SWOT Analysis of GE free essay sample

Global recognition: General Electric has ventured into the world market thus gaining global recognition for its unique goods and services. In the year 2009, Forbes magazine ranked GE as the worlds largest company. Hurbert (2007) notes that General Electrics brand is the worlds most recognized brand. This kind of recognition has given it a competitive edge over other companies due to its ability to attract more customers. Global strength and competitiveness:The Company’s products have been recognized for their quality and the company is known for meeting customer-specific needs (General Electric, 2009). As a result, it has attracted numerous clients including corporations and government agencies and its competitive position is quite favorable. GE is the biggest lender in many of the countries where it invests with exception of the United States (Hurbert, 2007). Its power generation equipment generates a quarter of the worlds electricity everyday. Excellent Management: GE utilizes a unique management style, whereby business operations are divided into business units. We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of GE or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Each business unit plays a distinct role within the company and has its own independent management. Examples include GE Commercial Finance, GE Equipment Services, GE Energy, GE Insurance, and GE Consumer Finance among others. This kind of management style increases productivity due to the high level of accountability and efficiency that business unit managers are expected to maintain. Diversified lines of operation:GE has invested in a wide range of products under its units. These activities range from technology, energy, automotives, and aviation and home appliances to financial services and insurance services among other undertakings. This kind of diversification shields the company from risks in case of misfortunes. Environmental initiatives: GE has ventured into environmental initiatives as it embraces the green economy and increased social responsibility. Its Ecoimagination program is undertaking the production of environmentally friendly technologies, energy sources such as solar, low emission engines for airplanes, hybrid locomotives and water purification (Makower, 2005). This has earned a good reputation for the company which is considered socially and environmentally responsible. WEAKNESSES Under-performing energy sector:Following the global crisis and the serious fluctuations in fuel prices, the energy sector is not performing as expected (Hurbert, 2007). Fluctuations in prices of oil and gas have mostly been caused by supply shortages and this has threatened the companys profitability. Threat to flexibility:Too much diversification is often considered dangerous for a company. This is because it results in over-stretching which usually slows down decision making. At GE, the numerous units require attention and could prove hard to manage if excessive diversification occurs. OPPORTUNITIES Mergers and acquisitions: GE has performed several mergers in the recent past. These not only help the company to expand globally but to diversify its activities into new areas thus increasing productivity. Some of the companies include Interbanca S. P. A, Whatman Plc, VetcoGrey and Turbomecanica Combustor Products (General Electric, 2009). The merger of NBC with Vivedi opens better opportunities for GE in the media business. Research and development:Intensified research and development characterize the companys activities as it seeks to maintain a competitive edge over others in the same industry. A substantial amount of resources are committed in the companys relentless efforts to ensure the production of innovative products which meet current customer demands (Hurbert, 2007). THREATS Competition: Operating in an environment where stiff competition is present is a threat in itself. Just like any other company, GE risks losing its customers to competitors. Competition could be intensified by better production techniques and technology among competitors such that the companys goods may be outdone in the market. Information security:When it comes to information security, every company faces a threat of losing important information through hackers, natural disasters and employee dishonesty. Loss of information could greatly affect the companys activities and cause a slow-down in production. Financial crisis: The global financial crisis has had an effect on most companies in the world today. The rises in prices and shrinking bank lending rates have deprived businesses of the much needed profits and capital respectively. Media depictions: Depictions put forth by the media on certain occurrences about a company could ruin its operations. GE has been a victim of media deception and was associated with the Enron scandal which brought a lot of criticism and loss of investor confidence. The documentary named deadly deception aired in 1991 displayed GE as a threat to human life for participating in testing and building of nuclear weapons (Chasnoff, 1991). Such depictions could be used by competitors to tarnish the companys name. Evaluation and Analysis It is notable that GE has a number of strengths that work to its advantage by enhancing profitability. Its global recognition, strengths and competitiveness put GE at a favorable position as compared to other companies in the same sector. The use of business units for management presents an effective way to manage the expansive company. This not only reduces the possibility of overwhelming senior management with work but also promotes productivity based on accountability expected from the business unit managers. The company undertakes numerous activities which highly contribute to profitability. This is enhanced by the mergers and acquisitions that have diversified the companys product range and in turn leading to improvement on profits incurred. The strengths and opportunities however have not come without constraints. Various threats and weaknesses threaten the performance of the company by presenting constraints on the companys management. High levels of competition, financial crises and threat of information loss are a threat to the company’s survival. Weaknesses within the company including the poor productivity of the energy sector and flexibility threat could impact negatively on the company. In order to reduce the impact of threats and weaknesses, the company could use the strengths and opportunities to mitigate them. For example, the companys established research and development could be used to curb competition by coming up with innovative products from time to time. The efficient management can also be used to prevent loss of data through implementing proper control measures and to avoid losses which could exemplify the situation caused by the financial crisis. References

Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso essays

Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso essays A lot of great Canadian authors base their books on the prairie or land and its inhabitants. Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso is a wonderful example of this. Throughout the novel, many references are made to natural elements and also animals. Three very noticeable references could be picked out. These references were made to Judith, who is seen as a wild horse, to the wild geese that always move to new places, and also to the weather and how the family's attitudes and emotions, especially Caleb's, are changed by it. Wild Geese are talked about quite frequently throughout this novel. There are many references to people who are compared to the wild goose, along with what they symbolize. Lind Archer, the schoolteacher, is considered the wild goose for the first while. She came from a large municipality, "to a region beyond human warmth...beyond even human isolation..." (Ostenso, p.34). Mark Jordan is also compared to a wild goose for fundamentally the same reasons as Lind. When he first meets Lind, she thinks that his cry seems to be a, "smote cry upon the heart like the loneliness of the universe..." (Ostenso, p.53). Both Mark and Lind can be compared here, because they are both lonely and isolated. The wild goose symbolizes moving, loneliness, and isolation. Moving is shown when Mark and Lind come from their large municipalities to move up north to a very cold and unfriendly place. Loneliness is shown again through Mark and Lind and how they both miss their life before. They have ver y few friends and are moderately secluded to a very little area. Isolation is also shown by the fact that they are secluded and also that they are in the middle of nowhere with no one within a close distance to talk to. They feel isolated form society because the farms are so spread apart. In the end Mark and Lind move together to go back to the large municipality and wild geese are referred to again. They moved back to where they came f ...

