Writting exercises Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writting exercises - Research Paper Example However, at times they will feel so inadequate, vulnerable and insecure. On the other hand, embodiment on the side of males asserts that males tend to develop physical strength and to enhance their masculinity. In addition, embodiment states that the consciousness of males or females is likely to be partly shaped by their body. Bodily knowledge involves an individual’s knowledge of the potential of their body and its capability. Therefore, gender embodiment tends to change most of the men’s studies that have been put forward. This is because; most of these studies assert that; masculinity is mainly meant for the men and that it is a factor that differentiates them from women. However, according to embodiment of gender, each person can know their body and understand its functioning and thus, be able to work as it agrees. For instance, the materialist female’s theory states that; every individual’s body has the potential for collective empowerment and change (Theberge, 499). This implies that; masculinity in men’s studies is not a characteristic that can be used to distinguish men from women (Howson, 37). Gender embodiment also changes men’s studies since; it asserts that females can also engage in activities which have been set aside as belonging to men only. While masculinity studies assert that it is only men who can participate in certain sports such as hockey, embodiment states that females can also participate since in such sports since; all they need is to consciously understand their body and what it is capable of doing. Gender embodiment states that a person does not have to define his or her nature according to what masculinity theories state. This is because; our bodies are subject to change and adaptability. Therefore, all we need it is to train our bodies and they will learn and adapt. In addition, the social distinction of a

Tom Robinson Essay Example for Free

Tom Robinson Essay When people talk about the ideal human being, the person that everyone aspires to be, they all think about different authors and sporting legends. But, the perfect human in my eyes is in fact a black man going by the name of Thomas Robinson. Tom Robinson was a man that was a great friend, excellent worker and now an inspiration to me. He was a person who had strong morals and he never went contradicted these. All these morals that he sustained throughout his short life were all ones that benefited the society, except for the fact that it was due to these morals that he died. He meant and did no harm to anyone in Maycomb and his services to the country were much greater than anyone would expect from someone like him. He did nothing but good to the community. We will all forever be in debt to his soul. Tom was a loyal worker of mine before he passed away. He has been my best worker within days from when I employed him. He would work as hard anyone else I had ever employed if not harder, even though he had only one good arm. When Tom was just twelve, he had gotten his left hand stuck in a cotton gin and tore all the muscles loose from his arm. His arm was destroyed in this accident and it had never been in use since. But remarkably, he still managed to pick cotton faster than many of my other workers. Tom worked so efficiently and in the eight years that he worked for me, not once did he cause any trouble. Not once. My other workers would cause all sorts of problems, but Tom did not cause one. He just ignored them and did the tasks that I had set him, and did them well. Tom was one of only a few men that I could trust with my life. When you asked him to a job for you, he would do it without hesitation and always did that job to an exceptional standard. But this is not why I truly admired him. What made Tom so special and contrast from the rest of society was his ability to not judge the people of Maycomb based on their colour, and this was very rarely found in this small town. He viewed people not as whites and blacks, but as equals. It was something that we as citizens of Maycomb struggled to grasp, but Tom was an exception. He was someone that respected everyone regardless of anything besides what was inside them. If the jury during the trial were like Tom, he would still be alive and with us today. Sadly in the end, Tom Robinsons morals and ethics outweighed his common sense. His will to help others clouded his thought process and he did not realise what he had gotten himself into, until it was too late. Befriending and helping Mayella Ewell was truly out of good will but it was not very wise. I constantly asked him why he was wasting helping her when he could be with his children. He would always say that his children had Helen, but Mayella had no one. This sympathy that he displayed was commendable. If Tom was thinking straight, he would have realised that associating with a white woman was undoubtedly going to end on a sour note. But I guess that was the Tom we all know, never refusing to help anyone, regardless of who they were. His death came as an absolute shock to all of us as we knew that Tom would never harm a fly. Though Tom is physically not with us all today, he will always be kept close to our hearts. His death should also cause the death of something else, prejudice in our country. His death has taught us that the race or colour of an individual does not say anything about an individual; it’s what is inside them. Tom Robinson may have been coloured on the outside, but it certainly did not mean that he was black on the inside. His death has made many more people in Maycomb realise that not all black people are bad. The view of coloured people being inferior needs to be changed and Tom’s death is step forward in achieving this. Hopefully, the death of one innocent man will prevent the death of many more men wrongly accused. This is where Maycomb needs improve to become a better town. Tom’s death will never be done justice, because he did nothing but good to this prejudice country. He was a great man and he did not deserve to die like this. All we can do now is wish Helen and her children the best for the future and hope they manage without the man in the house. Goodbye Tom, we will all miss you so much. May your soul forever rest in peace.

The Importance of Fort McHenry to America Essay -- essays research pap

As a country, the United States felt that the War of 1812 was under control and that they were well prepared for any battle any army could throw at them. After the United States won an important battle on Lake Erie in 1813, the American commander, Oliver Hazard Perry, sent the message "We have met the enemy and they are ours." As a new country, America, having just defeated the greatest military strength on the earth, was perhaps overconfident. However, once Great Britain turned all of its attention to defeating the United States, America realized that the fate of her country relied on Baltimore, and Baltimore relied on the protection of Fort McHenry. If Fort McHenry was taken over by the British, the Nation would have been split into two. The fate of the United States rested, to a large extent, on the success or failure of the central prong attack which was being protected by Fort McHenry. If Baltimore had not had Fort McHenry for protection, the city would have been an easy target and our nation would have perished because Baltimore would have lacked the proper protection it needed to prevail. Before 1793, there was a base on the peninsula called Whetstone Point, which was of strategic value to the United States because of its location. Whetstone Point was surrounded by water on three sides and in order to get to Baltimore by water, you had to pass by this peninsula. Because of these reasons, this point seemed like an obvious place to put a fort to protect Baltimore. Not only was this a good location because of the water, but it was close enough to Baltimore to protect it without putting it in danger. Therefore, in 1793, a man named John Jacob Ulrich Rivardi was directed by the Secretary of War to create a plan fo... ...endered or America had won. They could vaguely see a flag flying above the fort but could not tell whether it was America or British. Finally the darkness lifted and they saw that the American flag was still up and waving in the wind. After this night, Key wrote a poem telling the events of that night. He called it â€Å"The Defense of Fort M’Henry†. It was published in the newspapers all over America. Someone put the poem to music using an old English tune called â€Å"To Anacreon in Heaven†. This song became America’s first national anthem in 1931. Fort McHenry is not just known for the night when Francis Scott Key put that night into poem, but it is known as a great fort with a very strong military advantage. Fort McHenry helped protect Baltimore and save America. Without Fort McHenry, America could have easily been conquered and destroyed.

The History of Iwo Jima Essay -- Military History

Introduction The island of Iwo Jima is just one of the many islands in the pacific that make up the island chain of Ogasawara. The Ogasawara chain of islands are located approximately 750 miles south of Tokyo. In comparison to most of the other islands in the pacific Iwo Jima is relatively small, in fact it is only four and a half miles long by two and a half miles wide. The geographic layout of Iwo Jima consists of a dormant volcano on the northern side called Mount Suribachi and a flat stretch of land to the south. So why is such a small island so important? After the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor America needed a place to stage aircraft for conducting bombing runs on Tokyo, Iwo Jima provided the best place to host our fleet of bombers. History Before the war Iwo Jima was inhabited by the Japanese. There was a small fishing village and a very small military installation that consisted of a garrison of the Imperial Japanese Navy. All together there was only a population of 1018 people. However, through out 1944 the Japanese removed all the civilian population from the island and began a massive build up of the military stationed there, by the start of the war there were over 21000 Japanese soldiers on the tiny island. Planning/Preparation The Japanese commander in charge of Iwo Jima was General Kuribayashi. General Kuribayashi believed that America would attack Iwo Jima just the same as they had attacked every other target, with a massive aerial bombardment. Kuribayashi was ordered to build up Iwo Jima the same as every other Japanese base even though they had proven to be useless against the aerial bombing techniques that America used. Despite what other Japanese officers above General Kuribaya... ...olicy denying nuclear weapons on Japanese soil. REFERENCES Chen, Peter, C. (n.d.). Battle of iwo jima. Retrieved from http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=12 O'Brien, Cyril, J. (n.d.). Iwo jima retrospective. Retrieved from http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,NI_Iwo_Jima2,00.html Trueman, Chris. (n.d.). The battle of iwo jima. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_iwo_jima.htm Miller, Kimberly, J. (n.d.). Battle for iwo jima: Wwii fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/battleiwojima.htm Morison, Samuel, E. (1960). Victory in the pacific, 1945 – history of the united states naval operations in world war ii. (Vol. 14, p. 389). Boston: Little Brown. James Bradley. , & Ron Powers, (2000). Flags of our fathers. (p. 384). New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Aukland: Bantam Books.

