this defined as a change towards an individual’s independence that leads to a preference for a particular type of life. For instance the buying of products such as a particular model of a mobile phone was decided upon the type of mobile phones that a particular class of people in the country posses and also the preferred type of perform that is normally used by the particular class of people.Culture and Sub-Culture: These are values, and attitudes accepted by the family members and the society at large these factors determine what product is tolerable within the family. This is normally used to determine what people wear, eat, and travel.Packaging of the clothing that included the hang tags, labels that provided information on the instructions on how to take care of the garment created the a positive attitude towards the garment leading to i ts purchase also the fibre content and the place of its manufacturer led to deciding on purchasing the good.These companies are known for the better production of these products are known to be implying the best marketing strategies that will enable them to achieve the targeted market these strategies include:Pricing-the company uses the pricing methods to enable its product reach its marketing standards. Whereby various pricing methods are applied such as Premium pricing this is where the uniqueness of the company product is defined. This pricing is normally high and is totally used where there is a substantial competition of the product in the market. For the company to be able to gain the market share, it therefore applies the penetration pricing whereby, once the company achieves the market share, it increases the price of its product. Also in situations where the company’s need to promote the product in the market, then it uses the promotional method of pricing in which a consumer is asked to buy a product and the purchase is accompanied by a free sample of the product. [4]The place or the channel of distribution, this is the activity that is used by the companies to move their product from the production to consumption. These companies are said to have come across various channels of distribution to enable their products reach the targeted market. This means that they either use the direct or the indirect channels, that is it may be to the consumers directly or through wholesalers. They normally consider the following, for them to decide on the type of the distribution channel to use; they ensure that the market segment that the distributor is familiar with in which therefore the distributor is made to be familiar the company’s target markets. They ensure that their company policies, strategies and image match with that of the distributor.There are various types of channels that the producers apply in the distribution of their products this include: wholesalers, these are said to be buying goods in bulk from the company and selling them in smaller packages for resale by the retailers, they also provide storage facilities for the products, wholesalers offer the companies a reduced physical contact cost between the producers and its consumers. They also use agents who are normally used in international markets; they are used to widen the international market for the goods. Retailers are also used who have a strong personal relationship with the consumers through whom the products are exposed to the buyers, they offer credits to customers thus promoting and merchandising the companies’ products. [5]The internet is also used through which the companies have a geographically wider market and this has enabled their products to reach a wider audience. The other element used by the companies is promotion, this is the marketing communication that is used by get the products in the market, pushing the consumers to the po int of purchasing the products, the following is practiced; Personal selling, this is a way of maintaining personal customer relations in which the sales person act on behalf of the companies, these sales people are trained and have the personal selling techniques.Advertising is largely   used to create awareness of the products to the consumers so that the companies may gain responses from their target markets, under this there many advertising mediums including, print (newspapers, journals and posters.) and electronic(television, internet and radio) mediums of communication the companies choose to create awareness of the products to buyers. Public Relation is also applied in these companies, which has led to a sustained and a planned effort in establishing and bringing understanding between the companies and its consumers.Lastly, they use the exhibitions to make new contacts and renewing the old contacts, this is used to increase the awareness of the products to the consumers th us giving the companies an opportunity to meet both the trade and consumers. [6]  The other customers will not be able to have the same opinions since marketing opportunities increase when customer groups with varying needs and wants are recognized. Markets can be segmented or targeted on a variety of factors including age, gender, location, geographic factors, demographic characteristics, and family life cycle, desire for relaxation or time pressures. Segments or target markets should be accessible to the business and large enough to provide a solid customer base.   Therefore, a business must analyze the needs and wants of different market segments before determining its niche.References:Baker, M. (2000): Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edn: Macmillan Business, London.Blythe, J. (2001): Essentials of Marketing, 2nd edn: Prentice Hall, New York,Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2000): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, Harlow, New YorkHoyer, W.D. and MacInnis , D.J. (2001): Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edn: Houghton Mifflin Company, New YorkKotler, P.; Armstrong, G.; Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, New Jersey[1] Baker, M. (2000): Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edn: London. Macmillan Business  [2] Baker, M. (2000): Marketing Management and Strategy, 3rd edn: Macmillan Business, London.  [3] Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001): Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edn: Houghton Mifflin Company, New York[4] Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001): Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edn: Houghton Mifflin Company, New York[5] Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2000): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, Harlow, New York[6] Kotler, P.; Armstrong, G.; Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999): Principles of Marketing, 2nd Edn: Prentice Hall, New Jersey

Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide Essay

1 Recommendations 1.Define Brand Stewardship work procedures, provide coaching and training to gain support in the middle/lower management. Create an O&M-brand, use BrandPrint for O&M itself. 2.Align the organizational structures of the company by establishing profit centers. Focus the ERP system on worldwide CRM. Adjust the compensation system to reward brand thinking and brand management. 3.Recraft and connect the vision to O&M’s core values, create a visible BHAG and specify tangible objectives. Establish symbols like the colour red and a brand hall of fame. 4.Create and man a global brand stewardship coordination officer position to support Beers and enable her to focus on selling the vision to the clients. 5.Resegmentize customers by focussing on building brands for large, globally operating Fortune 500 companies. 2 Rationales 2.1 Internal Propagation of the Vision Propagation has top priority because of unbalanced internal and external situation. To ensure a high quality of customer service, it is necessary to make sure that all parts of the service marketing triangle are equally prepared and committed to the new brand-oriented vision. Currently, the management has already attracted a number of clients with the concept of Brand Stewardship, but has fallen behind in communicating its ideas and implications to the middle and lower management and to the front-line employees. This is hazardous, because it has built up a service promise to the customers which the company cannot fully keep and deliver at the moment. This will directly  lead to significant customer dissatisfaction, hence it must be the top priority to propagate the vision internally. Missionaries, training and communication are most effective for a top-down approach. In order to find the most effective measures, it is essential to keep in mind that Beers has brought the vision to the company as an outsider and has installed it from the top. Therefore it is vital to broaden the community that carries this vision. The O&M’s employees, who developed a certain inertia during the successful eighties, must gain intrinsic motivation to adapt to the vision by understanding what is in it for them and what the way is to realize these benefits. This also includes that strong resisters who cannot identify themselves at all are to be convinced that it is best for them to leave the company. The Doral Arrowwood group should be appointed as â€Å"missionnaries† to spread and anchor the idea of Brand Stewardship in all O&M departments. Besides the vision idea, brand-oriented work procedures and concepts like the brand audit and BrandPrint must be formally defined and introduced by coaching and training sessions as well as by communicating them through channels like the corporate intranet, employee brochures and letters and company speeches and forums. The early visible successes of the new approach like the Jaguar BrandPrint and the American Express recapture should be used to illustrate its potential. Shaping O&M as an own brand by using BrandPrint is important for credibility. O&M as an advertising agency sells the development of brands as their primary service. This puts it in the somewhat delicate situation that in order to not lose credibility, it has to prove its abilities by developing the name O&M itself into a brand standing for strong brands. I recommend using the concepts of BrandPrint and brand audits for the twofold benefit that it yields valuable information about the change progress towards Brand Stewardship and gives the employees a deeper insight in how to apply these concepts appropriately. 2.2 Alignment of Organizational Structures Changes in the external industry conditions call for organizational changes. The advertising industry has changed dramatically over the last few years. Globalization had its impact, advertisement spending has been cut, the importance of mass media has decreased in favour of direct marketing and simple independent campaigns have become offered as a commodity. O&M’s organizational structure has not been adapted to these changes and is therefore not adequate to meet the requirements for a successful implementation of the new vision. The communication breakdown between local offices and international management reflects this as well as the prevailing disagreements about financial allocations. Turn offices and WCS into profit centers and put the ERP focus on CRM. A method to solve the problems about how to distribute the revenues and workload between WCS and local offices is to turn them into profit centers. The WCS will manage the direct account contacts and coordinate global brands and campaigns. The local offices are then subcontracted for local adaptation and implementation. This separation will also clarify the reporting relationships between the management-oriented WCS and the creativity-focused local offices. To remedy the communication problem, facilitate a thorough knowledge and information exchange and ensure consistency as necessary for global Brand Stewardship, the company’s ERP system must be refocused on Customer Relationship Management aspects. The data extracted from Beers’ client interviews will prove helpful in identifying these aspects. Company-wide accesses to this CRM system will empower front-line employees to fulfil the quality service promise given to the clients and will furthermore create a sense of network and community in the company. In addition, it will reduce transaction cost and boost efficiency, thus enabling O&M to maximize the profitability of voluminous global accounts. Make the incentive system reward brand thinking and brand management. The salary and incentive system must reflect the differences between the local offices and the WCS, but both must award efforts supporting the Brand Stewardship idea. Therefore it is advisable to grant WCS executives a bonus dependant on the world-wide reputation, volume and number of the brands they are responsible for. Incentives for local offices should be based on the current implementation and customization success of the brand, determined for example by local polls and changes in clients’ sales revenues. 2.3 Recraft the Vision and connect it to Symbols Attach the brand vision to the company’s core values. Since the mission did not evolve from the company but was brought from outside, it is necessary to make sure that it gets connected to the core values of O&M. In order to achieve this, those core values must be â€Å"re-identified†, specified and checked whether they still prevail in the company. The allusion of fiefdoms within O&M indicates that the statement of â€Å"not having time for prima donnas and politicians† is currently rather wishful thinking than reality. Erect a BHAG and a tangible milestone plan. Besides this, the vision catchphrase might be quite elegant, but is not specific and vivid enough to create directly visible targets and a so-called Big Hairy Audacious Goal, a long-term motivation point. â€Å"We will be the stewards for two thirds of the most valuable brands† is a more suitable formulation for such a kind of goal. Tangible objectives are also of great importance for creating motivation and sustaining the momentum of the organizational change. Therefore, a milestone plan should be set up, saying that within the next year the ten most important client accounts should be turned into fully-fledged Brand Stewardship relationships, and for an equal number of new clients a Brand Stewardship should be established. Symbolize the brand vision with the corporate colour red and a brand hall of fame. In order to anchor the vision in the company and to attach it emotionally to the employees, it must be connected to symbols. The distinctive red corporate colour can be exploited and should be made associated with the brand vision, for example by slogans like â€Å"Think red!†. Founding a representative â€Å"hall of fame† with well-known and successful brands that have been developed and stewarded by O&M will also help convincing and committing employees to the idea and will generate a sense of pride of what they created. 2.4 Appoint a global Brand Stewardship Officer Beers as a leader needs a capable operations manager besides her. The good success of Charlotte Beers’ first year as the leader and change agent of O&M indicates that she has the capability to fill the leadership vacuum which was opened when the founder David Ogilvy left the company and could so far not be successfully refilled by his successors. But in order to effectively implement the brand vision, it takes more than a good leader that stands for the right things to do. A dedicated manager to then do those things right is equally crucial for a sustained change process. Appoint an established O&M executive as CBSO. For this reason, Beers should create the position of a Chief Brand Stewardship Officer, responsible for the implementation of the brand concepts and for coordinating and steering the global operations. The country and zone managers should report to him, whereas he directly reports to Beers. This gives Beers the opportunity to fully dedicate her time on what she is best at: representing the vision inside the company and selling and communicating it to the clients and to the public. It is advisable to appoint an established O&M executive for this CBSO position, since a thorough understanding of the prevailing business processes and an anchored trust base will provide helpful for this task. 2.5 Resegmentation of Customers Globally operating Fortune 500 companies are the target clients for O&M. The investment into the CRM system and the organizational structure for world-wide brand coordination is substantial. To justify that expenditure, it is necessary to build volume by targeting the largest corporations which have a need for truly global brands. In case of scarce resources or busy local offices, small accounts and local clients have to be dropped first. This will also help to establish the company image as the brand steward of the giants and aid to fully turn the recently positively developing profit margin into substantial bottom-line results.

