Cooper Pharmaceuticals Case Analysis Essay

On the surface, the issue of Bob Marsh’s firing from Cooper Pharmaceuticals appears to be an open and shut case; he did not adhere to the repeated warnings by management to alter his performance and selling style, therefore he was fired. However, other considerations are in play when you analyze this case further. Bob was an employee of Cooper for twelve years at the time of his termination, and had seemingly improved his performance when prompted to do so. Bob was also exceptionally well received by physicians, office receptionists, and hospital personnel, which is a vital attribute when being a â€Å"detailer.† His persistent downside, though, was his lack of organization, planning, and follow-up, and a tendency to question some of the company’s major promotion programs. The central question to this case is, â€Å"how could this happen to someone like Bob Marsh in a company like Copper?† In my opinion, while Cooper Pharmaceuticals was not entirely withou t fault, Bob’s termination was primarily the result of his own actions, or lack thereof. Cooper Pharmaceuticals was a major manufacturer of prescription drugs for the medical and dental professions and had a reputation throughout the industry for having â€Å"excellent† management practices. The company fielded a sales force of over 500 detailers whose job was to persuade medical personnel to use and prescribe Cooper Pharmaceuticals’ drugs. Initially, Bob fit the mold of what was desired by Cooper in prospective employees. He was rated highly in his sincerity, aggressiveness, attitude, enthusiasm, learning ability, judgment, character, affability, and appearance; Bob seemed like the perfect fit. He was hired about a month after his initial interview and, much to his delight, was assigned to a territory in his hometown, Toledo. From there, Bob was seemingly ready to start his training and begin a long and prosperous career with Cooper. An effective sales training program is vital to the success of a company’s sales force. A training program should have a finite set of objectives: increased sales productivity, lower turnover, higher morale and sense of purpose, improved communication, improved customer relations, and improved self-management. It is also impor tant that companies provide a method for systematically reinforcing their training programs. Otherwise, salespeople are unlikely to change their behavior. The training at Cooper Pharmaceuticals, in principle, should have worked quite well. Employees,  including Bob, showed signs of increased sales performance on a year-to-year basis, and in 1989 sales exceed $1 billion. Turnover was low for their industry, around 8%. Also, 60% of detailers had ten or more years with the company, and 25% had fewer than five years. Each employee received a company car, generous benefits, and reimbursement for normal business expenses. Bob, while maintaining the same position as detailer, went from a starting salary of $35,000 in year one to a salary over $60,000 in his twelfth year. Bob received a month’s training in product characteristics and selling, or detailing, skills at Cooper’s headquarters. Aside from this training, both new and experienced detailers received regular training from the 35 district managers. This reinforcement was done so to ensure that all detailers mai ntained the level of expertise and professionalism requisite of a Cooper Pharmaceuticals detailer. From these facts, it becomes more apparent that the necessary skills to be successful were properly trained, informed, and reinforced in Bob by Cooper. Even from his initial interview with Cooper, there was one glaring fault Bob possessed: his seeming indifference to organization. His first district manager, John Meredith, felt that Bob gave little advanced thought to the physicians he hoped to see. Then, upon seeing the physicians, he had no definite plan or approach once in the physician’s office. From the beginning of this class, we learned that pre-approach is vital to the selling process. In this stage, information is gathered about the prospect to decipher the specific needs they have. As noted in the beginning of the case, Bob had many references from physicians and medical personnel. I believe that these relationships caused Bob to become lazy in his pre-approach and approach, and ultimately served as a crutch on which he began to rely. In addition to his lack of organization, Bob displayed more interest in developing his own promotional programs than in following the plans outlined at district meetings, and he would also second-guess promotions by deciding, on his own, which products to promote. This should have been a huge red flag for John Meredith. What would happen if a baseball player blatantly disregarded a sign and decided to swing when his coach told him not to swing? That player would find himself on the bench. If that player continually disobeyed his coach’s instructions he would find himself looking for a new team. In this instance, though, Bob was not benched. He was instead given a list of suggestions on how he could improve in certain  areas, including: * Should overcome the tendency to prejudge customers and promotion programs * Should be more responsive to management directives * Should give more attention to planning and organization As becomes evident as Bob’s tenure at Cooper Pharmaceuticals continued, he failed to adopt this initial list of suggestions, yet his employment perpetuated. After John Meredith, there was Bill Couch, then Jim Rathburn, followed by Vince Reed, Antonia Wilkens, and ultimately Ted Franklin. Six supervisors in a twelve year span is a high number. Then, when you consider the fact that many of them were young, motivated, and driven, it becomes clearer why Bob was able to keep his job. His sales numbers were constantly at quota, and there were no issues in terms of customer relations. By the time his deficiencies were noted, a new district manager was in already in place. It seems that Bob was aware of this trend and used it to his advantage. So long as he hit his sales quotas and kept customers happy, all would be well. The case states that every Cooper Pharmaceutical detailer was evaluated in terms of both sales volume and improvement in his or her relationships with customers. From this statement one could conclude that Bob should have retained his job. His sales volumes were constant yearly, sometimes increasing. He also, evident from the multiple inquiries from current customers upon his termination, maintained wonderful working relationships with his customers. The evaluation process at Cooper Pharmaceuticals is what perpetuated Bob’s employment with the company. While looking at just the sales numbers, Bob appeared to be a great employee. However, there are other factors to consider when evaluating employees. Most managers or supervisors would likely agree that they wished their employees follow their instructions when prompted to do so. To ensure that a case similar to Bob’s does not become the norm at Cooper Pharmaceuticals there are three steps that management should take. One, they should maintain a better record keeping process of employment evaluations. It is possible that because this example occurred during the 1980s, record keepi ng was maintained on paper rather than computers. However, that does not excuse an employee who repeatedly makes the same mistakes to be retained. Two, there should be a  more streamlined transition process for an outgoing district manager to pass on files/documentation to the new district manager. For example, Bob was placed on probation by Vince Reed that required him to improve performance to an acceptable level within 90 days. However, upon Vince Reed’s subsequent transfer, no one followed up on Bob’s performance. Bob’s probationary status had â€Å"evaporated.† Three, they should enact a three-strike policy. One could receive a strike for failing to reach sales quotas, not following management’s instructions, or falling customer relations. An employee would be fired following strike three. Doing this step would make the threat of termination a tangible thought, employees would be fully aware that constant missteps and mess-ups will not be tolerated. The thought of Bob Marsh being reinstated or there being any legal ramifications for Cooper Pharmaceuticals is laughable. Bob was given the chance to improve his faults on multiple occasions, yet he failed to do so for any extended period of time. He took advantage of the fact that each new district manager gave him the chance to improve. Then, his performance would slip little by little, but by this time a new district manager would be in place and the process would repeat itself. Not until Ted Franklin took over did the process change course. Ted looked over all of Bob’s previous deficiencies and realized that his record was not good and Bob would have to follow an outline given to him and complete weekly reading assignments. Not only did Bob fail to follow this agreement, he accepted his subsequent termination with little resistance or comment. The fact that Bob would call Cooper Pharmaceuticals and say he was treated unfairly is preposterous. He should be thankful for his twelve years of employment at the company and that none of his previous district managers were as competent or paid as close attention to detail as Ted Franklin. Yes, Bob appears to have maintained great relationships with his customers, and as we learned in class 80% of sales tends to come from 20% of the customers. So it is, realistically, a possibility that some business would be lost from the decision to terminate Bob. However, a company with the reputation of Cooper Pharmaceuticals should not keep an employee simply because a few clients from one sales region want him to be retained. Certain offers, such as incentives or promotions could be provided to these customers in attempt to ensure their repeated business and prove that not just Bob can provide great service and keep them happy customers. In addition, Cooper  Pharmaceuticals should, while not being defamatory or slanderous, fully outline the faults Bob possessed as an employee and effectively relay these as the reasons of his termination to Bob’s accounts. So, to answer this case’s central question, this termination happened to Bob Marsh because of Bob Marsh.