American Pageant

The Eisenhower Era Korean Armistice 1 952; Eisenhower vaulted Korea shortly after winning the presidency; waited 7 months before resorting to nuclear warfare; Koreans compromised until 38th parallel Army-McCarthy Hearings 1954; McCarthy attacked the Army as Communist; Army attacked him on television for 35 days; McCarthy downfall Jim Crow Segregated blacks from whites Emmett Till 14 year old black who vacationed in Mississippi, allegedly whistled at a white woman (Carolyn Bryant was subsequently beaten, abused, and murdered then tied to a cotton glen and thrown Into a river Montgomery Bus BoycottAfter Rosa Parks is arrested, MILK rallies the black community to do this. This seriously hurt the bus companies. This lasted more than a year, and ended in 56 when the SC declared segregated buses unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education 1951 ; (SC) Marshall argues, wins this one. Unanimous vote under the Earl Warren court that â€Å"separate but equal† is a false doctrine.Little Rock Central High School 1957; 9 black students trying to go to school needed to be defended by federal troops Southern Christian Leadership Conference MILK and nearly 100 other black ministers form this organization in 1957 to encourage nonviolent protest to provoke segregationists and win support from moderate southern whites.Although it got more blacks to support the movement, it failed to spark controversy or get white sympathy Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee Created by sit-ins; lack of patience resulted in their downfall Interstate Highway Act of 1 956 1 956; more effective; Jobs and benefits (trucking, gasoline, automobile); deprived passenger trains, decreased air quality, robbed downtowns of business due to shopping outlets First Secretary of the Soviet Union- â€Å"premier†- was in attempts to negotiate towards conciliation with Eisenhower but 13-2 scandal made such attempts void Geneva Conference After Vietnam fell to Nationalists; split Vietnam at the 1 7th parallel; elections 2 years later to Join them 1955; Eisenhower & Khrushchev; â€Å"Open Skies†; Khrushchev thought it was an American ply for Dulles and rejected the idea Battle of Dine Been PH 1954; French corned Indochina; French asked for American support; America not involved Warsaw Pact 1955; Soviet Union reacted to Anta's addition of West Germany, protecting its Communist satellites Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 960; control petroleum exports; controlled Western countries Sputnik 1957; Soviets; Part I small, PART II dog displaying Soviet superiority; provided Communism with credential; maybe intercontinental ballistic missiles; created missile gap, NASA, and ENDED National Defense and Education Act 1958; increase education to compete with the Soviets; million in form of scholarships U-2 Spy plane incident The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U. S. Denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the U. S. S. R. Reduced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.Fidel Castro usurped power from Batista regime by guerilla warfare, US unable to execute effective coup, became military dictator Betty Friedman Feminists who published the Feminine Mystique 1963; modern women's rights movement to break away from suburban housewife life and to deal with struggles due to sexism United States rock singer whose many hit records and flamboyant style greatly influenced American popular music (1935-1977) Chapter 39: The Stormy Sixties John F. Kennedy The thirty-fifth United States President who represented the state of Massachusetts in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat, and in the U. S. Senate from 1953 until 1961.Events during his administration include the Bay of Pigs Invasi on, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the American Civil Rights Movement and early events of the Vietnam War. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. â€Å"New Frontier† The campaign program advocated by JEFF in the 1960 election. He promised to revivalist the stagnant economy and enact reform legislation in education, health care, and civil rights. Berlin Wall In 1961, the Soviet Union built a high barrier to seal off their sector of Berlin in order to stop the flow of refugees out of the Soviet zone of Germany. The wall was torn down in 1989. Massive Retaliation† Dulles; nuclear bombs â€Å"Flexible Response† the buildup of conventional troops and weapons to allow a nation to fight a limited war without using nuclear weapons Bay of Pigs In April 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency landed on the southern coast of Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. When the invasion ended in disaster, President Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure. Cuban Missile Crisis the 1962 confrontation between US and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba Freedom Riders Both black and white Americans that took to riding public transportation in the deep south to demand that the Boonton v. Virginia verdict be upheld. This resulted in many busses being attacked held in 1963 to show support for the Civil Rights Bill in Congress.Martin Luther King gave his famous â€Å"l have a dream†¦ † Speech. 250,000 people attended the rally Civil Rights Act of 1964 This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places. â€Å"Great Society' President Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program the Great Society. In 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including M edicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education. ‘War on Poverty† Waged by Johnny's Great Society programs that presented a classic liberal platform. Civil and voting rights acts – Public school funding?when the rich moved to the suburbs all the poverty and squalor remained in the cities, destroying the tax base which of course had negative effects on public education – Medicare and Medicaid – National endowment for arts and humanities (PBS) – Clean air and water quality acts – Endangered species preservation act (1966) Affirmative Action policies of the government aimed at increasing access to Jobs, schooling, and opportunities to people previously discriminated against†¦ Bake vs.. Board of Regents Gulf of Tontine Resolution Congress gave up its war making powers to the President in this resolution which Johnson himself called â€Å"Grandma's night shirt, a tool to cover everything. Medicare -available to all elde rly Americans regardless of need -form of federal welfare assistance -assisted medical community because the fed paved all fees Medicaid extended federal medical assistance to welfare recipients and other indigent people of all ages Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discrimination in the rental or purchase of homes and a broad range of other housing related transactions Passed when LB] was president, outlawed poll taxes. Freedom Summer 1964; Blacks and whites going to polling places to ensure that the law is being enforced and blacks do have the right to vote. This resulted in much violence in the south including murders, battery, etc. Malcolm X spread ideas of black nationalism. Disagreed w/ both the tactics and goals of the early civil rights movement. Minister of the nation of SIAM. Rejected his original name because it was his family's slave name Systoles Carmichael Founder of â€Å"Black Power† â€Å"Black Power† the belief that blacks should fight back if attack ed. T urged blacks to achieve economic independence by starting and supporting their own business. Domino Theory the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control opposed the Vietnam War and believed the United States should withdraw its forces from Vietnam. Hawks supported U. S. Involvement in the Vietnam War and believed America should increase military force to win the war.Et Offensive Et: the first day of the Vietnamese New Year -communist forces launched an enormous attack on American strongholds through- UT Vietnam -one of the first televised battles, revealed brutality of war, great effect on election of 1968 -Walter Coronate -Democrats Criticizing Johnson Chicago Democratic Convention 1968 -Tons of protesting and violence -Humphrey received nomination Counterculture Drugs are generally harmless social relaxants and as for sex, if it feels good, do it. Students for a Democratic Society Student group opposed to militarism and racism; called for â€Å"participatory democracy. † George Wallace Once governor of Alabama, a segregationist that ran as the candidate of the American Independent Party in 1968 and won five states in the South.