Client evaluation for Be Good To Go Research Paper

Client evaluation for Be Good To Go - Research Paper Example The company produces a nutritional health supplements that are geared towards helping people who travel to avoid constipation. Constipation among travelers is a common thing and many people who travel for relatively long distances using any means whether it is train, air, road or even water (ship) suffer from constipation upon reaching their destination (Westen 89). With the Be Good to Go products the traveler can travel safely knowing that they will reach to their destination and even further without having to fear about the issue of constipation. The products are capsules that people who are travelling can take. They come in pairs, one to be taken in the morning and the other in the evening after the parson has reached his or her destination. The mission of the firms is to make sure that people can travel contrary and without having to fear the age old problem of constipation. They achieved this by researching the issue and developing a product that when used properly will help the users to deal with the issue of traveler constipation. For Be Good to Go, it is almost hard to identify which industry or sector to place it. The first is that it not a public firm and scant information has been provided about the firm. However, given the nature of the products that the firm provides to its customers, it is only necessary to place it in the health and nutrition supplement industry. This industry has been regarded as the growth industry with regard to the fact that it is has a fast growing industry that will continue to grow at a very fast rate. The size of the Be Good to Go within this industry can be seen to be both big and small due t two main reasons. First, Be Good to Go has a unique sector in this industry, a sector which is a niche that not many firms have ventured into. In this regard, within this industry, Be Good to Go is a

The Future of Information Systems Research Paper

The Future of Information Systems - Research Paper Example The researcher states that an information system helps the business organization manage and organize these huge volumes of data effectively. These information systems allow them to use these sets of data to run as well as improve the business performance by taking effective decisions. There are various categories of information systems and each category contains particular kinds of information systems for instance management information systems and decision systems. At the present, the success of an organization completely depends on the effectiveness of an information system. The basic purpose of developing and implementing the modern and up-to-date information systems in the business and corporate structures is to enhance the overall corporate performance and enhanced management of the business data. In their book Turban, Leidner and McLean define an information system as a system which collects, processes, stores, evaluates, and distributes information in order to carry out a spec ific task. Additionally, the nature of tasks varies from department to department. For instance, an information system can be used to manage human resource related operations or for managing accounting related functions. However, like any other system, an information system comprises various elements such as inputs (in the forms of instructions and data) and outputs (in the forms of reports, calculations). In addition, it generates the required outputs by performing operations on the given input. In addition, various other authors such as consider an information system in technical perspective.

History of the Army Corp of Engineers at West Point Essay

History of the Army Corp of Engineers at West Point - Essay Example The main responsibility delegated to these engineers was to operate the U.S Military Academy at West Point (Office of history, U.S, 2007). Thomas Jefferson established this Corps of Engineers by stating "that the said corps, when so organized, shall be stationed at West Point, and shall constitute a military academy" (U.S Army Corps of Engineers, web). It was up to 1866 that the West Point Academy Superintendent was also performing the functions of the Chief of Engineers. It was during those times that all the members of the Corps had been West Point graduates. All the construction done at the U.S Military Academy was undertaken by the Corps till 1861. This construction was resumed after a gap in 1941. Jonathon William was the Chief of Engineers and the first controller of West Point in 1807. He was held responsible for strengthening the ramparts at the doorway of New York Harbor when the risk of British attach was high subsequent to England’s trade embargo. During the 1812 wa r not a single defense built by an engineering graduate of West Point was overrun by the British. In the initial phase of the Civil War, the Corps constructed five structures, namely, the ‘Fort Hamilton, Schuyler, Totten, Tompkins and Wadsworth’ in the New York region (U.S Army Corps of Engineers, web).