Conflict in story “The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas” Essay

In the story â€Å"The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas† by Reginald McKnight we encounter several conflicts that our main character, Clint, an African American child who attends a public school back in 1960, Waco, Texas. He faces through out the story several conflicts with society and also the conflicts he faces personally like living in prejudice. He also has problems with his mother due to his inner problems and lack of communication in the house. The point of view of this story is what really makes it so engaging and easy to read. This story is surrounded by conflict since the beginning, when we learn about the class ration of white kids to black kids and our main character is having a really bad experience because he is not getting anything positive out of going to school, his teachers and classmates are not nice to him, they make inappropriate comments which are for the black kids and also bullying from another student towards Clint, and as a result, he get into troub le in school. Clint has several conflicts in the story; the first one is person vs. society. Clint is struggling with the racism that was present in the 60’s in a southern conservative Texan town. The conflict he encounters is that his teacher, Mrs. Wickham, makes inappropriate comments towards the African American students in front of the whole class and then insists the comments where jokes, â€Å"Now don’t you nigra children take offense. This is all fun, you know,†(McKnight, 2006, pg. 226.) Basically making fun of her students and trying to show the other kids that it is okay to laugh at others. This affect Clint because he is the pun in the joke, he is the target to engage to make fun off and this is exactly what Oakley does when he begins to bully Clint. Also this make Client feel like an alien in the class. The other conflict we encounter with Clint is with him trying to understand why society is doing this to him and his similar classmates, why is Mrs. Wickham telling mean jokes, why is no one saying something about the insulting comments. He also starts to wonder why Marvin, the other African American boy in his class, does what he does in class, he wonders why does he spit on his arm and rubs it, â€Å"He had the habit of spitting on his right arm, juicing it down till it would glisten.† (McKnight, 2006, pg. 223.) Instead of helping Clint with his conflicts, also aimed at Marvin and why does he has to be the only target of the teacher and the class bully Oakley. That’s when he remembers the class they had the lights and prism, this made him remember what he learned. â€Å"The color of the  thing isn’t what you see, but the light that’s reflected off it.† (McKnight, 2006, pg. 233.) Here is where he learns that the all are the same but it’s due to the light that they appear to be different. I believe that the conflict is not resolved but Clint learn a valuable lesson about who he really is and Clint gets involved in a fight with his bully Oakley which is the persons vs. perso n conflict, it all started because the gym teacher was the instigator for the conflict to happened, he was the one who put the black kid against the white kid, he knew what was going on, and its because of this that the conflict starts. However there is a twist, Marvin steps up to the bully to defend Clint and give Oakley a beating. We don’t know the actual outcome of the story, but due to the whole set up, we might get an idea of what happened to Marvin. I believe that the possible resolution to this fight is that Marvin could have either get expelled from school because they lived in a conservative town or at least get a really hard punishment, on the other half, Oakley could be suspended for a couple of days or just go off with a warning. The mother son conflict in the story is what Clint really doesn’t want to talk about his mother about the problems he is facing in school, she shows no emotion or care towards him; he would rather be with his dad than his mother, but in this case it can’t be done because his father is in Vietnam fighting the war. She show’s no emotion when they talk, probably the most flat character in the story, she seems to be sad because his husband is away or has so many things going through her mind that stopped paying attention to her family. Instead Clint shows different emotion, like anger, confusion, and disappointment when he feels he can’t communicate with his mother and tell her about the problems he is having in school. In the story, we see that the point of view id form a child, who is beginning to learn about life and society, he feels confused because he doesn’t understand why is he the target and source of conflict in school, this is why we get engaged so easily when we begin reading the story, because we have always been in a similar position when we were younger, we did not understand fully why was something happening and did not received a clear response from the grownups surrounding us. I like it that the story is in 1st person because and we can really connect with t he main character and understand why is he struggling so more, as well as the factor that it’s a boy who is telling the story, we sense the innocence in the writing because  he does not understand why is the teacher making jokes about the 3 students and desperation he must be feeling when he goes to school and has to face all the conflicts. This story is a great example to show conflict between person and society as well as person vs. person. We get the chance to see how Clint sees society and how the school and town he is growing up is. We encounter how Clint has a problem with society because of the way they are treated in class and how the teachers are just making them feel inferior to the other students. Also how the school system plays a roll in the story because of the student ratio of 1:10 students seem to bother a lot Clint. In the story there also is a person vs. person conflict when the fight with Oakley takes place during the gym period, which it was basically set up by the gym teacher who told them that Reference: McKnight, R. (1992) The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas. In P. Shreve & B. Minh (Eds.) 30/30 Thirty American stories from the last thirty years. (Pp. 223-234) New York: Pearson Longman.

Prevention strategies for celebratory riots Essay

Prevention strategies for celebratory riots - Essay Example This slack in law enforcement during the event led to the Nika riot, which is held as deadliest riots in world history, with over 30,000 killed. Riots have a tradition in human society that dates as far back as before Christ. The earliest recorded riot is the Roman Election of 121 B.C., then the Roman Election Riot of 113 B.C. After that, as previously mentioned, the Nika riots in Constantinople, during the Byzantine Empire, holds the mark as the most disastrous in all of history. This makes a very saying statement pertaining to the relationship between sports and human emotion. Celebratory riots are often referred to as spectator aggression, which, as defined by the NCAA, means behavior that intends to destroy property or injure another person, or is grounded in a total disregard for the well-being of self or others (NCAA Report, 2003, p.2). The Ohio State University Task Force on Preventing Celebratory Riots published the following list as a number of factors that can define a celebratory riot: In laymen's, a celebratory riot is a wide range or chain of events that include a large number of people acting in a way that threatens the personal safety of others and property. This is usually very chaotic, violent, dangerous behavior that results in many injuries, much damage and arrests. They also usually happen after planned events, more often than not after sports events (University of New Hampshire Student Summary, 2003). The goal of many University task forces is to formulate the best possible method of preventing these types of riots from happening. Before one can hope to prevent celebratory riots, they must first understand the science behind their madness. Riots are like forest fires, specifically the ones that start on their own. Each with its own catalyst, often the celebratory riots erupting at universities are the product of hormonal angst combined with alcoholic beverages. This combination can lead to a chain reaction, but it is not only induced by the conveniently social nature of sporting events, but by a cultural obsession with sports itself. This human obsession is best described by sociologist John Fiske who points out that sports bring out: peaks of intense experience when the body identifies with its external conditions, and thus shakes itself free from the repressive difference between their control and our sense of identity. This intensity is often experienced by fans as a sense of release, of loss of control. Fans often use metaphors of madness to describe it, and madness, as Foucault has shown us, is what lies just outside the boundary of civilization and control. (Fiske, 1991a: 11-20) Here Fiske connects the end result of celebratory rioting to the emotions felt while attending sporting events. With celebratory riots playing such a big part in human history, it says a lot about human nature. Thankfully, contemporary western society has learned from its ancient counterparts, and we don't correspond our sports, too heavily, with our religion or politics. Even still, many major sports colleges and universities are becoming notorious for their celebratory gatherings. In a survey conducted by Ohio State University's Task Force on Celebratory Riots during March of 2003, all of the following universities reported that they had experienced at

Principles of Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 192

Principles of Marketing Report - Essay Example Millennials are diverse and optimistic and are aged between 18 and 36. This generation account for 24 percent of the U.S population only 21 percent of this age group are married meaning their finances are less committed, and they are likely to buy a new product. The income of this demographic is between $25k and $48k. With the younger Millennials aged between 18 and 27 earning $25k and the older ones aged between 27 and 36 earning $48k (Nelsien, 2014). This is a diverse generation composed of Hispanics who make 19 percent, African Americans 14 percent and Asians 5 percent. They are also bilingual, and two-thirds were born in the US. Millennials are also tech-savvy and are likely to visit the company’s website before making an actual visit to a retail store. The company will have to engage them both online and in the media. Millennials like city life and are less likely to live in suburbs. They are social and do not fancy the picket- fence mythology that is associated with the suburbs. With this in mind, the company will target the urban areas of the state (Nelsien, 2014). The targeted areas also have the some highest concentration of Millennials in the state. In their research on Millennials, Nielsen found that three cities in California were in the top ten markets where the concentration of Millennials was high in the US. The areas are San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since San Diego ranks the highest of the three it will be the company’s area of focus in the state (Nielsen, 44). San Diego is also ranked third in the country making it an ideal location for the company to achieve the greatest distribution. These demographics are ideal for the company as a target group because they live in urban environments and live mostly in Western states that make California, an ideal place for the company (Kotler, 2009). Millennials have become influential in America.  

Agglomeration Economies and Equilbrium Location of Firms Term Paper

Agglomeration Economies and Equilbrium Location of Firms - Term Paper Example gglomeration is widely practiced by the urban metropolis to ensure good supply channels, trained workers, and infrastructure that will be in compliance with the nature of the industry. Owing to agglomeration economies, people and firms give attention to a particular region of operation or a specific geographical region. The basic perception of agglomeration economies is facilitation of production when economic activity is clustered and such notions are developed to suffice the ultimate end of forming and developing a city. Multiple factors like types of economies formed, network connections, and the advantages and disadvantages that may result in the growth of cities.  Two distinct types of agglomeration economies are operating in the global economic domain: urbanization economies and localization economies. An urbanization economy is related to citys population and level of employment along with the multiplicity of its productive constitution. On the contrary, a localization economy is associated with a citys specialization in one specific segment. According to Sassen producer services, unlike other types of services are mostly not as reliant on the proximity of the buyers as consumer services. Thus, concentration of production in suitable locations and export, both regionally and internationally are feasible. Production of these services benefits from the nearness to other services, especially when array of specialized firms are available. These firms obtain agglomeration economies when they settle in the vicinity of the others that are sellers of key inputs necessary for combined production of certain service offerings. This is a valid reason for New Yorks losing of corporate headquarters for the past few decades and the number and employment of firms which were servicing such headquarters went on increasing rapidly. Sassen also highlighted another kind of agglomeration economy which comprises amenities and lifestyles which large urban centers can offer to