Work

Work Introduction The society has undergone a significant transformation during the 21st century. These changes have affected different spheres of individual’s life. One of these spheres relates to work. Work demand is one of the major reasons for the increased need of work-life demands. Approximately 50% of the total workforce is comprised of women while 50% of all household adults are working (Chick, 2004, p.2).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Work-Life Balance And Its Influences On Employee Development And Career Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Findings of ‘The 2002 National Study on the Changing Workforce’ revealed that approximately 66% of all American families were dual earners by 1977. This means that these couples were salaried employees. However, the proportion grew to 78% by the end of 2002. Not only are the couples working but they are also required to work for long hours (C hick, 2004, p. 2). In most cases individuals working for long hours experience health problems. In addition to work demands, the demands of life are also influencing individuals to have a balance in their life. For example, the adults are required to take care of their children and elderly parents. From the study, 50% of the respondents interviewed said they do not have sufficient time for themselves while 63% said they do not have enough time to spend with their spouses. On the other hand, 67% of all the respondents interviewed said that they do not have sufficient time to spend with their kids. As a result of increased participation in their work, there is need for individuals to establish a balance. In addition to family life, there is an increase in the number of adults who are attending school in an effort to improve their life. This arises from the fact that workers are aimed at developing their career. Considering these challenges, workers are increasingly being concerned wit h ensuring that there is flexibility within their workplace in order to attain a balance (Romer, 2011, p.1). As a result, human resource managers are increasingly being concerned with work-life-balance as one of the human resource management concepts. This arises from the fact that the profitability of the firm is dependent on its effectiveness in retaining employees (Clutterbuck, 2003, p.34).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Clayton (2004, p.146), the success of organizational leadership is dependent on the effectiveness with which harmony between the organizational goals and employees’ priorities is established. Considering the changes in the society, the researcher appreciated the importance of analyzing the concept of work-life-balance and its influences on employee development and career management. Literature review According to Armstr ong (2006, p.152), work-life balance entails establishing a balance between ones life and his or her work. In their human resource management practices, organizations are increasingly considering adopting strategies that enable their workforce to have a certain degree of flexibility in their duties. Armstrong (2006, p.152) further asserts that the objective of work-life balance is to provide the employees with an opportunity of balancing their work with other personal responsibilities. According to Armstrong (2006, p.152) one of the employees’ needs that organizations are required to take into account is employee development. In order to attain this most organizations have incorporated an employee development policy. The policy is aimed at ensuring that employees continuously develop their skills and abilities. Factors that have contributed to increased demand of work-life balance Financial security The 21st century has been characterized by numerous economic challenges. For example, the recent economic crisis had adverse effects on individuals’ purchasing power. This arises from the fact that some organizations lost their jobs as organizations undertook downsizing. Coupled with the rise in the cost of living, these changes have stimulated the need to attain financial security. As a result, men and women are increasingly being involved in more than one job. Additionally, there has been a change in the perception of work. A significant proportion of individuals are considering work as a source of personal satisfaction and not a component of one’s survival. Currently, individuals are working in order to succeed in their career.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Work-Life Balance And Its Influences On Employee Development And Career Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Demographic changes and diversity in organizations The high rate of diversity within organizations is one of the reasons why human resource managers are faced with numerous challenges. This has further stimulated the need for work-life balance. According to Metusin, and Ooi (2006, p.77), one of the most valuable competences that human resource managers should possess entails understanding and harmonizing the existing differences between the employees. Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77) further assert that understanding diversity in addition to the growing need for a balanced life amongst the employees has become a prerequisite for a firm attaining sustained performance. Demographic changes such as aging are contributing towards an increment in the amount of responsibilities facing workers. According to Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77), it is estimated that there will be an increment in the number of workers who are charged with the responsibility of caring for their family members. Ghani, Metusin and Ooi (2006, p. 77) assert that there has been a decline in fertility among st individuals on one hand while on the other there is increment in longevity. The resultant effect is that is emergence of an aging population. Ceiri, Holmes, Abbott and Pettit (2002, p.2) asserts that if the rate of fertility is constant at 1.6 children for every adult lady, the result will be an increment in the proportion of the aging population from 13.9% during the 1990s to 28% by 2030 within the OECD countries. This arises from the fact that the employees have to take care of their loved ones. Additionally, the high rate at which women are being integrated in the workforce is creating pressure to human resource managers with regard to work-life balance and diversity management. Ceiri, Holmes, Abbott and Pettit (2002, p.2) are of the opinion that the current demographic changes means that human resource managers have to formulate and implement human resource policies and strategies that take into account the employees’ work-life needs and also takes into account the div erse workforce.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Influences of work-life balance on employee development and career management Work-life balance plays a vital role in the development of the employees. Employee development entails the various activities are associated with the employee training and development. Employee training is an important component of ensuring that a firm attains competitive advantage. Needle (2010, p.482) asserts that the skills gained through the training act as an organization’s source of competitive advantage. Work-life balance enables an organization employee development program to be effective. This arises from the fact that the fact that the employees become committed to the program. Additionally, work-life balance enables employees to be effective in their career management. From an individual point of view, career management entails the various developmental practices that are undertaken in order to enable the employees execute their job. On the other hand, organizations consider career manage ment to include the various practices and policies that are implemented with the objective of attaining the needs of a suitable proportion of employees who are well trained. Career management is critical in ensuring that an organization has effective staff. On the other hand work-life balance enhances firms in their career management in that it contributes towards a high level of employee retention. On the other hand, work-life balance enables a firm to be effective in their development hence attaining their career objectives. Benefits of work-life balance Currently, a large number of workers are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits associated with an organization having flexible human resource strategies. This has arisen from realization of the fact that it is impossible to separate work and the various life commitments. However, employees are faced with a challenge in their quest to attain work-life balance. This arises from the fact that their workload is increasing as org anizations shift to flat and more participative structures. The resultant effect is that it is becoming difficult for employee’s to establish a balance between their career and life. According to Coussey (2000, p.1), there is a high probability of an individual succeeding in he or she establishes a balance between his or her life and work. Coussey (2000, p.1) is of the opinion that work-life balance entails developing working practices that are beneficial to both the organization and the employees. From an employee’s point of view, work-life balance entails establishing and maintaining a balance between one’s responsibilities at home and work. Considering the competitive nature of the labor market, it has become paramount for business organizations to recruit and retain motivated employees. According to Torun (2007, p.4), employee turnover can be costly to an organization. However, implementation of work-life balance programs can contribute towards a firm improv ing its employee retention rate. A study conducted in Hoechst Celanese which is a Japanese firm revealed that 60% of the employees interviewed said that the firm’s ability to ensure that there is a balance between the employees’ work and their life was a key determinant in their decision to continue working with the firm (Torun, 2007, p.4). Additionally, work-life balance programmes within organizations act as marketing tools that organizations use to attract employees. The need to retain the employees has become a motivating factor why organizations are increasingly incorporating work-life balance in their human resource management practices and policies. Coussey (2000, p.1) asserts that the profitability of businesses is dependent on the level of employee motivation. If an organization does not incorporate work-life balance, there is a high probability of the employees’ attitude being affected negatively. The result is that their morale is diminished. Lockwood (2003, p. 7) opines that incorporation of work-life balance contributes towards an organization minimizing absenteeism amongst its employees. This arises from the fact that the level of stress which is depicted by increased health problems amongst the employees and absences are minimal (Lockwood, 2003, p.7). In the long term, work-life balance contributes towards a decline in the employees health care cost. Findings of a study conducted by the American Institute on Stress revealed that approximately one million workers do not attend work daily as a result of stress complications (Lockwood, 2003, p.7). The resultant effect is that the employees’ productivity is enhanced culminating into an improvement in the probability of the organization attaining its goals. Not only is work-life balance being advocated by human resource managers but also by researchers and governments. During the 21st century, work-life balance is being considered as a strategic human resource management i ssue. As a result, human resource managers are integrating the concept of work-life balance in their employee retention strategies (Martin, 2010, p.35). In order to survive in the long term as going concern entities, organizations should appreciate the changes in employees needs. This will play a vital role in formulating flexible work-life balance strategies. Problem Work-life conflicts According to Bird (2006, p.3) asserts that the changes within the society have presented both workers and organizations with a challenge. The challenge emanates from existence of a conflict between the workers personal life and their work. The employees’ personal responsibilities and their work may be mutually incompatible to some degree. Needle (2010, p.482) asserts that employees’ personal responsibilities usually conflict with the needs of the organization. This has made management teams of firms in different economic sectors to shift their focus to employees as their core concern. The shift towards the employees arises from the fact that organizations recognize the fact that they can lose the employees. Additionally, organization can also be sued if they fail to address the employee’s needs. Discussion Human resource management strategies to enhance work-life balance There are a wide range of strategies that human resources managers can integrate their management practices in order eliminate work-life conflict. Integration of work-life balance will give the employees a high degree of flexibility. The following are some of the strategies that organizations can integrate in order to attain work-life balance. Part-time work This strategy entails a permanent form of employment whereby individuals are required to work for fewer hours per week. The employee is required to fulfill the responsibilities assigned within a specific duration. This strategy is more appealing to workers who prefer to have more leisure time and parents who need to be with their chil dren. By incorporating part-time work, an organization can enable its employees to achieve work-life balance. Job sharing According to Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295), job sharing entails an employment arrangement in which tow employees share a single full-time job. Job sharing is attained by dividing the number of hours that each party works. For example, one of the job-sharer may be required to work from 8.00 am to 12 noon while the other party works from 1 to 5 p.m. alternatively, the employees may decide to alternate the days that each one works. By incorporating the concept of job sharing, an organization is able to attract highly skilled employees. For example, some professionals may not be available fulltime. Job sharing gives an organization an opportunity to have a strong work-force. However, this strategy is only applicable to some jobs. Telecommuting The 21st century has been characterized by a growth in the rate of technological innovation. Organizations are incre asingly incorporating technology in their human resource management practices. According to Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295), telecommuting entails allowing employees to work at home either full time or for a number of hours every week. Some of the technologies that facilitate telecommuting include modems, personal computers, cellular phones, fax machines, and voice mails. Additionally, the emergence of overnight couriers is also enhancing the growth in telecommunication. Telecommuting presents a high degree of flexibility to the employees. This arises from the fact that the employees have the discretion of determining the most appropriate time to work. This means that they can have more time to spend with their families. Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2010, p.295) assert that organizations that have incorporated telecommuting experience minimal employee turnover and absenteeism. Another benefit relate to increased work-life balance. Flextime strategy In this strategy, human resour ce managers give the employees an opportunity to determine the number of hours that they prefer to be working. However, the hours have to be within certain limits that are predetermined by the employer. In this strategy, the human resource manager sets two main time bands. These include the flextime and core time. The flextime relates to the time when the employees may prefer to be working. On the other hand, the core time entails the specific hours within which the employees must be at work. For example, the core hours may range from 8 am to 11 am. This strategy gives the employees an opportunity to work for a certain number of hours and then have the discretion to attend to their personal responsibilities (Pride, Hughes Kapoor, 2010, p.295). This means that employees can be able to attain work-life balance. However, this strategy is guided by a condition that stipulates that employees must work for a predetermined number of hours. Compressed schedules According to Kaiser (2011, p .212), compressed schedules entails a working arrangement whereby employees are required to work for a predetermined number of hours weekly. However, instead of the working hours being distributed evenly throughout the week, the employees have the discretion on how to distribute the working hours throughout the week. Through this strategy, employees can work for more hours on a particular day in order have take an off on a particular day. Holidays, leaves and career breaks Human resource managers should also consider incorporating company-paid holidays annually. Other strategies which human resource management should consider include integration of leaves. There are a wide range of leaves that human resource managers should consider in their human resource management practices. One example of such leaves include leave without pay. Additionally, human resource managers can also consider implementing an extra leave in which the employees receive a proportionate compensation during the leave period. According to Raddon (2005, p.50), integration of career breaks would also play a vital role in enhancing work-life balance. Career breaks are an important component of ensuring that employees develop their skills. Career break give employees an opportunity to address their economic needs. The resultant effect is that the employees remain competitive within the work environment. During the career breaks, an employee is able to address other family commitments. Conclusion The study has illustrated the importance of incorporating work-life balance as one of the human resource management practices. Currently, the society is characterized by numerous changes which are affecting workers in executing their duties. Some of these changes relate to increased responsibilities amongst the employees. The workforce has also experienced a significant transformation as a result of increment in the number of women who are employed. These women have to take care of their families. Othe r changes relate to demographic characteristics of the society. For example, there has been an increment in the proportion of the aging population which has to be taken care of. Additionally, employees are faced with a rise in the cost of living and hence the need to attain financial security. As a result, most employees including women are working for long hours. The study has also illustrated that diversity within the workforce is stimulating organizations to consider incorporating work-life balance. The increment in the amount of responsibilities that employees are facing has stimulated the need for work-life balance. This arises from the fact that employees are increasingly experiencing work-life conflicts. Integration of work-life balance as a human resource management strategy is beneficial to both the employees and the organizations. Some of the benefits associated with work-life balance include increased employee retention, increased productivity, and improvement in the empl oyee well being and reduced labor costs. In the long run, an organization’s profitability is improved. On the other hand, work-life balance contributes towards the employee developing their career. This arises from the fact that organizations are forced to incorporate employee development and career management strategies. Additionally, the employees have sufficient time to develop their careers through various means such as going back to school. The study has illustrated that there are a wide range of human resource management strategies that organizations can adopt in order to ensure flexibility. Some of these strategiesinclude part-time works, job sharing and telecommuting. Alternatively, human resource managers can also consider developing compressed schedules, flextime, holidays, leaves and career breaks. Through these strategies, there is a high probability of an organization being successful incorporating work-life balance. The resultant effect is that the organization is able to eliminate work-life balance. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2006. A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page. Bird, J., 2006. Work-life balance doing it right and avoiding pitfalls. New York: Wiley Incorporation. Chick, E., 2004. Fundamentals of work-life balance; career development. Alexandria, V.A: ASTD Press. Cieri, H., Holmes, B. Abbott, J. Pettit, T., 2002. Work-life balance strategies:  progress and problems in Australian organizations. Sydney: Monash University. Clutterbuck, D., 2003. Managing work-life balance: a guide for HR in achieving  organizational and individual change. London: Chartered Institute of Professional Development. Coussey, M., 2000. Getting the right work-life balance; implementing family-friendly  practices. London: Chartered Institute of Professional Development. Clayton, D., 2004. Leadershift; the work life balance program. Camberwell Vic: ACER Press. Ghani, A., Metusin, A. Ooi, K., 2006. HRD for developing st ates and companies:  proceedings of the 2005 Brunei. Singapore: ISEAS. Kaiser, S., 2011. Creating balance? International perspectives on the work life  integration of professionals. New York: Springer. Lockwood, N., 2003. Work-life balance; challenges and solutions. New York: Society for Human Resource Management. Martin, J., 2010. Key concepts in human resource management. Los Angeles: Sage. Needle, D., 2010. Business in context; an introduction to business and its  environment. Andover: South-Western Cengage Learning. Raddon, R., 2005. Your career, your life; career management for the information  professional. Aldershot: Burlington. Romer, C., 2011. Work-life balnce and the economics of workplace flexibility. New York: Diane Publishing. Torun, F., 2007. Work-life balance- any improve for business? Berlin: Munchen Grin Verlag.