Global marketing strategy and product launch B&Q in Malaysia Essay

Global marketing strategy and product launch B&Q in Malaysia - Essay Example Current study reviews the potentials of B&Q, a well-known British firm, in the Malaysian market. The firm already operates in the international market. Still, up today the firm has not attempted to enter the Malaysian market. The successful operation of the firm in Chinese market has possibly caused the delay of such project. The stability, at least up to now, of the European market in which the firm is highly expanded, could be another reason for the avoidance of the firm to expand overseas. On the other hand, the review of the Malaysian market had led to the assumption that the particular market could highly benefit the performance of B&Q. The firm’s profits could be increased while the risks involved would be limited, at least taking into consideration the market’s current characteristics. A marketing plan has been developed for the potential expansion of B&Q in the Malaysian market. The requirements and the implications of the specific plan are analytically presente d. It is proved that the entrance of firm in the Malaysian market would have many prospects for success, especially if all phases of the plan were carefully monitored. 2. Background of the organization 2.1 Products B&Q has a wide range of products in regard to home and garden improvement. Currently, the products of the firm are estimated to 40,000 (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012). 2.2 Market position B&Q is ‘the largest home improvement and garden centre retailer in UK’ (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012). The firm was first established in 1969. Today, the firm is owned by Kingfisher plc, a major competitor in the context of the European’s home improvement industry; Kingfisher plc has also the third position in the global home improvement industry (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012). In UK, the firm’s stores are estimated to 350 (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012). For 2011, the firm’s profits were estimated to ‘?3.8 billion’ (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012), making the organization one of the most powerful competitors in the home improvement industry worldwide. The firm is already well established in the global market with about 60 stores (B&Q Company website, Company Information 2012). The firm’s financial performance is presented in Figure 1 (Appendix). The firm’s performance in UK and France seems to be much higher compared to its performance internationally (Figure 2, Appendix). The expansion of the firm in Malaysia could enhance the performance of the organization in the context of the global market. 2.3 Organizational objectives and vision The organization’s key objective is ‘to help people create a home that they are proud of’

Access Controls Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Access Controls - Coursework Example As a matter of fact, intelligent readers are one of the most crucial elements that provide all the inputs to control physical security. With the advent of security, these card readers can make independent access decisions. With the innovation of IP, remote access can be even granted. Access controls have created a new generation of security in many ways for organizations. Companies no longer have to rely on traditional methods of people or physical locks to achieve security. One of the many key elements of access controls is embedding authentication. AUP are set of standard and guidelines that are established by a user domain setting. AUP allows logical guidelines to ensure that audit practices are being conducted and risks are being controlled. AUP are extremely important component of framework of security policies because it dictates policies. AUP must be clear and concise in user domain. One of the most prominent factors of AUP is to ensure that user domains are separated by segregation of duties. It is crucial to understand that utilizing AUP allows suspension of user domains from an administrator standpoint. Accounts can be suspended, given limited access, administration rights to install programs, etc. Moreover, AUP encompasses managing passwords, software licenses, noncompliance consequences, and escalations. NIST is also very proactive in promoting administrator rights and segregation of duties. When administrator rights are breached or abused, PAA level agreements are crucial that are enabled to enhance accountability of user rights. It is clear that the PAA is a written, explicit agreement that a user must acknowledge to. The PAA allows the security team to generally have a contingency plan, audit in timely manner. The PAA is a typically a two page document between administration and organization. Security Assessment Policy is a governing legislation that outlines Information Security

The various dimension of globalization Research Paper

The various dimension of globalization - Research Paper Example In many ways the world is becoming one large market than a series of separate national markets. The same goods and services can be found in many countries throughout the world.Globalization is the term now widely used to describe the increased worldwide competition between businesses. When investment, trade and cultural exchange happen internationally between different countries of the world and consequently bring changes to society and global economy, we call it globalization. This term is most commonly used to describe the effects of international trade but applies to trade of all sorts of industries. Steger has defined globalization as â€Å"a set of social processes that appear to transform our present social condition of weakening nationality into one of globalism.† It means to explain that it is not one process but various processes that function at the same time and even haphazardly on different levels and in different dimensions.Global village is a terminology used to describe a new kind of globalization presenting us with an interconnected world and a global collected culture. Globalization affects world economies, political situations, ecological dimensions and cultural identities. Globalization has led to more choice and lower price for consumers. It has forced firms to look for ways of increasing efficiency. Inefficient producers have gone out of business. Globalization has a positive impact on almost everybody as it generally helps to creates greater economic value. Globalization is able to provide equal distribution of the added value. The process of globalization must focus on letting go of the economic self-interest by respecting different religious, environmental and cultural values for the benefit of all classes of people. It must be beneficial for everybody by developing a global world outlook that boosts up the mutual and common values of all cultures. Accumulated forms of communication create images that cross different linguistic bo undaries more quickly and conveniently than many goods and services. This global mass culture has entered, influenced and revolutionized the lives of people in modern societies. There are several reasons for this increasing global competition. Free trade agreements and economic unions have reduced protection for industries. Consumers can now purchase goods and services from other countries with no import controls. Improved travel links and communications between all parts of the world have made it easier to compare prices and qualities of goods from many countries. This has further developed as the internet has become more widely available worldwide. Business in every sector of the economy are now striving to enter the global market be it science, manufacturing or entertainment industry (Stimpson, 2006). The economic dimensions of globalization are mostly linked with economic growth of global trade and finance, economic order and multinational corporations and how they affect the fo rmation and functioning of the international economy. It is a known fact that multinationals help in creating jobs and improving employment levels. By the year 2000, they accounted for nearly 100 million jobs created indirectly as researched by the New York Times newspaper of July 2000. It is known as the multiplier effect. When foreign direct investment comes in, both, the multinationals and domestic country become better-off. The company benefits from profits. Domestic country benefit in the form of jobs created, tax revenues generated and capital formation. The USA witnessed its lowest unemployment rate in 2000 in 30 years (Birdsall, Graham, 2005). Globalization helps in sustainable development. It provides the developing nations with much needed jobs and capital as well as equal distribution of income and wealth and help developing countries to escape severe poverty levels. They help improve the education levels, life expectancy rates and infrastructure and future markets in the developing countr

Petroleum Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Petroleum Technology - Essay Example It was named the ExxonMobil's Fast Drilling Process (FDP). The technology has significantly increased drilling rates and reduced downtimes as it uses of real-time, computer analysis of the drilling system's energy consumption (AZo Network). ExxonMobil was able to do this through a proprietary software that creates computer models of deepwater platforms that increases accuracy of the design. FDP has shown success in exploration although its performance improves in a variety of conditions such as hard and soft rock, deep and shallow wells, and low angle wells. "The key benefit of the FDP is that it quantifies the hidden cost of slow drilling" and allows the company to alter the design to suit the objective theoretical performance in a specific well (AZo Network). The FDP is one of the innovations made by ExxonMobil together with technologies such as the deepwater mooring technology, made possible by a computer program that "determines how much weight can be shared between the drilling vessel and the anchor boats as they set out each line" (ExxonMobil).

Corporate law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate law - Essay Example The accuser has the hard work to prove the accused is guilty. If the Australian Securities and Investment Commission will sustain this theory and it can be proven by evidence, this would constitute vitiation ( impairing the quality or effectiveness of an act such as to contaminate, spoil, make invalid) of consent which would make the contract voidable ( contract is valid unless it is questioned or objected, then, it is made illegal or void).(www.allwords.com). Under the corporation law of Australia, the contract is invalid if voidable. A voidable contract may be held valid if there is failure to question the same within You could reference see point in time legislation and updates to determine if you are following the law. If Bevin could prove fraud there will be cancellation of contract and a possible award of damages to Bevin. Since Bevin signed and approved the sale of his shares, then his negligence for not reading the fine print is not ground for cancellation of contract. To answer the SUB ISSUE no 1, the possible defenses and remedies of Wonders to uphold the validity of the contract is as follows. DISCUSSION:Wondersteel could invoke the defense of good faith by proving that it did not compel Bevin to sell his share because other stockholders were also offered to sell their share aside from Bevin. Under a free market economy, the seller offers a stock or product at a proposed selling price. The buyer or bidder then gives a bid price, usually lower than the offer price. If they both do not agree to the offer and bid, then the seller may lower his offer price and the buyer may increase his bid price. This is the normal practice in the Australian Stock Exchange. No force or intimidation was seen in the situation here. In answering ISSUE NO. 2, Regarding possible loan contract violation between Wondersteel and XYZ bank my opinion is as follows. The case states that Mr Malcolm _______ http://www.asx.com.au/index.htm (2005) http://portsea.austlii.edu.au/pit/ (2005) www.newadvent.org (2005) used some of the loan funds to pay Malcolm's mortgage repayments of his luxurious Sydney home and private school fees for his children. He also transferred a very large amount out of the loan funds to an overseas corporation, which owns 51% of Wondersteel' shares. In fact Wondersteel even defaulted on its repayment to XYZ and a receiver was appointed under the terms of the charge document. DISCUSSION: It appears that Wondersteel ,by prima facie, violated its contract with XYZ Bank. Although XYZ Bank is not without recourse, when a receiver was appointed under the terms of the charge, the use of the loan funds is still unjustified. Mr. Malcolm as director owes loyalty to Wondersteel. Under the law ,directors are agents or trustees of the corporation. As agents or trustees they hold a fiduciary relationship with their corporation which is their principal. The directors, according to the Australian Corporation law, required to safeguard the assets and

