Retailing in China

Therefore, the aim of the present study is to work out a high-level plan of successful localization trainees. By analyzing the status quo of Chinese retail market and the current situation of transnational retailers in China (including the case study of Careful), this paper explores how consumer behavior, culture and government roles can affect the localization strategy and creates a list of formats for successful localization strategies. The paper proceeds in four sections.First, the concept of retailing localization (3 layers of localization) is Introduced as an antidote to the deficiencies of the prevailing study approaches to transnational retailing. One background sections hen follow. While the first part charts the status quo of Chinese retailing market and the rapid growth of transnational retailing, the second profiles the opportunities and threats transnational retailers face in the process of localization.Then, by studying the case of Careful (China), the strategy analysis of localization in China for transnational retailers is profiled, including the analysis of the 3 layers of localization – namely localizing the strengths, localizing the products and operational system (ups) and localizing management and corporate cultural (PEP). Finally, the wider implications of this study for transnational retailers in the process of localization are put forward in the concluding section. 1. Introduction 1. 1 The Problem and the Study Objective Admit it or not, the relationship between transnational giant retailers and China has become a love-hate one.On one hand, China Is virtually any retailer's largest opportunity for growth In the 21 SST century. With its booming economy, fast growing domestic markets and untapped talent base, China offers massive business opportunities and great strategic importance for retail companies all over the world. A large and growing consumer base of 1. Billion people. National retail sales reached some 837$ billion in 2005 with an increase of 12. 9% over 2004 It is estimated that national retail sales will exceed some 1250$ billion in 2010. Source: http://www. Showbiz. Com. CNN/ SMS. PH? Org=show=33431 =l On the other, China's unique cultural, business, and political environments pose significant challenges to transnational retailing operations that require a high degree of localization. Based on the fact that the localization of retailing Is much more complicated and comprehensive than other Industries, retailers usually find themselves puzzled and bewildered 1 n China. Indeed, many retailers have fallen prey to these challenges in the past 10 years AT operations In canal toners nave Eden unrolling extreme narrators In ten process of localization.The concrete causes of their problems vary. However, one common underlying characteristic is that they all, to some extent, failed to conduct successful localization strategies. The initial objective of this paper is to look at the problems retailers have en countered and explore the flaws in their localization strategies. The present study has one more objective: to work out a solution to a racial problem about how the transnational retailers can deal with the socio- cultural differences in China and conduct successful localization strategies.On the surface, these challenges appear difficult to overcome; yet, when we study the case of the multinational retailing corporations operating in China today, it is evident that some have achieved exceptional success based on their well-developed localization strategies. The experiences of these successful companies can be mined to create a list of formats which can help diagnose localization blunders of transnational retailers in China. Thanks to my internship experience with Chuan as Sale Management Trainee, I have been able to investigate retailing operations as an insider and had more profound understanding on this study. . 2 Current Study The uniqueness of Chinese retail market and the high demand of localization for retailing industry both in degree and content, make the research on the localization of transnational retailers in China an extremely interesting and meaningful one. While many previous researches have been focused on the localization of transnational corporations, only a few have explored the localizing strategies of retailing operation. Therefore, it is not an easy task to study the localization of retailing operations.However, by referring to those previous studies in relating fields, I have been able to explore deeper about this subject. The study of this paper is based on a mixture of primary and secondary sources. This material is supported by critical examination of longitudinal data from annual reports, company documents, as well as scientific work of business magazines and web site. 2. Localization 2. 1 The Definition of Localization When a company conducts global expansion, it is surely to be involved into the process of communication with local customers.It is therefore necessary for the company to get familiar with local culture, to study different customs, and to make proper adjustments to their strategies according to the varied response of customers. The executive of Careful once said 2 when doing market research in China that, â€Å"A store is a miniature of the country or city it locates in, so it should be adapted to the local environment. † There are many definitions on localization from different angles. Some of them are based on cultural and linguistic context, some focus merely on localizing the products.However, as for he definition of retailing localization which is a highly territory-embedded process, more practical and multidimensional view is required. Definition based on culture context According to the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA), localization Involves: ‘alkali a product Ana making It linguistically Ana culturally appropriate to the target locale where it will be used and sold. ‘ 2. 3 Three Layers of Localization for Transnational Retailing 2. 31 Two Misconceptions of Localization A. When talking about localization, people usually focus merely on product or service.Nevertheless, a successful localization strategy for retailing is much more complicated and comprehensive, including also the localization of operating system , management system ,even corporate culture and business ideas. B. A very important aspect of localization is usually ignored, that is, to bring in and localize the advantageous strengths of giant retailers. To retain their core values and stick to their distinct features are the requirements of localization for transnational retailers. In other words, localization and sticking to their uniqueness or strengths never contradict with each other.Instead, a sound localization occurs under the precondition that the strengths are maintained and enhanced during the process of development and adjustment. 2. 32 Layer 1 : to Localize the Strength of Giant Retailers A. Strength of giant retailers When talking about the localizing of strengths, it is significant to identify the strengths of giant retailers in the first place. Giant retailers have achieved great success in the world market largely because of the competitive advantages developed over decades of operation. Indeed, marketing and distribution expertise adds value at foreign-owned detailing stores.For Chinese consumers in particular, who are increasingly conscious about food safety and hygiene and getting sick with the environment of traditional Chinese markets, transnational retailers offer greater reassurance and a wider choice than traditional markets. ‘Compared with a Chinese supermarket, the service is better, the choice is wider, the food is fresher and they provide shuttle buses,' said Yang Shaping, a retired woman who spends about 100 Yuan during her weekly shopping trip to Wall-Mart. (The Guardian, 25/3/2006) The strengths of giant retai lers are listed as follows: a.Abundant capital, their scale, a stable flow of finance and rapid turnover b. Advanced technology and advanced distribution, logistics systems c. Advanced marketing and management experience 3 d. Well-established global competitiveness, corporate image and culture B. Three phases of localize the strength While it is important to note that transnational giant retailer have their strengths , more attention should be paid to the localization of these strength due to the fact that no business idea or system can achieve success by simply copying unless they are made suitable to the local market environment.Wall-Mart's Cam's Club is a good case in point: The most important feature of Cam's Club is that it is located in the countryside. It has achieved great success in the United States, however, it turns out to be a total failure in the Chinese market because only a small proportion of Chinese people own private cars. What's worse, the transportation system i n China is far from well-developed. Consequently, city dwellers have difficult access to Cam's Club located far away from their home. Realizing this problem, Wall-Mart soon decides to open stores in the cities to accommodate itself to the Chinese market.To localize the strength, the first step is to bring in advanced technology and management system to a foreign market for that is exactly winner ten AAA value Lies In. I en Toweling step Is to accost tense strengths to certain economic and cultural environments. Next, after localization reaches certain degree, hopefully, this strength can be further developed. 2. 33 Layer 2: to Localize Product and Operational System According to Farley dictionary, retailing is the functions and activities involved in the sale of goods and services to consumers for their personal, family, or household use.It is obvious that retailing as an industry has intense communication with consumers, the service retailers offer is, by large extent, to provide c ustomers with products they need. Due to different culture, custom, demographics, different group of people in different region have varied tastes over products. Therefore, retailers have to make careful investigation and analysis into consumer behavior and preference in order to enhance consumer satisfactory. A thorough localization strategy in product structure is critical to transnational retailers.As for sourcing, localizing the sourcing in local economy enable transnational retailers to meet needs of local customers and reduce delivery cost. Top retailers have come up with a series of advanced business modes and operation system during long time of operating experience. But this modes and system should be integrated into and modified with local environment and uniqueness, as explained above in the elaboration of the first layer of localization. 4 3. Retailing Transnational in China 3. The Status Quo of Chinese Retail Environment Like everything else in China these days, the cha nge of retail market is at a spectacular speed and on a scale the world has never seen before. It is already one of the fastest expansions in retail history, but analysts say it could get faster as international giants race for territory in a $billion retail market that is growing at a double-digit pace. The domestic supermarket leader is Baling, with nearly 2 000 stores, and the foreign legion is led by Careful, which has 70 hypermarkets, eight supermarkets and more than 100 discount shops.Wall-Mart currently has 56 megastars mostly in the southeast with about 30 000 employees. But even after it opens 20 more stores this year, its sales are unlikely to enter the top 10 of China's major retailers. Germany's Metro is the No. 4 foreign player, with 24 stores and another 40 within five years. Foreign investment has formerly been focused in Shanghai, Beijing, Sheen and other large eastern cities. But, as a sign of the growing power of Chinese consumption, many of the new shops are being opened in smaller cities. 3. Opportunity and Threat Analysis 3. 21 Opportunities for Retailing Transnational There is no shortage of incentives for foreign retailers in China. For many Chinese people, price is no longer the priority. Foreign retailers are also Telling It sealers to set up snoops Decease many restrictions n overseas firms were lifted in 2004 under China's World Trade Organization commitments. A. The largest consumer market With a population of 1. 3 billion and massive markets, China is attracting intense interest from the world as a consumer market.Over the past 20 years, retail sales in China have Jumped nearly 15% annually, to some $837 billion in 2005 making it the third-largest market on earth. The average annual income of China's 1. 3 billion people is less than $1 500. But the middle class is growing fast particularly in eastern cities and it has enough disposable income to start focusing on brand, safety, quality and taste. Consumer demand for modern shopping environment Since the mid sass, the high demand for modern shopping environments in China has been growing due to the rapid economic growth and rising levels of affluence. And consumer expectations have shot up even faster.Accompanied by the increase of purchasing power in China since then, both traditional supermarkets and department stores were not be able to meet the requirements of one-stop 5 shopping and shopping as leisure. Just a few years ago, most Chinese were content to line up in state-owned stores to buy whatever meager products were available, ND then shuffle off to unsanitary outdoor markets for meat, eggs, and vegetables. Now both local chains and the multinationals are pushing out the stodgy old state retailers and mom-and-pop shops by building big, convenient stores in central locations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Gunshot.Huge mass retailers emerged by providing customers with a great variety of goods at low cost and one-stop shopping. Therefore, it is undoubted a go lden time for retailers to enter a market that shows great assurance to them. For example, Macro from the Netherlands first entered Taiwan and quickly captured more than 30% market share in 1989. B. The change of policy from a protectionist orientation toward liberalizing In keeping with the conditions for China's membership in the World Trade Organization, Beijing on Deck. 1, 2004 lifted most restrictions on foreign retailers. Gone are limits on the number of stores, rules confining them to large cities, and regulations capping the foreigners' stake in local ventures at 65%. C. Regional advantages of Chinese market Cheep and sufficient labor resources: with its vast population, China is always able to provide transnational retailers with abundant labor force which requires relatively low ages. Moreover, Chinese employees are far more reliable than their counterpart in the host countries of international giant retailers.Cheap merchandises: the cost of many products in China is much less than in developed countries because of the cheap labor, which allows transnational retailers to make reasonable sourcing decisions both in China and the world. 