Foundation of business psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundation of business psychology - Essay Example Through the exploration of the said concepts, the importance of the attitude and personality of the personnel in an organization can be explored. To be able to achieve the objectives of the study, it is essential to define personality. The concept of personality had been explored by different academic groups and different ways of studying and researching the said concept had been established. The most common definition is that personality can be related to the behavioural component that can be exhibited by an individual in relation to acquired traits from both hereditary and environmental factors (Furnham & Crump 167). Through the exhibited personality factors and components, there are different groups referred to as personality types. Through the said personality types, researchers based personality tests and personality types. Through the procedures that had been developed through the years, personality can be detected in the sense that can be considered sufficient to predict future behaviours in different scenarios and conditions (Boeree 1; Furnham & Crump 167-9). The prediction of behaviour of individuals on the basis of the determination of personality type can be considered essential specifically in cases wherein behaviour is important e.g. in employment. The said point of view is the main consideration of the study undertaken. In business psychology, it can be considered that there are personalities being sought in employment as well as those that are prevented. This can be attributed to the fact that the labour force and the administrative group are key functions that can be greatly affected by the personality and the behaviour of the individuals in a company (Pervin 5). The presented view regarding the concept of personality can be considered as included in the importance of personality. Basically

Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War Research Paper

Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War - Research Paper Example He took a number of steps to reform the military strategy and capabilities, for instance, by lessening the vulnerability of missile attacks in addition to the establishment of the United States Strike Command which was mandated to draw forces when necessary from the military services. The United States Strike Command was to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff who would, in turn, report to the secretary of defense. â€Å"Other major reforms on the military service include an increase of long-range airlift and sealift capabilities, consolidation of military functions to have all the powers center on the secretary of defense.†1 During the War, McNamara gradually doubted whether the war was in a real sense necessary. â€Å"He objected the idea posed by the military commanders to increase troops to South Vietnam as well as the intensifying bombing of northern Vietnam.†2, McNamara’s declaration that he had supported Vietnam War strategy out of his loyalty to the admini stration complicated matters with President Lyndon Baines Johnson who later announced that McNamara was to leave the secretary of defense job to join the world. ... The speculations and rumors came to pass later in November 1967, after McNamara gave a recommendation to President Lyndon Baines Johnson to stop attacks on North Vietnam, lessen the size of troops and hand over ground fighting to South Vietnam, this idea was immediately rejected by President Johnson. According to his belief, the military strategy in the Vietnam War had failed. From the reasons for objection as presented by McNamara, it almost became apparent that Vietnam War lacked the necessary support to achieve its objectives as stated in his documentary ‘the Vietnam war’, â€Å"None of our allies supported us†¦if we can’t persuade these nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we’d better re-examine our reasoning.†3 According to him, the war would have had a justified reason had it been fully supported by America’s close allies such as Japan, Germany, Britain, and France. He later announced his resignation in November the same year and joined the World Bank. After his departure, a number of questions arose on what actually compelled him to leave the defense job with some like Baral in his book The Pentagon and the making of U.S. foreign policy alleging that McNamara was fired by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.4 This paper seeks to look at McNamara’s life and the war’s moral consequences and the reason behind his haunting after he was fired. It seems from history that McNamara was up to a different agenda from that held by President Lyndon Baines Johnson and the military chiefs during the Vietnam War.  

Managerial Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managerial Organization - Essay Example The paper would discuss the myriad aspects of Enron that led to its failure. Brief summary of the case Enron Enron was a major American firm in the areas of energy and related products that had a global presence. Enron was founded in 1985 through merger of Houston Natural Gas and Internorth, the two major natural gas pipeline companies. In 2000, it was named ‘America’s Most Innovative Company’ by Fortune magazine (Fox, 2004). But in 2001, it was found that institutionalized fraud was behind the projected financial condition that was escalated to deceive public through imaginary transactions. The manipulated accounts and audit reports gave it market credibility which was exploited by the corporate to borrow capital from financial institutes. Its stock plummeted to nearly zero and it emerged as the major financial scam that shook foundation of corporate America. Situation analysis Enron was a high revenue gas pipeline company that had a niche market in America. The deregulation in the gas prices allowed Enron to be more flexible in its arrangement with producers and pipelines. It was allowed it to pursue its diversification strategy and entered into other areas like electricity power, fiber optics, coal, steel, paper and pulp. Its foray into international market was offset by undertaking projects in construction and management of energy facilities across the globe. Indeed, its exponential growth was very impressive that influenced the capital market. It exploited its expertise in physical logistics to evolve a complex network of risky trading business. The volatile market, deregulated gas prices and transport infrastructure to deliver the gas were vital risk areas that required huge funding, government alliances, expertise in areas that were virgin to it. The political risks in developing economies like India and China also emerged as critical issue that could jeopardize its projected success rate in developing effective energy capacity. Most importantly, the wide network of complex system of gas trading provided it with huge leeway to maneuver accounts. The long term contracts required future prediction of prices and short term contracts allowed it to manipulate prices. Both were risks that were managed by accounting systems through contrived earnings and balance sheet that was inflated and designed to influence the capital market (Healy and Palepu, 2003). There was lack of transparency and control which facilitated massive corporate fraud and corrupt practices in the higher hierarchy leading to its failure. Another crucial issue was its strategic decisions that were based on high ambitions of exploiting opportunities in emerging economies without analyzing its internal strengths, vis-a-vis expertise in different areas where it had diversified and the accounting system that required complex transactions of long term contracts in volatile market. Analysis of factors leading to its failure Organizational culture is a vita l factor that promotes defined code of behaviour amongst the workers to inculcate sense of stability and desired motivation for improved outcome. Mullins (2007) believes that it emphasizes behavioural regularities, which is distinct in its language, custom and traditions and the way workforce reacts to the situations. Enron’s higher hierarchy in human resource not only lacked leadership initiatives but was also unethical in

Preperation of mentorship level 3 ( degree level) Essay

Preperation of mentorship level 3 ( degree level) - Essay Example The portfolio is not only used as evidence but also has effective learning tool. This pattern of learning is an approach rooted and based on the principles of experiential learning2 which is cyclical process of recording, reviewing and ultimately learning from events3. It is highly important that enough attention is provided to ensure the portfolio is not just a collection of event narratives but includes reflections on these events and the lessons learnt in the process. Any evidence of learning is captured in the portfolio as evidence that reflective learning has taken place. In compliance with the guidelines for the completion of the portfolio, we consider a few key assumptions for the purpose of this document. The attempt will be to integrate theory and practice to ensure the portfolio of learning will establish how the learning outcomes are achieved by this exercise of portfolio document While we are aware that the concept of Portfolios are not new, it is important to acknowledge the fact that their use in initial and continuing professional development in medicine is still in its infancy and premature stage. In this context, the attempt here has been to achieve the following aims and objectives: There is no focused attempt to address the particular constraints or resource issues that face practitioners in any educational initiative, as these are far too many and too complex for a document of this type and nature keeping in view the existing limitations. However, it does provide evidence of a range of ways in which opportunities have been created and developed by colleagues and other interested parties in establishing frameworks and mechanisms within which individual learning can be planned, appropriately documented and effectively assessed. Portfolios certainly have much to offer both learners and teachers as we move forward into the new world of revalidation, clinical

Bringing Minds To Gods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bringing Minds To Gods - Research Paper Example One famous symbolic anthropologist by the name of Clifford Geertz even defined religion as â€Å"(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic" (Geertz 1966). An integral part in the system of religion is the belief of sin. In a general and more modern sense, sin is anything that violates a certain moral standard or code of conduct. Anything that is offensive, an avoidance of good, or the act of doing wrong is considered a â€Å"sin†. In Christianity, sin does not only mean those actions that are tangible but it also encompasses feelings of enmity, internal thoughts, and other motivations that lead to ill-doing, shame, or immorality. In a religious perspective, when a person commits sins, his relationship with his supe rnatural being is tainted and he therefore must do sacrificial acts to restore the connection. This act of achieving a certain kind of spiritual cleansing, more commonly understood as the concepts of expiation and/or the atonement of sins have since become so interrelated hand in hand with the notion of sin. And religions have, to a good extent, institutionalized certain practices and ritual to ensure the reparation of relationship between man and his deity. Among the many established religions in the world today, this paper shall focus on the discussion of the similarities and differences of the concept of atonement and/or spiritual cleansing between Hinduism and Confucianism. To define, atonement is the process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. In doing so, he â€Å"re-establishes or strengthens his relations to the holy divine†. As the etymology of the name suggests, to â€Å"atone† is to â€Å"set at one† (Encyclopedia Brita nnica, May 2011). Hinduism Present among the various religions in the world in the act of expiation of sins are prayer, repentance, fasting, and offering (animal or crops). In Hinduism, the ultimate goal in life is to be in union with the Brahman, the supreme and absolute universal Spirit of the universe. To be one with the Brahman, one must constantly purify himself through the practice of atonement or â€Å"Prayaschitta†, a ritual performed to eliminate the effects of bad deeds. In the Hindu lexicon, â€Å"praya† means austerity and â€Å"chitta† means a firm resolution. Hence, to do prayschitta, one must undergo or render a certain form of sacrifice to cleanse him from the wrong doings he has committed. This includes extreme fasting which could last as long as a month, chanting of Mantras, or giving away of gifts or going away on a pilgrimage. History has it that the act of prayaschitta among Hindus is not necessarily according to the Brahmans but it goes bac k to law books of Sanskrit. The severity of the penance is said to be dependent upon the weight of the violation committed. In some documented acts of atonement, there were instances of drinking boiled liquor for the sin committed in drinking too much of the same intoxicating beverage. This kind of ritual is considered to be light as the sin committed is not severe. Severe ones are those that include murder,