Overcoming Resistance to Change Essay Example for Free

Overcoming Resistance to Change Essay Overcoming Resistance Resistance is a normal and a perfectly natural reaction to change. Each person has their own amount they can take, but the reasons behind why employees resist in the first place may be surprising. According to these experts, the fear of moving into an unknown future state creates anxiety and stress, even if the current state is painful (Eroke, 2013). A complete understanding of the unique ways that resistance can be apparent is still needed because resistance to change has been acknowledged as an organizational difficulty for many years. If and when employees react to change in different ways, and if discrepancies in response result in different outcomes, identification of those expressions of resistance is a necessary step in the growth and execution of valuable change management strategies. After summarizing internal and external factors contributing to resistance to change, we will look at an example of this, identify the cause and develop a plan to overcome resistance. Internal and External Factors Contributing to Resistance to Change While internal and external factors certainly add to change responses, individuals can react more negatively to change than do others, regardless of the type of change. Individuals oppose beginning and completing self changing efforts, even when change is enviable or necessary. The interactions of these factors suggest inconsistency in individual behaviors, such that indefinite situations are most likely to bring to mind articulated perceptions, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. W hile global personality tests are probably not helpful in answering specific questions; an evaluation of outcome dispositions may capitulate greater projecting capability. There is little proof that points to individual disparities inclination to resist change. Conflict is stirred up by a variety of factors that include the environment, personalities; prejudices, appearances, etc. However, the inquiry of which individuals take action in what way, to which change situations, has not been sufficiently answered. The materializations of â€Å"resistance responses† within people and situations must be comprehended to allow management the opportunity to decide which plan can efficiently lessen resistance and if diverse strategies increase or decrease responses. An objective in the study of resistance is to identify individual responses to assist in forecasting probable variables. The more acquainted you are with your staff, the easier it will be to identify, assess, monitor, maintain, and execute change when needed. Example of Resistance to Change Based on Internal and External Factors At times employees felt they were being required to do more with less, or do more for the same pay which when this is the case, there is a huge resistance. Very rarely do you find good people that will go above and beyond for someone else or their company. In the restaurant business there are always tasks that need attention. There was a saying at one job â€Å"if you have time to lean, you have time to clean†. It is not all about serving food to guests and getting tipped for it. When someone does not show up for their shift, then that persons responsibilities are divided out amongst everyone. And when one of them is being asked to do side work that is not theirs, while getting paid such a low wage, there is not a positive reaction to say the least. As a waitress or server at most places, you only make 2-3 dollars an hour so when restaurant is slow and they do not make enough money to barely earn over minim um wage, it is extremely challenging to motivate them into doing manual labor for that amount of pay. Specifically, the most recent restaurant I managed, I relied heavily on the breakfast buffet and maintaining it during business hours as well as when we were closed. This buffet was important because most of the VIP rewards members only came for breakfast and their impression of the appearance, temperatures, and quality are being evaluated to possibly be turned in on comment card to corporate. Once this survey is completed online, these scores are then developed into a daily, monthly, and annual report that rates us on each department separately. A bad score decreases the points as a whole, makes the entire team look bad to corporate, and bad reviews can be seen by anyone, which can keep business from coming in and that will drop revenue. For some reason, we were not capable of securing this position longer than a few weeks which then it was being taken care of by any of the staff or management if they had a minute to help stock or clean it. This obviously is not going to be consistent for guests, appears disorganized or short staffed, and is a dangerous health hazard if someone is not taking temps every thirty minutes. Every single time someone did not show up to set up buffet, the staff and management jumped in to help, but it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to step in and do this job. Out of pure self interest each one of them would voice their opinion about how they do not make enough to do someone else’s job and it was not their job or they did not sign up for this. Resistance is an inevitable response to any major change. Individuals naturally rush to defend the status quo if they feel their security or status is threatened (Bolognese, 2002). I understand it is not their faults that it kept getting abandoned, but I also know how to be reasonable and work as a team. Most people are uncomfortable with change and will resist without giving much thought. Aside from self interest, Baack (2012) says, â€Å"differing assessments of the need for change occur whenemployees do not view a change as necessary, because managers and employees do not see eye to eye on the nature of the issue. Th ose with a low tolerance for change also tend to be resistant. It was challenging for everyone involved because most of them did not understand the nature or reason behind just doing what is asked of you regardless of how it may or may not affect you. The few that had been there many years were the first to help, but also the first to resist. They were all for customer service, pride in their company, and covering for someone as long as they were getting the credit. There were only a couple of employees who were willing to help, go out of their way, without expecting anything in return and those are the ones that were rewarded. Cause of Resistance Resistance will come in many dissimilar shapes and sizes, depending on your precise need. The cause for resistance can come from a variety of reasons, but the main cause behind this particular resistance was this position was not paid enough for the responsibilities that came with the position. Also, the labor involved was far more extensive than any other position in that department. Perhaps some other another reason may be because the buffet person was the low man on the totem pole, all by his lonesome, and getting stiffed by his or her own coworkers. This position was separated as far as opening and closing duties and had many items that contributed to the set up and break down which were placed in other parts of restaurant. The buffet person was usually not the person that â€Å"fit in† and almost always within a short period of time, they would request to be moved or they would find a different company to work for. Planned Approach for Overcoming Resistance Costs of training, risky score-cards, high turnover, unhappy guests and employees are enough of a reason to act on changing the way things have been failing. Upper management can determine who would be the best at changing this situation and making it a positive one that they can lead. Someone has to stand up and be responsible for holding people and themselves accountable and for this change to take place. Address the issue, acknowledge the conflict to employees and thank them for taking on extra work, but also engage with them in brainstorming to see if they may have something creative or valuable to assist in conquering the resistance. Once a new reasonable rate of pay has been distinguished, then a new set of responsibilities can be developed and split with the kitchen. There needs to be some way to mingle the two departments, which are separated by a line, so that this position is â€Å"included† with everyone else. Also, provide gift cards or free meals for adapting to c hange and moving forward during process. Set a goal for ninety days out to reevaluate, make transitions or changes and explain how the pieces fit together as a whole. Additional areas of resistance may surface so it is vital to recognize probable resistance points, as your development execution progresses. No matter which approach is used, managers should remember that change is often an unsettling process (Baack, 2012). Obtaining the preferred information to improve employees understanding of the organizations need for change is also one of the most significant steps in flourishing resistance management. A serious contemplation concerning the customization of your resistance management activities is relied upon the size of the change and the characteristics of the organization. When resistance has resulted in productivity loss and exhausted time and resources, it can be intimidating for the staff to rely solely on reactive procedures. Once the new changes have been implemented, closely maintained