Am I The One Professor Ramos Blog

Am I The One In the book â€Å"The Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Short Stories†, there is a short story called â€Å"There Was a Man, There Was a Woman†, and in that very complicated story there can be very many outcomes to it depending how you look at it. To me this story ended in way of both the man and women having no purpose in their lives.The man in the story would get paid every second and fourth Friday of the month, but the woman would get paid the first and third Friday of the month. Therefore every friday they got paid they would go to the bar and drink thinking that the alcohol would boost their confidence to go up to a special someone to spark a conversation. Even with the alcohol both the man and woman would do nothing every friday. The end of the story leaves it with a cliffhanger because the readers dont know if they are going to be each other purpose? Will they even meet? In the mans life he has his group of friends that he goes to the bar, but he has that friend that he can talk to about anything. So the next time they meet at the bar the friend asks the man a very open question, â€Å"Why do you drink so much?†the man answers with â€Å"because Im hoping that the alcohol will bring me that confidence I need†. In the friends head he thinks to himself, â€Å"We’ve been doing the same routine for a year now and he still hasn’t spoken to a female†, but he continues to keep it to himself. Looking at the womans life she doesn’t have that one friend she can vent to so every night so she prays in hope to find that one purpose that she has been on the search for awhile now. Every night she starts her prayer off with a â€Å"Hey its me again† and continues it with her thanking God of what she has and after she asks him to â€Å"show her the way to happiness†. She knows that one of these days she needs to stop drinking and find herself. So the next day she gets a call saying that the checks are coming in late so she was getting paid the second Friday of the month, her taking that as a sign she tells herself that that friday was going to be the last time she was going to the bar. The mans friend finally builds the courage to tell him that him continuing this routine was not helping him in anyway and that he should find a new hobby. The friend and the man get into a huge argument about his current situation in always drinking and letting time pass him by. Both the friend and man start talking about why they are even fighting in the first place and they talk about the past in which they both met in high school and they would never fight because they knew they only had each other in those lonely times in a very mean world called high school. That one math class sophomore year, the teacher paired the man up with the friend for their performance task for the month and both the man and the friend did not know one another but still continued to do their best in completing their work. The man was always lazy and left most of the work for the friend, but just like in present time the friend built up his confidence and told the man that â€Å"I ain’t going to d o all this work for you, so if you want to continue your lazy ways have fun failing the class†, the man took a real look at himself and realized that just like in the past the friend was right and now it is happening again. So the friend and man come to the conclusion of this Friday was going to be the last time going to the bar. Its the womans last week for work before she can go to the bar one last time and she is really excited about it because deep within herself she feels like this is going to be the day she builds her confidence to speak to that one special guy. Its the mans last week of work before he can go to the bar one last time and he feels sad about it because he has to give up the one thing he really enjoyed doing, but knows its for the best. The man and friend would hangout after work everyday of the week and spit jokes, talk about work, also on what they were going to wear for the bar because not only is it going to be their last time going to the bar, but the bar was throwing their 50th anniversary so they were doing these crazy deals on alcohol. Since the bar was doing this they knew they were going to be seeing some new faces. The woman after work would go straight home and think about how much work sucked and how much fun she was going to have at the bar not knowing they were throwing thei r 50th anniversary for the bar. The second Friday of the month has arrived, the woman took about 2 hours to get ready. When she finished getting ready she looks in the mirror and says â€Å"Today is the day†, she has a huge smile on her face and is ready to go. The man took about 10 minutes to get ready. His hair slicked back with a white T under his flannel flexing his chain, he knows he is ready. The friend picks up the man and in a hurry they make it to the bar. The woman calls an uber and gets to the bar pretty late. When the man and the friend arrived they quickly go to the bar and order their cheap alcohol. When the woman arrived she quickly went looking for the man that would catch her eye. Finally the man and friend decided to go on the dance floor because they were both buzzed and did not care on how they looked they just wanted to have fun. Finally the woman stopped the search and came to the conclusion in dancing the night away. The man and friend both are dancing funny and the man bumps into the woman and they both stared into each others eyes as if they were staring into the moon those lonely nights. The man leaves the friend and talks to woman on how beautiful she looked and the woman talks about how handsome he looked. The man thinking to himself that this situation doesnt feel right to him and maybe she wasnt the one. She believes that he is the one and she continues to flirt with the man and the friend looking at them in disgust. The man comes to the conclusion in his head and tells the woman how he feels. The man says to her â€Å" I know we just met, I feel like we have known each other our whole lives, but im sorry to tell you this, but Im in love with my best friend.†

The Optimal Bar Top Height

The Optimal Bar Top Height The most common height for a bar top, whether it is a kitchen breakfast bar, a basement wet bar, or a commercial bar down at the corner pub is 42-inches. Construction Conventions Standard conventions support the 42-inch bar height. Most pre-made backsplashes are four to six inches tall. When that height is added to the standard countertop height, the backsplash can slip underneath the overhang of the finished bar top for a smooth transition. Comfort The optimal and most ergonomic height for a top that services both the seated and standing user is 42 inches. With a bar stool of the proper height, it is comfortable to sit at a 42-inch bar. This is also a comfortable height for most people to lean against. Additionally, the bar top at this height is in easy reach of a standing person, so they can set their food and drink down without leaning over. A bar top is typically too high to serve as a good seated work surface and is mainly useful for leisure activities. The Multiple Benefits of Bars The main benefits for a bar top come from one person working standing up on one side and another sitting on the other. The bartender has a comfortable height to prepare drinks on his feet and the customer has a comfortable height to drink them while on a seat or standing. The standing bartender is also at a comfortable height to engage the seated customer, whether for the simple business transaction or for the age-old tradition of chatty banter or deep heart-to-hearts that often happen in this setting. The other benefit of a bar top is its aesthetic appeal. In another common context for bars: A kitchen bar top can divide the space up nicely by serving as a transition area, between the cooking area and the eating area.

Discuss how communication within an inter-professional team could Essay

Discuss how communication within an inter-professional team could affect collaborative working strategies - Essay Example Sometimes, patients cannot communicate verbally due to sickness and have to resort to nonverbal communication to interact with staff. Healthcare professionals must have the necessary listening and verbal and nonverbal communication skills (Beebe and Mottet, 2013:32). Consequently, effective clinical practice requires many cases where vital information must be relayed verbally and nonverbally and listening skills must be honed and applied. Team collaboration and inter-professional communication are essential. When healthcare practitioners are not using verbal and nonverbal communication effectively, as well as listening closely to patient needs, the lives of patients may be at risk (Markel, 2013:21). Lack of vital information and misinterpretation of information, poor listening skills, ignored changes in status and body language, and unclear orders using communication tools like mobile phones can endanger the lives of patients and put healthcare professionals in major dilemmas (Markel, 2013:25). Poor verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as poor listening skills, creates scenarios where medical mistakes can occur. These mistakes have the potential to result in serious injuries or sudden patient deaths. In the UK, mental health mistakes, especially those caused by poor communication and listening, are a major challenge in current organisations (Happell, Platania-Phung, Scott, & Nankivell, 2014:37). According to research conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations, mental health mistakes would rank 5th in the list of top ten causes of patient deaths in America if they were included in the annual official statistics. This is ahead of serious illnesses like Alzheimer’s, gunshots, AIDS, diabetes, breast cancer, and accidents (Waldeck and Kearney, 2013:34). The study also revealed that over 50,000 people die in America every year because of medical mistakes. In the UK, up to 33,000 patients die annually

Government and the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government and the Economy - Essay Example This is the foremost time of experiencing such an occurrence in more than four decades. The expenditure of the federal administration has been rising at a decidedly sluggish pace in the three years of the prevailing administration. Falling expenditures of regional and area administrations, which have equally shrunk in spending at an alarming rate, plummets the slow rise. The slow growth of federal spending along with the free-falling expenditure of regional administrations is a strong pointer at the economic and political situation in the country. These signs cannot pass unnoticed because failure to experience rise on government expenditure, more so during the initial period of a new administration, is not only rare but profoundly significant in the political and economic essence. The real GDP of government (both federal and regional) for the primary three months of 2012 is estimated to be 2 per cent less than 2009, when the new administration took the reigns of power. This means tha t the spending of the administration has experienced a fall ever since the forming of government in 2009 implying that certain factors have inhibited the outlay of funds by administrations, both central and local. Such a situation transpired in the US in the course of Richard Nixon’s reign and was attributed to the waning expenditure on the Vietnam conflict. Currently, it is unclear which factors are responsible for the slow growth as well as the falling spending by regimes at the central and local level in the sense that a number of dynamics govern economic growth. Government policies play a prominent role. However, sometimes growth rate can also be attributed to luck of the incumbent regarding the state of the economy when he inherited reigns of power. The current administration took power at the time when the recession was ending. However, the recovery and growth has been remarkably sluggish. The reasons for slow economic growth, which has led to low spending by government under the prevailing regime that ranks lowest in history, have been myriad. The failure to step up government spending emanated from the feeble private sector, which made it difficult for the economy to expand at a high speed (Norris B2). The growth of the private sector is a noteworthy gauge of the circumstances of the economy because it denotes the growth rate of the economy. Changes in spending by the government are because of the expenditure on military disbursement, which has grown dismally in the past few years irrespective of the fall in expenses of Afghanistan as well as Iraq conflicts. On the other hand, nonmilitary outlay has witnessed an upward trend under the prevailing administration. In situations when economy is weak, outlay on investment by central and area governments often fall (through cutbacks) to reflect the state of the economy. Such expenditures include highways and educational institutions like schools and colleges. In essence, falling operating outlays are not new to the US economy and have been part of the country particularly in times of economic difficulty. Therefore, money saving schemes like retrenchment of tutors has not prevailed in the recent past although the number of workers in education has been low. In conclusion, the federal, state, and local governments have been shrinking in the last three years, and this means that the US

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security Research Paper

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security - Research Paper Example As a result, businesses have implemented the use of social media technology and application to communicate marketing messages and images to their consumers who have ready access to the communication media (Castronovo & Lei, 2012). Nonetheless, it is notable that many parts of the developed world has not adequately achieved access to computer systems and the internet (Chung & Austria, 2010) as a result of this, the application of social media is largely a phenomenon and concept of the urban community within developing economies because of access to technological infrastructure (Furlow, 2012). The marketing messages which are communicated via social media are passed from one individual to another rather than directly from the company or organization. Therefore, the users of social media in their evaluation of products and services act as a third parties and hence objective and credible sources of information (Lipsman, Mud, Rich & Bruich, 2012). Therefore social media is popularly being applied by business in marketing communication because of the authenticity and credibility that is associated with this form of communication (Castronovo & Lei, 2012). On the other hand, the application of social media in marketing communication has been criticized on the basis that it is informal and less reliable source of marketing communication about products and services (Hill & Moran, 2011). Additionally, it is argued that social media is only popular among specific segments of the market such as the young people (Lipsman, Mud, Rich & Bruich, 2012). This means that some segments of the market are not reached in social media marketing. Because of this, social media... As the essay declares  the popularity of social media as a marketing tool is argued to be a result of the advancement in information and communication technology. The contemporary society is increasingly utilizing technology and particularly the internet for communication and networking. With the advent of social media sites and platforms, the application of technology by individuals, businesses, agencies, organizations and companies has increased gradually.This discussion highlights that  the marketing messages which are communicated via social media are passed from one individual to another rather than directly from the company or organization. Therefore, the users of social media in their evaluation of products and services act as a third parties and hence objective and credible sources of information. Therefore social media is popularly being applied by business in marketing communication because of the authenticity and credibility that is associated with this form of communi cation. On the other hand, the application of social media in marketing communication has been criticized on the basis that it is informal and less reliable source of marketing communication about products and services.  The application of social media platforms in marketing is said to be the most effective way of reaching a large number of audience at no cost. Facebook and Twitter have registered billions of users within their accounts.