Comm 4462 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comm 4462 - Coursework Example One party perceives that the other party has better alternatives of power so the weaker party tries to suppress the conflicting issues. It is distinctive as power relationship is maintained between two parties on consideration of weaker and stronger party. 3. Anything that can be employed in achieving the set goals of a party or getting into conflicts of others qualifies as a resource such as personal strengths and skills. These resources can be employed for solving different kinds of conflicts. 4. The three methods that supervisors can use in criticizing their subordinates can be 1) private criticizing of subordinates instead of criticism in front of other people, 2) along with issues, points of better performance and good work are also discussed by the supervisor and 3) supervisor did not attach compensation increase with criticism. These methods are supportive in endorsing power because subordinates cooperate with the supervisor and do not challenge his authority. The resistance is minimized because of this approach as subordinates consider themselves affiliated with the supervisor. 5. The two levels of meaning carried by messages during face-to-face interactions are report aspect and command aspect. The report aspect can be described as the deliverance of content of the message while command aspect can be described as a relational message or verbal message that is indicative of the relationship between two people or their regard for each

Objective To construct a small commercial database and demonstrate its Essay

Objective To construct a small commercial database and demonstrate its functionality - Essay Example The website design primarily focuses on younger customers, and contains some good examples of e-commerce best practice, such as, decent navigation and filtering options, well sorted product reviews, and site search (Charlton, 2009). Founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer, Marks and Spencer is a major British retailer of clothing, footwear, gifts, home furnishing, and luxury food products. The company’s main headquarter is in the City of Westminster, and has a wide network of stores with 703 in the United Kingdom, and 361 in more than 40 countries across the globe. The group also owns the clothing retailer Brooks Brothers and the King Super Markets chain in the United States of America (Wikipedia, 2012). This attribute will contain the answer to the secret question of the customer. The system uses this attribute to verify the customer in case if the customer forgets the password, and wishes to know the password; if the customer is verified positively, then the system sends an email containing the password to the customer’s email

Disadvantages of herbal remedies Speech or Presentation

Disadvantages of herbal remedies - Speech or Presentation Example The government does not support any institutions as such that help prepare these herbal remedies so there is no quality control and the user may end up buying a low quality treatment. Also, herbal remedies do not work in serious illnesses and injuries. Herbs cannot replace surgeries, laboratory tests, and operations. Sometimes, herbal treatment negatively interacts with the formal medicines like anti-depressants and thus may hinder with their effect. Since, herbal remedies do not come with an instruction manual or package insert, so this becomes very likely that the user will overdose the remedy. Also, some herbs get poisonous when they are harvested in wild, or some part of the plant gets venomous, so when these are extracted into a remedy, the user will also catch that poison. In short, the use of herbal remedies depends mainly on the user himself because he should know what kind of herb he is using, what he is using it for, and for how long he has to use it.