3. 22 Threats for Retailing Transnational Given all the opportunities presented by China's growth, many NC retailers are eager to gain access to this market. The country unique traditions, history, culture, and overspent policies, altogether mean that doing business in China can be a complicated and time-consuming undertaking.Foreign retailers interested in gaining access to China face lots of challenges which they must attempt to solve or they will turn away. A. Intense competition from both transnational and domestic companies Competition from transnational companies There has always being fierce competition Detente gallant retailers In ten essences market; no one wants to De lagged Denver. As Tiff Gill, senior manager of the Kurt Salmon Associates Consultancy said, ‘All the big players are engaged in a turf war. It is about being first and getting as much coverage in as many cities as possible.This is a period of very aggressive growth. We are bordering the top end of the curve. But there is a possibility that investment could grow even faster. ‘(The Guardian, March 25, 2006) Many U. S. And foreign retailers are accelerating their investments in China, spurred by further easing of government restrictions and the allure of the world's fastest-growing consumer market. These giant retailers are engaging in fierce competition, opening many new stores in order to take advantage of the high rates of growth in this segment of the detail market 6 B is also pushing hard.The British firm's owner, Kingfisher, plans to increase the number of its stores in China from 49 to 100 by 2010. Kea has also caught the expansion bug. For several years, it has had only two superstores in China, but it plans to open two a year from now on. Competition from Chinese domestic companies Chinese sellers have the edge over foreign rivals, strengthening their presence more rapidly at lower expenditures. Their understanding of the local market and well-developed sales networks enable domestic retailers to respond more quickly and react more flexibly to market changes.With the foreigners attacking their home turf, Chinese retailers are fighting back. Take China Resources Enterprise Ltd. , which operates more than 1,700 supermarkets and hypermarkets, including China Resources Vanguard stores for example, the retailer has trimmed its staff to boost profitability, and has sought to improve management by raiding the foreign chains. Today nearly half of the middle and senior managers in Acre's retail unit used to work at foreign-owned stores. Those foreign-trained managers have brought in marketing expertise.For instance, to build brand loyalty, CREE rewards frequent shoppers with discounts, and the company has lolled out more than 60 private-label products, including bottled water, shampoo, and bod y lotion. And CREE is moving upscale. The company this year expects to open four â€Å"lifestyle† stores offering higher-end products. Plans call for an additional 20 such stores within three years. Chinese government's ultimate goal is to create a dozen or so big local players that will be strong enough to compete with the multinationals at home and expand overseas.It is not possible for the Chinese government to allow foreign retailers to take the dominant position in the Chinese market. B. Diversified consumer behavior Chinese people have their own unique characteristics, considerably different from, sometimes contrary to, that of Westerners. Consequently, Chinese consumers have their unique buying behavior, buying motive, their preference on merchandise and taste on design etc. Therefore, the marketing strategy to penetrate Chinese market should be tailored to these Chinese characteristics. Unique Chinese characteristics * Chinese adapted to catering to authority and to h armonize with others. Chinese have more interest In unman Telling Ana mementos than clientele or logical concerns. In terms AT KICK read, literary books rate more highly than scientific books, compared with westerners. 2003:128-161) Chinese culture is built on trust, relationships, and mutual respect. * Negotiations are normally bottom-up and informal. (Comfort, J. 2001 : 23-26) *The concept of face' is very important Avoiding action that could be perceived as anti-china, coercive, or condescending. Chinese purchasing behavior and recent trends * The Chinese display a strong suspicion of cheap products combined with a desire for bargains.The typical Chinese shopper engages in habitual comparison shopping rather than 7 impulse buying, typified by the saying, ‘Never make a purchase until you have compared three shops. ‘ Nevertheless, shoppers quickly snap up items perceived to be bargains. * Generally speaking, Chinese are fickle customers with little brand loyalty. (Kate- if, lee 2003: 10-13) When selecting purchases, the Chinese tend to attach more importance to the reputation of the item among the community they belong to, such as colleagues, friends, neighbors than to the performance of the goods or how well they suit their lifestyle.Thus, penetration of all communities is important for successful marketing in China. * Laying great emphasis on freshness f food: * There are also numerous new trends for Chinese consumer, which makes it difficult for overseas retailers to sensor and follow. A. Being increasingly conscious about food health and hygiene b. Issues of obesity and nutrition amongst children are also of increasing concern. Double-digit growth in the fast food and snack industries, changing lifestyles and a uniquely Chinese legacy – the one child policy -? are key drivers. C.Concerns focused on environment, safety have accelerated in the wake of CARS, avian flu and widespread pollution, prompting a wider consciousness about product s afety – from ice cream to I-pods. And, while perhaps sporadic and not yet conscious, a linkage between consumer rights and wider environmental concerns is beginning to emerge. D. While still evolving, the expression of consumer rights in China marks an important stage on the road to a greater collective social conscience, which, for so long, has opted to be quietly oppressed by those in authority. 4. Localizing the Strength Giant retailers have all establish a prestige during long time of operation. Yet, in China they may encounter unexpected situation result from the uniqueness of Chinese market. Consequently, retailers should be clear about what detergents can remain effective and what should be changed and localized. While Careful draws on its network system in its global operations (e. G. For certain IT and logistical systems), most aspects of its activities are strategically localized to meet the specific characteristics and needs of the Chinese market and its business, political and consumer cultures.Generally speaking, the key success factors for Careful, which are applied worldwide, are: one-stop shopping, extremely low prices, full range of choices, self-service, and free parking. These factors can be viewed as the strength of Careful. To remain competitive in China, Careful bought in these strengths with her, adopting flexible two-stage philosophy to localize her long-established strength and achieve stable growth. At the 1st stage, to enable branch stores to smoothly operate as fast as possible and to maintain high turnover.Meanwhile, to decentralized authority of set-up branches to link with community development that Totally leads ten Increases AT local tax, employment Ana Turner proselytes AT communities, Careful decides to set up a new store after the investigations of location, store space and neighboring purchasing power. For example, she built a whole-selling or green store in industrial region and a general retailing or blue store in residential ones in Taiwan. By adopting this strategy, Careful could capture both big and 8 small accounts in one shot and then grow much faster than her rivals in the early stage of market entry.At the 2nd stage, Careful focuses on customers, personnel training and market channels. She gradually enhances service quality, product innovation and emphasizes personnel cultivation. Frenchmen take the positions of top-level management constantly to infuse management philosophy of ‘serve customers' and ‘action orientation' into each store overseas. When walk into any stores of Careful, you will see many staff walk around to replenish stocks all the time. The manager in charge of a store also wanders around the store once it is open.Careful further adopts strategic alliances to develop private label products to supply more offerings so as to meet the needs of one-stop shopping of Chinese people. At the same time, utilizing the system of commerce automation to centralize the pur chasing matters of all stores, Careful could coordinate orderings, stock management and data processing for better control and decision-making. . 33 Public Relation In China, the localization of relation is the core of strategic localization. Chinese people pay special attention to the harmony of community.To deal with ‘relation' in China is a matter of delicacy to transnational retailers because, for one thing, the relation-business pattern is very much different from their operation in western countries; for another, it is essential to their success in the Chinese market. The most successful retailing companies have been willing to exchange short-term profits for long-term success, short-term employee productivity for long-term employee development, and short-term expedience for long-term government trust. Relation with government As a special Chinese characteristic, good government relationship is very important for companies.The government is not only a major consumer (gov ernment procurement) , but it is also the main policy maker and opinion leader. Learning how government works and how to establish good relationships is a critical step. A foreign company that is considered a friend o government will be granted favors such as a heads-up on legislation changes or inside advice on how to do business. Conversely, a company that is deemed unfriendly will suffer consequences such as negative comments about its products or passage of laws that exclude it from doing certain business.Getting on the wrong side of a key government agency can be disastrous. Interestingly, Carouser's relationship with the Chinese government is a love-hate one. She has made full use of the loopholes in government regulation to dominate the Chinese market, while at the same promoting employment and improving living standard. Relation with Partners Careful is good at choosing and maintaining local partners. She is always n seek of experienced local retailers actively and establish ing cooperation with them to get Tambala to ten local market as soon as poss. Ole Ana gain support In sourcing, human resources. 9 5.Conclusion Further Implications for transnational retailers operating overseas Improving crisis management capacity When operating in foreign country, retailers are always confronted with problems. What transnational retailers need to do is to improve crisis management capacity. Take Wall-Mart's bean curd crisis for example, instead of responding to the problem actively, it remained science long before giving a suitable explanation, which had ruined its image in Gudgeon seriously. When facing crisis, it is important to make quick response because silence may be interpreted as being indifferent and irresponsible by local consumers.Then, active investigations should be carried out immediately to find the causes. Finally, the existing problems need to be solved as soon as possible. Shaping humane culture That most retailers prefer on- going promotions to attract new customers and retain old ones is totally different from everyday low price and no price promotion practices of Wall-Mart. An open and tolerating culture of Wall-Mart could endure over time because managements treat employees as their associates. They show respect to each other and share both profit and knowledge that lead to the creation of a harmony organizational climate.Therefore, companies ought to develop themselves not as a workplace but a learning institution with the culture of caring and sharing. Combining sales channels Retailers could combine sales channels of physical stores and virtual ones to widen their accessibility to potential customers. The virtual shops could not only increase attention sales, but also accumulate market information for further investigation. Regarding localization as a two-way process Localization needs to be read as a potentially two-way process that is not simply about the transnational retailers adapting themselves to specific mark et conditions.Certain retail formats and technologies developed in particular contexts may then be diffused to other country operations, including the home market. Samsung-Tests, for example, has developed an IT system that has subsequently been rolled-out across the company, and is currently home to a ‘global' team working on e-commerce technology. The emergence of China will be the single most important economic event in the next decade. Along with it will come tremendous business opportunities, a large pool of talent, and many powerful companies.The stakes are high for retailing company. If it fails, another company or product could become a Chinese national standard, its products could be excluded from government procurement, and its image could be destroyed. If it succeeds, it stands to gain sustainable and predictable profitability, win-win partnerships with the Chinese government and companies, and great employees from a pool of amazing talent. This paper describes a hi gh-level plan of how to achieve this success by localization in China, by learning from other companies' success and failures.First, a company must localize 10 Localization strategy AT Remonstration Retailers In c in 3 layers. Then, these strategies should be adapted to unique Chinese characteristics. In addition, giant retailers needs to improve crisis management capacity, shape humane culture, and develop greater information system. By carrying out the proposed strategy of localization, retailing companies can realize their potential in China by assisting China to realize her potential in the 21st century. 11