Organisational Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Development - Essay Example Obsolete technology is used. Time lag in maintaining trust and goodwill is present. Opportunities Favourable circumstances that can be a source of potential benefit for Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: After training programs, results will depict improvement in employee’s attitude and this will also result in possible new markets and strong brand loyalty by old customers. Emerging new technology from order taking to service delivery can enhance competitiveness. Expansion of business can be made in other cities as well as a result of increased customer’s awareness in cleaning services. Expansion can be made in service range as well to increase customer’s loyalty and broader range of customer needs. Threats The possible threats to Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: Low morale will result in employee turnover. Many competitors are entering the market. Development Plan In order to resolve the problem, the development process comprises of following steps: Prob lem Lack of service employee’s interpersonal attributes in Jim's Cleaning is negatively impacting customer satisfaction and their commitment to retain withntioon to Jim' 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 this company. Decreasing morale of employees is directly affecting the level of satisfaction of customers and ultimately success chart of Jim’s Cleaning. Employees in Jim’s Cleaning are not getting successful in satisfying customer to the optimum level. Henceforth customers are not spreading the awareness of Jim’s Cleaning to their friends or family. This is damaging the image of the organisation in different ways. Needs are going unfilled, word of mouth and repeated customers are declining. Ultimately, bad customer... This essay stresses that the on-going training program will help to boost our employee satisfaction. Through this training program the employees will become more confident, can upgrade their skills, can pace with the changes occurring in the organisation, can work with full potential, and can deal with changing demands and needs. The training program will result in employees who are creative, motivated, satisfied with their careers and have high morals. Training course will allow them to achieve higher customer satisfaction and responsiveness in meeting the job roles. This paper makes a conclusion that organisation development is a necessary process of improving organisation effectiveness and for achieving the desired goals. If Jim’s Cleaning concentrates on creating value in employees only, then it will be able to make a positive connection between employee satisfaction and organisation profitability. The management should recognise that employee morale, performance and overall job satisfaction is a highly important component for increased profitability. If this change is implemented in the organisation, it will definitely produce positive results. Successful execution of the plan will allow Jim’s Cleaning to constantly perpetuate this synergistic relationship. By this relationship, Jim’s Cleaning will win customer loyalty that ultimately results in increased corporate profitability. Satisfied employees are a precondition for increasing productivity, responsiveness, quality, and customer service.

News paper summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

News paper summary - Essay Example Its stock dropped by more than 5% in three months. It also reported of various cyber-attacks that it has received. Its shares have also dropped by 10% in 12 months that are contradictory to gains of a company such as NASDAQ Internet Index that increased by 31%. The drop seems to indicate that investors are raising questions concerning its future. Its revenue growth has remained stagnant for the past two years, and the scenario will be the same in coming years. The article, HP chairman Whitworth to Step Down to Focus on Health, is about HP management and in particular its chairman Mr. Whitworth. He has served on several US boards, but now wants to retire and concentrate on his health. He has lived with throat cancer since April 2013. Relational managers will be meeting soon to discuss on how to appoint a new chairman. It manages more than $ 6 billion and features prominently in shareholder activism. He joined the HP Company in 2011 when it was turmoil and led to its stability. Relational investors are more worried of his wealth than effect on the firm. The article, Real-Estate Investors See No Problem with Puerto Rico, points out at the deteriorating economic conditions at Puerto Rico and how real-estate investors are taking advantage of the situation. Property managers and private-equity firms are buying and developing luxurious and high-end hotels on the island. Property deals have up scaled by more than $ 1 billion. The investments bet on its turn around, tourist’s credit concerns, and changes to the tax code that withdraws tax on such investments. The hotel business is on the rise, and the valuations are level to those seen before the wake of the global recession. The article, S&P Weighs Restarting Talks on US Suit, is about Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services and its lawsuit with the Justice department. The company is on discussion and negotiations on penalties on the range of

Organisational Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Development - Essay Example Obsolete technology is used. Time lag in maintaining trust and goodwill is present. Opportunities Favourable circumstances that can be a source of potential benefit for Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: After training programs, results will depict improvement in employee’s attitude and this will also result in possible new markets and strong brand loyalty by old customers. Emerging new technology from order taking to service delivery can enhance competitiveness. Expansion of business can be made in other cities as well as a result of increased customer’s awareness in cleaning services. Expansion can be made in service range as well to increase customer’s loyalty and broader range of customer needs. Threats The possible threats to Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: Low morale will result in employee turnover. Many competitors are entering the market. Development Plan In order to resolve the problem, the development process comprises of following steps: Prob lem Lack of service employee’s interpersonal attributes in Jim's Cleaning is negatively impacting customer satisfaction and their commitment to retain withntioon to Jim' 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 this company. Decreasing morale of employees is directly affecting the level of satisfaction of customers and ultimately success chart of Jim’s Cleaning. Employees in Jim’s Cleaning are not getting successful in satisfying customer to the optimum level. Henceforth customers are not spreading the awareness of Jim’s Cleaning to their friends or family. This is damaging the image of the organisation in different ways. Needs are going unfilled, word of mouth and repeated customers are declining. Ultimately, bad customer... This essay stresses that the on-going training program will help to boost our employee satisfaction. Through this training program the employees will become more confident, can upgrade their skills, can pace with the changes occurring in the organisation, can work with full potential, and can deal with changing demands and needs. The training program will result in employees who are creative, motivated, satisfied with their careers and have high morals. Training course will allow them to achieve higher customer satisfaction and responsiveness in meeting the job roles. This paper makes a conclusion that organisation development is a necessary process of improving organisation effectiveness and for achieving the desired goals. If Jim’s Cleaning concentrates on creating value in employees only, then it will be able to make a positive connection between employee satisfaction and organisation profitability. The management should recognise that employee morale, performance and overall job satisfaction is a highly important component for increased profitability. If this change is implemented in the organisation, it will definitely produce positive results. Successful execution of the plan will allow Jim’s Cleaning to constantly perpetuate this synergistic relationship. By this relationship, Jim’s Cleaning will win customer loyalty that ultimately results in increased corporate profitability. Satisfied employees are a precondition for increasing productivity, responsiveness, quality, and customer service.

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Various nations have been subjected to this problem, out of which the condition of South Africa is worth mentioning. The mismatch has been widening in economies over the years and is evolving as one of the primary causes of concern for organizations. Educational institutions and organizations have been jointly working towards increasing alignment between skills demanded and skills produced. Researchers have identified a number of ways organizations could devise policies and procedures for handling this skills shortage. Not only do they require modification in the job designs but also must consider altering the existing human resource strategies. The project seeks to explore the various possible alternative suggested by researchers and practitioners that can be applied for designing jobs in organizations confronting with labour market shortages (Dychtwald, Erickson, Morison, 2006, p.88). Impact of labour market shortages on organizations Organizations are faced with a number of dilemmas arising out skill shortages in the economy. Researchers and business practitioners are of the opinion that skill shortage has a direct impact on labour costs in organizations. Labour shortage happens to be one of the propelling factors for undertaking offshore recruitments as the local skill availability falls short of the demands. Researchers have identified the standard for cost effectiveness as the price of the available as well as qualified workers for both off shore and on shore (Atwater & Klass, 2007). In other words it can be said that declining skills are directly associated with climbing labour costs in organizations and firms. According to Atwater & Klass, (2007), skill shortage impacts businesses directly by ways of relocation of existing business processes like manufacturing, production and services from one region or country to another. This might include outsourcing or even subcontracting within the same country or shift ing business practices from one nation to another. Although firms might gain from the phenomenon in the way of availing of skilled personnel at lower prices, however, it involves great structural losses. The wide range of educational requirements along with the severity associated with the search costs happen to be so high that researchers have not yet been able to draw a conclusion as to whether hiring off shore skills is an option optimum for adopting (Atwater & Klass, 2007). Although organizations and industries today are in different stages of off-shoring their jobs and functional activities, Atwater & Klass, (2007) are of the opinion that organizations maintaining the view that availability of labour is a local issue are likely to face serious competitive disadvantage as compared to those who consider looking at labour as a global market (Atwater & Klass, 2007). Main considerations in designing jobs for organizations facing labour market shortages According to a research conduc ted by McKinsey Global Institute states that the looming shortage of local talents have been having serious implications for the nation’s multinationals by triggering the process of organizations recruiting offshore skills (Farrell &