All aspects of physical, psychological and social needs

All aspects of physical, psychological and social needs Nursing care for ill patient as a holistic and encompasses all aspects of physical, psychological and social needs. Therefore, patients and their families are the center on nursing care by more respect, dignity. Nurses and the other care providers must provide patients needs when dealing with chronic ill patients. The benefits of palliative care cancer/chronic ill patients are significant that enhancing patient quality of life (Lewis et al., 2007). Advanced cancer often causes a pain and other symptoms that need professional team to manage and control it. Pain, nausea, shortness of breath, vomiting and constipation are the most common symptoms appearance with these patients. In addition, each one of them has different experience of pain and the meaning of quality of life. Expert can deal and manage with these symptoms very well. (Backer, 2010). World health organization has defined palliative care as the full care that approach to improve quality of life for patient and their families whom are facing life threatening disease through prevent and relief their suffering and problems. This care concern in pain and other problems treatment, physical, psychological, social and spiritual support (Lugton Mcintyre, 2005). Many patients need palliative care specially the cancer patients those suffering too much at the end stage, regarding the metastatic. Cancer is known as a rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries which can break into the adjacent part of the body and spared to other organs. Refer this process as malignant tumor can be metastases to other part and organ in the body, which leading to death (WHO, 2011). Quality of life is the maximize comfort to the patient and family through four main areas the quality of physical, psychological, spiritual and existential (Batiste, Caja, Espinosa, Bullich, Porta-Sales, Sala, Lim ´n, Trellis, PascualPuente, 2010). Lung cancer for which surgery is not considered the most appropriate treatment option that called (inoperable lung cancer) due to one of several reasons, including the size of the tumor distant spread (metastasis) of tumor, location of the tumor and other health conditions that could rise the risk associated with surgery. In operable lung cancer does not mean that a tumor is untreatable. Other treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be better options than surgery (Llewellyn, Aun Ang, Lewis, Al-Abdulla, 2006). Lennart has been diagnosed with lung cancer and he has several problems that make him more weakness and affect his quality of life. These symptoms such as elevated blood pressure, diabetes type2, and inoperable lung cancer, cancer spread to his abdomen, pain and draining tube irritate his body tumor growth and constipation; he cannot eat anything and drinks only small sips of water.ØÙ„ØØ ³ÃƒËœÃ‚ ªÃƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ¹Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ÃƒËœÃ‚ ±ÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ¡ÃƒËœÃ‚ © Ø µÃƒâ„¢Ã‹â€ ÃƒËœÃ‚ ªÃƒâ„¢Ã…  ÃƒËœÃ‚ © للكلÙ†¦ÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ª   The team should start to control his symptoms 1. Pain 2. Nausea. 3. Constipation diarrhea 4. Lost appetite. 5. No energy. 6. Elevated blood pressure. 7. Diabetes type2. Nursing assessment; Objective data; He has an elevated blood pressure and diabetes type 2. Diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer. Subjective data; Pain and the draining tubes irritate his body, nausea and diarrhea, fatigue cancer has speared to his abdomen. 1. The problem is pain; pain can be appear due to the direct effects of the cancer (late stage) or caused by some treatment like surgery, drugs and chemotherapy. The patient may also have chronic underlying disease that directly causes or contributes to pain. (Lewis et al., 2007). A- Nursing care plan- pain control. Use analgesics appropriately. Use non analgesic relief measures. Report pain control. B Nursing intervention and rational; Observe for nonverbal cause of discomfort to plan appropriate intervention. Perform a comprehensive assessment of pain to include location, characteristic, onset, duration, frequency, quality, intensity of pain and precipitating factor. Teach Lennart and family the use of non pharmacological techniques e.g. (relaxation, massage). Provide the person optimal pain relief with prescribed analgesics to determine if is effective. Use pain control measures before pain become severe (Lewis et al., 2007). 2. The problem is nausea and vomiting. Lennatr has these symptoms due to 1. Release of intracellular breakdown products stimulates vomiting center in brain. 2. Drugs stimulate vomiting center in brain (Lewis et al., 2007). Nursing care plan nausea and vomiting control. Recognizes precipitating stimuli. Use preventive measures Use antiemetic medications. Report nausea, retching and vomiting controlled. B- Nursing intervention and rational. Perform complete assessment of nausea, including frequency, duration, and severity and precipitating factors to plan appropriate interventions. Reduce or eliminate personal factors that precipitate or increase the nausea (anxiety, fear, fatigue and lack of knowledge to avoid precipitating factors of nausea and vomiting. Use frequent oral hygiene, unless it stimulates nausea to promote comfort. Ensure effective antiemetic drugs are given when possible to prevent nausea and vomiting. Teach the family to use of the non pharmacologic e.g. (relaxation) to manage nausea and vomiting. Promote adequate rest and sleep to facilitate nausea relief (Backer, 2010). 3. The problem is Diarrhea; the patient has it due to 1. Denuding of epithelial lining of intestinal .2. The side effects of if the patient on chemotherapy.3. Radiation to the abdomen, pelvis and lumbosacral areas if he receives it .4. Laxatives, tube-feeding (Lewis et al., 2007). A. Nursing care plan-stop diarrhea. Bowel elimination. Diarrhea. . Pain with passage of stool. (Lewis et al., 2007). B .Nursing intervention and rational; Obtain stool for culture and sensitivity if diarrhea continues to provide appropriate treatment. Perform action to rest bowel (e.g. NPO, liquid diet). Instruct Lennart, and family members to record color, volume, frequency and consistency of stool to monitor treatment. Teach Lennart and his family appropriate use of anti-diarrheal medication to prevent patients use of anti peristaltic agents that prolong exposure to infection organisms. 4. The problem is diabetic. Insulin resistance decreased insulin production and alteration in production of adipokines.Disease is result of complex genetic interactions, which are modified by environmental factors such as body weight and exercise (Lewis et al., 2007). A .Nursing care plan- diabetic control. Description of insulin function. Description the role of diet in controlling blood glucose level. Explanation of the role of exercise in controlling blood glucose level Description of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, related symptoms and the procedure to be followed in the treatment. Explanation the impact of acute illness on blood glucose level. Description of when seek help from health care professional team. (Lewis et al., 2007). B. Nursing intervention and rationales Describe the disease process. Appraise Lennart current level of knowledge related to disease to determine the scope and extent of required teaching. Discuss the rationale behind management, therapy and treatment. Instruct Lennart on measures to prevent, minimize symptoms to promote management of disease. Discuss life style change that maybe required preventing complication and encouraging patient in determining change that will be acceptable. Instruct Lennart the signs and symptoms and reported to ensure prompt treatment. Refer the patient to support group to provide continuing support and education (Lewis et al., 2007). 5. The problem is loss of energy. Anabolic processes resulting in accumulation of metabolites from cell breakdown (Lewis et al., 2007). A. Nursing care plan- energy conservation. Recognize energy limitations. Uses energy conservation techniques. Balance activity and rest. Organize activities to conserve energy. Adapts life style to energy level, B. Nursing intervention and rationales. Determine patient physical limitations to plan daily activities. Assist Lennart to schedule rest periods to temporarily reverse effect of fatigue. Teach him and the family activity organization and time management teaching to prevent fatigue. Instruct patient significant other to recognize signs and symptoms of fatigue. Instruct patient significant other to notify health care provider if signs and symptoms of fatigue persist to increase patient support and family understanding of disease and related problem (Lewis et al., 2007). The problem is elevated blood pressure.. Potential complication adverse effect from antihypertensive therapy. 2. Potential complication hypertensive crisis.3. Potential complication of stroke. 4. Potential complication of myocardial infarction (Lewis et al., 2007). A. Nursing care plan blood pressure control. Improve myocardial contractility and systematic perfusion. Reduce fluid volume overload. Prevent complication. Provide information regarding disease, prognosis, therapy needs and prevention of recurrent. B. Nursing interventions and rationales; Assess cardiovascular status including vital signs to detect cardiac out compromise. Measurement blood pressure to ovoid complication. Assess neurologic static and observe for any change that can indicate an alteration in cerebral perfusion. Administer medication to lower the blood presser. Make sure that Lennart maintain a low sodium diet. Record and monitor the intake and output. Encourage Lennart and support them to express the feeling of stress to ease the anxiety. Promote quiet environment to reduce stress (Lewis et al., 2007). 7. The problem is constipation. The factors of constipation are many from the mass in anorectic region or neurologic and may be from the mechanical changes from surgery or decrease oral intake and mobility. Medications can affect like opioids and tricycle antidepressants (Lewis et al., 2007). A. Nursing care plan promote bowel movement. Stool soft and formed. Comfort of stool passage. Passage of stool without aids. (Lewis et al., 2007). B. Nursing intervention and rationales; Encouraging Lennart to movement and ambulation Maintaining bowel awareness. Ensuring adequate hydration and bulk-forming diet. Use of laxatives. Encourage fluid and fiber intake (Lewis et al., 2007). All these care it will provide by multidisciplinary team care of the cancer pain patient must be active by continuous care and communication to the patients and their families. It should attend physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. Moreover, this type of team members need diverse training share the main goal of improving the quality of life with the patient and interact as a group of individuals with the common purpose of working together. Each member has own expertises and training and makes decisions within that area of responsibility. Nevertheless team work does not mean joining health care workers together in one room, nor is it the same as collaboration .information must be the issue for interaction of members and must be shared by the vehicle recorded, such as (physician, psychologist, and nurse, volunteer. social worker, chaplain, physical therapist and occupational therapist). In addition the family is important member of palliative team because they are the on e living with patient at the same home or attend them .the family need more care from the team and teach them the intervention to take care of their patients. (Euro, who, 2010). Effective communication is an important part of the therapy. In treating patients with advanced stages of incurable disease it is mandatory to provide intelligible and coherent information to the patient and relatives, focusing on the development of basic listening skills in the health care professionals all this from patient right and consideration from the ethics of communication (Batiste et al., 2010). ØلقØÙ†¦Ãƒâ„¢Ã‹â€ ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³ Ø ¹ÃƒËœÃ‚ ±ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¶ ØلقØÙ†¦Ãƒâ„¢Ã‹â€ ÃƒËœÃ‚ ³ Øلن¦Ãƒâ„¢Ã‚ ÃƒËœÃ‚ µÃƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ Conclusion; Palliative care is not cure disease or prolongs life it is control the pain and symptoms and improves the quality of life for patients and family. More than 90% of cancer patients can be achieved relief from pain and symptoms through palliative care. There are effective strategies for the provision of palliative care for cancer patients and their families in places where resources are setting. (Who, 2011).Therefore palliative care is effective out come with professionals team. In addition the teams are requiring a high level of professional ethical skills to cooperate the primary goal. The primary goals of the team are to offers the best possible quality of life for the patient and family as well as to provide support.