Macpac

Introduction: Strategy is concerned with an organisations basic directions for the future,its purpose,ambition,resources and how it interacts with the world in which it operates(Lynch. R,p5 2003),thus it can be seen that there area number of techniques or ways in which the company can use these to achieve its goals and objectives,the purpose of this case study is to study the techniques used by MacPac to achieve its growth /achievement,the reasons for the losses suffered by MacPac and the steps taken to address these losses as well as an insight of MacPac’s current situation.Reasons for MacPac’s initial international success Macpac Attained a lot of success after the year of its establishment especially in the international markets, thereare a number of reason for MacPac international success, these can be summarized as: One of the basic reasons for MacPac’s international success was there Value Added or differentiated strategy ,According to which a company seeks to provide products or services unique or different from those of competitors ,The value added by the uniqueness of the product may allow the firm to charge a premium price for it(Johnson.G,Scholes. K, p322 2002). Macpac provided products which were unique than its competitors with high quality but with high price, Macpac followed this strategy to target those tampers to whom quality meant everything even though the price was high. Another Reason for MacPac’s initial international success was its Resource strategy: According to which recourses of any organisation include human resource skills, investment and capital (Lynch.R,p9 3rd ed),MacPac introduced communication audit within its organisation to develop a highly communicative environment and thus increasing its efficiency, it introduced high performance appraisalwithin itsorganisation, MacPac, with the recruitment of productivity consultants the production started to go smoothly and with reduction of labor cost from 25% to 14%, MacPac introduced the concept of profit sharing and introduced team building and performance as team.MacPac’s initial success can also be attributed to its Total Quality Management, Total Quality Management Deals with maintaining a particular standard for quality. MacPac always focused on quality, quality was their main objective they believed in total quality management, they provided products of high quality which were never before introduced by any other organisation, no other organisation focused so much on total quality management as MacPac did, MacPac did not believe in marketing but believed that it had to be true to its quality.Macpac also increased its quality by introducing accounting processes and computer systems. MacPac also introduced product refinements within its organisation leading to high quality products which no one else could match at that time. Unique Resources: Uniqueresources are the resources which critically underpin competitive advantage, t his unique recourses in case of MacPac was its location in new Zealand, new Zealand was considered heaven for adventure sports at that time and MacPac gears were made in consideration of the terrains of the new Zealand, which set a standard in itself for outdoor gear.Knowledge: Knowledge is the awareness ,consciousness or familiarity gained by experience or learning(Jhonson. G,Scholes. K 2002 p150). Being a keen tamper himselfMacintyre had the experience of what a keep tamper wants. Critical Success Factor: are those product features that are particularly valued bya group of customers and where the organisation must excel to outperform competition(Jhonson. G,Scholes. K 2002 p150),the critical success factor in case of Macintyre was the quality and design of its products.Product Development: It is where organisation delivers modifies or new products to the existing market (Jhonson. G,Scholes. k,2002,p368) Joint Development: when two or more organisations share resources and activitie s to pursue a strategy(Jhonson. G,Scholes. K 2002 p378). Merging with wilderness meant that it was the first brand to offer wide range of products under one name. Market Development: when the organisation offers new products in new markets(Jhonson. G,Scholes.K 2002 p370) , MacPac was also successful because it followed a strict Selling Strategy to its customers, it started to sell its product direct to the retailers and removing the agents and it redesigned itself for particular markets, removing agents meant that MacPaccould now get in touch directly with the retailers and get information regarding customers likes and dislikes and as such producing according to that Macpac also followed Focus Strategy in which a company focuses on a particular segment of buyers within an industry (p205 3rd ed),MacPac mainly focused on hardcore and keen tampers who only wanted the best outdoor equipment for outdoor activities, the buyers who could trust MacPac gear when they were on outdoor adventur es. Macpac greatly believed in Innovation andDesign was completely dedicated to innovations and new designs leading to new products and development in the existing of the existing product which greatly contributed to its success internationally as with innovation it was able to manufacture products which were new to the customers and they were more then willing to buy them as they had never seen those products before.Macpac also educated his customers with Catalogue’s which displayed all the MacPac’s products, and giving the customers a wide range to choose from, These catalogue’s were placed in retail stores which sold MacPac products Reasons For the losses MacPac incurred during 2001-2005 Macpac although Did Great during the initial years and succeed in establishing it brand internationally,it suffered huge losses during the years 2001-2005 the main reasons for the losses that MacPac incurred during this phase can be explained using PESTFramework PEST analysis identifies environmental factors into 4 major types, Political, Economical, Social, Technological. (Jhonson. G,Scholes. k,p82 1993) Political: One of the main reason for MacPac’s loss was the event of 9/11.MacPac’s sales dropped rapidly, because American economy trembled due to this and as America was the financial hub of the world, every other economy faced the same situation as a result the value for new Zealand dollar decreased considerably resulting in the decreased exports of MacPac, also the event of 9/11 some how brought the whole economy into a financialcrunch and as such demand for products decreased and people spend very less which had obvious effect on MacPac. Political: Post 9/11 the political situation trembled all over the world and as such there was political in stability which had obvious effects on MacPac’s process and contributed to its loss. Government were now more concerned about the safety of the people and the people too preferred their o wn safety. Going out seemed to be less safe as such contributed to MacPac’s loss Social: Post 9/11 the behavior of the people had changed people now had a different attitude towards outdoor activities and the industry was changing from hardcore outdoor activities towards more softer activities and were more focused on fashion, later the fashion part ook over and people now stopped doing adventurous activities and preferred to stay at their homes as a result less people bought Outdoor Adventure Equipment, all this had a great effect on MacPac’s progress and as a result it suffered losses. Economical: With the event of 9/11 the attitude of people had some how changed people now were not ready to pay for high quality costly products but preferred Low quality and elite products, MacPac which always considered quality as their objective and had high quality products could not cope up with the change as such had to suffer losses. Technological: with the shift in peopleâ€⠄¢s behavior from hardcore to soft and finally fashion oriented, required new technology which MacPac did not have and may be one of the reasons for its loss.Other reasons: The main reason for MacPac’s loss during 2001-2005 was their low Budgeting strategy and could not tackle changing trend of the people, It had low logistic management, and were less automated. Critical Issues That Macpac Is facing: Although With the introduction of the New Business Model Macpac has got on the track and recovered from the losses it suffered in 2001-2005, thecompany still faces a greater number of issues which the company has to address, the issues that MacPac faces now can be summarized as under Threat Of entry Threat of entry to an industry will depend on the extend to which there are barriers to entry (Johnson. G,Scholes. K,1997,p108).As it is seen that MacPac entered the outdoor equipment industry easily and without much trouble showing that there was probably no barriers or less Barriers to enter this industry, as such showing that anybody could enter the industry posing a serious issue for Macpac. Also aswith the increase in globalizationnew Manufacturers can now enter any industry and as such can enter will the outdoor equipment industryaswell, posing a serious problem to MacPac Threat Of substitutes: The availability of substitute’s can place a ceiling on the price of a companies product and reduce its attractiveness(Johnson. G,Scholes. K,1997,p109), and with the outdoor equipment industry growing and newer and newer manufacturers entering into the market and producing products of their own which will be sometimes cheaper then the MacPac or even better then the MacPac.MacPac will have to address this issue andit is a serious problem for it Competitive Rivalry: The most competitive condition are those in which the entry is likely, substitutes ,threats and buyer supplier exercise power/Control and as the current outdoor equipment industry in increasing in t he number of competitors there is increase in the number of substitute’s available to the buyer creating rivalry between MacPac and its competitors to sell their products more,Macpac’s competitors will often find ways to outrun Macpac by offering better benefits to buyers or else reducing the prices of their products,which will be harmful to MacPac. Thus creating a issue which MacPac faces now. Maintaining Level Of Quality:With the outsourcing to Asia Macpac faces the problem of maintain the quality of their products, as the main idea of MacPac to outsource to Asia was to reduce the cost andMacPacbelieves that the buyers can never know where the product is made, as such he has to make to has to maintain the quality of its product to the quality and the standard of the products manufactured in new Zealand and USA,if MacPac Fails to maintain the quality standard then it will lose it brand image which will result in losing customers. Outsourcing: outsourcing occurs when a n organisation decides to buy in products and services that were previously produced in-home(Jhonson. G,Scholes. k,2002,p450),but outsourcing requires managers to be more competent at maintaining the performance ,they suppliers or distributer need to educated regularly about the organizational goals ,priorties and standards,thus increasing the cost without the guarantee that the supplier will full understand what was taught to him,thus putting the image and resources of the company at risk.Resource Management: With MacPac becoming from just a New Zealand Company to a global one it will require effective management of its resources as well as Finance/wealth Management. MacPac’s Business Model: After suffering huge losses during 2001-2005, MacPac had to redesign its business structure in order to avoid any further losses but they did this not ahead enough, had they developed this model before chances are that they would have avoided the losses which they suffered during 2001-20 05. Macpac developed a business model that stabilized their position and saved them from suffering any further losses. MacPac changed their business model to a formal structure.Formal Structure: A formal structure is based on the primary activities that have to be undertaken by an organisation such as production, finance and accounting, marketing ,human resource and information management(Johnson G Scholes. k 2002 p 422) Financial Control: In financial control the role of the center is to set financial targets, allocate resources, appraise performance and intervene or correct poor performance(Jhonson. G,Scholes. K 2002 p448),Macpac also introduced finance management strategy and did not pay until the finished goods were supplied and as such did not have the burden of surplus stock kept as final goods, Macpac basically introduced a finance management strategy which saved them cost and other expenditure incurred previously.Human Resource Management:organisations which successfully man ages change are those which have integrated their human resource management policies with their strategies (Jhonson. G,Scholes. K,1993 p416). Macpac developed a new resource strategy and started to recruited people who love outdoor activities and as well used MacPac’s products as a result they brought an un inevitable expertise, it helped MacPac to spend less on the training of its employees as they already new a lot about it products, MacPac also hired a new CEO who could Created a strategy that could get MacPac out of loss. Technology/Information management: Knowledge creation and information managementare issues at the front of managers minds as a potential source of improved competitiveness. (Jhonson. G, Scholes. k, 2002,p490).MacPac also stared to send the designs electronically as such reducing its overall cost that were not covered in previous business model,MacPac also used automatic machinery and increased its workforce The Main change was to shift the attention from innovation and design but to introduce a wide range of products Logistics Strategy Before 2001 MacPac had not focused on logistic management but in the new business model they designed a strategy to manage and increase its logistics, and as such MacPac increased its logistic staff from 0 to 3 persons MacPac also introduced sales strategy by increasing its sales force to double to reduce its chances of loss again and thus increase it sales MacPac also introduced the budgeting strategy in its new business model and revises its current bonus system Increased offshoring to become a global company Macpac also sought supplier’s recommendations and that of its competitors too; RecommendationsIt is seen that MacPac faced a number of problems after its establishment, these problems occurred especially when MacPac entered international market, and it continued to suffer losses even after the implementation of the new business model which only worked after few years of its implementati on. Companyas such for a company like Macpac which experienced many difficulties and issues, the following recommendations are given. 1. In aspect to marketing proper marketing should have been done and proper research should have been done, forecasting of the market should also been done, and all the aspects of starting a business should been taken into considerationdevising any strategy or plan. 2. Proper Budgeting and financing strategy should have been adopted to meet the requirements of the organisation and at proper times 3.Proper allocation of resources should have been done, along with proper market research been done so that the company could read the market trends and adjust accordingly. The organisation should have been more flexible and more goals oriented 4. Goal and objectives of the organisation should have been clearly set forward with clear objective of what the company needed from its employees and where it wanted to be after a particular period of time 4. Consider the use of strategic management. One of the advantages of strategic management is it enables a firm to proficiently identify how a certain organisation should deploy its resources in the environment and adapts the organisation to satisfy the long-term objectives of the firm. It is important to note that strategic management deals with several time spans.

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

Assignment - Research Paper Example Even though that is an increase on previous studies that have shown the percentage of businesses who measure results that are directly attributed to training efforts as a lot lower, the fact still remains that showing a direct causality between training and training programs is still a problem. Two problems that will be the focus of this study will be (1) finding variables that are directly impacted by training methods and (2) accounting for other influences of change that also might be causal reasons for the changes in the variables identified. While companies often measure their business success through sales figures, customer complaint numbers, accident figures, staff absences and similar statistics these same figures only offer a statistical reference if applied to staff training and its effectiveness. However anecdotal evidence is harder to ascribe measures to. Questionnaires have been used with some effectiveness to determine employee opinions on training programs, and how the same employees feel their skill set has improved because of the training (Olian et al, 1998). But the problem with using similar methods to accurately gauge the return on investment for the training in the workplace is that the data is often self-reported which comes with its own set of limitations. Another issue is that to get an accurate measure of improvements relating directly to training, a methodology would have to include a way of collecting data on a range of variables that included post-training behaviors as well as behaviors during and after the training had been finished. Also to ensure that some other causal element (such as a change in staff moral due to the implementation of training program) has not influenced the data collected (Olian et al, 1998). The purpose of this study will be to collect data and analyze the methods used in

Policing And Its History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policing And Its History - Research Paper Example Under the reign of King Alfred, the structure of internal police force was established, under which different landowners were required to protect the territories of the kingdom, and arrest criminals, as well as bring them to trials. Furthermore, a group of citizens founded their own force, in order to keep the King’s police in check and to see that it does not abuse its power. Thus, these citizens made a force which guaranteed them mutual protection, and also was responsible for catching criminals and giving them to the King’s police. These citizens called themselves ‘tythingmen’, and gradually their numbers reached hundred, and they became in charge of the organization of court, and handled civil matters and disagreements.\ After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, a few changes were made to the old system of justice. The ‘tythingmen’ lost some of their power, as Sheriffs were introduced. These sheriffs were in control of local law enforcement, and were directly appointed by the King, and were answerable to him. The hundred ‘tythingmen’ were upgraded to the ‘Court of Tourn’. The Court attended several numerous, most of which were related to small crimes and civil disobedience. But a few men from the Court were placed in charge of more grave matters, which could only be solved by them. A ‘Court Leet’ was also established, which was to attend all local village matters, and the head of this court was called ‘Comes Stable’, which later changed to Constable- a term still used for police officials. In the 1700s, this system of justice and law started to disintegrate, as the kingdom began to expand and cities were established. The constables became fraudulent and did not take their jobs seriously. Bribes became common among the police force, and criminals were able to escape without being punished or imprisoned. Charges were dropped and crime flourished in the cities. Finally, in the