Economy of the United States Essay Example for Free

Economy of the United States Essay The time is considerably improved for the distinctive American citizen of 2007 than for a citizen of the 1800s. An array of economic policies known as import substitution is frequently quoted as the central reason of Latin America’s crises in the 1980s. The stratagem had outsized harmful upshots on economic growth in the 1980s reacting to the 1970s and 1980s progress. However, in the mid 1990s, import substitution policies had slight hit in renovating Latin American countries into sellers of feigned products. In fact, the condition was even worse in 1980s, as anxieties about non-payment raised; mean yearly price rises climbed radically from 1980 to 1985. And the economic deformations linked with hikes in inflation are stern. From last 1990s, numerous efforts have been carried out to alleviate the dilemma related to Latin America’s huge outside debt. A few restructurings in the 1990s had no brunt or were untied almost immediately as they were brought in. Just the once recent economic development and dependable growth in input output, and output per person commences, it is liable to persist on a usual source and progress public’s being. It is constant with the world’s practice in the 80s and 90s era. For now, in the United States, the introduction of Information technology generated an innovative market that created the hardware and generated the software required to suit the ignition claim for these appliances that had grown to be reasonable to about everybody. That market substituted the previous; a belief of capitalist theory called creative destruction which envisaged that outcome, truly emerged to be operational, even as the economy appeared to be strong. Obstinately, United States government tax policy also offers inducements for U. S. multinational firms to set up abroad. In current tax laws, firms are allocated without letting up to suspend disbursing business revenue taxes on incomes made offshore. The suspension is fine in anticipation of these firms send back the incomes to the home, upon which occasion they are taxed at the typical business income tax charge. However the U. S. business income-tax charge is one of the biggest in the planet, there is an extremely well-built inducement for firms to reinvest those profits outside of the United States. As a result, United States Government; the Congress agreed to provide tax relief per annum, in order that firms could send back incomes back to the home at a lesser tax charge. Firms made it in having this 2004 tax break by saying that it would facilitate them to employ those incomes to invest in the home and make employments for US citizens. Certainly, its almost unfeasible to establish they performed the deed or not. The initial phases of globalization and outsourcing charge millions of U. S. manufacturing employments but different specialists declared us that this was nil to agonize about since they were blue-collar Rust Belt employments. United States of America was converting itself into an overhaul economy, and facilitated all along by the Information technology. Internet tune-ups, cutting-edge research and growth made the transparent, high-paying employments that kept U. S. ahead in the current era. However, supporters of globalization disagree that outsourcing millions of mechanically transportable service jobs will decrease rates and increase productivity in the U. S. Except the assets of globalization dont seem so gentle from the perspective of an American computer analyst or auditor. They have performed what they were expected for but their effort was obstinately spoilt when the home employers hired overseas staff working so cheap. When lucrative manufacturing and service jobs shift abroad, relocated American employees are frequently obliged to accept low pay jobs and upward mobility. Paradoxically, at the instance millions of jobs are being outsourced and millions of unlawful migrants are overflowing into the U. S. , to get away form their domestic scarcity and joblessness; hence purely spoiling U. S. internal economy. Ironically, the good news is that, while United States governed Congress helped out to generate this chaos with poor economic and foreign policies, she can assist to overcome it. Still, U. S. is the best-positioned to make sustainable advantage of the growing world economy in the global marketplace. Modern economic trends, together with a huge trade shortage, on its last legs of norm revenues, comparatively weak job growth, have been to state the slightest rather intimidating. However there is one thing encouraging, the strong growth of productivity in the U. S. Commencing in the mid-1990s, productivity has recovered after 20 years of comparatively meager presentation. Regrettably, economists have hardly any solutions for progressive economic growth, as conservative neo-traditional growth forms pay no heed to technological modernization. On the contrary, a neo-Schumpetarian examination proposes that the revitalization and immobility of productivity are tied to the materialization and succeeding collapse of new techno-economic manufacture procedures. While an old economy attains its perimeters from the perspective of innovation and the dispersal of the technology structure, it grows to be ever more intricate to spin out productivity growth. Just after an innovative technology system suits reasonably priced as much as necessary and invasive adequate is it capable to rejuvenate the engine of productivity patterns. This examination recommends that though the modern information technology based technology system is probable to prolong to impel strong productivity growth for at any rate the coming 20 years, an innovation-exhaustion hold up may be very soon above the prospect. In fact, IT is really improving productivity, however merely in peculiar segments. Since the 1990s, productivity grew 1. 1% per year in segments spending greatly in computers and about 0. 35% in segments spending less. During 1990 and 2003, productivity growth in IT-exhaustive production averaged 3. 03% per annum, in contrast to just 0. 2% per annum in less-IT-exhaustive industry. In effect, the increase in mechanical automation was the really enormous growth of the economy of the era. Since many economists declare that globalization and technology have merged to generate up-to-the-minute tenets for the U. S. economy. However this economist considers old economics still offers the unsurpassed elucidation for current happenings. However, the new-economy model is not only a design that is obviously cleared by a particular economist and an extensive choice of thoughts descends below the new-economy streamer. Relatively than reviewing the concepts of a range of new-economy researchers, the subsequent argument assembles the thoughts into three extensive reports of the new economy; a long-run-growth, a sources-of-growth version, and a business-cycle version, which reveal the combined concept of several economists. Even as these reports disagree in particular calculations and inferences; butt all contribute to a widespread center that constructs them ingredient of the new-economy structure. In the past few years, the U. S. conomy has gained from a pointed deterioration in oil and commodity costs, a well-built American dollar, a tendency on the way to handled concern and reserved health-care prices, an impartial budget, and a fall in military expenses. Each one of these transient causes may have assisted the economy and guided to the unforeseen blend of falling inflation and unemployment rates. While distinguishing between temporary factors and structural changes, it is a hard chore that entails cautious empirical analysis and, additionally significant is a lengthier instant sequence of information. Simply by scrutinizing unemployment and inflation under a broad variety of economic circumstances for several years will it be achievable to wrap up if a structural change has in fact risen? Fast track and fiscal policy for the International Monetary Fund are merely fractions of a better scheme the United States Government must create to facilitate its citizens retain their leadership in what is, incontrovertibly, an accurately global economy. Moreover, the Federal Reserve should reduce interest rates, at this time sprinting at approximately four times the rate of inflation, with no less than one-half of 1%. Moreover, Conformist economics observes economic growth as a consequence of input accumulation and technological growth in a world of nearly invariable come backs to level. At the same time, there is a little argument about how to determine inputs and how to describe technological growth, there is an agreement that a great deal of economic growth engages trade-offs, such as increasing capital means investment, forgone consumption and savings, though increasing labor input needs education expenses and relinquished freedom. Whichever unsolved growth is branded the input of total factor productivity (TFP), also called the famous Solow residual, which reveals technical progress, improved efficiency, spillovers, scale economies, demand side policy, pull inflation and so on. Countless economic studies of foreign direct investment center on the features of the companies in creating its resolution to spend overseas. While the rest employ features of host nations as independent variables, that U. S. oreign direct investment runs to Europe contain such independent variables as growth of market size and size in host countries, levels of protectionism in host countries, and capital control programs of the U. S. Government. The causes for the disparity in corresponding the employment and productivity growth amid the two regions may be vibrant, except mostly dialogue they go down into three types. At the outset, the expansion of the pay, the rental ratio is a typical macroeconomic elucidation for modifications in labour and capital intensity influencing the employment growth productivity. During the 2000-s, pay control and active labour market policies elevated labour force membership statistics in Europe however, simultaneously decreased the growth of labour charge comparative to the capital cost. The quicker employment growth but lower growths of labour productivity are probable consequences of these policies of the U. S. Government. Seeing the initiation of the global economy and amplified tax competition, businesses and other shareholders employ geographically fungible capital to reduce their tax charges by shifting their assets to lower tax regions. Hence the capacity for capital flight compels limitations on the point of taxation that in order compels fiscal discipline on the U. S. Government. However the normative economic research have demonstrated that the optimal tax rate on capital is zero, while the optimal tax rate on labor is positive, proposing that the expressive decline of taxes on capital, during tax competition, would offer wide-reaching advantages in the global market. In addition, in a more competent market, investment will be owed more effectively, escorting to worldwide welfare profits in the all-embracing race. The interconnected concepts comprise nonlinear growth once a critical mass is attained, worthy rounds of positive feedback in manufacturing and communal firms for example Silicon Valley, and declining costs and amplified excellence by means of technology and scale economies. These concepts are not new-fangled to conservative US economics; however the new economy offers them far better magnitude and looks them as the dynamic energy of growth economy-wide (Fretz, 4-15). The recent facts propose that it is yet excessively untimely to let know if a new economy has actually materialized. The new economy is resolutely constructed on the supposition of structural changes in the economy; however there is just not sufficient information yet to differentiate elemental transformations from unconventional accounts, for example transitory shocks can escort to the identical upshots. By building up these concepts at this instant, economists and policymakers would be capable to come to a decision if there truly is a new economy in the United States