Effect of Globalization on the Food Industry

Effect of Globalization on the Food Industry Introduction The food industry is a complex, diversified sector that enhances production, processing and distribution of the food energy consumed by the world’s population. The food industry is among the largest industries in the world because it not only plays a vital role towards everyone’s health but also because it employs billions of people; hence, creating jobs (Maddox, 1994, p, xi). The expansion of this industry emerged few decades ago, after it transformed from a food production industry through agriculture towards a globalized industry that encompassed vast sectors like technology and transport. Therefore, as the world embraced globalization, the food industry did not lug behind. The objective of this paper is to analyze major transformations depicted by the food industry and elaborate how globalization relates to fast food and obesity. More so, the paper will outline the ideological underpinning of the slow food movement and the critics involved. Major transformations that the food industry has undergone in recent years 200 years ago, farmers locally produced food and sold it to the local market. However, the industry has gradually undergone a major transformation in recent years due to globalization and urbanization. This is the case because people no longer live in places where the food grows because globalization has led people to migrate to urban cities. This means that food is currently produced, processed and distributed to diverse populations through the aid of globalization that include biotechnology, technology advancement and the availability of convenient transport (Maddox, 1994, p, xi). The transformation of food industry keeps transforming due to changing lifestyles, demographics, expanding incomes and education levels, which trigger an increase in consumer demands for quality, variety and safety of food. Therefore, diversification of people into diverse demographic locations has led the food industry to find ways of producing, processing and distributing valuable and hygienically packa ged food that meets the consumers’ demands. Apparently, the food industry did an outstanding thing by embracing globalization because food availability has become an easy task. This relevance depicts through the fact that people can now acquire any food of choice at their own convenience because food is within peoples’ reach. Food is found in kiosks, grocers, restaurants and big outlets like the supermarkets. Therefore, globalization enhanced availability of reliable and fast transport that greatly aided the food industry by easing food distribution. The other relevance that food industry transformation triggered is that it improved the way food undergoes packaging (Maddox, 1994, p, xi). Unlike in the past when food had no means of preservation, modern food is hygienically packed and last longer. This means that people can consume packaged food without worrying about health implications caused by poor sanitation or staleness. Generally, transformation of food industry has greatly eased people’s lifestyle by allow ing them to get the food they desire on their own convenience unlike in the past where people had to live within the farming location or travel to the farmers’ markets in order to acquire food. The relationship between fast food and globalization Globalization is the major driver that triggered a fast moving world and the fast food industry is not exempted. This means that the world we live in today has accepted and adapted fast food as part of its food customs. This is a fact because eating traditional food in major cities is becoming a hard task because such places are full of fast food eat-inns (Inglis Gimlin, 2009, p, 258). Fast food is becoming people’s option due to its availability, convenience and cheap price tags compared to natural food. The other reason that contributes to fast food dominating the food culture is that technology has advanced insistent advertising that succeed in diminishing the natural food culture. The renowned McDonalds food chain possesses distinctive clip adverts that capture unintended appetite. Therefore, globalization not only enhanced diverse modernization but also deconstructed the healthy food culture by turning it from natural to fast food (Inglis Gimlin, 2009, p, 258). The inte nsity of the relationship between globalization and fast food shows in a developing country like china where its strong traditional food culture is slowly eroding because the Chinese are embracing modernization that encompasses change in lifestyle and food preferences. On another perspective, adaption of fast food through globalization has a major negative effect of health implications to both the developed and the developing countries. The main health complication that fast food fosters is obesity, a disease that has triggered an intensive research and debates from scholars. Scholars have differed in the sense that while others observe obesity as a disease caused by sociological incline, other scholars argue that the disease is hereditary. However, the real fact is that obesity is a disorder where an individual puts on excess weight or gets fat by consuming more food than the body system requires, or consumes food containing high fat and sugar; hence, storing the excess residue as calories. Obesity is creating serious global attention because it rates as the fifth main cause of death in developed countries. Over the past two decades, the epidemic is spreading to the developing countries; hence, becoming a global concern. The food industry is blame d for this disaster because it embraced globalization by improving peoples’ living conditions that ended up eliminating communicable diseases but still fostering non-communicable diseases like obesity by processing fast food that are cheap and available yet full of unhealthy fat and sugar (Inglis Gimlin, 2009, p, 258). Though cases of filling lawsuits against the â€Å"big food† companies like McDonalds are arising, the concerned parties should broaden their horizons and realize that globalization plays a major role in the pandemic. This is a fact because economic globalization triggers cheap prices, while social globalization triggers lifestyle habits, TV viewing and a fast food culture. Therefore, despite that social globalization contributes a higher percentage in promoting obesity, the Big food companies play the role of distribution to the final consumer; hence, the consumers should play the major part of curbing obesity by consuming healthy food (Inglis Gimlin, 2009, p, 258). Principles that support the slow food movement Several aspects contribute to the development of the slow food movement but the main phenomenon supporting the movement is food justice. This phenomenon chips in as a result of the movement’s aim of changing peoples’ perception towards fast food and encouraging them to eat natural organic food acquired from farmers’ markets and other producers (Jayaraman, 2013, p, 19). According to the union’s objective, people should shun away from the usual cheap, mass-produced non-organic stuff. A recent speech in TEDx Manhattan, by the movement’s president Josh Viertel depicts how the slow food movement has the potential to turn the fast food phenomenon around by making sustainable agriculture a widely accepted movement. More so, the president looks forward to advocate for Farm Bill education as well as creating slow food eat-ins where people can eat healthy natural food in eating joints within their reach. Despite the entire efforts outlaid by the union and its members, critics still prevails. These critics claim that organic slow food is natural but expensive and convincing people to squeeze out more money to purchase natural food becomes a tussle for the union. Nevertheless, the slow food movement is barely four years old and there is hope that it will manage to reach its goal of killing the fast food culture that has dominated the developed countries (Jayaraman, 2013, p, 19). Conclusion Globalization is an advocate of speed, an aspect that accelerates urbanization, transport system, technology and the food industry. However, despite its positivity in modifying life, it has also brought along damaging effects like the presence of big food companies that end up offering fast food that promote health complications. Despite the presence of anti-fast food movements like the slow food movement, people are yet to embrace natural lifestyles and healthy eating. This leads to the conclusion that the food industry has one remaining transformation phase of learning and embracing nutrition (Inglis Gimlin, 2009, p, 260). Though this phase will negatively affect many big food companies, the obesity pandemic will reduce at a higher percentage. Therefore, the concerned parties should utilize the availability of modern information technology to educate the world on the importance of eating healthy. References Inglis, D., Gimlin, D. L. (2009). The Globalization of Food. Oxford: Berg. Jayaraman, S. (2013). Behind the Kitchen Door. Cornell university press. Maddox, I. (1994). Practical Sanitation in the Food Industry. CRC Press.