Media and Politics. Picking a local topic, national, and world topic Essay

Media and Politics. Picking a local topic, national, and world topic. Present topic - Essay Example This is because one source will have either some strength or weaknesses, therefore advantaging or disadvantaging the rival source, resulting in the differences. The media, for being such an influential part of society, requires regulations and ethics to govern what qualifies to broadcast or not, for instance in the case of politics, it is important for sources to remain neutral and not influence society in any way. Introduction The general media is a valuable source of information and a powerful medium of information that largely influences the understanding of daily events and occurrences of the people who access its releases. As a watchdog, the media has the potential to either be faithful or not, as it enjoys unlimited freedom in choosing and deciding what is worth publicizing or not, and what perception to create around a certain event or occurrence. The media is a wide fraternity of society comprising of numerous sources at different levels and has similarities, differences, str engths, weaknesses, and much influence on all aspects of society. This essay will conduct an analysis of media sources at three levels; local, national, and international, and bring out the mentioned qualities by comparing the uniqueness of two different media sources at each level in their mode of relaying similar political events. Local media level Local media coverage defines broadcasting of information concerned with a specific context such as a state, whose news would not be of much relevance to other states or to the larger national and international communities. In this case, this study will compare and contrast the relay of news concerning the 2012 accusation of (former) 18th Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Jennifer Carroll, of having a lesbian relationship with an aide in which we shall feature the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel as our news sources. The Sun-Sentinel The article with Carroll’s story as appearing on this media source on 12 July 2012 had the headline â⠂¬Å"Sex scandal becomes the talk of Florida’s capital.† The story is introduced with catchy words such as â€Å"titillating sex scandal† and goes on to describe Carroll as one who does not feature much in the news headlines but is this time in the limelight due to criminal charges. However, after this, there is not much mention of her accusations. Rather, the stories focus on one Carletha Cole who is Carroll’s former spokesperson and who is accused of conducting illegal recording. The story does not seem to directly attack Carroll, and all her accusations arise from second parties such as Cole’s attorney bringing up the sexual accusations, but not the source itself. The source does not reveal what the results of a polygraph test carried out on Cole were. At the conclusion of the story, there is much positive information about Carroll, such as the women representatives describing her as a role model. She is also linked to Christianity, and her histor y is depicted as never tainted before (Haughney and Bureau 1). The Miami Herald The Miami Herald’s headline of the topic is â€Å"Is Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll’s Former aide seeking vengeance or injustice?† In this source, Cole’s attorney introduces the sexual accusations against Carroll, this after we learn that Cole is facing criminal charges of illegally taping audio around the Florida State offices. In this article, they

The book Marriage Morals by Bertrand Russell Essay

The book Marriage Morals by Bertrand Russell - Essay Example It contests and lobbies against LGBT rights, divorce, abortion, embryonic stem-cell study and pornography. Marriage and Morals is an old book written by philosopher Bertrand Russell, and that questions the Victorian perceptions of morality concerning marriage and sex (Russell 2). Contrast issues The Liberation of Women: chapter seven of the book advocates for women liberty; however, the approaches contrasts the morals the title claim. The chapter claims that the sex education provided by many books is insufficient to curb immorality. The only fixation that will suffice is to eliminate from young women all chances of being by themselves with men: girls must be prohibited to make their living by work outside the residence; they should never be permitted an outing unless in a company of their mother or an aunt; the unfortunate practice of going to boogies without a chaperon ought to be sternly stamped out. The book suggest that to avoid immorality of unmarried women there should be a mo nthly medical checkup carried out by police doctors and these doctors preferably castrated, and non-virgins to be sent to penitentiary(Russell 82). The chapter continue to suggest that the use of contraceptives and talking to unmarried women to be prohibited. The author asserts that if this is carried out for several years then the tide of immorality will be curbed. The concept is comparable with FRC effort to make women free from oppression; however, the approach differs. FRC has processes to encourage women freedom in a more humane manner as contrasted to suggestion that the book provides. It supports a federal ethics clause, permitting medical employees to refuse to give certain treatments to their clients, such as procurement of abortion, blood transfusion or birth control. It also supports for abstinence- and encourages sex education, intelligent design and entreaty in public schools, and the control of pornography and other "obscene, profane, indecent, or program on broadcast and cable television (Stange 510). In both cases, there is advocacy for restriction; however, the approaches differ. The book suggestions are not liberty related they are a different form of oppression of women in pretext of curbing immorality. The book gives a presumption that immorality can be controlled through restriction of women activities. Sex Morality: Chapter 8 of the book discuses the taboo on sex knowledge, it claims that frank pornography would do less damage if it were open and unashamed than it does when it is rendered interesting by secrecy and stealth(Russell 89). This is contrary to FRC stand on pornography since it is against it and advocates for the control of pornography and other indecent, obscene, profane, or program on broadcast and cable television. The book argues that the taboo against nudity is an obstruction to a decent approach on the topic of sex. It proposes that it is in order for children to observe each other and their parents nude when it so happen s naturally. There will be a short time, most likely at about three years of age, when the youngster is fascinated in the dissimilarity between the mother and the father, and compares them with the variances between themselves and other siblings, but this stage is soon ended, and subsequent to this they take no more interest in nakedness than in clothes. This is a contrasting fact with FRC stands that condemns any form of obscenity (Stange 510). The book considered homosexuality to be immoral when it

Analysing the global marketing environment Assignment

Analysing the global marketing environment - Assignment Example Background This report is based on the examination of the global marketing environment of the popular cookies brand of New Zealand, Cookie Times, in the global market, especially in United States. Cookie Time Ltd (CTL) is one of the most popular cookie brands in New Zealand. This is located in Christchurch and makes snack foods since 1983. The mascot of the brand is known as Cookie Muncher. It is a commercial, innovative snacking company. One of the fundamental business structures of the company comprises of franchised distribution, retail, as well as manufacturing operations with special focus on the opportunities of foreign licensing and franchise. Chocolate Chunk Cookie was the first launched product in the New Zealand market intended for individual sale. With unparalleled operational excellence and dynamic entrepreneurship, CTL is dominating the domestic cookie and cracker market for more than 28 years. Their passion lies in building strong customer satisfaction base and network by providing unmatched quality products with extravagant taste (Franchise opportunities, Cookie Time, n.d.). The company’s portfolio includes highly innovative and popular products like glutten-free cookies and smart cookies with authorized certification from the National Heart Foundation. The mainstream sweet cookie was launched in the market in 2006 with prior consultation with the Ministry of health, NZ Parent Teachers Association and the Heart Foundation. In 2010, the first full scale retail space of the company, the Cookie Time Bar was established in Queensland which serves great hot cookies and milk with a nostalgic ambience. The outlet shop of the company outside the Christchurch factory is a landmark site which is well known for its giant cookie frontage. The head quarters and the food science laboratory are also established here. For distribution of the products to more than 6000 domestic retail outlets 40 independent franchisees work rigorously across time (Corporat e Profile, Cookie Time, n.d.). Reports show that about one-third the people of United States of America (US) have no time to take their meal. Only one-third of them take regular three meals in a day. The others depend on easily available food items and snacks and skip their meals. The unhealthy consumer behavior leading to rampant obesity has led majority of the American population to convert their dietary mechanism towards a more healthy process. As a result CTL finds a great opportunity to enter this market with its products which are rich in high proteins, high fibre, natural ingredients with low fat and sugar which guarantees healthy diet (Cookies in the US 2006, p. 6). That is why the study is done to find out whether there is proper global environment of the marketing Cookie Time in the country. 1. Environmental analysis 1.1 Economic Environment The economic setting can modify quite fast. Effects of rapid business decline in a country or region will adversely affect the busine ss environment of any organization within that geographical boundary. However new strategies are to be formulated and implemented at the simultaneously for maintaining sustainability. The fall in consumer’s income changes their consumption pattern by cutting down expenses by barred consumption on some products. As a direct consequence many companies including

Report of food industry in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Report of food industry in India - Essay Example its of food, development of the human resources, supporting the research and development and the creation of the development of infrastructure and also the promotional measure that is adopted for encouraging the growth, development and processing of the food sector. The food processing has been considered as the large and the important sector for covering various activities which includes the horticulture, animal husbandry, agriculture, plantation and the fisheries. The government of India and the ministry of food processing has included the following items or the segments that is included in the food processing industry are processing of grain, fisheries, dairy , vegetables and food processing, the consumer foods which mainly comprises of the beverages ,packaged drinking water and foods and the processing of meat and poultry. In recent years it has been observed that India has experienced a substantial modification and development in the consumption, production and trade that is car ried out in the Indian agricultural sector. In the year 2000 it has been observed that India has experienced the growth rate in terms of the value that is related to the export of marine products, tea, sugar and rice. India is carrying high value of exports of various traditional commodities which includes coffee, tobacco, sugar and rice. The organized food sector of India constitutes to around 30%. The highest proportion or the share in case of the organized food in India is mainly contributed by the poultry and the meat segment. The macroeconomic environment in case of India provides a wide and diverse area and opportunities towards the growth and development in the industry and this contributes towards the development of the national economy. The food processing industry in India accounts for 32% of the food market in India. The food processing industry in India is one of the largest and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption and export. The total estimated value of