On Outdoor Play Children And Young People Essay

On Outdoor Play Children And Young People Essay The following research is to be related to outdoor play and its benefits for children and why outdoor play is not what it used to be. Research done on children stated that it is a myth that children enjoy staying indoors playing computer games and indoor games, a greater number of children prefer to play outside eighty eight per cent would prefer to play at the beach or by a river, seventy nine per cent like to play in the park, seventy nine per cent enjoy riding their bike and seventy six children playing ball games. However parents would prefer that their child stays indoors as they feel it is safer one in four would rather their child play on the computer than climb trees and one in five computer- based games play than letting their children play on fields. (Play England 2011) Children missing out on the great outdoors http://www.playengland.org. Methodology To help with this research project the literature research will be conducted on secondary research from books and articles on the subject and through the internet. It will also examine a range of quantitative and qualitative research. Literature review Research by the Department of the Environment (1973) on children that play outdoors and in the local area of where they live have declined over the past thirty years, a report done on outdoor play in 1973 showed that seventy five per cent of children played in the street as this was found to be the most popular. The study showed that children were more involved in physical activities like walking, running, made their own go-karts and ball games (Department of the Environment 1973). Another Study that was done by Play Board in 1995 had a similar outcome regarding childrens play this was done on two samples of over eight hundred children aged five to fourteen, these children were asked where they would play if they were not at home twenty four per cent of children said playing in the street, eighteen per cent said the play park and seventeen per cent said the garden (Parkinson 1985) Information obtained from a survey done in 2005 stated that only fifteen per cent of children aged between five and fifteen play outside in the street this is due to the quantity of obstacles put in their way of outdoor play (Department of transport 2006). Transport has a big influence on how children play. An ESRC sponsored study in 2000 showed that children thought that traffic is one of the biggest dangers of outdoor play along with gangs, bullies, and strangers (Matthews and Limb 2000). Research done by Savlone and playengland (2011) showed that most parents ventured outdoors as a child, however they now have concerns their children do not have the same opportunities as they did then. Research done with children showed that forty two per cent of children said that they have never made a daisy chain; thirty per cent of children have not attempted to climb trees. Children are aware of barriers to outdoor play as their parents are telling them to keep safe a report done by Young Voice and The Childrens Society in preparation for Playday 2003 stated that parents are always warning their children of stranger danger (Stockdale,Katz and Brook 2003a) Public attitudes toward children spending more time playing outdoors is positive and believe this as being an important part of a childs life it has social benefits play with other children has an impact on how children relate to one another, from being part of a group or part of the local community (Casey 2010) In the street, particularly in the nooks and crannies of the public space not under the watchful gaze of adults, children may thus begin forming a public identity and establish their own selfhood and independence(Spilsbury 2005, p 81). For years research findings has shown the importance of outdoor play and childrens well- being this was recognised in the 1960s when Mead (1966) stated that the neighbourhoods give children the opportunity to discover their environment and learn life lessons. Worpole and Knox (2007) believed that play is important for children; it can build some good friendships and understand the rules of social life. Outdoor play can benefit children in natural surroundings; free play and exposure to nature are vastly recognised as part of a childs healthy development (Moore and Cosco 2009). Studies of research show that daily connections with exposures to the outdoors can improve fitness attention and can lower sickness rates it is also believed that this can give children a sense of freedom. Children that play outdoors learn to navigate their immediate environment and build their self-confidence (Open university 2011). Those children that do not play outdoors will have less confidence and will unlikely be involved in the community (Gleave 2010). When children play out in the natural environment they are likely to enjoy nature as they grow up. Adrian Voce, Co-Director of Play England Said: Most parents know that children are curious about, and love to play outdoors. This is a deeply instinctive part of human nature and a vital part of healthy childhoods. We need to ensure that all children can access local green spaces to play, enabling them to have everyday adventures outside. To do this we need to support parents to help them feel confident to let children play out. (Adrian Voce, Co-Director of Play England) Children missing out on the great outdoors (wwwplayengland.org.uk). A UK survey found that ninety one per cent of adults understood the importance of outdoor play, sixty per cent said that they were worried about the safety of their children play in public places (Mc Neish Roberts, cited in Valentine McKenrick,1997). Beunderman (2010) found evidence that child learn life skills through outdoor play in their communities for example looking out for each other, asking for help. It is argued that having these abilities can offer them a positive outlook on the community gaining trust, feeling welcome and getting to know people in the community and being able to respect and have better relationships with other adults. According to the working paper by Lester and Russell (2010) on the importance of play: Adults should be aware of the importance of play and take action to promote and protect the conditions that support it. The guiding principle is that any intervention to promote play acknowledges its characteristics and allows sufficient flexibility, unpredictability and security for children to play freely. (Lester and Russell 2010: 46) Bishop (2012) stated that 25 per cent of toddlers are lacking vitamin D. The importance of outdoor play is essential for vitamin D as this comes from the sun and is one of the most important vitamins you need for your immune system and bones. Bristol University exposed some new research from the children of the nineties study recording the health of fourteen thousand five hundred children from birth in the 1990s, it shows that the connection among low levels of vitamin D and depression this happens in childhood so children that play outdoor reduce the risk of getting vitamin D deficiency and have a healthy body If you spend your time playing Nintendo or computer games instead of running about outside, riding in a car instead of on a bike, taking the tube / bus instead of walking through the park, thinking you look cool always wearing dark glasses or if you have dark skin to genetically protect you from a hot equatorial sun and you live in northern Europe or north America then you are going to benefit from a vitamin D supplement. A vitamin D deficiency leaves you with a greater risk of a number of different diseases not just bone problems such as rickets. (Yvonne Bishop-Weston 2012) Conclusion It is evident that there is a shortage of outdoor space for children to play with the ever increase of built up areas. Fewer play parks and not enough affordable places for parents to take children so that they can have the freedom to be able playing outdoors. It is also evident that children achieve much better when they are playing outdoors such as physical development, social skills, problem solving and creativity. (http://www.npt.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1639). References Casey, T (2010) Inclusive Play: Practical strategies for children from birth to eight. London: Sage. Beunderman, J (2010) People Make Play: The impact of staffed play provision on children, families and communities. London: Play England. Department of the Environment. (1973). Children at Play: Design Bulletin 27. London: HMSO. Department for Transport (2006). National Travel Survey 2005. Transport Statistics. www.dft.gov.uk Gleave, J (2010) Community Play: A literature review. London: Play England. Available online at: http://www.playday.org.uk/PDF/Community-play-a-literature-review.pdf (Accessed Jan. 2013). Lester, S and Russell, W (2010) Childrens right to play: An examination of the importance of play in the lives of children worldwide. Working Paper No. 57, The Hague, The Netherland: Bernard van Leer Foundation Matthews, H. and Limb, M. (2000). Exploring the fourth environment: young peoples use of place and views on their environment. Stirling: University of Stirling. ESRC. Mead, M (1966) Neighbourhood and human needs, Ekistics, 21, 124-126, in Blakely, K S (1994) Parents Conceptions of Social Danger to Children in the Urban Environment, Childrens Environment, 1, 1, 16-25. Moore, R and Cosco, N (2009) The re-emerging importance of outdoor play in nature, Playrights Magazine, 1, 4-6. Parkinson, C. E. (1985). Where Children Play: an analysis of interviews about where children aged 5 14 normally play and their preferences for out of school activities. Play Board. Open University (2011) Play, learning and the brain. Available online at: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=397465printable=1 (Accessed Jan. 2013). Spilsbury, JC (2005) We Dont Really Get to Go Out in the Front Yard: Childrens home range and neighbourhood violence, Childrens Geographies, 3, 1, 79-99. Stockdale,D. Katz,A.and Brook,L (2003a) You cant keep me in. London: The Childrens Society, Young Voice Voce, A. (2013). Co-Director of Play England (2013) Children missing out on the great outdoors http://www.playengland.org.uk/news/2011/08/children-missing-out-on-the-great-outdoors.aspx (Accessed Jan. 2013) Yvonne Bishop-Weston (2012) http://nutrition-news.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/uk-children-and-adults-lack-vitamin-d.html (Accessed Jan 2013) Worpole, K and Knox, K (2007) The Social Value of Public Spaces. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Analysis of Frozen Food Market in the US Essay -- lean cuisine, healt