The Role of Panfilo in the Decameron Essay -- Boccaccio Decameron Essa

The Role of Panfilo in the Decameron      Ã‚  Ã‚   Panfilo devotes himself to love. He believes that love conquers all. In this respect, he is the antithesis of Filostrato, who is a man defeated by love. They even have opposite names (panFILO, FILOstrato). Throughout his tales, he pits love versus several formidable adversaries. In his first tale, the love of God overcomes the gullibility of the people of Burgundy. They pray to a man who was quite evil in life, and certainly belonged in Hell, but God answered their prayers anyway because of the purity of their faith. On the fourth day, he is forced by Filostrato to tell a tale in which love does not conquer all, as their outcomes are unhappy. Panfilo cooperates with Filostrato, but in the end love still carries on. The story he tells shows two lovers (Andreuolo and Gabriotto) ripped apart by death. However, after Gabriotto is killed, Andreuolo stays true and faithful to him. Her lover may be dead, but her love for him never subsides and she refuses to marry anyone else. While this story does have an unhappy ending as Filostrato prescribed, Panfilo makes a point to show how love still lives on and is not defeated by death.    Panfilo continues to demonstrate the power of love as he pits it against Fortune in the fifth story. After love has turned Cimon from a bumbling idiot into a fine gentleman, its force is so strong within him that he fights like a lion and captures Iphigenia. Fortune takes over at this point, and with a storm sends him to the island of Rhodes where he is thrown in jail and Iphigenia is sent off to marry another man. At this point, his situation looks hopeless. But, once the Magistrate's love for Cassandra causes him to release Cimon i... ...d that a priest tells them, as the priest in this story denies payment to Belcolore and even takes back the cloak that he had given to her for surety.    Panfilo plays a significant role in The Decameron. He has the responsibility of presiding as king over the final day of their story telling. And, in order to make up for all of the trickery, deception, and infidelity that preceded his day, he creates a theme that will end their trip on a very good note. His theme of magnificence and generosity is a refreshing turnaround from many of the previous themes. Leading up to his crowning, Emilia asked him to make up for the failings of the previous kings and queens. He tried to accomplish this as best he could, by creating a joyous theme.    Work Cited Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Transl. G. H. McWilliam. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 1972.

Mercury :: essays research papers

Mercury   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mercury is a metallic element that is a liquid at room temperature, it is one of the transition elements. Mercury's atomic number is 80. It is superconductive when cooled to within a few degrees of absolute zero. Mercury was once known as liquid silver or quicksilver which was studied by the alchemists. Mercury was first distinguished as an element by the French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier in his experiment on the composition of air. At room temperature mercury is a shining, moving liquid that has a silvery-white color, and slightly volatile. Mercury remains a liquid over a wide temperature range. Mercury is a solid when given a pressure of 7640 atmospheres (5.8 million torrs). It dissolves in nitric or concentrated sulfuric acid but is resistant to alkalies. Mercury melts at -39C, boils at about 357C,and has a gravity of 13.5. The atomic weight of mercury is 200.59. Mercury comes in its pure form or combined with silver in small amounts. It is mostly found in the form of the sulfide. Mercury has many uses and is a very important element. A major use of mercury is in electrical equipment such as fluorescent lamps, and mercury batteries. Mercury is used in thermometers because the change in volume for each degree of rise or fall in temperature is the same. The use of mercury in the thermometer instead of alcohol was done by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in 1714. It was also used in vacuum pumps, barometers, and electric rectifiers and switches. Mercury is used in a mercury-vapor lamps which are used as a source of ultraviolet rays in homes and for sterilizing water. Mercury-vapor is also used instead of steam in the boilers of some turbine engines. Mercury is sometimes used for amalgamation. Amalgamation is a metallurgical process that utilizes mercury to dissolve silver or gold to form an amalgam. This process has been largely supplanted by the cyanide process, in which gold or silver is