Circumstances Contributing To the Departure to a School with Essay

Circumstances Contributing To the Departure to a School with Specialized Technical Training Including the Plans Contributing To the Future Academic Success - Essay Example The researcher tells that she has been studying at South Hampstead High School in Camden, a girl’s only school which was established several years ago. The school has about 1000 students with an age bracket of 4-18 years who commute every day from their homes since the school has no boarding facilities. The researcher has chosen to transfer to another school that accommodates both boys and girls. The researcher’s parents suggested she move to a better school where both girls and boys interact and learn which improves the confidence of a student towards the opposite sex. The researcher has a strong Islamic background which South Hampstead High school does not emphasis; this situation has prompted the need for the author to transfer to another school which upholds Islamism. The researcher’s parents got transferred from their working stations which led to the whole family relocating; it has been strenuous for the author to commute every day more than ten miles becau se she gets to school when is exhausted. Getting out of the house very early in the morning and arriving home very late in the evening is not secure; there has been an increase of reported rape cases recently. The researcher’s parents have not been comfortable because of the security concerns. Her academic performance as well has been affected because he is always worried about her safety to and from school. The tuition has been increased making it difficult for the author’s parents to raise since this is a tough economic time. Going to a boarding school is what the author has always wanted because she can have more time to study as opposed to the current situation where she spends most of her time commuting. The researcher’s current school does not expose students to specialized technical training which has been her passion to be an engineer. The researcher’s parents have always wanted her to acquire important technical skills in this field as considered one of the best in the job market. The author’s parents believe in nurturing the skill in at an early age. Besides, the author could not afford the tuition of pure girl’s school since her father, who was the sole provider and the family breadwinner, passed away in 1998.

Filipinos as Consumers Essay Example for Free

Filipinos as Consumers Essay Philippines is considered as one of the countries with the lowest economic status, thus most Filipinos earned low or insufficient income to sustain their needs or wants. The insufficiency of their income made them to become wiser when purchasing the products. Some preferred to choose products with affordable prices while others stick to their loyalty to a specific brand. Practically, the Filipinos also prioritize their basic necessities than purchasing other unimportant products and they also look for more affordable alternatives. For example, if the price of rice increased and a certain Filipino citizen cannot afford to purchase it, he will switch to the best alternative which was corn. Sales and discounts have huge roles on how the Filipino consumers purchase. Based on my observations, Filipinos were attracted to â€Å"big discounts and sales† because they believe that they could spend less. There are some that they marked the date of their most awaited sale of their favourite products on malls or stores. Some grabbed the opportunity to purchase the products in their lowest prices though they do not badly need the said products. In my personal experience, I am easily attracted to the products with yellow price tag which signifies discounted prices. But I realized that during regular days, the price were the same on the yellow price tags. This simply shows how influential yellow price tags are and how Filipinos were attracted to discounts and sales. Brand names were one of the concerns also of the Filipinos. Though the prices increase on the products of a specific brand, loyal customers will prefer to purchase it. They were not only purchasing the product alone but also their experience from that product or brand. Nowadays, many stores in our country offer and sell products that were imitated from the original brands. These imitations were very affordable but their durability were not trustworthy. The product might be easily broken and the money that you have spent will be wasted. When a consumer bought a fake Nokia cellular phone, a tendency that it will not function very well and it might contain hazardous parts. I prefer to purchase products from a well-known and trusted store because of the assured durability of the product and they offer customer service. Products with good and large packaging invite more consumers to purchase. As a consumer, good packaging has a great impact on me because those products will be noticed easily. Large packaging may give a thought to the consumers that it has greater amount and lesser in price compared to the other products. Smaller packaged products and sachets were patronized also by the Filipinos. To most Filipinos, the small amount of money they spent on shopping, the better. I can relate this situation on my personal experience. My mother always buys shamp oos in sachet because according to her that it would be more practical to buy in sachets. Instead of buying a shampoo in a 90 mL container, the price was lesser and it has wide availability on sari-sari stores. Amount of money was an important factor when the Filipinos shop. It was very common to the Filipinos that we plan ahead or make a list of the possible items to be purchased. They also made some estimation of the possible prices of the listed items. This was one of the ways on how the Filipinos budget their own money. Nowadays, most consumers preferred the local brands because of its cheaper prices. Such as Happee toothpaste, C2 tea, Human Nature products, Champion Laundry detergent, MyPhone cellular phone and many more. According to current reports from ACNielson, the number one concern of the Filipino consumers was for â€Å"health, wellness, and youthfulness†. Filipinos are worried to acquire diseases because of the expensive medicines or treatments that they would spend. Filipinos cared on how they appear physically and give importance on time, the reason for the increase on the consumption of cosmetics, health and convenience products. When it comes to food products, some Filipino consumers checked the â€Å"nutrition facts† that were placed at the packaging of a certain product. Those Filipino consumers were usually the mothers who were very much concern and secure the health of its own family. When it comes to junk foods, I chose the chips with the â€Å"Sangkap Pinoy Seal† because of the assurance that it contains vitamins and nutrients. Children usually hate the â€Å"healthy foods† and would like to eat more sweets and chips. Their mothers were having a hard time on how to feed healthy and nutritious food to them. But the markets today offered products that the children will surely like its tastes and at the sam e time gives them the right nutrition. Advertisements were very influential to the Filipino consumers. Televisions, mobile phones, newspapers, and radios were the mediums used for advertisements. I have noticed in some advertisements that they used one of the powerful or effective people in the country to attract more consumers. Famous actors and actresses, successful people and politicians were usually the common endorsers of their products. With the help of the product endorsers, a great possibility that the sales of the product will increase and will be well-known in the industry. Consumers from different regions may vary because of the influence of their culture and tradition. There are some that prefer to spend less and save more. Others were known to be â€Å"great spender† because their region was composed of wealthy people. Poor Filipinos prefer to stick on whatever available food or thing that they can afford with their small amount of money. Though majority of the status of the Filipinos have not improved, but recent studies showed that Filipino consumers exhibit wiser purchasing habits. This simply implies that most Filipinos today are becoming wiser consumers.