All About Personal and Professional Health Care Essay Example for Free

All About Personal and Professional Health Care Essay Health care communication is an important practice in the treatment of a patient. Ensuring effective communication can help the patient understand their state of health. The Meaning and Nature of Healthcare Communication Healthcare communication involves an efficient line of communication between medical professionals, clients, and patient. A vital component of healthcare communication is the ability to share information that can enhance a patient’s knowledge. This is important in assuring quality healthcare (Williams, 2007). Personal healthcare communication is vital in promoting a physician’s understanding through discussion and support groups. Healthcare communication considers factors such as the attitude of the patient, their behavior and belief which could have an impact on how the physician can improve the quality of health care (Williams, 2007). In addition, it requires empathy and understanding from the physician when communicating with their patients. An effective way of achieving effective communication is to get feedbacks from the person getting the information. The healthcare practitioner should carefully evaluate if the client can understand the message being relayed (Williams, 2007). One of the most effective ways of achieving an effective healthcare communication is by conducting a personal interview. This method will help determining the accuracy of information regarding their condition. The psychosocial aspects of the patient’s conditions can be considered when conducting the interview (Williams, 2007). The Relevance of Healthcare Communication An effective professional health care communication can improve the health outcome of a patient. The health care professional can utilize various guidelines to achieve effective healthcare communication. It can help the healthcare practitioner to establish a better understanding of the condition and history of their patients (Williams, 2007). In addition, effective healthcare communication can increase the patient’s satisfaction and knowledge of treatment and its possible outcomes. Without effective healthcare communication, the patient will not have a clear understanding of the state of their health. As a result, they are more likely to spend more on healthcare, take the wrong medication, and become depressed (Williams, 2007). The Principles of Therapeutic Communication The Talking Cure In the early history of health care, therapists or in this case health care professionals rarely say a word. Usually, the best way they understand the condition of their patient is through listening but they never communicate. However, it is likely to practice a non-threatening way of communicating with patients and will not hurt their self-esteem (Wachtel, 2008). In this process, the healthcare professional conceals their real message in a meta-message, which can both be demonstrated in a manner that would make it likely to address the conflicting issue which the patient has avoided (Wachtel, 2008). The manner of delivery by the therapist can have a huge effect on the patient compared to the real message. Most of the time, what the therapist says lowers the self-esteem or confidence of the patient (Wachtel, 2008). In this practice, the therapist must be consistent in monitoring their part in the therapeutic session (Wachtel, 2008). Cyclical Psychodynamics The theory of cyclical psychodynamics utilizes a series of repetitive cycles of communication between people. It combines views from interpersonal dynamics and behavioral and family systems (Wachtel, 2008). The cyclical psychodynamics theory states that people live in a contextual life and their behavior is always related to an individual or object. In therapeutic communication, it is important for the health care professional to understand the roots of the patient’s difficulties (Wachtel, 2008). Cyclical psychodynamics focuses on understanding the cause of the patient’s anxiety. The difficulty of a patient can be rooted from their early knowledge of being afraid of their feelings, thoughts, and inclinations. The aim of therapy in this sense is to help the patient refocus these feelings and integrate them into a complete life (Wachtel, 2008). One aim of therapeutic communication is to direct the patient to a variation of the truth that would help them see new possibilities in their life and to modify life patterns that have been responsible for their difficulties. By using meta-messages, the therapist will help the patient affirm, acknowledge, and understand their feelings (Wachtel, 2008). Other therapeutic techniques provide a different climate, focusing on inhibition, silence and non-engagement from the therapist. With cyclical psychodynamics, however, the health care professional is more involved in the therapeutic process (Wachtel, 2008). Conclusion Healthcare communication involves an efficient line of communication between medical professionals, clients, and patient. A vital component of healthcare communication is the ability to share information that can enhance a patient’s knowledge. This is important in assuring quality healthcare. An effective professional health care communication can improve the health outcome of a patient. The health care professional can utilize various guidelines to achieve effective healthcare communication. It can help the healthcare practitioner to establish a better understanding of the condition and history of their patients. Effective healthcare communication can increase the patient’s satisfaction and knowledge of treatment and its possible outcomes. Without effective healthcare communication, the patient will not have a clear understanding of the state of their health. As a result, they are more likely to spend more on healthcare, take the wrong medication, and become depressed. In the early history of health care, therapists or in this case health care professionals rarely say a word. Usually, the best way they understand the condition of their patient is through listening but they never communicate. However, it is likely to practice a non-threatening way of communicating with patients and will not hurt their self-esteem. In this process, the healthcare professional conceals their real message in a meta-message, which can both be demonstrated in a manner that would make it likely to address the conflicting issue which the patient has avoided Cyclical psychodynamics focuses on understanding the cause of the patient’s anxiety. The difficulty of a patient can be rooted from their early knowledge of being afraid of their feelings, thoughts, and inclinations. The aim of therapy in this sense is to help the patient refocus these feelings and integrate them into a complete life. With cyclical psychodynamics, the patient is directed to a variation of the truth that would help them see new possibilities in their life and to modify life patterns that have been responsible for their difficulties. By using meta-messages, the therapist will help the patient affirm, acknowledge, and understand their feelings. Compared with other therapeutic techniques, which focuses on inhibition, silence and non-engagement from the therapist, cyclical psychodynamics involves more involvement and participation by the health care professional in the therapeutic process

The luncheon Essay Example for Free

The luncheon Essay A friendly intention of taking an friendout to lunch can result in important situations about oneself not experienced in other events. This comes to the forefront in Somerset W. Maughams anecdotal short story The Luncheon. The young protagonist, a writer, learns he should not be too generous for fear of being taken advantage of after feeling humiliated and angry because he took a pretentious woman out to lunch. The elements of structure, vivid imagery, symbols and style help to develop the acquaintances personality and the protagonists feelings from excitement to anger while also delineating to which extent the protagonists perception of things has changed for his own good. Structure is important to the evolution of the protagonists personal feelings. Initially, the protagonists feels flattered and excited that he has been asked by an older woman to take her out to lunch in one of the fanciest and most expensive restaurants in Paris. Although his financial situation worries him, he wants to please his acquaintance. However, when she begins to order many expensive items, he first worries about how he will pay the bill. Then, he feels humiliated for being used to satisfy her expensive food tastes only. Next, her insensitive discourse angers him: I see that youre in the habit of eating a heavy luncheon. [the protagonist ate only a mutton chop]. Im sure its a mistake. Why dont you follow my example and just eat one thing? Im sure youd feel ever so much better for it. However, he replies sarcastically, I am only going to eat one thing. Finally, the only solution for him is to not care about her and to be as mean to her as she was to him, whenever possible. His final statement shows that he has had his revenge at last Today she weighs twenty one stone. Vivid imagery and symbols help reveal the protagonists feelings and his acquaintances personality. Several times throughout the story, his acquaintance states, I never eat more than one thing for luncheon. The luncheon is symbolic of the concept of the survival of the fittest. On the one hand, his acquaintance possesses a manipulating and insincere personality, while the protagonist is good, kind, and pleasing. As a result, she gets what she wants while the protagonist must pay the price for taking such a person out to lunch because he is a good person. the color white in  the image of her white large teeth and French white wines suggests her cold personality (Jobes 1676). The salmon she eats reveals an abundance in the food items she eats (Jobes 1391) pointing to her extravagant personality. The caviar represents her delicate connoisseur tastes (de Vries 89). Even her age she is forty is significant in that a woman is a devil at forty (de Vries 200), so that it can be concluded she possesses a devilish nature. The symbolic number one in the acquaintances ironic statement, I never eat more than one thing for luncheon possesses several qualities evident of her character. It suggests boldness, consciousness and self-centeredness (Jobes 1209). The latter is the most significant because all she cares about is getting the food she wants. By referring to the head waiter as having a priest-like face and a false face, the protagonist emphasizes his anger about his financial means. In essence, the waiter and the acquaintance are performing rituals and acting on behalf of their best interests. The acquaintance pursues eating while the waiter expects a fine tip. Style, too, confirms the acquaintances personality as well as the protagonists illumination. The protagonist, being a down to earth and honest man is not convinced by her contradictory statements and therefore, doesnt care about her. On the other hand, the protagonists style of speaking is sincere and honest even during his angry moments. At the end when the acquaintance says, Never eat more than one thing for luncheon he emotionally releases himself by retorting, Ill eat nothing for dinner tonight! His second release though less stormy, happens when he complacently says, Today she weighs twenty one stone. These statements confirm he is no longer flattered by her. Style, vivid imagery and symbols as well as structure help develop the protagonists initial child-like feelings of flattery and excitement to disgust and anger due to the unfortunate sequence of events causes by his insensitive acquaintance. These elements also create a cold picture of his acquaintances personality. However, as he realizes what is happening to him during the course of events, he matures. The moral implications behind the short story The Luncheon are the thoughtful steps involved when one  commits oneself to taking a stranger out to lunch. Works Cited De Vries, Ad. Dictionary of symbols and Imagery. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Co, 1974. Jobes, Gertrude. Dictionary of Mythology Folklore and Symbols. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1962. The Luncheon by W. Somerset Maugham [Maugham, W. Somerset (1977). Collected Short Stories: Volume 1. Penguin Classics, pp. 97-100.