Nature Of Competition In The Consumer Cosmetic Market Marketing Essay

Nature Of Competition In The Consumer Cosmetic Market Marketing Essay With regards to brand popularity and customer experience, Procter and Gamble is considered to be among the most successful brands in the global market. Moreover, Olay, anti-aging skin-care produced by the company is a renowned brand not only in the U.S but the entire global market. By using this brand for the case, the study demonstrates features and market communication approaches that could be utilized by brand marketers in order to gain competitive advantage locally and internationally. The study focuses on brand communication and promotion approaches that have resulted into positive consumer attitude towards the brand in the global market. Overview of Olay Brand Olay is a skin care product produced by Procter Gamble in U.S. The product is one of the leading skin care market brands in the global market, and the leading earner brand for Procter Gamble. In majority of the markets, including China, US and UK, Olay is the anti-aging market leader despite the competitive market environments. The brand is further extended into other products such as Total effects, Professional, Quench, Regenerist, Olay Vitamins and White Radiance. Olay is used as a moisturizer for those who desire to stay looking young since it is anti-aging cream. Nature of competition in the consumer cosmetic market It is important to note that demand for cosmetic brands is on the rise as more people settle for aesthetic beauty and body care. The Olay brand is mainly in the anti-aging market which experiences rising consumer demands as well as competition. The anti-aging product market is heightened by the increasing aging population especially in the developed countries, and the increased desire by both the younger and older consumers to maintain youthful appearances. With a growth forecast of 4.3 per cent between 2009 and 2014, the anti-agers market is expected to experience steady global growth. Such a market growth rate is higher than that of any other cosmetics category, and therefore the anti-agers category has attracted more players in the market; both large and smaller companies intensifying fierce competition globally. This implies that the market players have to apt their marketing approaches in order to retain their clients and appeal to more in the market. The graph given below demon strates the rate of launch of new anti-aging products in the global up to 2009; Figure 2.2: Graph showing stronger growth and competition in anti-aging market Source: Datamonitors Product Launch Analytics (2010, p.2) As given in figure 2.2, the anti-agers launches almost equaled the launches of overall skin care products in the global market. The sharp rise in anti-agers launches even during 2007-2009 economic recession showed that anti-ages are recession-proof, and that consumers are likely to demand for anti-agers even in harsh economic climate. Moreover, the graph shows rising competition in this category, implying that brand marketers have to think of newer approaches of communicating to their consumers. Brand communication based on product differentiation and innovation Being such a competitive market, market players need to ensure that their brands are appealing to the consumers in the market if they are to gain good command of the global anti-aging market. Innovation is therefore high among the industry players, ranging from brand packaging strategies, product promise to ingredient formulation in the products. Olay brand marketers capture the cognitive aspect of their consumers by communicating their innovation and differentiation vividly to their customers. The communication is often done through memorable packaging, and product arrangement in the stores. A survey conducted by Datamonitor (2010) between 2005 and 2009 revealed that the leading aspect that all the anti-aging products market players hold in the highest esteem is up-scaling. About 17 per cent of the new product launches that took place in the global market between 2005 and 2009 were touted (communicated) as up-scaling. Some other popular claims that resulted in new launches were mainly based on consumer health. The claims included the the communications which justified the products as not harsh to the consumer skins. The pie-chart given below show some of the aspects (features) that characterised the claim of new anti-aging skin care launches in the global market as widely communicated by different brand marketers to the appeal of the consumers. Source: Datamonitors Product Launch Analytics (2010, p.5) Communication strategies used by Olay to dominate market Procter Gamble has made attempts to achieve competitive advantage in the competitive global anti-aging skin care cosmetics market. Apart from being Procter Gambles strongest brand, Olay is the leading anti-aging skin care brand in the global market. The most remarkable Olay milestone was in 2003 when the sale of the brand broke the US$ 1 billion mark, showing the growing strength of the brand in the global market. Brand performance survey which was conducted in the U.S in 2009-2010, and said to be highly representative of the global market showed that Olay brand commands greater chunk of the skin care product market, beating its number two brand by nearly half (Datamonitor, 2010). The table given below shows the 2009-2010 Olay performance in the US market (with the results said to be representative); Company Brand 2009-2010 % Market Share Procter Gamble Olay 16.7 Procter Gamble Ponds 8.4 Procter Gamble L Oreal Paris 5.5 Johnson Johnson Aveeno 5.3 Johnson Johnson Garnier 5.1 Johnson Johnson Neutrogena 4.6 Johnson Johnson Nivea 4.5 Johnson Johnson Noxzema 4.0 L Oreal Dove 3.8 L Oreal Clinique 3.6 Due to its better market performance as compared to other brands, Procter Gamble capitalized on the Olay brand strengths and worked on its weaknesses so as to ensure continued market leadership in the global market. First, the company created and actively promoted various sub-brands of Olay, with each sub-brand aligned to a unique tier with the purpose of attracting customers from a larger demographic base. The sub-brands of Olay brand include the following; Olay Total Effects this is the cheapest sub-brand of Olay, targeting the low and middle income earners in the global market. The key features of this brand as communicated by the marketers, and that are majorly pronounced in the brand adverts include the following; tone enhancements, line minimization, gentle exfoliation, nourishing moisturisation, subtle lifting, free radical defense and pore refinement. Apart from its appealing packaging (appendix 1 a), these are the brand communication strengths that have kept the brand afloat in the market. Olay Complete this is a mid-priced Olay sub-brand with the following product communication features as the focus strengths; it offers sun protection to the skin using UVA/UVB, and Vitamins A, C, D and B5; the brand has moisturizers with the green tea extracts. The brand packaging is appealing with the Olay logo clearly marked on the package to arouse consumer memories (Appendix 1 b). Olay Regenerist this is another mid-priced Olay sub-brand with the formulation strengths combining the following ingredients as the focus of their brand communication; Pal-KTTKS, pentapeptide and other anti-aging ingredients such as Vitamins B3 and E, allantoin and green tea extracts. The packaging of the sub-brand is similarly appealing with the Olay logo clearly marked on it (appendix 1 c). Olay Definity the mid priced product contains glucosamine ingredients with the marketing statement being; fight what ages you most. The packaging demonstrates an appealing product design with the logo clearly visible (appendix 1 d). Olay Pro-X this is the latest sub-brand created by the Procter and Gamble Company to capitalize on the brand popularity of Olay. The product is premium priced and brand designed to give the consumers younger look skin through cell turn-over rate boosting. The packaging design is shown in appendix 1 e. Given that Olay Pro-X is the latest Olay sub-brand in the market, and is the greatest seller for the company, the current study will dwell on some of the communication used for promoting the brand. Olay Pro-X sub-brand Pro-X is the latest Olay sub-brand that the Procter Gamble Company is capitalizing on. The product was first launched in the US market in 2008, and since been introduced in other major and fast growing markets such as China, Canada and UK. The premium priced skin care products sell at a price range of between US$ 42 and US$ 62 depending on the market. The most remarkable differentiating feature of the product is its complex ingredients, containing peptide complex Pal-KT. The ingredients which were developed by Procter Gamble scientists, and are exclusive to the company enhance a firm skin look of the consumers. As a brand communication and pricing strategy, Olay Pro-X products are retailed in department store brands with the right store ambience to beat its high priced rivals Lancome and Clinique. To combine communication and experiential features, the sub-brand is distributed throughout major drug stores, chain stores, super market channels and discount stores through the world to ensure easy access by the consumers. The presence of Pro-X brand across different market structures despite its premium nature is meant to encourage the growth of Olay brand through competition at different pricing points, positioning the masstige alongside lower and mid priced Olay sub-brands. In its promotional strategies, Procter Gamble aimed to satisfy its target market by sensitizing its consumers of the following attributes through effective brand communication; Cleansers: restorative cream cleanser and exfoliating renewal cleanser Complete Regimen Protocols: anti-aging starter protocol and the intensive wrinkle protocol Primary moisturizing solution: hydra firming cream, age repair lotion and wrinkle smoothening cream. Targeted specialized treatments: deep wrinkle treatment, eye restoration complex, intensive firming treatment, skin tightening serum and discoloration fighting concentrate. By availing all the above components and benefits of Olay Pro-X sub-brand, Procter Gamble ensured variety for their consumers through one brand. A section of consumers who are loyal to Olay brands confessed that in majority of cases, they get their expectations in the Olay products that they use (). The products from the Pro-X range have similarly received awards from media, showing that the brand is well received by people as reflected on the media. A 2009 Americas Healthiest Beauty Buys competition run by Health Magazine selected Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex as the best eye product in the market. In another product competition known as Defy Your Age Beauty Award, Pro-X Age Repair Lotion SPF emerged as the best product in the category. Such acknowledgements by media have instrumentally encouraged more consumers to try the Olay brands due to independent verification of the brands as opposed to promotions. Product marketing strategy for the Olay Pro-X sub-brand Procter and Gamble Company has worked towards creating a professional brand image for the Pro-X product to appeal to more customers in the global market. As evident on the product packaging (appendix 1e), all the Olay Pro-X products are actively and conspicuously labelled with the word professional so that the brand aim is swiftly known to the customers. The word professional has been used as a strategy not only by Procter Gamble but several other companies in the global market. The word is intended to convince the clients that the products are better alternatives to solve their problems in a superior manner, given that majority of the products labelled professional are premium. Figure 2.3 given below shows the number of major brands that have used the word professional as strategy to entice customers; Figure 2.3: Graph showing use of the word professional as a branding strategy Source: To the customers, the perception of the word professional becomes real especially after comparison usage images (outcome before and after the product usage) and consumer testimonies as placed on media. The higher prices of Olay Pro-X brand (at between US$ 42 and US$ 62) acts to validate the premium and professional image of the product in the global market. However, this price is quite significant for most customers to pay for cosmetic products, particularly in the harsh economic climate witnessed during the 2007-2009 economic recession. Being aware of the economic challenge that customers face, Procter Gamble introduced pricing strategies and promotional activity appeals to the customers who make compromises on their spending and consumer assurance offers. One of such offers which were used in the US market was referred to as rebate and money-back guarantee scheme. In this scheme, the customers could send their purchase receipts to the company for a US$ 20 refund on products bought at US$ 50 and above. This would encourage trial buying, and give the customers opportunity to test if the brand information suites the product features and ingredients as had been communicated earlier. The pricing strategy was used as a tool against other competitors in the market. Although Olay competitors retailed at the same or almost similar price, the pricing strategy enabled new customers to try the Olay products and later on be loyal to them. In a nutshell, Procter Gamble through effective communication strategies ensured that Olay brands are reliant on their customers, and therefore informed the belief that Olay products were worth their prices. The Olay Pro-X brand promotion has been boosted by infomercial about the brand. Despite the brand sales being strong and on the rise, the company developed about thirty minutes infomercial that informed their customers about the brand values and benefits. Quoted in Womens Wear Daily (2010), Chris Heiert, the brand marketing director justified the Olay infomercial by making the following remarks; Consumers are information seekers and want to understand the science and technology. That led to this idea which is the best of both worlds. We will be able to reach new consumers but when she wants to go back and purchase it, she can-in the mass market. (In Datamonitor, 2010, p.11). The infomercial stressed on the science behind the manufacture of the product, interviewing the scientists who developed the product, and presenting some of the clinical tests data on the product. The infomercial similarly displayed shots of Olay consumers before and after use of the product. Due to the longer duration of the infomercial, it was imperatively designed to capture the attention of viewers throughout the duration of play rather than at the start or end. Overall, the infomercial played a key role in informing Conclusion and relevance of the case study to the study topic The anti-aging skin care market upon which Olay brand competes is quite competitive locally and internationally. This warrants effective communications on brand innovation and differentiation as vital strategies for market survival. In order to ensure the relevance of Olay brand Procter Gamble offered novel aspects of the brand that encouraged its purchase over its substitutes and competitors. Introducing new ingredient that had never been used by competitors (Pal-KT) in its Olay Pro-X products, Procter Gamble were able to create a unique brand that was more result oriented as opposed its competitors. However, the result was achieve through effective communication that ensured accurate product promotion based on what the consumers were expected to draw from these products. Secondly, Procter Gamble Company through Olay brand managed to win consumer trust through media and scientific verification of its products. It is extremely important for brand marketers to gain the support of consumers through loyalty to the brands. The scientific and media verification are particularly gained when the test results conducted before and after the product use are valid as in the brand communication. In the case of Olay Pro-X brand, Procter Gamble introduced a money back guarantee scheme that would help assure the customers of the workability and reliability of the product. Moreover, brand campaigns, store ambience and brand packaging played a central role in winning consumer trust on this brand. The word professional was used as a branding communication strategy on the product packaging and stores so as to assure consumers of the reliability of their products. Finally, Olay brand popularity was ensured through adverts and promotions. Specifically, the company used infomercials (which is relatively a new approach to brand promotions) to provide strong marketing platform to promote the brands. Infomercials focus on the strengths of the brand being promoted by highlighting the past successes of the brand. Pegged with the brand verification, infomercials importantly build brand loyalty and equity in the market while encouraging new set of customers to try the brand. The strategies given here and others could be used by the local Chinese cosmetics manufacturers to gain dominance in the local industry. 