Disabled Childrens Access to Childcare Programme

Disabled Childrens Access to Childcare Programme The Services Available to Disabled Children Introduction Disability is all too often seen as a social problem i.e. it is seen either in terms of personal tragedy or of blame. Disability has been theorised in a number of different ways, most of which locate the problem in the individual rather than the broader social, political, and economic influences. This has implications not only for the location of the blame for social problems but also for the ways in which services for certain groups are delivered and accessed. All too often access to services is hindered for children with disabilities and the burden of care is left to the family (Moore, 2002). In many cases it would seem that if a child has a disability then this is seen as a matter of private concern for families. The present Government advocates a mixed economy of welfare where welfare is provided in part by the state and partly by private companies operating for profit. The shift from public to private has received much publicity and contributed to social problems and to social e xclusion (Giddens, 2001).The mixed economy of care (largely as a result of the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act) has meant that access to care for children with disabilities has become problematic. Thus families who are already stretched both financially and emotionally face further stress as the result of being unable to access appropriate care and services for their child. This tends to support the view that having a child with a disability results in the family as a whole being disabled by the unjust society in which it is situated (Fazil et al, 2002).. Within the human services great emphasis is placed on the rights of the service user, and this discourse is also evident in Government debates on social support and caring for people with disabilities. All too often however, this remains at the level of discourse and is not followed through when it comes to policy making. This assignment will therefore undertake a critical review of research into the services available to disabled children to assess whether the problem is as broad as some theorists would have us believe, and what might be done to alleviate the problems faced by families who have a child with a disability. Research Question What services are available to children with disabilities and what are the difficulties associated with accessing them. Protocol The area of interest is children with disabilities. The outcomes are what services are available and what if any difficulties might be associated with accessing those services. Objectives To carry out a critical review of literature to discover what services are available to children with disabilities. To ascertain whether it might be argued that perceptions of disability might affect what services are on offer and how these might be accessed. To assess whether parents receive accurate information from professionals To make recommendations Search Strategy A broad search was undertaken of the following: Disability and Society Community Care British journal of social work – Child: Care, health and development www.doh.gov.uk/research www.socresonline.org.uk www.jrf.org.uk www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/archframe A broad search of Taylor Francis journals and Google Scholar was also undertaken. Key word and key word phrases were, disability, family, service users, disabled children, disabled children and their access to services, access to services for disabled children, effects of disability on family life. Part of the problem for disabled children and their families has been an over-reliance on the medical model of disability which locates the problem within the person. Inclusion discourses and debates about discrimination tend to suggest that this pathologising of children with disabilities is further extended to their families for example Bowler and Lister Brook (1997) when speaking of children with Downes Syndrome say that: The identification of a genetic basis for Downes Syndrome led many researchers to explore the possibility that there might be behavioural phenotypes in addition to physical phenotypes that result from specific genetic abnormalities (Lister and Brook, 1997 p.13). Clearly this is locating the problem within the child and does nothing to improve perceptions of either the disabled child or his/her family thus discriminating against the family as a unit. Most of the studies looked at in the following review, and the ones concentrated on in the analysis, report distorted perceptions of disabled children and their families. They also report that services for disabled children are not consistent nor easily accessible. The key concepts that were present in the literature were an assumption that people have plenty of extended family support, use of formal and informal care arrangements, any difficulties in securing access to appropriate services, and the effects that having a child with disabilities has on families. Most of the research indicated that across the board service provision for children with disabilities was at best patchy and at worst lamentable and that it was this, along with perceptions of disabled children and their families that affected access to appropriate services. The review begins with an indepth assessment of three studies in particular and then reviews the concepts generally. Families and Children with Disabilities Fazil et al (2002) undertook a triangulated study (i.e. one that uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods) into the circumstances of twenty Pakistani and Bangladeshi families in the West Midlands who had at least one disabled child. The aim of the research was to try and understand whether and in what ways the discrimination that these families might face was compounded due to the fact that they had a child or children with disabilities. The researchers used a combination of structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to obtain their results. The research focused on parents’ experiences, their use of formal services, their material circumstances, and the ways in which having a child/children with disabilities affected their lives. A significant finding of this research was that while Government discourses centre on the integration of service provision in Birmingham (where these families live) there was: The absence of systematic services which came across most strikingly (Fazil et al, 2002,p.251) This view is supported by research undertaken by the Audit Commission (2003) whose findings suggested that across the country, rather than the integrated and joined up services that are promised, service provision was a lottery. How much service and what kind of services offered to disabled children and their families depended very much on which part of the country they lived in. Clearly the move to make partnership working the norm does not always succeed. Molyneux (2001)[1] maintains that this only works when certain guidelines are established at the outset. His research into successful inter-professional working established three areas that contributed to the success of such partnerships. Staff needed to be fully committed to what they were doing and personal qualities of adaptability, flexibility and a willingness to share with others were high on the agenda. Regular and positive communication between professionals was seen as endemic to good working relationships and service delivery. This communication was enhanced (in the study) by the instigation of weekly case conferences which allowed professionals to share knowledge and experiences (2001, p.3). Dowling and Dolan (2001) undertook secondary analysis of a qualitative study using the social model of disability as an analytical frame. Disability is usually defined too ways, as a medical model where the problem is located in the person and the social model where the problem is located in society i.e. as a social problem. The researchers found that having a disabled child in a family could marginalize the whole family who then suffered from unequal opportunities and outcomes. Through their use of the social model of disability as an analytical framework the researchers found that these families often suffered financial hardship along with stress created by social barriers, prejudice and poor service provision. Some studies tend to suggest that much of the care that is on offer is discriminatory – that is to say it takes the view that disabled children and their parents have a tendency to be over reliant on services. This article was a summary of the work undertaken in Leicester and it did not therefore, contain the views of parents and their children. Bush (2005) is a senior manager in children’s services and in his summary of what are called ‘inclusive’ services for disabled children he points out that the services are only on offer for a short while so as to discourage over-dependence on the service. This is not to say that some of the tasks undertaken by this partnership group are not beneficial, but there is no guarantee that any of the services would be ongoing. Fazil et al (2002) focused on the problems faced by members of two specific ethnic groups, the study was included because it was felt that the problems and feelings expressed within the study were quite representative of the feelings and experiences of many parents who have a child or children with disabilities. Although the study was very small, consisting of only twenty people, the use of both qualitative and quantitative data gave the study a breadth that it might not otherwise have had. Certainly the implications of the study were that services are difficult to access and all too often professionals make assumptions about the level of care and support that parents are able to give – these assumptions were also made in relation family support systems that the respondents may have had. The research also found that lack of support and the continuing struggle to access services and make ends meet affected parents’ views of themselves and their abilities to cope. Bryman (2004) has this to say about the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods It implies that the results of an investigation employing a method associated with one research strategy are cross-checked against the results of using a method associated with the other research strategy (Bryman, 2004, p.454). All