Social Media And The Small Business

Social Media And The Small Business Social media has gained significant momentum as a business tool in the past five years. In the following study will analyze how selected small businesses currently use social media, how the businesses may expand the use of the social media medium and precautions small businesses should consider when utilizing social media. The business owners interviewed for the research study vary in their product and service offerings: personal training, music, systems consulting and a karaoke machine retailer. The conclusion of the research will include recommendations for how small businesses may consider the utilization of social media as a strategy to gain or maintain competitive advantage. Social Media and the Small Business Purpose of the Report Social media outlets such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter have widespread, worldwide popularity. According to Facebooks Press Room statistics, there are over 300 million Facebook active users worldwide, and more than six billion minutes are spent each day, by users, online (Facebook, 2009). The allure of social networking is tremendous, making it possible for people to connect globally, with ease and free of charge. Many small businesses utilize social media as a marketing tool because it costs nothing and it reaches a large audience. The purpose of this study is to reveal the strategic implications social media and networking provide for small businesses seeking competitive advantage. The research team will first analyze how social media advertising differs from traditional marketing and advertising. Interviews conducted with four small businesses, currently using social media sites, will identify how they currently use social media in terms of marketing. The conclusion o f the report will include recommendations for how small businesses should utilize social media for competitive advantage. Background of the Topic In order to conduct a study on social media and networking, the concept of social media and social networking must first be defined. S. Boyd, of Socialmedia.biz states, Social Media are those forms of publishing that are based on a dynamic interaction, a conversation, between the author and active readers, in contrast with traditional broadcast media where the audience is a passive consumer of content' (Boyd, 2009). Through the social media platforms, such as Facebook.com, MySpace.com, LinkedIn.com, and Twitter.com, users create connections, or networks, as further explained by Laudon, Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of ones business or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Social networking sites link people through their mutual business or personal connections, enabling then to mine the friends (and their friends friends) for sales leads, job-hunting tips, or new friends. MySpace.com. Facebook.com, and Friendster.com are for people who are primarily interested in extending their friendships, while LinkedIn.com focuses on job networking (Laudon, 2009, p. 417). Social networking stems from a persons desire to connect and interact with others who may be related or share similar interests. Private and public forums were the first form of social networking on the Internet (Borders, 2009). Created in the 1990s, they quickly grew in popularity, spurring millions of community sites where people logged in and conducted discussions, typically around specific topics of a special interest website. Around the same time, real-time chat applications came into play, like ICQ and AOL instant messenger. The real-time chat option required users to log onto a website or download an application to talk to other people who were online at the same time. Blogging gained popularity as well, and these online diaries were put on sites like LiveJournal.com and WordPress.com. In the late 1990s, SixDegrees introduced the first social networking website that allowed the user to create a profile and trace friendships through people (Borders, 2009). SixDegrees premise was that individuals are all connected to each other somehow though direct and indirect relationships. By connecting with friends and family, then connecting with friends of friends and family members, the platform enabled users to meet new friends and potential love interests through a network. It had short-lived popularity, followed closely by Friendster in 2002, an online community that connects people through networks of friends for dating or making new friends. (Borders, 2009). Since its conception, Friendster has become well known in the Asian communities, and in the United States newer social media forms have replaced it, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and, more recently, Twitter. The popularity of a given social media site and the abandonment of another appears to be connected to a sites functionality. Six Degrees gave way to Friendster, which was then replaced by MySpace because the earlier social media platforms had slow server speeds, and once the initial novelty of connecting with friends and family wore off, there was little else to do on the sites. With both Six Degrees and Friendster, users lost interest. MySpace and, later, Facebook offered more, not only to individuals, but functions that businesses could utilize for little to no cost. MySpace.com launched in January 2004, and now has over 65 million users in the U.S. alone. According to the creators of MySpace.com, it is a technology company connecting people through personal expression, content, and culture. MySpace empowers its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile, messaging, games and the worlds largest music community. MySpace was the first site to allow users to explore public profiles, and users could utilize it as a virtual bulletin board to post information, pictures, music and video. Like Friendster, MySpace offers its users the ability to customize their personal pages, making the site very popular among teenagers and those in their twenties. As a business platform, bands and filmmakers use the site because of its ability to post material and get instantaneous feedback from known and unknown MySpace users. In less than three years, it became one of the most popular webs ites on the World Wide Web (Random History, No Author, 2008). TheFacebook.com also started in 2004 at Harvard University, as a personal network between students. It quickly extended to other universities and then in 2005, it became Facebook.com, garnering worldwide recognition. Facebook appeals to a different audience than MySpace, focusing on navigation capabilities and a uniform appearance in contrast to the high degree of variability displayed on MySpace. Users have access to free games, videos, links, and fan pages that continue to grow daily. The companys overview states, Facebooks mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet. Fan pages are becoming increasingly popular on the Facebook site. This is a page made by a business, cause, or individual that users may connect to as a fan. The fan page is then displayed through an indivi duals profile to his connections, and that individual may encourage his connections to also connect to the fan page. A fan page allows for an individual to post information about her business separately from her personal page. For users in search of a business networking platform, LinkedIn.com is a professional social media website. First launched in 2003, users may add business contacts, provide recommendations and create a strong business network. The LinkedIn mission states, Relationships Matter and that Your professional network of trusted contacts gives you an advantage in your career, and is one of your most valuable assets (LinkedIn, 2009). LinkedIn provides value to the small business because it allows for an individual to share professional information with people he does business with, and make contacts with an associates network through introductions or an InMail function. Twitter.com is a combination of previous networking sites. It is a mini blog that has the ability of active updating to Facebook, which also has SMS or instant-messaging capabilities. The original concept of Twitter was initially inspired by the concept of an away-message merged with the freedom and mobility of [Short Messaging Service] SMS. Twitter began as an experiment in 2006. When value as an instant communication network during shared events like earthquakes, conferences, and festivals emerged, Twitter began to grow (Milstein, 2009). The goal of a tweet is to get a point across in 140 characters. Twitter allows individuals and businesses to broadcast an announcement or status in real time. It enables users to pick whos information they want to follow, who they want to allow to follow them, and if they want to be a part of any groups that they might find interesting. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are just a sample of social media formats available to todays Internet users. Through social media, individuals and businesses find a way to connect on a virtual platform. People spend hours surfing pages, checking out other members, and exchanging messages and they reveal a great deal of information about themselves. Businesses harvest this information to create carefully targeted promotions that far surpass the typical text and display ads found on the web. They also use the sites to interact with potential customers. The ability to deliver digital goods and digital content over the Web has created a new alternative to traditional print publications and broadcast media (Laudon, 2009, p. 417). For the analysis of how small businesses may use social networking, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the focus in this study. Discussion of Current Issues Social media is a popular marketing medium for small businesses because it costs little to nothing. A. Gooding, owner of Inspire Fitness, states that she chooses her advertising media based on anything that is free. I use Facebook, word of mouth, and I write a column for our local paper. I have handed out fliers at schools, and I have had a booth at a local health fair. Im also a contestant for Best of Western Washington, personal trainers, and even if I dont win, its great publicity (Appendix A). When asked about how he advertises, Rex James Bands co-founder, D. Powell replied, Were doing [Facebook], Hotmail, [MySpace], newsletter, website, Sonic Bids for bands, help you get bids, help you update your calendar. Artist Direct just recently currently in BETA currently free, they have a lot of cool tools to format calendar and they update [Facebook] and [MySpace] for you one stop shop. (Appendix D). For R. Mickler of Mickler and Associates, I chose Twitter because of its phenom-qua lity and its growth its fairly popular and has the greatest sticking power out of all of them, I think. I chose LinkedIn because its a more professional site than Facebook, and conveys the professional information in a way that I can control (Appendix C). Small businesses have limited advertising budgets, and social media provides a free venue for marketing. In addition to being free, social media provides an interactive forum for the small business to meet its customers. In traditional advertising, the advertiser broadcasts to an audience, but does not get immediate feedback. Social media facilitates a conversation between the small business and its customers. It is through these conversations that social media provides a business to consumer electronic commerce (B2C). B2C involves retailing products and services to individual shoppers (Laudon 2009, p. 420). Social media provides a forum where businesses may start a conversation with potential clients, creating a relationship that allows for both the business and customer to decide if and when they will do business together. Unlike large businesses, a small business may not have the capacity to serve a large customer base. When asked about his business growth, Mickler responded, Ill start from 2004 I acquire about 7-10 additional customers a year (roughly a 15-20% growth rate) and thats been fairly consistent. Growth rate is tricky for a company my size: too much growth and Id have to hire a staff, and thats not in my business plan; too little growth and I cant keep up with attrition and my competitors. Generally, 20-percent of my customer base are cornerstone assets that I spend my most time with. The other eighty-percent are potentially new cornerstones (Appendix C). A business like Mickler and Associates must be able to be selective about who it sends its marketing message to, because the businesss size limits the number of clients who may be helped at any given time. In traditional advertising, a marketing message is broadcast through radio, television or print. In the past, to prevent an overwhelmi ng response to advertising, a small business may have selected a direct marketing campaign to communicate with past and potential clients. Social media allows