Introduction There are many low calorie microwavable food options available in the market today. With the rise in income people can afford an easier lifestyle therefore there has been a change in the cooking style of people. People now use microwaves in place of traditional cooking methods. With the rise in microwaves, the rise in the number of food items also occurred. With so many varieties and products available one can easily target upon a healthy choice of microwavable food. A low calorie food or a healthy option of food is one which comprises of a good source of protein along with having least 3 grams of fiber (for satiety), in addition to not more than 600 milligrams of sodium. (Zelman, (n.d.)) Some of the options are manufactured by Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice. Both of them are the competitors in the market of frozen foods. Lean Cuisine was started in 1981 and has since then grown its market in US, Canada and Australia. The company is owned by Nestle and offers variety of frozen foods and is a leading choice for low calorie food. Healthy Choice, the product manufactured by ConAgra is another leading low calorie frozen food supplier. They are the biggest opponents to Lean Cuisine. The market segment is decided by three criteria’s which are Behavioral, Psychographic and Profile variables. Behavioral variables are those that are sought from the product, and buying patterns like frequency and volume of purchase may be considered the fundamental basis. Psychographic variables are used when purchasing behavior correlates with the personality or lifestyle of consumers. Consumers who hold varied personalities and lifestyle trends also become prejudiced towards certain products. Their ch... ...formance of the organization. There can be numerous ratios that can be taken out using the available financial data. It is very important for financial data to be correct for correct computation and analysis of data. The choice of ratio depends on the kind of organization and the kind of information we have. References Ames, M (1983, February). Small Business Management. West Publishing Co. Baron, D. P. (2000). Business and its environment 3rd Edition. NJ: Prentice Hall. CNB (2004). Short-run food price prediction methods. Retrieved from http://www.cnb.cz Myers, J. H. (1962). Reporting of Leases in Financial Statements. Walter Nicholson, C. S. (2012). Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and Extensions. (11th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning. Zelman, K. M. (n.d.). How to choose healthy frozen dinners. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com

Medical Terminology Essay

1. How can eliminating abbreviations reduce errors? Abbreviations are usually used for convenience, to save space and to avoid the trouble of spelling out the word fully. Abbreviations are used in medical records and in medical language. Though the usage of abbreviations do have some advantage and make the recording easy and faster, there are several difficulties that could be faced in using abbreviations in medical record. It makes it difficult for the medical professional to understand properly, takes longer to train medical personnel, and it delays proper patient care and often times it hinders patient care. So eliminating abbreviations can reduce and avoid to certain extent some of these difficulties. Spelling out the word will help understand the message properly and give the right kind of treatment or service as required. Proper communication becomes impossible when abbreviations are used sparingly in documentation. â€Å"When we rely on abbreviations in our business writing, we start a process of â€Å"inbreeding† that may prevent us from clearly communicating our thoughts to people outside our company, department, or discipline. Readers are intimidated when they see a bunch of abbreviations; rather than risk embarrassment by asking you what the abbreviations stand for, they’ll read without really comprehending your message (or will skip your document altogether). To make your writing clear, use abbreviations sparingly and explain every abbreviation you do use. Always define an abbreviation the first time you use it†. 2. Should written polices be developed for Abbreviation usage? If yes, what should the policies contain? If no explain. Yes, it is essential that written polices be developed for abbreviation usage. This will help in using the abbreviations properly and will avoid the consequent errors and difficulties in communication, especially in medical records and communication. In medical record keeping, already there are regulations in using abbreviations: â€Å"Each healthcare facility develops its won list of acceptable abbreviations (that can be used in documents produce in that facility) and a list of unacceptable or â€Å"do not use abbreviations†. In addition to that (JCACHO) has a list of abbreviations that should not be used because they cause errors. JCAHO’s National Safety Goal states that these   abbreviations must appear on a facility’s â€Å"do not use list†.2 So the written policies should contain a list of abbreviations that can be used and should not be used to avoid errors in medical as well as in all documents and communi- cation. â€Å"JCAHO also has addressed errors in interpretation of abbreviations commonly used in health records by publishing a prohibited abbreviation list. The abbreviations note on the list should not be found in the patient health care records of their accredited providers. providers†. 3. When are abbreviations acceptable? Who should use them and why? Abbreviations are acceptable in documents and communication. It is a method of communication In saving time, space and trouble in spelling out the full word. As such using abbreviation can help in solving certain time consuming communication. Medical and technical professionals are the main users of abbreviation. â€Å"Abbreviated terms—whether abbreviations, initialisms, acronyms or symbols—save time, space, and the needless repetitions. However, decisions about acceptable and appropriate abbreviations remain ambiguous in modern publishing. While few general rules apply, in most cases, writers need to be familiar with the rules and conventions recognized by specific Usage authorities.† â€Å"Only abbreviations and symbols approved by the organization should and/or medical staff rules and regulations should be used in the health record.†5 In an organization, the rules and regulations in using abbreviations should be written and maintained as a policy item and should be informed to all the staff, so that proper communication and accurate record keeping are possible by avoiding errors and confusion, at the same time saving much time and effort in searching for the right word and meaning of abbreviations use. â€Å"Organizations that create or use abbreviations often in their work should develop an abbreviation data base or glossary to ensure consistency. This data base will also serve as the basis for decisions about abbreviations among different disciples and organizations.† 4. According to the information in the online articles, do you think enough steps have been taken to reduce errors? Explain why you agree or disagree. No, not enough steps have been taken to reduce errors. In fact there is not much done so far to reduce errors occurring from the use of abbreviations. At present the use of abbreviations have increased tremendously due to the internet and internet based communication facilities. â€Å"Widespread use of electronic communication through mobile phones, and the internet during 1990’s allowed for a marked rise in colloquial abbreviation. This was due largely to increasing popularity of textual communication services such as instant-and text messaging. SMS for instance supports message†. In spite of such increased use of abbreviations, there is no proper step taken to avoid errors in modern methods of communication. Even in technical and medical profession there is need for improvement in streamlining the usage of abbreviations. Specific rules and regulation should be outlined for abbreviation usage in all fields so that the related errors and confusion in the usage of abbreviations can be reduced if not eliminated. REFERENCE: 1. Gary Black and Robert W Bly: The Elements of Business Writing, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York,1991, p. 116 2. Susan Turley: Medical Language, p. 26 3. Merida L Johns: Health Information Management Technology, AHIMA, Chicago, 2007, p. 93. 4. Philip Rubens: Science & Technical Writing, Routledge, New York, 2001, p. 125 5. Medida L Johns; Health information Management Technology, AHIMA, Chicago, 2007, p. 92 6. Philip Rubens: Science & Technical Writing, Routledge, New York, 2001, p. 126 7. Internet: Wikipedia, Abbreviation, p.2