in all the study was fairly well balanced, and did not for example, appear to exaggerate parent’s fears. The use of data triangulation tends to add weight to the findings of this particular study. Dowling and Dolan’s (2001) study tends to support the findings of Fazil et al. There appears to be a common feeling that when families have a disabled child or children then they, along with their child, are marginalised. Such marginalisation leads to stress in families and problems in accessing care. In many cases professional assumptions about these families increase the stress involved in obtaining appropriate services and care. This in turn supports the findings of Gregory (1991) that perceptions of disability and the assumption of parental responsibility has a huge impact on family relationships and on respondents’ own views of themselves as parents. Bush’s (2005) summary of a particular project in Leicester supports the idea that parent’s of disabled children are in some way responsible. The services in Leicester operate to help parents cope with their disabled child in the short term and then the onus is placed back on parents in the long term. The project aims to prevent what it terms as an over dependence on service provision. It seems to be the case that the feelings that the parents of disabled children have expressed in other studies are generated by the kind of services that treat parents as though they are trying to shirk their responsibilities to their children. This was a very short article that briefly described the services on offer, some of which would need to be continued even though they were only provided on a short term basis, for example physiotherapy. As the author of the article states: Each intervention is administered with the intention of ensuring that the services are short-term and discourage dependency (Bush, 2005, p.128). This may seem overly critical of the project because until its inception two years ago many of the services that it offers were not available at all in Leicester. The fact that even now they are only available in the short term tends to support the notion that access to services for disabled children is often problematic. Access and Attitudes in Service Provision Case (2001) found that parents of children with learning disabilities were often dissatisfied with the professionals with whom they came into contact and when services were provided they tended to be reactive to the problem rather than proactive in solving it. Perceptions of children with disabilities, and particularly learning disabilities are often devalued by society and this devaluation is evident in poor service provision (Chappell, 1997). King et al (1997) maintain that service provision often reflects how children with disabilities are perceived by medical and social work professionals rather than the needs of an individual child. This follows the view among many researchers that the medical model of disability is still at the forefront of most professionals’ minds. The problem is that medical people tend to see all difficulties solely from the perspective of proposed treatments for a patient, without recognising that the individual has to weigh up whether this treatment fits into the overall economy of their life. In the past especially, doctors have been too willing to suggest medical treatment and hospitalisation, even when this would not necessarily improve the quality of life for the person concerned. Indeed, questions about the quality of life have sometimes been portrayed as something of an intrusion upon the purely medical equation. (Brisenden, 1986:176). The medical model leads to the treatment people with disabilities as passive objects of medical attention. This view is oppressive of people with disabilities and spreads to other social relationships, it sees disability as pathological i.e. rooted in a person’s biology, and thus unchanging. Contained within this model is the perception of people with disabilities as problematic. As an adjunct to this model, disability has been theorized as a personal tragedy, which means that individuals with a disability are seen as victims. Treating children with disabilities as victims arguably leads to their becoming almost invisible in service provision. Goble (1999 cited in Case 2001)) maintains that the needs of disabled children and their families are often not addressed because issues that are important to service users, rather than service providers, are not really considered and are under researched. Hornby (1994 cited in Case 2001) has argued that professionals often neglect to provide parents with all the information that they should have when it comes to the needs of their child. If children with disabilities are to get the correct treatment and have access to appropriate services then the parents should be fully informed. Clearly disabled children’s access to services is hampered by social perceptions and by the perceptions that professionals have. This has resulted not only in problems accessing services, but when services are accessed they are not always appropriate to a particular service user’s needs. Research tends to focus on perceptions of disability and the disadvantage that it brings but as yet there is little evidence of what disabled children and their families actually want from service providers. Conclusion and Possible Policy Implications The prevalence of the medical model of health and the ways in which families are kept under-informed regarding the disability of a family member, particularly a child, affects family relationships. It also affects the attitude that professionals may take to disabled children and their families. Gregory (1991) maintains that when a person is diagnosed as ‘disabled’ this affects the ways in which society and the family respond to and deal with that person. Families themselves can tend to see the disabled family member as ‘sick’ and different. Gregory (1991) found that having a disabled family member also affected the way in which mother’s viewed themselves because ideological images of motherhood focus on having an able child. Thus a woman may feel that she is somehow not a mother because of the ways in which society defines motherhood. While doctors may diagnose a physical or learning disability families are often left to cope without either sufficient information or professional help. In a number of cases families have reported that hospitals have refused to admit non-emergency cases unless a parent or carer remains on site to provide additional support (http://www.cafamily.org.uk/rda-uk.html). A shortage of nursing staff and the increasing tendency to perform surgery on a day care basis means that many families are left with extra caring responsibilities once they take the disabled child or adult home. (http://www.cafamily.org.uk/rda-uk.html). In conclusion it would appear from the literature that service provision is sporadic and often not appropriate to the individual needs of disabled children and their families. It might be recommended that more research is needed into what users actually want from service providers and that perhaps as one study suggested users fare much better if they are assigned a single key worker who will liase with all service providers. Bibliography Bowler, D and Lister Brook S. 1997 â€Å">From general impairment to behavioural phenotypes: psychological approaches to learning difficulties† in Fawcus, M ed Children with Learning Difficulties: A Collaborative Approach to their Education and Management London, Whurr Bryman, A 2004 Social Research Methods Oxford, Oxford University Press Bush, C. 2005 â€Å"Inclusive services for disabled children† Practice Vol 17 (2) pp 127-130 Routledge Case, S. 2001 â€Å"Learning to partner, disabling conflict:†Disability and Society Vol 16 (6) pp 837-854 Coffey, A and Atkinson, P (1996) Making sense of qualitative data, Sage, London Dalley, G. 1988 Ideologies of caring: Rethinking Community and Collectivism London, Macmillan Dowling, M and Dolan L. 2001 â€Å"Families with children with disabilities: Inequalities and the social model† Disability and Society Vol 16 (1) Jan 1st 2001 pp. 21-35 Fazil, Q. Bywaters, P. and Ali, Z. 2002 â€Å"Disadvantage and discrimination compounded: The experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents with a disabled child in the UK† Disability and Society Vol 17 (3) May 1st 2002 pp. 237-253 Gough, D and Elkbourne, D 2002 â€Å"Systematic research synthesis to inform policy, practice and democratic debate† Social Policy and Society 1 (3) pp. 225-36 Gregory, S. 1991 â€Å"Challenging Motherhood: Mothers and their deaf children† in Phoenix, A and Lloyd E, eds. 1991 Motherhood: Meaning Practices and Ideology London, Sage Macdonald, G 2003 Using Systematic Reviews to Improve Social Care London, Social Care Institute for Excellence Millar, J 2000 Keeping Track of Welfare Reform York, York Publishing Services for the Joseph Rowntree foundation Molyneux, J 2001 â€Å"Interprofessional team working: What makes teams work well?† Journal of Inter-professional Care 15 (1) 2001 p.1-7 Moore, S. 2002 Social Welfare Alive 3rd ed. Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Morris, J 2003 â€Å"Including all children: Finding out about the experiences of children with communication and/or cognitive impairments† Children and Society Vol 17 (5) Oliver, P. 1990 The Politics of Disablement Basingstoke, Macmillan Oliver, M 1996 Social Work with Disabled People Basingstoke Macmillan. Such, E. and Walker, R. 2004 â€Å"Being responsible and responsible beings: childrens understanding of responsibility† Children and Society 18 (3) Jun 2004, pp.231-242 Swain, J. Heyman, B and Gilmour, M 1998 â€Å"Public Research, private concerns: Ethical issues in the use of open-ended interviews with people who have learning disabilities† in Disability and Society 13 (1) pp. 21-36 Walsh, M. Stephens, P. and Moore, S. 2000 Social Policy and Welfare. Cheltenham http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:7JMuRPBUQgMJ:www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/NATIONAL-REPORT/EE944EBA-B414-4d76-903E-A4CA0E304989/Disabled-report.pdf+access+to+services+for+disabled+childrenhl=enct=clnkcd=6gl=uklr=lang_enclient=firefox-a www.doh.gov.uk/research www.socresonline.org.uk www.jrf.org.uk www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/archframe 1 Footnotes [1] Molyneux is a social worker who was part of the inter-professional team on which the study was based.