businesses to decide whom they want to advertise to, essentially picking out their niche market. On Facebook through a profile they can provide information to friends family, with the creation of a fan page they can push it a bit further as friends of friends view profiles. Twitter allows a business to be selective on who gets messages, or a business can join groups to help get their name out there. LinkedIn allows businesses to connect through their colleagues, so that they are only offering their services to those already a part of their network. Growth is not the only element a small business may want to control. If an individual starts a home-based business, the business owner wants to know her clients. Social media provides a means to communicate directly with friends and friends friends, rather than casting a wide net. According to A. Gooding, Because I have a gym studio in my house, I am very careful with whom I hire as clients. Therefore, I would much rather market to those who I know, in hopes they know someone who needs a personal trainer (Appendix A). Gooding created a fan page on Facebook and invited her friends and family members to connect to the page. As friends of friends also connected to the page, she could learn more about the potential clients by looking at their profile information or asking friends and family about the person. For a small business that wants more exposure, search engine optimization (SEO) is a benefit of social media presence. Search engines started on the Internet as simple keyword indexes of all the pages they visited (Laudon 2009, p. 293). In 1998, the launch of Google introduced a new facet to the index, This search engine was different; Not only did it index each Web pages words but it also ranked search results based on the relevance of each page (Laudon 2009, p. 293). As search engines continue to evolve, small businesses benefit from appearing in unsponsored search links (links that were not paid for), because the more presence a small business has on the Internet, the more likely it will appear in a keyword search. The Rex James Band recognizes the benefit of more exposure, The more places your music and keywords are on the Internet, the better chance people will find you on the Internet and search engines can correctly categorize your website with the keywords when people do sear ches, this is all part of a technique that large companies spend millions on each year to increase their search engine ratings (Appendix D). We see this in Russell Micklers experience as well, Its very useful. Content pushes more search engine results my way, making me look like a good authority, and that improves people finding me on the web (Appendix C). The small business owners interviewed for this study largely described the benefits of social networking, but there are negative aspects in the utilization of social media. L. Nguyen of VitekUSA explains why he will not use MySpace, There are just too many ads on that people dont pay attention to any type of advertisement. I believe people are programmed to filter out any type of ads on MySpace (Appendix B). The sites, while free for users, need to make money to support growth and development. One key way the online social media sites make money is through paid advertising. On MySpace, animated banner ads run along the top and side of a users profile. As a result, the user is bombarded with advertisements, and eventually learns to ignore them. Nguyens concern raises the question regarding how long it will be before Facebook users ignore business fan pages, because the person feels bombarded with marketing messages. Nguyen states that he feels multi-level networking is the best busine ss model, but when asked if he would expand his use of social media, he replies, My long term advertising strategy is to push more advertisement on forums and blogs that has to do with karaoke, less of social media (Appendix B). Another negative aspect of social media is the potential loss of an individuals privacy because much of the information placed on a social media web site is publically available through search engines. R. Siciliano, an internet security analyst, writes, Privacy issues and identity theft in social media are a growing concern. Most people who post their personal information about themselves do not recognize the potential consequences of their actions, or maybe they simply dont care if their entire life is an open book (Siciliano, Huffington Post, 2009). Gooding mentioned that her use of advertising on Facebook is strictly targeted towards friends and friends friends, because she conducts business from a home-based gym. However, friends of friends friends also have the ability to view some content she posts, diminishing the security of her page, should she use her personal page to promote her business. To limit the information available to those interested in her business, Gooding creat ed an Inspire Fitness fan page. Fan pages allow anyone who is interested to link to a companys profile, but not access an individuals personal information. Finally, there is the risk of misleading or controversial information on social media sites that may present risks to a business. Social media is largely unregulated. Users of Twitter, for example, may face lost business or legal troubles if a disgruntled client voices an opinion that is defamatory. Entertainer, Courtney Love, is being sued by a clothing designer for posting 140 character rants about the designer, including name calling such as liar and thief. The designer alleges her business has suffered due to Loves posts (Reuters, March 2009). And, while Facebook and MySpace creators encourage users to report abuse of the sites, it does not prevent the presence of controversial content. [MySpace has] many teenage subscribers [who] post suggestive photos of themselves and lie about their age. About one-fourth of all MySpace users are registered as minors under 18 years of age, but that number could be larger. Parents, politicians, and police worry that sexual predators use MySpace to stalk potential victims (Laudon, 2009, 418). Recommendations The interactive relationships developed between customers and businesses through social media provide businesses with a competitive advantage. When used wisely, social media enables the small business to gather information about and respond to customer needs faster than through traditional marketing. The key to obtaining and maintaining competitive advantage through social media is to find a medium that is manageable and positively reflects the product or service offered. When a business does not select the correct venue, the advertising may lose value or tarnish a companys image. For the Rex James Band, MySpace provides a platform for sharing music and allows the band to interact with its fans. It appeals to a twenty-something audience, as well as other bands and entertainers. But, because of the ability to post messages on a connections page, businesses that use MySpace and Facebook must monitor their pages frequently, and remove posts that may offend or dissuade potential customer s. A high-traffic, highly interactive platform like MySpace or Facebook would not work for a professional service, like Mickler and Associates, who may desire testimonials, but not a steady stream wall posts that require frequent attention. Mickler wisely selected LinkedIn to reflect his business image of professionalism and uses Twitter as a real-time interactive tool to engage current and potential customers. Once a small business selects an appropriate social media platform, it should make initial connections with people already familiar with the company or product. If a small business asks current customers to add the fan page to their social media, not only will other customers see it, but their friends and other contacts will see it as well. This phenomenon of obtaining business through social networking is called word-by-mouse rather then word-of-mouth advertising. D. Scott, author of Viral Marketing Success explains Word-of-mouse is the single most empowering tool available to marketers today (Scott 2008, p. 8). He provides an example of how the process worked for the opening of the new Harry Potter theme park for Universal Orlando. C. Gordon, the Vice President of New Media and Marketing Partnerships, did not broadcast the event in a traditional manner through television or print. Gordon and her counterpart at Warner Bros. chose to launch The Wizarding World of Harry Potter by firs t telling the exciting news to a very small group of rabid fanThese seven [fans] were invited to participate in a top-secret Webcast held at midnight on May 31, 2007. (Scott, 2008, p. 6 7). By relaying the announcement through seven die-hard fans, then family and friends, previous customers and bloggers, Gordon reached an audience 350 million through social media. Powell describes how word of mouse benefits Rex James on MySpace, You can get new contacts without spending any effort, people will find you if you are participating in the same circles, and with a little bit of effort you can build your friend lists greatly in a short time (Appendix D). A business owner must make the decision on how much or how little online exposure he desires to obtain. On Facebook, business owners may elect to steer current and potential customers to a fan page. The fan page gains a following through word-of-mouse networking, and a dedicated business page will keep the focus on the business, rather than the business owners personal information. Social media users must also remember that once they publicize their pages, it is open to anyone that performs a web search. For example, when performing a search for Inspire Fitness on Facebook, both the Inspire Fitness fan page and Goodings personal page appear in the search results. If Gooding prefers to be excluded from the search results, she would need to remove all references to Inspire Fitness on her personal page. Business owners should perform frequent searches on Google and Yahoo search engines to observe what content are in the public forums. A business owner may also elect to receive email or mobile text alerts when their name or their business name makes a new appearance in a search engine. For a new business trying to create a presence on social media site, like Twitter, online resources can help. Geekpreneurs Geeks Guide to Promoting Yourself with Twitter, provides several tips for obtaining followers, and driving followers to the business web page. When asked if he would explore social media options beyond Facebook, L. Nguyen responded, My long term advertising strategy is to push more advertisement on forums and blogs that has to do with karaoke, less of social media (Appendix B). Rather than abandoning social media, Nguyen should consider establishing a website and utilize Twitter to drive business to him. A savvy business owner understands that the social networking mediums are ever-evolving. According to d. boyd, Online communities are more like nation-states than technological tools. There is a master behind the architecture, a master who controls the walls of the system and can wage war on her/his people at any point. People know this. They have to trust that the creators have their best intentions in mind. They invest a lot of time and energy into creating an identity in the system they want to believe that it is worth it (boyd, 2006). If a social media site fails to meet the changing expectations of its users, people will move on to another medium that serves their needs. For the small business, depending on social media to obtain and retain customers, it is important to watch the interaction between the creators of the media sites and the users. A small business should not count on any one platform to carry its marketing message because social media sites will come and go. Conclusion The initial intent of this study was to find ways social media could help small businesses compete with larger businesses. As the research progressed, the project team realized small businesses do not typically want to compete with larger businesses, but social media gives them key advantages in their target markets. Some of the businesses interviewed had already found appropriate social media platforms, experiencing success in reaching their intended customers. For businesses not connecting with their target audiences to the degree desired, the recommendations resulting from the project teams research may provide social media solutions not previously explored. Regardless of the solution selection, small businesses must be flexible, as new technology and online platforms evolve rapidly. While social medias advertising benefits small businesses through low or no-cost marketing, it should still only be a small part of what makes up a larger marketing plan. Through the project teams res earch, the study concludes that the best business practice is to find multiple ways to connect to customers and always deliver on the companys promise.