Free Essays on Case Study

Identifying Data and Reason Referral: Lenny Peters is a 48 year-old Caucasian gay male recently admitted for inpatient psychiatric treatment. He was referred for a psychological testing by his psychiatrist to assist in diagnostic clarification regarding personality dynamics and/or Axis I pathology. Evaluation Instruments and Sources of Information: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Second Edition (MMPI-2) Clinical Interview Background Information: Developmental History: The information collected is compliments of a self-report by Mr. Lenny Peters. Mr. Peters, an only child, confirms that his mother did not report having a complicated birth or suffer hardships while caring for Lenny during his early developmental stages. He claims that he â€Å"grew up with everything† and also admitted being the â€Å"spoiled Jewish kid on the block.† He reports being loved by his mother and father, but his relationship with his father was not as secure as his relationship with his mother. Family History and Significant Relationships: Mr. Peters did not report of any complications such as sexual or physical abuse as a child. His problems began to surface once he has revealed his sexual orientation. He expressed that although his mother got over the gay issue quickly, being that he â€Å"is her baby†, his father had a harder time adjusting to having his only son claim to be a homosexual. He expressed that he and his father were never close and that his father was a â€Å"man’s man† which may have contributed to their lack of closeness. Mr. Peters explains that his father died 14 months ago due to an aneurism, and that his mother has â€Å"lost her spark and love of life.† It is not clear if Mrs. Peters is suffering through these feelings due to the loss of her husband or not. Living alone, Mr. Peters claims that he is not in a current relationship, but does participate in some casual dating. He expresses that he is experien... Free Essays on Case Study Free Essays on Case Study Identifying Data and Reason Referral: Lenny Peters is a 48 year-old Caucasian gay male recently admitted for inpatient psychiatric treatment. He was referred for a psychological testing by his psychiatrist to assist in diagnostic clarification regarding personality dynamics and/or Axis I pathology. Evaluation Instruments and Sources of Information: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Second Edition (MMPI-2) Clinical Interview Background Information: Developmental History: The information collected is compliments of a self-report by Mr. Lenny Peters. Mr. Peters, an only child, confirms that his mother did not report having a complicated birth or suffer hardships while caring for Lenny during his early developmental stages. He claims that he â€Å"grew up with everything† and also admitted being the â€Å"spoiled Jewish kid on the block.† He reports being loved by his mother and father, but his relationship with his father was not as secure as his relationship with his mother. Family History and Significant Relationships: Mr. Peters did not report of any complications such as sexual or physical abuse as a child. His problems began to surface once he has revealed his sexual orientation. He expressed that although his mother got over the gay issue quickly, being that he â€Å"is her baby†, his father had a harder time adjusting to having his only son claim to be a homosexual. He expressed that he and his father were never close and that his father was a â€Å"man’s man† which may have contributed to their lack of closeness. Mr. Peters explains that his father died 14 months ago due to an aneurism, and that his mother has â€Å"lost her spark and love of life.† It is not clear if Mrs. Peters is suffering through these feelings due to the loss of her husband or not. Living alone, Mr. Peters claims that he is not in a current relationship, but does participate in some casual dating. He expresses that he is experien... Free Essays on Case Study The article that I read was found in the October 29 issue of the Wall Street Journal. This article is called, â€Å"Verizon Net Drops, But Wireless Area Sees Revenue Rise.† Verizon Communications Inc. reported that third-quarter net income fell fifty-nine percent from the year-earlier period, when results were helped by asset sales and tax benefits (p.B7). However, there was an eighteen percent jump in revenue at the wireless affiliate. Verizon’s total number of residential phone lines fell 3.5%, business lines declined 4.6%, and revenue in the U.S. wireline division was down 4.1%, which was the steepest decline of this year (p.B7). Like other regional telecommunications companies, Verizon continues to suffer from declines in usage of traditional phone services as people rely more on cell phones and the Internet (p.B7). Verizon Wireless had a net gain of 1.3 million retail subscribers and customer growth accelerated from the first and second quarters. Also, Verizon is taking customers from rival carriers like Sprint PCS and Cingular. Therefore, Verizon needs to focus most of its attention to the wireless affiliate because that’s what is giving Verizon a competitive advantage. Last month, Verizon cut its earnings forecast for the year, as well as expenses associated with a new labor contract and heady growth in the wireless business (p.B7). Verizon will have to create something new for the phone company and to do so they might have to increase the expenses a little to be more technologically advanced. However, their net income would increase and they would get more customers. This article parallels the subject matter covered in business organization and management because it involves the aspects of innovation and gaining a competitive advantage over similar companies. Verizon’s net income is going down because everyone has a cell phone instead of a regular phone these days. Venison was innovative when they creat... Free Essays on Case Study Background I have had the privilege to follow around Bryson Bolling who is a senior at Kokomo High School in Kokomo, IN. I live in Kokomo where I was born and raised and went to high school with Bryson’s brother Ryan. Bryson and I before this project have never spoken. He was born 6/23/86 in Kokomo, IN where he has been living his whole life. He has attended Kokomo Center Schools his whole life including Boulevard Elementary, Maple Crest Middle School, and now is attending Kokomo High School and will graduate this spring. He is from a middle class family background where his mother and father have worked ever since he can remember. He has a 2.9 GPA and has always studied to make his grades. He scored a 1020 on his SAT and a 23 on his ACT. He has been accepted and is planning to join the freshman class at Indiana University in Kokomo (IUK) and after that move on to a larger campus maybe IU or Purdue. He is undecided on what he plans to study but he is leaning towards business. Bryson has one older sister whose name is Brittany and one older brother who is my friend Ryan. Ryan and I went to high school together and have kept in touch since he went to IU and I am attending IUPUI. His older sister Brittany graduated from Kokomo High School in 2003 and is not going to college. His parents have been married for 25 years and have lived in Kokomo all their lives. He works at a local YMCA as a basketball referee for younger kids’ games. A job that is not as challenging as it is rewarding for him seeing little kids playing basketball. He is in the process of trying out for the varsity basketball team himself while working and going to school. He is also planning to try out for the baseball team in the spring. He was brought up Lutheran and goes to church regularly. His family is not super religious but they do attend church every Sunday and believe in God. He is however in a youth group at his church that gets...