Affirmative Action Is Not the Solution Essays -- Affirmative Action Es

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, an opportunity to ‘equal the playing field’ by providing a broader context by which to measure an applicant or prospective employee. In the end, however, this goal is not realized. Instead, superficial ‘quotas’ are established and the discrimination that was once placed on the minorities now turns the other way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the arguments against affirmative action is that it injures white men and violates their rights. If were to take a closer look at the affirmative action laws, we can see why this would be true. For example, let’s take a hypothetical situation of two males, one white and another individual who happens to be a minority, both sending in college applications to Harvard to compete for admission. Unfortunately, the university only has one available spot and must decide between the white individual and the minority. The white male has slightly better grades and quite a few more volunteer hours, while both of them excelled in sports and completed two foreign languages. Under the current affirmative action policies, the minority would probably get the final position because of the perceived need for ethnic diversity in the college atmosphere, despite the fact that he did not have the stronger academic credentials. Would this be considered just? In this case n ot only would affirmative action be serving an injustice to the white individual, but it would also help create a loophole by indirectly establishing a legal form of discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The counterpoint to this argument is that although affirmative action creates a larger obstacle for white men to achieve, such measures are necessary in order to break the cycle of de facto employment and school discrimination. However, this does not seem to be a valid counterpoint. If we take a look at another hypothetical situation we can see why it is not ... ...† However, this argument is not compelling, as the best way to increase productivity and improve the economy is to hire on merit. Hiring based on something other than objective merit may result in economic inefficiency and a less qualified staff. If minorities have a qualified resume and are available, they will meet the criteria of the employer. Once again, it is more effective to treat the disease itself, rather than to stoop down to the same level and discriminate to treat the symptoms. In athletics, for example, in spite of past discrimination blacks have excelled, not because standards were lowered but because barriers were eliminated. Now more than ever blacks comprise the largest ethnic group in professional sports and have come to dominate some of the most lucrative sports such as football and basketball, and are now using their earned social capital to give back to their communities to help others along the way. This is a prime example of how minorities can be help ed without lowering the standard by which others are also measured by. To improve our standards as a whole, we must remove the ball and chain on minorities, rather than adding a heavier ball and chain on whites. Affirmative Action Is Not the Solution Essays -- Affirmative Action Es   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, an opportunity to ‘equal the playing field’ by providing a broader context by which to measure an applicant or prospective employee. In the end, however, this goal is not realized. Instead, superficial ‘quotas’ are established and the discrimination that was once placed on the minorities now turns the other way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the arguments against affirmative action is that it injures white men and violates their rights. If were to take a closer look at the affirmative action laws, we can see why this would be true. For example, let’s take a hypothetical situation of two males, one white and another individual who happens to be a minority, both sending in college applications to Harvard to compete for admission. Unfortunately, the university only has one available spot and must decide between the white individual and the minority. The white male has slightly better grades and quite a few more volunteer hours, while both of them excelled in sports and completed two foreign languages. Under the current affirmative action policies, the minority would probably get the final position because of the perceived need for ethnic diversity in the college atmosphere, despite the fact that he did not have the stronger academic credentials. Would this be considered just? In this case n ot only would affirmative action be serving an injustice to the white individual, but it would also help create a loophole by indirectly establishing a legal form of discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The counterpoint to this argument is that although affirmative action creates a larger obstacle for white men to achieve, such measures are necessary in order to break the cycle of de facto employment and school discrimination. However, this does not seem to be a valid counterpoint. If we take a look at another hypothetical situation we can see why it is not ... ...† However, this argument is not compelling, as the best way to increase productivity and improve the economy is to hire on merit. Hiring based on something other than objective merit may result in economic inefficiency and a less qualified staff. If minorities have a qualified resume and are available, they will meet the criteria of the employer. Once again, it is more effective to treat the disease itself, rather than to stoop down to the same level and discriminate to treat the symptoms. In athletics, for example, in spite of past discrimination blacks have excelled, not because standards were lowered but because barriers were eliminated. Now more than ever blacks comprise the largest ethnic group in professional sports and have come to dominate some of the most lucrative sports such as football and basketball, and are now using their earned social capital to give back to their communities to help others along the way. This is a prime example of how minorities can be help ed without lowering the standard by which others are also measured by. To improve our standards as a whole, we must remove the ball and chain on minorities, rather than adding a heavier ball and chain on whites.

Ginseng :: Essays Papers

Ginseng Basis of the Asian Science of Consumption The Asian tradition of categorizing food is based on the observation of one’s reaction after consumption. It is rooted in the theory that food provides energy for the body and mind. The proportions and forms of energy vary, some are extremely energizing while others may even weaken the body and mind (3). The Asian word for energy is ch’i, however, its translation extends far beyond the Western understanding. It is basically thought of as the spirit or essential energy existing in all beings and elements of life (water, air, earth, etc). The ch’i of a healthy person is balanced. This notion of balance is the foundation of Asian thinking represented by the symbol of â€Å"yin and yang†. Yin is the equivalent of what is dark, cold, and moist; while yang is associated with light, warm, and dry elements; thus representing balance. The notion of balance exists universally in all elements and is represented or explained by this symbol. Therefore, since o ne’s energy must be balanced in order to stay healthy, and further, since it is food that provides energy, the Asians have created a science of consumption that fuels the mind and body from within. Foods that strengthen the body by increasing or decreasing energy levels according to need are considered pu foods, usually having a tonic and stimulating effect. Foods of this nature are rare and placed at very high prices, but since they are believed to be extremely important in balancing one’s ch’i many are willing to pay the high prices in order to attain them. Anderson points out in his article, Traditional Medical Values of Food, that pu foods are â€Å"famous worldwide as examples of the bizarre things human beings will eat and pay high prices for†. Ginseng is the most highly regarded and most expensive. It has maintained a heavenly context since ancient times. It is crucial to understand the extreme significance that Asians place in food for the purpose of maintaining balance in order to assure one’s health. It is also necessary to understand that attaining this balance represents the most vital concern of life and therefore extreme measure may be taken to achieve it. A Quick Introduction to Ginseng Ginseng is the common name of the two species of the panax family, Araliaceae. Panax is the Asian species and panax quinquefolius is the American cousin (2).