Delegation Essay -- essays research papers

What is delegation? Delegation is defined as follows: â€Å"Getting work done through others or as directing the performance of one or more people to accomplish organization goals (Managing & Leading: Concepts, 1997, p. 146). Delegation is a part of management. It allows managers to assign responsibility to coworkers to achieve organization goals through the work of others. In conclusion delegation is the process of achieving performance of certain outcomes for which you are accountable with other individuals who have the appropriate authority to accomplish the work (Sullivan & Decker, 1992, p. 216). Delegation is a complex process that can be quite effective in accomplishing work. It is one of the most effective professional management strategies used which is an art and a skill. Delegation allow managers to transfer work to subordinates, getting work done through others or as directing the performance of one or more people to accomplish organization goals, and turning one authority and responsibility for doing a job to a subordinate; explaining the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of a selected problem or job, while leaving the how to the subordinate (Managing & Leading: Concepts, 1997, p.146). Managers in my organization delegate as part of their management responsibilities to assign the right position or job to the best qualified person that they think can do the job and do the job right. Managers in my organization use delegation because it allows them to achieve more productivity for the company. Managers in my organization delegate to make sure everybody understand what is wanted and expected of all team members on delegated tasks. Managers in my organization delegate someone who really wants to do the task. If he/she may not know exactly how or what to do but if she wants to do it she will seek out the appropriate resources or find help to complete the task (Valerie Gatlin-Best, 1997, pg. 313). Managers in my organization delegate a task- the person being delegated to does not feel demeaned; be consistent-delegate certain tasks to certain people; stimulate personnel by encouraging others; be open, honest when looking at the picture as a whole ...look for positives/not negatives(Debby Kennedy, 1997, p.312). Managers in my organization are accountable for what ever goes on (or does not go on) in their departments. If subordinates make mistakes because they... ...loyees’ knowledge and experience to get the results they want. Delegation is effective when an organization functions well and every individual believe their part is vital to the well-being of the organization as a whole. To be effective managers should never ask an individual to do something that you are not willing to do yourself. Managers should know the people whom they are delegating tasks to in order to match the task with an individual’s skill and talent. Managers should always practice to simply thank individuals after completing specific delegated tasks and treat people with respect at all times. In conclusion delegation is a vital tool in the work force. It allows more accomplishments through sharing responsibilities and work load. If give managers the opportunity to receive input from other when tasks are delegated. Effective managers in cooperates opportunities to increase others’s skills and knowledge by simply learning from each other, provide opportunities to increase communication skills, instill encouragement, and to motivate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Cloning :: essays research papers fc

Cloning is a big issue now. Many arguments are going on about cloning humans being immoral. But what is cloning? Cloning is one or more offspring from a single ancestor; the genetic composition from the ancestor is identical to the offspring. No sex is involved in the production of clones, and since sex is the normal means by which new genetic material is introduced during procreation, clones have no choice having the same genes as their only parent. A clone of cells refers to the descendants of a single parent cell. Tumours are actually clones too. They are derived from one cell that no longer obeys the normal rules of growth control. Corals are another example of clones. Identical twins are even clones that are produced by splitting of a single embryo. So to keep it simple, members of a clone are genetically identical. Here is a diagram of how cloning is scientifically done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The benefits of cloning might include, building a mass army of look-alikes or recreating Einstein or Elvis. You could clone livestock for steady supplies of food. There is no guarantee that the first cloned human will be normal. The fetus might get some disorder or disability that can’t be detectable by ultrasound. They might be born disabled. Disorders may show up later in their life. Such problems have been seen in other cloned mammals, such as reproductive problems. There is no reason to that this won’t happen in a humans’ case. Large scale cloning could eliminate genetic originality. It is diversity that causes evolution and adaptation. It prevents an entire species from disappearing because of a disease. The people out there who are childless because of a rare hereditary disease would be able to produce offspring that were genetically theirs. However, if the cloned sheep â€Å"Dolly† were anything to go by then less than one in a hundred success rate would cause many problems. More importantly, it is quite possible that cloned individuals will turn out to be at risk. We do not yet know the long-term effects of making an old adult cell nucleus to begin a new life again in an egg. Cloning :: essays research papers fc Cloning is a big issue now. Many arguments are going on about cloning humans being immoral. But what is cloning? Cloning is one or more offspring from a single ancestor; the genetic composition from the ancestor is identical to the offspring. No sex is involved in the production of clones, and since sex is the normal means by which new genetic material is introduced during procreation, clones have no choice having the same genes as their only parent. A clone of cells refers to the descendants of a single parent cell. Tumours are actually clones too. They are derived from one cell that no longer obeys the normal rules of growth control. Corals are another example of clones. Identical twins are even clones that are produced by splitting of a single embryo. So to keep it simple, members of a clone are genetically identical. Here is a diagram of how cloning is scientifically done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The benefits of cloning might include, building a mass army of look-alikes or recreating Einstein or Elvis. You could clone livestock for steady supplies of food. There is no guarantee that the first cloned human will be normal. The fetus might get some disorder or disability that can’t be detectable by ultrasound. They might be born disabled. Disorders may show up later in their life. Such problems have been seen in other cloned mammals, such as reproductive problems. There is no reason to that this won’t happen in a humans’ case. Large scale cloning could eliminate genetic originality. It is diversity that causes evolution and adaptation. It prevents an entire species from disappearing because of a disease. The people out there who are childless because of a rare hereditary disease would be able to produce offspring that were genetically theirs. However, if the cloned sheep â€Å"Dolly† were anything to go by then less than one in a hundred success rate would cause many problems. More importantly, it is quite possible that cloned individuals will turn out to be at risk. We do not yet know the long-term effects of making an old adult cell nucleus to begin a new life again in an egg.

Reincarnation :: essays research papers fc

Reincarnation Synopsis Reincarnation is the embodiment in flesh or human form of the soul of a person now dead. Reincarnation is the belief that the soul survives after death and is reborn in the body of another person of some other living thing. This concept is called Transmigration of the Soul. Different religions from different countries have different beliefs of reincarnation. According to the Law of Karma, after death the soul is capable of passing to another body. The new body in which the soul is said to be reincarnated may be human, animal, plant or inanimate. According to the Hindu’s a good man may be reborn into a higher caste or perhaps even a god, were a lesser man becomes an insect or a worm. Cases One of the best documented cases is that of a young Indian girl named Shanti Devi living in Delhi (born 1926) who at the age of three began to recall details of a former life in the town of Mutta eighty miles away. She said she had married a cloth merchant, given birth to a son and died ten years later. Her claims continued and when she was nine years old her family wrote to her claimed husband who visited her home unannounced and was immediately recognized by Shanti Devi. A committee was set up to witness her visit to Mutta and testified the fact that she did recognize other relatives, knew the way to her former house, which she recognized and in fact revealed that money had been hidden in the house. The hiding place was found and her former husband admitted he had removed the money. The Pollock family is another well recognized case is that of the two little girls of the Pollock family who were killed by a run- away car in the town of Hexham in Northumberland. Twin girls born two years later to the same parents claimed dolls of the former children as their own. One said â€Å"That’s my Mary.’† The other girl said, â€Å"That’s my dolly that we had a long time ago†! Investigations Dr Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia has spent thirty years investigation of reincarnation. His strongest cases are based on children with pre-natural memories that can be verified often in considerable detail and in circumstances that made it highly unlikely that the children would have searched the information. Other evidence that match marks on previous suspected incarnations particularly where they might relate to the death of the former individual, for example where the reincarnation of a gunshot victim has birthmarks which match the entry holes of the bullets in the victim.