Marketing Proposal Essays

Marketing Proposal Essays Marketing Proposal Essay Marketing Proposal Essay Our report analyzes the issues incorporated in NYF and recommend way to improve the situation. After evaluating the needs and wants of our existing and potential consumers, we decided to introduce a new product, which is Potatomade Noodle. Also, this paper will discuss the SWOT analysis performed, and evaluating what are the opportunities and strengths as opposed to our weaknesses and threats. Also, we have come out with an initial plan to market our new product. Through (1) Branding and Positioning; (2) Pricing; (3) Marketing channel; and (4) Promotion, we will bring the product toward success. ? 3? Introduction: the Company New York Fries (NYF) is a privately owned, Canadian franchise founded by Jay Gouldand his brother Hal in 1983. It specializes in fresh-cut fries and hot dogs. The firm’s concept is simple but their standards are high. New York Fries start with hand-cut fresh potatoes on site everyday and cook them in non-hydrogenated and Trans-fat free sunflower oil, which makes their fries low in saturated fat and cholesterol free. So their company mission is very simple: to serve customers with â€Å"REAL. FRESH. FRIES†. They are customer-centered policy that put customers as the essential consideration criteria to their products. Currently, there are over 201 stores across the world, but only two in Hong Kong. Agreement requires franchisee to open a minimum of 10 locations in Hong Kong and Macau within 5 years. New Product Idea There are several issues with NYF that make it less popular as opposed to other fast food restaurant in Hong Kong. NYF sales are significant lower than other competitors. The lack of variety and popularity of NYF (HK) are the main concerns of our marketing strategy group. As we found in a survey conducted by our group. There are 70% of participants who did not know anything about New York Fries. Among those who knew the existence of NYF, there are more than 50% of them thought NYF offers limited choice of food. 1 Therefore, we have decided to enhance the variety of food and introduce a whole new concept of fast food, the Potato-made-noodle. Besides providing varieties to the 1? Refer? to? appendix? I? ? 4? consumers, we choose potato made noodle because potatoes are more filling and will be able to satisfy consumers’ hunger, especially for those who need to be full during their long working day. Also, potatoes are generally healthy as well. Our product is a freshly potato made noodle, either western or Asian style. These noodles will be freshly made by a selected supplier and delivered to our stores promptly everyday. They will be served in different flavors like chess baked noodle, oriental style soup noodle (spicy/nonspicy/chicken flavored, beef flavored) and other flavors. Besides adding to the variety of foods sold in NYF, this new product also solves the issue of health concern of their customers. Customer Needs and Wants For our targeted customers, they have a similar desire for a benefit that is fast-served yet healthy food. Thus, we serve these customers with a new concept of fast food: highquality, convenient, delicacy, fashion and prestige. Although it seems that the new concept is irrelevant to NYF’s current business line, it is in fact consistent with the firm’s current mission, which is to actively change the business in order to satisfy their customers’ needs and wants. In addition, modern consumers are actively seeking for a highly fashionable lifestyle, which might also affect their eating habits. Also, we believe that potato made noodle is more filling, and will able to satisfy our consumers’ hunger during break time. In contrast to wants, products will only be successfully introduced if consumers are able to afford, thereby converting wants to demands. We believe our targeted customers, who are ? 5? the white-collar working class, have the purchasing power to afford a bowl of potato noodle served by us. Targeted Market Segment In Hong Kong, we are targeting Asian who has tradition of eating delicious noodles. Our target customer group is aged from 20 to 45 years old, with a monthly income of $10,000 to $50,000. They are mainly the white-collars, who are in the working or middle class. They are status-oriented achievers and always demand for fashionable way of enjoying traditional foods. We target to serve our noodles as a quick lunch during the customers’ limited break-time. We believe the noodles will be beneficial to those who seek for high quality, healthy and fashionable fast food. Our target segment is relatively small but well defined at this stage in order to achieve greater market share at the introduction of our potato noodle. SWOT Analysis Strengths Since NYF has been specializing in potatoes for more than 20 years, this provides us sufficient resources and abilities to produce potato products. Also, we have a strong and effective supply network in both North America and Hong Kong, which enables us to obtain cheap potatoes supply. These ensure that we are able to produce superior potatoes with current skills and knowledge. ? 6? It has a long established image of best potato product’s providers, which is mainly based on our long-term outstanding brand-service to the customers. For those who knew about NYF, they thought NYF provides the best fries (potatoes), compared to their competitors, McDonalds and KFC. Due to the experience obtained in past years, the production technology is complete, which means that NYF is able to provide variety of sauce flavors. Weaknesses Low variety of food because of their specialization. This situation may cause failure in attracting more customers who may have varieties of tastes on food. Limited consumer groups since the majority of our consumers are young adults, who are below 40 years old. Our service seems to be inaccessible because there are only two stores in Hong Kong nowadays. The relative number of branches of NYF in Hong Kong is too small and people may find it hard to find our location. However, we would look into the further business expansion upon the reform of NYF. Our current line of food maybe relatively unhealthy, because we usually provide fried food, which is always the pronoun of rubbish food and it doesn’t fit the modern concept of â€Å"good food†. NYF is yet to get popular in Hong Kong. Publicity and advertisement are obviously not enough due to limited investment on advertising. ? 7? Opportunities Increasing emphasis on healthy food will bring us a new opportunity because nowadays people prefer to eat healthier food with the illusion that the so-called healthy food can always make them healthy. We think that providing modern healthy food can both increase the turnover of our company and the image of our own brand. At the same time, we are aiming to change the stereotyped perception of consumers toward fast food. There are more people emphasizing on efficiency these days. Therefore, they want faster-serving foods. This potato noodle will be served like a fast food. Thus, this will serve the benefit seek by customers. According to the our daily observing, people nowadays prefer new fast food concept, they are totally bored with traditional fast food like fries, burgers etc. Our new concept of fast food may refresh their discerning taste. Potato is one of agriculture products that have an elastic demand. Therefore, supplier cannot exploit the company by increasing their price, as supply of agriculture product always exceeds the demand in the economy. Threats There are too many competitors in Hong Kong, and we always have to face substitute’s threat. For example, the other fast food provider, noodle stalls and etc. ? 8? It will be hard to make the public to change their stereotyped perception toward fast food, which is â€Å"fast food equals junk food and potato equals fats†. If this is not well encountered, we could not deeply develop this new market. In the process of developing our new product, we also have to face the dietary of modern world people: they always reject fast food. And this will force us to think of different efficient ways to change this kind of dietary. Branding and Positioning NYF has got reputable brand equity. Since its establishment back in 1983, NYF has been established as a fresh potato fries provider, offering exceptional fresh and best fries in town. We would be using the manufacturer’s brand, NYF for our new product. We are introducing a new product to the existing brand, the potato noodle. Thus, it would be a brand extension for NYF. This would save a little cost as a result of slightly less advertising cost. It would take less time than normal new brand development for consumers to accept our product. This is because existing loyal consumers are more likely to accept and try out our new product. Besides, the brand extension is also consistent with the current brand’s image, which is providing fresh potato-related products to consumer. In relation to managing the product life cycle, we believe it would have a relative longer life than normal fast food, as it is less likely to trigger any health issue as compared to other fast food. This can be supported by the long history of noodles restaurant in Hong ? 