4. METHODOLOGY Introduction 4.1 Research Philosophy This current study used the philosophy of applied research. Applied research takes place in environments that are characterized by organizations, systems, cultures, behavior, rules, politics and processes. These components execute simultaneously and change over time. Any effort to analyze an organization or an industry will result in findings showing differences in characteristics, habits and rules across the different constituent components. To develop a clear insight when researching on issues that may affect organizational performance, the situation and the entities (constituent factors) must be comprehended. The uniqueness of a situation must be understood and considered when researching. Constructivism is based upon the assertion that knowledge on phenomena is best-retrieved from people or entities that are immersed in the research environment (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011). Thus the focus is on the participants and entities that have experience and knowledge on the phenomena being studied. Constructivism as a post-positivist philosophy is generally opposed to positivism, in terms of the absolute validity of knowledge. Constructivism is based on the tenet that knowledge can be constructed from multiple dimensions. The existence of multiple realities is emphasized in different variations of constructivisms epistemology (Creswell, 2009). The world under constructivism and most research areas are complex and can be analyzed from multiple perspectives that should therefore be considered in creating knowledge. Thus, the approach is best suited in studying aspects that are influenced by a multitude of factors. Constructivism also requires that the researcher should understand the position and potential effects that their views have on the accuracy of their findings (VanderStoep and Johnston, 2009). The choice of constructivism in research philosophy is guided by the nature of the problem being addressed in the study. Different approaches have been adopted in analyzing the eff ectiveness of marketing communication strategies. In essence, this implies that the area being studied is complex and can be analyzed from different dimensions. Therefore, there is a match between the tenets of constructivism and the nature of the problem being studied. 4.2 Research Design Both qualitative and quantitative research designs were used in the study. The choice of a qualitative research design was guided by the nature of the study and the epistemology that has been adopted. Qualitative research designs are generally developed with the aim of creating a deeper understanding of the data. In most cases, qualitative inquiries are not pre-emptive. The nature of the study, the scope and the strategies that will be used in data collection are often determined by the research questions. Additionally, the analytical process under a qualitative research design may influence the direction that is adopted. Though the research design adopted should be in line with the nature of the research questions, some situations have been identified as suited for qualitative studies. A number of these scenarios are evinced in the current study. First, qualitative techniques are suitable in cases where there is little known on the subject area (Bohnsack, Pfaff and Weller, 2009). It is worth noting that even though marketing communication is an area that is has been intensely researched; fewer studies have explored how brand marketing communications impacts on consumer attitudes. Majority of the studies are based on consumer behavior change without exploring their attitudes towards the brand. From this perspective, the study appears to be exploratory in nature and therefore a qualitative research design is suitable. Secondly, a qualitative research design is appropriate in cases where a study seeks to develop an understanding of the participants experiences. Under the epistemology adopted, understanding the participants experiences is vital in developing valid and reliable results. Hence, the study attaches great weight to the participants experiences. Likewise, qualitative research design is suitable in cases where it is difficult to approach the participants due to practical or ethical reasons (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011). The study delves on issues relating to marketing communication and its impact on consumer attitude; it illustrates how marketing communication would be used to influence consumers positively towards a given brand. These are issues of critical importance to competitive firms and it is therefore expected that getting data for quantitative data analysis may not be easy. Accordingly, the anticipated practical difficulties have also played a role in the adoption of a qualitative re search design. Lastly, a qualitative research design has been adopted because it supports the nature of the research questions as much as it is in line with it. A qualitative research design allows for greater flexibility than formal quantitative techniques. This flexibility offers the support needed to collect rich data so as to answer the research questions. The quantitative part of the study aimed to understand how various brand marketers use marketing communication to influence consumers attitudes towards their brands. Data collection instruments consisting of semi-structured questionnaires were prepared for quantitative data collection. Unlike the qualitative data collection approaches, data results were presented in numbers and statistical measures (Creswell, 2009). Using quantitative research methods ensured that the measurable effects of marketing communication with respect to consumer attitudes towards the brands in question were achieved. 4.3 Research Approach The research approach used has to be in line with the research design and the epistemology adopted. A case study approach was also used in the study. Case study methodologies have been used in different research fields with varying levels of success. Marketing communication research studies have adopted this research approach as well. Ideally, a case study is expected to capture the complexities of selected cases. Most researchers concur with the view that selected cases should be contemporary; it is a complex functioning unit and it has to be investigated in its natural context. The method of inquiry used and interest in individual cases have been identified by different researchers as important aspects in selecting and implementing a case study approach. The case studys methodology is related to other methods in that it allows for the use of different techniques and approaches in analyzing a case from multiple perspectives. Triangulation of approaches and findings from the different approaches is also supported by a case study approach (Bohnsack, Pfaff and Weller, 2009). This is the main reason why the case study approach is often referred to as a meta-method. Proctor Gambles Olay was selected as the case for various reasons. First, Proctor Gamble Company engages in a lot of marketing communications with a view of convincing consumers to buy its products. Additionally, Proctor Gamble is one of the companies that have global leader brands in terms of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This shows that the company is progressive and more likely to embrace marketing communication strategies as a means of changing consumer attitudes towards its brands. Lastly, the researcher could easily access information on marketing strategies of the co mpany as opposed to other first tier rivals in the global market. The first step in the research approach was selecting a case. The next step involved seeking permission from relevant authorities within the selected organization so as to carry out the study. In seeking permission, the researcher informed the relevant authority about the aim of the study and the procedures that will be used. These were measures intended at ensuring informed participation and gaining any support that could be offered by the company. Additionally, the study involved perusing through advertising and marketing communication initiatives by the case organization. The next step involved selecting members of the organization that would be interviewed. The selection was based on availability and knowledge of the marketing communication initiatives implemented by the company and their effects on respective brands that were investigated. Sample and Population The definition, selection and sample of the population are important aspects in research. For this study, the participants were mainly drawn from Proctor Gamble Company. To start with, the researcher collected qualitative data from three employees of the company. The employees, were mainly in the marketing department were selected depending on their ability and knowledge of the marketing communication strategies used by the company to promote its brands. The study thus focused on marketing communication professionals within the case company. Convenience sampling is used due to the multiple practical issues that have to be considered. Furthermore, the potential participants are few and so the use of random sampling approach was considered to be unfeasible. Secondly, the researcher collected quantitative data from 100 participants who were considered to be consumers of Proctor and Gamble Olay brand. The consumers were identified from Proctor Gamble stores and shops where they agreed and consented to their participation. In seeking for the consent of the participants, the researcher requested them to spare about 10 minutes in order to complete the survey questionnaires. The researcher even explained to the participants the importance of the research. The researcher also explained to them that the activity was voluntary and they could only participate if they want to. Instrumentation The semi-structured survey questionnaire that was used by the researcher sought information on the participants background variables, information on marketing communications, and the duration of interaction with Proctor and Gamble Company products. In relation to the interviews, the study focused on the four major areas that are highlighted in the research objectives and questions; the features that firms and brand marketers consider when preparing a marketing communication for a brand; the marketing communication aspects that influence consumer attitudes and buying behaviors towards brands in the market; the impacts of new technology introduction in the marketing communication with regards to consumer behavior and attitudes towards a brand; and, ways of building business network and stronger brand through effective marketing communication. Determination of how the variables were brought out in the research questions were considered as important aspects in the research process. It is worth noting that the study was not limited to short answers. Rather, the participants were required to expound on their views and the researcher looked at the brand marketing communication efforts that the company has in place. Data Collection The study involved the collection of two sets of data: data from the interviewees and data collected through administering of the questionnaires. The focus was on active marketing communication efforts rather than past marketing strategies. In collecting the qualitative data, the focus was on collecting information from employees within the case organization that have the knowledge and experience of the effects of brand marketing communications. Semi-structured interviews were used because they allow for the flexibility afforded by unstructured interviews and they also support formal organization required to answer the first research question. The use of semi-structured interviews is thus guided by the requirements brought about by the instrumentation of the variables. Use of semi-structured interviews is both feasible and practical with respect to collecting rich data and time requirements. After selecting the participants, they were required to identify the days that they would be free to be interviewed. This was a measure aimed at ensuring that the interviewees were comfortable with the selection of the time and place of interview. The interviewees were then individually informed of the day, place and time that the interview will take place. The interviews were conducted via telephone conversation and recorded for transcribing later. Each interview ran for about 30 minutes. The participants were not in any way coerced or influenced into participating in the study. They were informed of the aim of the study and the nature of the questions that would be asked beforehand. Additionally, the interviewees were informed that they were free to ignore some questions for either institutional or personal reasons. These measures were aimed at ensuring that the interviewees were at ease. Due to the strategic importance of marketing communication to the organization, the questions directed to the interviewees focused on the company stance on the same. This indirect approach of questioning is important since in most cases, it reduces the pressure on the interviewees. Moreover, they generally relayed their experiences in their workplaces (from which they have developed their personal views). As indicated earlier, the researcher approached customers at Proctor and Gamble stores and shops, and asked them to take about 10 minutes in order to complete the quantitative survey questionnaires. The participants did this at their own volition. Data Analysis Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to analyze the data while considering the research questions. The two major data analysis techniques used were quasi-statistics and logical analysis. Quasi-statistics is a qualitative data analysis technique that involves counting the number of times something is mentioned. This technique is important in answering the second and third research questions. On the other hand, logical analysis is a qualitative technique that involves generalization of causation and logical reasoning processes. To support the logical reaso