Business Plan †Book cafe Essay

1.0 Summary Profile Business Name: GRYFFINDOR BOOK CAFÉ Type of Business: A Book Cafà © Legal Structure: Partnership Address: No. 17, Ground Floor, Parramatta Road, Broadway Gryffindor Book Cafà © operated under a partnership between 3 people. It is classified to be within the hospitality industry, with its main focus is in serving people. The partners view the Cafà © industry Australia to be lucrative due to the growing demands of coffee. Gryffindor Book Cafà © will be operated within the University zone amongst the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney, in Broadway. Hence, the cafà © will be in close proximity to its target market. To differentiate our cafà ©, we will embark upon a unique physical appearance, which sets it apart from local cafà ©s, provide free reading materials, such as local and foreign newspapers, different types of magazines, books and novels. We will be providing a cafà © for customers in which, they can relax and escape from the daily pressures of work and offers a place to converse with mates over a cup of coffee. Furthermore, aside from the cold and hot drinks available, the business will also provide complementary side dishes, such as cakes. Hence, Gryffindor Book Cafà © will offer a variety of choices to our customers. Gryffindor Book Cafà © will gain its competitive advantage in the market by the quality of its products, warm customer service provided by our staff and the uniqueness of our facilities, which offers an escape from the everyday rustics. Furthermore, the main promotional strategy employed by the business is the word of its satisfied customers and the various discounts the business will offer. 2.0 Critical Success Factors for the Survival of the Business  · Efficient and concise management – Good management allows operations of the business to be well coordinated.  · Detailed planning – A well-planned business would clearly lists its goals and objectives and clearly identify the methods to be implemented.  · To constantly monitor and evaluate the business’s performance to ensure efficiency and hence maximise profits.  · Quality financial management – to ensure a healthy cash flow within the business.  · Well-planned marketing strategy – to be able to provide the goods and services demanded by consumers and to be able to reach potential customers.  · Sufficient capital – in order to pay its debts and continue operations and increase sales.  · A strong competitive advantage to distinguish the business within the market.  · Entrepreneurship spirit – continuous dedication from the owners/management is needed to operate the business effectively and profitably.  · Entrepreneur’s background knowledge and experience greatly contribute to the success of the business as it aids its operations.  · Location is a vital element to a small business, which must be of easy access to its customers. 3.0 Executive Summary Gryffindor Book Cafà © recognises the importance of prompt and amiable customer service in the hospitality industry. It is a small business that provides high quality coffee and hot and cold beverages with cakes, muffins and  cookies. It differentiates itself from other cafà ©s by its unique services of providing reading materials, i.e. newspapers and magazines from different countries, which the business incorporates as their prime function. Operating as a partnership between Angelene Alburquerque, Nicole Tsui and Jeff Chan, Gryffindor Book Cafà © belongs in the private sector and in the tertiary industry. It is located in Broadway, along George St. where it is easily accessible for its target market. The following business plan will analyse in details the situational analysis of the business in its establishment, and the operational, marketing and financial plans that it will implements in its start up. 4.0 Situational Analysis 4.1 Business Name: Gryffindor Book Cafà © 4.2 Prime Function: Gryffindor Book Cafà © provides:  · Hot drinks – coffee, cappuccino, lattes, etc.  · Cold beverages  · Milkshakes  · Cakes  · Pastries  · Cookies  · Reading materials – i.e. newspapers, magazines and books 4.3 Vision Statement To be the best cafà © with a difference with a reputable image supported by:  · High quality products  · Impeccable customer service 4.4 Mission Statement Gryffindor Book Cafà © is dedicated to:  · Providing customers impeccable service within a warm, friendly environment and comfortable facilities supported by promptness, quality and style  · Serve customers with the best cafà © products in the market at a value price  · Continually find improvement in our are of operations and service  · Be socially responsible by complying to a code of conduct, which would ensure fairness to its stakeholders  · Be environmentally conscious by using earth-friendly materials 4.5 Goals Ø Financial Goals · Maximising sales and profit · Business stability · Progressive growth Ø Personal Goals · Job security · Increase self-confidence · Improving managerial skills · Professional recognition · Increase power and Influence Ø Social Goals · Comply with ethical conducts · Provision of local employment · Sponsoring local events 4.6 Business Objectives Time Period: 12 months  · To break even with revenue and total costs in the duration of 10 months  · Reduce cost by efficiency by 10%  · Increase market share by 15% through effective marketing strategies 4.7 Business Ownership/Legal Structure Gryffindor Book Cafà © will operate as a partnership between Miss Angelene Alburquerque, Miss Nicole Tsui and Mr. Jeff Chan. Advantages and disadvantages operating as a partnership are as follows. ADVANTAGES · Low start up cost · Workload and responsibility is shared · Business profits are not taxed, but personal income only · Funds and talents of the partners are combined · Lower cost involved compared to operating a company · If one partner dies, business operations may continue DISADVANTAGES · Unlimited Liability · Conflicts between partners may arise · Liable for all debts, including debts held by other partners · Incompatible characteristics, making it difficult to find a suitable partner continue 4.8 Industry Analysis Australian coffee consumption is running at an all-time high. In September, economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel reported that we consume about 2.4 kilograms per person per year, double that of 30 years ago. (Tea consumption, by contrast, is on the slide.) And cafes, says Sean Edwards, managing director of cafe-industry organization CafeBiz, are â€Å"a $7.5 billion industry in Australia†. 4.9 Competition There are two general competitors in our cafà © market. They are the multinational specialty beverage chains, such as Starbucks and Gloria Jeans, and the local coffee houses or cafes, both with an established clientele and a quality product. There is a dramatic distinction among the customers of each of these outlets. Ø Michelle’s Patisserie Michael Patisserie is a pure Australian company, which mainly sells bakery products in the Australian community. Michael Patisserie is now a national system with around 270 outlets throughout Australia and is averaging new store openings of approximately 1 per week. Company Strengths  · Well-known products in Australia  · Recognized franchise  · Offering bakery bakes  · Specialty coffee roasting, coffee retailing and coffee training  · Easy accessible location Ø Starbucks Starbucks is an international corporation, which is the leading premium coffee cafà © in the world, with more than 23 branches locates in Sydney. Due to its distinguishable reputation of Starbucks will be a threat to Gryffindor Book Cafà ©. Company strengths  · Experienced in premium coffee  · High quality of services  · Famous establishment  · Lower production cost  · Recognizable franchise Ø Gloria Jean’s Coffee Gloria Jean Coffee is another large cafà © franchise in Australia, with stores in most major shopping centers and has almost 70 branches located in the Sydney region. With the renowned celebrity compared to our brand new cafà ©, it becomes a great challenge for the business to establish a certain market position. Company Strengths  · Standardized quality products  · Well-located place  · Eminent celebrity  · Employee-trained Local Cafà ©s Although small, a very tough competitor for our cafà © is the established local cafà ©s. Their previous experience in the industry would certainly be beneficial in further developing their cafes, which will greatly disadvantage Gryffindor Book Cafà ©. The quality of beverages served at an established cafe will surpass any of the regional or national chains. Company Strengths  · Plenty of product choices  · Easy access  · Consistent menus  · Quality product  · Well-serviced The competitive edge of Gryffindor Book Cafà © over the local cafes is based on the attributes of:  · Foreign newspapers and magazine service  · Consistent menu  · Quality product  · Discount purchases 4.10 Competitive Advantage Statement â€Å"Aside from our deliciously baked cakes and tantalising freshly brewed coffees, which is of the highest quality around, Gryffindor Book Cafà © guarantees the best customer service in the business.† SWOT Analysis Strengths · Business & management master’s degree held by each partner – intensive knowledge · Strong motivation and commitment held by each partner as personal success is dependent on the business’s performance · Focus on excellent service in satisfying customer’s needs · Well defined goals and objectives · Employs a variety of marketing strategies to reach customers · Unique facilities, which sets it apart from its competitors · Ability to provide personalized service Weaknesses · Undercapitalisation · Minimal experience in the hospitality industry · Minimal experience in making and preparing foods and drinks Opportunities · Increase market share · Take over dissatisfied customers from  their businesses · Increase variety of products · Positive forecasting Threats · Competitors – i.e. Transnational corporation (E.g. Starbucks & Gloria Jeans) · Unpredictable downturn in economy · Changes in government policies/laws · External government department controls – i.e. showing up unexpected 4.11 Economic Conditions Economic conditions will greatly affect the business. For example, changes in interest rates will affect the business’s bank loan. A change in unemployment may see a reduction of sales from the business, as customers are not willing to spend. Furthermore, economic conditions determine price levels. For instance, prices must be set lower during a recession. 4.12 Socio-Cultural Conditions Australia is multicultural and is therefore important for the business to treat everyone fairly without any bias. The business can use this factor as an advantage by offering foreign reading materials to cater for the majority of our customers. For example, English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Additionally the business must continue to monitor the changing trends in society in order to provide the goods and services that customers want and be able to change. 4.13 Legal-Political Conditions In order to legally establish a cafà ©, the business must be registered and it is important to apply a food licence from the council. Moreover, the quality of food and drink is extremely important to qualify and be permitted to open. Furthermore, laws such as the Fair Trading Act and Occupational Health and Safety regulations greatly effects the conducts of business and influences its operations. 4.14 Technological Conditions Gryffindor Book Cafà © must maintain its technological edge amongst its competitors. Therefore, we can introduce some high-technology machine (coffee maker) to improve the quality of our products and efficiency of the operations in long run. In short run, we may provide on-line order service for take-away service, such as order-on-net service, and improve our record keepings by the latest softwares, which would simplify managerial tasks. 4.15 Natural Environment Conditions Through the use of recyclable products, the business would project an environmentally-friendly image and avoid wastage. Furthermore, the business can utilise methods of saving water and the use less electricity. Consequently, this may not only protect the environment, but also reduce operating expenses. 5.0 Operations Plan 5.1 Location Gryffindor Book Cafe will be located in Broadway, along Parramatta Road, which is in close proximity with out target market. The physical size of the cafà © approximately measures to be 1600 square feet and is opposite Victoria Park, which encompasses a peaceful, scenic view of the area. The reason for this location is essentially due to the two universities in the area. 5.2 Furnishings Our cafà © will mainly use wood to be our main ornamentation and use French windows to emphasise Victoria Park’s green landscape to our customers as they read. Being a cafà © which provides reading resources, the lighting must be sufficient in order to protect our customer’s health, upholding our social responsibility. Moreover, we will furnish the cafà © with snug sofas to provide contented seats for reading convenience and just relaxing. A local professional will be contracted out of the business to handle the furnishing of the place. 5.3 Operating Hours Monday – Wednesday 7:00am – 6:30pm Thursday – Friday 7:30am – 8:00pm Saturday 7:30pm – 4:00pm Sunday Closed 5.4 Cafà © Floor Layout 5.5 Details of Production and Service Ø Food Preparation  · Beverages and hot drinks are to be prepared as it is ordered  · Muffins and cakes are baked freshly on a daily basis  · Some products will be ordered from local producers i.e. cakes Ø Service  · Customers approach the counter to make their order, which they have the choice to eat in or to take away.  · Reading materials are available to the customers, such as books that are old and new and magazines, which are distributed throughout the cafà © in shelves lining the wall.  · Current local and international newspapers, particularly from Asia are available to customers to read, which are positioned at the counter as they order, for easier and more convenient access.  · Staff would walk around to customers offering reading materials and ensuring that they are satisfied with the food and service.  · Smoking is prohibited in our cafà © to facilitate fresh air supply. 5.6 Stakeholders Ø Internal Stakeholders – The partners are the internal stakeholders of the business and has a responsibility for towards one another to perform their part in the business to the best of their ability. They are also the internal customers of the business, as each of their workload is vital for all partners to be able to perform their job efficiently. – Employees – the business must provide a safe working environment, to comply with Occupational Health and Safety regulations and provide training. Ø External Stakeholders – Customers – the business is responsible in providing high quality products, a safe environment and fair service. – Community – the business must be environmentally friendly, and will provide recyclable takeaway containers. – Government – the business will pay its due taxes, and will behave ethically in recording profits and expenses. – Suppliers – the business must pay its debts.  § John Fairfax Holding Limited – supplies newspapers and magazines  § Maxims – supplies food and drinks products 5.7 Proposed Organisational Chart 5.8 Method of Employee Participation in Decision Making  · The flatter structure encourages direct communication between employees and employers, which allows more input from staff and ideas to reach management at a more efficient manner.  · A suggestion box positioned behind the counter would be available for all staff to insert ideas as they work, which will be discussed in meetings.  · Include staff in meetings and allow for contribution  · Employ participatory planning, to include the staff, which will be affected by the plans made and/or will be asked to implement them.