9? Kong, which are still earning significantly large profit at present. In addition, NYF marketing team will be innovative in future to invent more flavours to the potato noodle in order to extend its maturity stage of product life cycle. Our positioning statement would be â€Å"To customers who need fast, healthy and delicious food, we cook the best potato noodles†. Our positioning strategy will focus on the following two differentiations: Product Differentiation In contrast to the prevailing unhealthy, fried fast food, we developed the new fast food concept: the potato noodles. We choose the best potatoes and specialize in delicious, healthy potato-made noodle, which is different from McDonald and KFCs fried chicken. Potato noodles will fulfill the eating habit of Asian people and those who like to eat potato Image Differentiation New York Fries will continue to use yellow sunflower as their symbol, which indicated that the food is made with sunflower oil, which is healthy. Yellow sunflower also conveys the information of brightness, happiness, and loveliness to pleasure our customers. Overall Positioning Our product is offering the â€Å"more for same†. We are offering the more added value noodle at market price for other noodles. NYF will be able to have slightly more advantages in cost control as we have been in this business for years. We are able to offer a distinctive quality of noodle as compared to our competitors, other noodle providing restaurants. ? 10? Pricing The market our company operates in is a monopolistic competition market where there are many buyers and sellers trading with differentiated offers. Product differentiations are particularly essential in order to achieve high turnover. We are setting our price at market price so that consumers would purchase our products rather than the competitors. Market penetration pricing is a suitable pricing strategy for our new product. This is because consumers are not very aware of our company. In order to attract a large number of buyers, it is better for us to set a low price to gain a larger market share quickly. Once the consumers are confident and more loyal to our product, we can then evaluate and raise the price to increase our profit margin in future. Initially, we would propose that the price for a bowl of standard potato-noodle would be charged at around HKD$25-HKD$35. Promotion This promotional strategy will last for 3 years as there are three stages that we want to achieve from time to time. Firstly, in the Stage–Brand Recognition: advertising and sale promotion and buzz marketing are crucial to enhance people’s recognition toward NYF. Advertising: in lifestyle and fashion magazine and on buses: We want to advertise in some local magazine, for instance, Readers’ Digest and Milk. Since the above magazines are well circulated in Hong Kong, the readers are mostly working classes or even adolescent who are our targeted customers. Compared to ? 11? advertising in some TV channels, advertising in magazines is a cheaper method to approach our potential customers. It can also lower our promotional cost. Also we need to increase the exposure of our brand name. Advertising in outlook of buses is one of our promotional means. It is not only inexpensive, but it also spreads our messages to a huge audience. Online banners on strategic websites: Nowadays, internet is a bridge to communication. People use it as an information channel to get the first-hand information, especially in some forums, for examples, Uwants and Discuss. It is hoped that the online banners on these two forums could get people’s attention. Sale promotion and buzz marketing Our company will offer some sample tasting of potato noodles outside our branches for the first week of selling. Participates are required to fill in the evaluation form after tasting for further improvement. The cost of sample tasting is low. It could also attract more potential customers to try our new products. Also we will offer price packs in first month after the first selling. This price packs mainly aims at stimulating our sale and attracting more customers. As one month after the first selling, people may lose their curiosity to try our new products, therefore, launching price packs can help customers’ lower their defensive to the new products. The price packs can be launched for a year until the start of the second stage of promotion. ? 12? Second Stage would be Brand Knowledge. The amount of advertisements will be sharply decreased and the format of the ads will have slightly changes. We will focus on the public relations in order to build up the company image in the community. Informative advertising in lifestyle and fashion magazine Milk and Readers’ Digest will be continued to act as our communication platform. We will invite some gastronomes and editors to try on our new products and write some commentary and recommendation in order to attract more new customers. Public Relations in continuing the donation to National Kids Cancer Ride: NYF has been longed established the donation to National Kids Cancer Ride. There will be three days of selling in August where all sales revenue will be all donated to National Kids Cancer Ride. Also, we will organize a range of fundraising activities for Children’s Cancer Foundation, which is a local charity organization. Hong Kong people concern about whether the company is ethical or not. It is believed that the donation for these organizations can act as differentiation with other similar fast food shops in Hong Kong. Third Stage is the Brand Preference. Advertising and public relations will be continuously launched. It is hoped that all the promotional means could be deep-root in many Hong Kong people’s mind in order to help people remember the brand of NYF and choose it as the first priority in comparison with other fast food shops in the local. We will advertise in the Cable TV because it is cheaper than TVB and have more potential customers than ATV. Wewe will emphasize on our strengths in order to compete with ? 13? other prevailing products. Although the cost of the broadcast in TV channel is relatively high, it can reach many audiences. From a psychological research, when the same picture is broadcasted on the TV nonstop, it simulates peoples’ purchasing power. In relation to public relation, we will continue the donation to National Kids Cancer Ride and Children’s Cancer Foundation. Charity works will be continued because it not only acts as a promotional means, but it is also a social responsibility. For Sale promotion and buzz marketing We will continue sample tasting. After collecting evaluation forms from the first stage of promotion, we will amend it and launch a second round for customers to try on. The sample tasting will launch at the third year. It is hoped that different sauces of potato noodle enhance the variety of the existing products. In addition, we aim at boosting the sales of potato noodles and providing opportunities for new customers to try our product in a cheap price through price packs Place (Marketing Channel) NYF adopted the vertical marketing system (VMS) as its channel structure. We understand that cooperation and efficiency between channel members are important in order to deliver our products to customers smoothly. Therefore, we use contractual VMS which is a franchise system (service firm-sponsored retailer franchise system), NYF will grant franchise to retailer shops in different parts of the world to operate business. This system is unified; coordination and conflicts management are attained through contracts and agreement. ? 14? NYF is popular in Canada and US but not in Asia. The limited number of branches in Hong Kong makes it inconvenient and inaccessible for customers. Our products cannot reach our customers efficiently. Therefore, we have a new distribution strategy. In order to satisfy customer needs, we will open 2 branches in Central and Admiralty, and 1 in Causeway Bay, which are accessible for white collar working class as well as teenagers. We can provide them quick and healthy potato noodles during their limited lunch time. As these places have high pedestrian flow, this can easily attract customer’s attention and raise NYF popularity. Morever, NYF uses selective distribution, which has good market coverage and a moderate cost. As from the franchise agreement, opening more branches are inevitable in the coming years. In this way, our new product, potato noodle can easily reach the targeted customers and at the same time with more control and less cost than intensive distribution. For international distribution channel, NYF will first introduce potato noodles in Hong Kong and other parts of Southeast Asia, we will test the response from customers and collect feedback. Then we will continue to improve our product. When our product becomes mature, we will introduce potato noodle to Canada and US. We will establish potato noodle as an exotic, oriental and healthy fast food. ? 15? Appendix I Attached result of our online research (survey). There were in total 60 participants to our survey conduct. ? 16? ? 17? Apendix II (online survey questions) Cognition of New York Fries Author: yyy We are doing a marketing plan on a fast food company New York Fries. Our goal is to investigate the Hong Kong people of cognition toward New York Fries. It would be much appreciated if you could kindly spare some time to fill in the following questionnaire. Your information provide for academic purpose will be kept confidential. It will be discarded properly. ? 18? Thank you. End ? 19?