President Barack Obama’s Communication Style Essay

During President Barack Obama’s climb to the White House, he and his campaign have utilized an effective and thought provoking communications strategy to provide a transparent and honest message to the American public. Through his powers of oration, his formidable writing abilities, his comfort on the stage of debate, and through the revamping of the White House website, President Obama has changed the way politicians relate and interact with the populace. This brief essay will outline the major tactics that have proved successful in his rise to power with an aim on his interpretive dominance and popularity throughout a fierce campaign and a mountainous uphill battle to win the public’s support in the midst of two wars and a global economic crisis. As a standout student at the University of Illinois and at Harvard Law School, the young Barack Obama cultivated a direct and honest approach to his communication style. His early days as an Illinois Senator proved that he could build a grassroots support system that did not have to rely on media campaigns for strength, but would grow and strengthen personal relationships through straightforward and honest discourse. In a 2008 US News & World Report article, Kenneth T. Walsh writes of Obama’s communicational outlook, â€Å"Beyond the hype and the spin, Obama has operated as a conventional politician who has demonstrated some very unusual traits—extraordinary communication skills, the ability to grow as a leader, and the good sense and savvy to recognize a zeitgeist, the nation’s powerful desire for change, when he sees one† (Walsh). In this spirit, Mr. Walsh is painting a portrait of the politician as an opportunist and clear-minded individual that is not afraid of speaking his opinion on important matters. This has been a key to his success as a believable and inspirational communicator and has paved the way for him to provide momentous messages that fueled his campaign and his career in politics. On President Obama and Vice President Biden’s homepage on the internet they have a banner quote by Obama that reads, â€Å"I’m asking you to believe. Not just about my ability to bring about real change in Washington†¦I’m asking you to believe in yours† (Organizing). The call for change and hope that were the hallmarks of Obama’s communication zeitgeist echoed throughout the voting polls, the town hall meetings, the local taverns and on the streets. This message proved so successful because it was not a one-way message. Obama’s campaign ideology does not stand outside of participation, in fact, in stands on participation. This quote that headlines the interfacing between the public and the White House demonstrates the necessity for people to believe not just in the power of words, but in the power of believing in politics, politicians, and ourselves. This discourse of interaction and participation has been a proven tactic in successful politics throughout history but President Obama did not rely on the traditional methods. He has demonstrated fluency in technological mediums such as his famed Blackberry cell phone, his YouTube video messages, the revamping of the White House website, his grassroots campaign financing that was largely based on small donations by a multitude of supporters through his website. That being said, his positive and optimistic personality has carried him a long way in successfully communicating his ideals and his platform in face-to-face conversations. As an example, his Presidential Acceptance Speech in Chicago has been viewed over 4,760,000 times on YouTube, his Inauguration Speech in Washington has been viewed over 3,770,000 times in addition to the two million people that turned out to witness it live (Obama). President Obama’s communication strategy has implemented a variety of mediums and platforms that politicians in the past either neglected or did not have access to. For example, President Bush and Presidential Nominee John McCain are notorious for their refusals to use E-mail whereas President Obama had to fight to keep his internet and Instant Messaging Blackberry. Furthermore, all of his books have become New York Times Bestsellers. Mr. Walsh, later in the article speaks of President Obama’s mass appeal and popularity that is thanks to his gifts as a successful and believable communicator, â€Å"Obama’s Chicago background has enabled him to appeal to many divergent groups, from poor African-Americans to white businessmen, working-class folks, middle-class professionals, wheeler-dealers, mainstream reporters, teachers, suburban parents, professors, and college students (Walsh). His reach is both focused and widespread and in this way President Obama has created long-lasting and personal relationships with his constituency that transcends the formulaic and generic mass media approaches. Through his unbridled ambition and his thirst for honest discourse, President Obama has changed the way politicians will communicate with the public. He has changed it in the spirit of optimism and transparency without having to rely on attack ads, even though he has not been above harsh criticism of his opponents and the Bush Administration. He has not been afraid to speak his opinion, even when that has proved to be unpopular, as in the case of defending the controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright, or when he said he would open forms of dialogue with Pakistan and Iran, or when he made the speech attacking the latent and blatant forms of racism. His popularity has been a direct result of his honesty and his gifts for communicating and as he was elected he continued this approach, even though some people wanted him to deliver a soaring speech at his Inauguration. This keen sense of setting and circumstance allowed President Obama to deliver not the speech of fantasy, but a sobering and directly honest speech about the current state of affairs we now find ourselves in, â€Å"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age (Transcript). In this spirit, he has not abandoned optimism and the hope for positive change, but he is acknowledging the uphill battle and the fierce struggles that we are going to face. Although he could have delivered a speech that overlooked these struggles in the name of developing a popular national fervor of (false) support, instead he decided to continue his tradition of straightforward honesty, albeit in an eloquent and reassuring tone. This has led some critics to attack President Obama and his administration as our country is trying to climb ourselves out of a record national debt and widespread uncertainty as to the future of our country. The massive bailouts of the automotive industry and the large investment firms and banks have led critics to wildly label Obama as a Socialist and as a reactionary when in fact, as evidenced by the White House website, the Obama mission is to restore good faith and honest business practices to the industries that have helped to build up the United States in the first place. That being said, he has harsh words for executives that are receiving massive amounts of bailout money for their failed institutions while at the same time writing enormous bonus checks to themselves, as in the current example of AIG. In an attempt to restore justice and balance to both business and politics, President Obama has done something that no other President has – he has reached across the political isle and assigned three cabinet posts to Republicans. His spirit of unification cannot be denied and yet some critics still label him as a staunch Democratic Party ideologue and stalwart, when in fact he has made huge efforts to bridge the gap. As Mr. Walsh points out in his article this tendency goes back all the way to his community organizing in Chicago and to his days as a young Illinois Senator, â€Å"Overall, he built a respectable record, working with both Democrats and Republicans to win approval for a series of bills†¦He showed his potential when the Senate overwhelmingly passed a controversial law he sponsored on campaign finance reform in May 1998, prohibiting legislators from raising campaign funds†¦ (Walsh). His bipartisanship has proven to be beyond mere rhetoric in spite of the allegations that are distributed throughout the media. Overall, President Obama has changed the game of politics. He has instituted a communication style built on honesty and transparency while at the same time utilizing all the tools at his disposal in order to fulfill the missions that he promised to the American public. His communication strategy will be the model upon which future successful campaigns will be built. Works Cited Obama Speeches. (2009). YouTube. com. Retrieved 20 March 2009, from http://www. youtube. com/results? search_type=&search_query=obama+speeches Organizing for America. (2009). Retrieved 20 March 2009, from http://www. barackobama. com/index. php Transcript – Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address. (2009). The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2009, from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-obama. html Walsh, Kenneth T. (2009). Obama’s Years in Chicago Politics Shaped His Presidential Candidacy. U. S. News & World Report. Retrieved 20 March 2009, from http://www. usnews. com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/04/11/

How Subway Restaurant Can Avoid Marketing Myopia Essay

In 1965 seventeen category old Fred Deluca borrowed $1,000 from a friend Pete shoot down and suggested an idea of starting Petes superin ecstasydent Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This exemption was started to help pee-pee through college to study medicine, and in the sideline category they formed Doctors Associates Inc. to oversee operations of the eating places as that franchise expanded. The set-back metro franchised unit unresolved in Wallingford, Connecticut. ( vacuum tube.com/ thermionic vacuum tuberoot/)Fred Deluca and Pete Buck advertised on the radio the name Petes subway system to they eventually decided upon the name to electron tube in 1968 as we know it today. The graduation exercise mistake they made was putting the restaurant in a poor location. Their first year of business was a discipline experience and a challenge. A year later they opened their second barge in after(prenominal) realizing that visibility and trade were virtually of the key factors to success. Needless to say underground restaurants convey come to be actually successful franchises.In 2012, Subway honour CHEMCO with the Social righteousness Award. CHEMO provides hand lash and a variety of other clean and sanitation supplies. The SUBWAY Social Responsibility Award recognizes a supplier that has through the most to create sustainable practices date reducing costs and improving choice in the SUBWAY system, (Subway.com/Subwayroot/) Marketing nearsightedness is managements failure to recognize its view of business. (Boone&Kurtz, 2013)Subways mission statement is Be the 1 Quick Service eatery (QSR) franchise in the world, while delivering fresh, toothsome sandwiches and an exceptional experience. Some strategies to avoid marketing Myopia are Dispose of their soda ash fountain machine, since sodas are linked to childishness obesity. Subway could also hire employees whose incline is more prominent. Incorporate a drive- thru. Subway declares that one of their salads provides five servings of vegetables. While this is technically true, the vast majority of the servings are crisphead lettuce lettuce. Unfortunately, this is one of the least nutritious vegetables available. Salads pee four grams of fiber.(About.com, 2013). If Subways mission is to be the 1 quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise, consequently no one should have to clutches on food to be change in the microwave. Subway promotes itself as a healthy alternative to greasy profligate food, and this marketing approach has proven really successful. Studies headed up by Brian Wansink, director of the fodder and Brand Lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, concluded that Subway has acquired a so-called health halo people fuddle themselves credit for eating at Subway and indulge in extra treats when they do so.People also underestimate the calories consumed after eating at Subway, as compared to a hamburger fast food franchise, such as McDonalds. (About.com , 2013) In the next ten years maybe Subway stand deliver just as pizza pie Hut and Dominoes. Continue to go Global. contract a method where they commode have free Wi-Fi days. Set up a KIOSK in store where customers contribute punch in their own orders. divulge a way the food can stay hot without the use of a microwave, perhaps solar energy (About.com, 2013)