Statement for application to university Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statement for application to university - Essay Example I could not especially imagine leaving all of my friends and relationships with professors behind. However, I arrived at Illinois Institute of Technology(IIT) which was ranked as one if the top ten overall best Colleges among the United States National University. Being a private university, Illinois Institute of Technology provide a wide variety of science courses. This includes; engineering degree programs, architecture, food process engineering, telecommunication and software engineering. Following discussion with our dean professor, I realized that Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) would be the best college to prepare me for my civil engineering career. I believe that in Illinois Institute of Technology, I will be able to gain first-hand experience through their internships andcampus academic launches and events. I discovered that each year, the campus organizes a launch in which students can showcase their homemade devices as they catapult their invention along the streets of Chicago. In addition, the school provides a technological curriculum where students get distinctive and relevant education in a scientific and technological environment where professional knowledge creation and innovation is advocated and emphasized. In addition, the university has launched a system where students can experience interprofessional projects programs like last year, one of the college’s student launched a perfect power system which basically tried to eliminate costly outages, power disturbances that were power related and alternatively control greenhouse gas secretion. Learning in IIT will make me a graduate not only on a viable job prospect, but also as a well-rounded and learned adult who can make diverse and valuable contributions to my community. Illinois Iinstitute of Technology would be the learning institution for

Week 8 discussion posts 6500 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 8 discussion posts 6500 - Assignment Example You can introduce this idea to your preceptor and if it is viable you can implement it, I hope it will be a solution to one of your challenges. Your post on this week’s discussion topic is great and inspiring. It is encouraging to learn that your objectives were achieved as early as you started working on your project. I have great interest in reading your posts because I believe your project; â€Å"Reducing Acting-Out Behavior with Therapeutic Communication† is based on a very important subject in the medical world. On your challenges, I believe that you already have a solution, you will be able to attract a willing audience once you utilize the knowledge you have which you have mentioned in your post. â€Å"It requires me to not only think about what I am teaching, but also how students are perceiving what I am teaching†¦ no one group of learners is going to all learn†¦ requires a variety of strategies in order to be effective (Billings & Halstead, 2012).† I believe if become more diverse such as changing the environment or using different activities such as games to educate the learners you will be able to finish the rest of the project. I enjoyed reading your post and I believe your project is on the right track as you near the end. Reading your post, made me realize that you are really enjoying your practicum project. This is the first step towards success, as you get to do ‘your best at your best’. It is always important to plan about the project evaluation early as this is a very important step in realizing your objectives. I understand that you have already come up with the â€Å"clinical evaluation tool† that you will use during evaluation; similar to my project, I have also adopted by creating my own evaluation tools. This gives you ample time to go through it with your preceptor and eliminate any errors. Simulation, is the next best thing to real practice, my advice would be to take it positively and see yourself in the