The Natural Superiority of America in the World Free Essay Example, 1500 words

The French lifestyle is much more conducive to a leisurely and introspective approach to life. It also encourages neighborhood shopping and more interaction with one s neighbors and a more connected way of life. Americans focus on the Protestant work ethic of hard work and sacrifice and have less of a focus on enjoying life on a daily basis. Americans over-value hard work-- the working vacation is not uncommon but even expected in many professions. Fast food, eating on the go, quick meals, drive-thru lunches, coffee to-go, 70 hour work weeks, 2 weeks vacation a year, and shopping at the local cookie-cutter-anonymous mall are standard American lifestyle choices. In fact, America sees those as a point of pride in her citizens lives. Enjoying lifeless and refusing to slow down are typical American badges of honor. What do those French do with their extra time? With more free and leisure time, the French culture naturally has developed a major focus on French achievements and artistic accomplishments while America tends to re-move itself from anything cultural if it interferes with her work-ethic. France takes pride in its centuries of contributions to the arts, humanities, literature, architecture, and music. We will write a custom essay sample on The Natural Superiority of America in the World or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

Analysis Of Saukko s Writing Is Very Effective - 1437 Words

Saukko’s writing is very effective; Saukko’s story is entertaining and wrote in interesting ways for reader want to continue reading her essay. Even though she uses satire and irony often throughout her essay, we can still comprehend the issue is serious matter. she’s trying to speak. Ehrlich’s writing urges people to do things that can slow down global warming effects, and prevent more harm to ecosystem. Gawande’s article helps me to understand that pollution not only can damage the earth, but pollutions can have direct effects on humans as well. Saukko’s essay shows us many ways planet can get poisoned; her essay helps the reader to think about what we can do to prevent more pollution to dump upon the earth. Even though, people cannot do much, but we can all take part and take responsibility on improving the environment. Saukko provided detail descriptions with truths on how the planet can take its toll if environment constantly being da maged via pollutions. Saukko used ironies in her story; she wrote a step-by-step instructions on how to poison the earth and claimed it as a ‘good thing’ to show irony. She also gave reader example of using Uranium-238 to poison the earth, as it is easy for people to acquire. However, Uranium-238 was not easy to acquire and she claimed Uranium-238 as one way to pollute the earth not humans to show irony. Saukko was serious about what she stands for. Saukko’s step-by-step recipes to poison the earth gave readers to

The House on Mango Street Writing Project Free Essays

Male/Female gender roles (Minerva, Sally, Rafaela, Mamacita, Linoleum Roses) The House on Mango Street Writing Project The book called House on Mango street is about a little girl that grows up in a poor naeberhood that is full of crime and violence. I think that having a male gender in the place they lived would have coused a different life steil for the family. They probley would have had a little less things to worry about with a boy instead of a girl. We will write a custom essay sample on The House on Mango Street Writing Project or any similar topic only for you Order Now But if they had a girl they would be able to go places without being hereased about not being in a gang or something like that. I would much rather be a boy If I lived there than a girl. I would like be a boy because I would be able to protect my self if and harm came my way. I would be able to stand up for my family and be able to say weather or not I would like someone doing that or not. I would also be able to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong. I would be able to go and stand up for what is right and not have to live in little houses. There are some advandtaves to being a girl where they lived. Some of those advantaves would be the house cook. There are some more advantages like getting there GED and going to college. So they can get a good job and soport there family. They would get to gether so they can rebeald the place they lived in. So the kids there would have much beter homes that they had growing up. She would also buy the kids there a bank account so they can get started to saveing some money to go to college like she did. How to cite The House on Mango Street Writing Project, Papers

Innovation and Strategies Organizational Growth †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Innovation and Strategies for Organizational Growth. Answer: Introduction The change that is being undertaken by the organizations is based on the sustainability of the organization in the market. The major aspects of the change are based on the innovation that is being undertaken by the companies in order to adhere to the change in the demands and the preferences of the customers. On the other hand, the innovation that is being undertaken by the organizations helps the same in gaining over the competitive advantage of the same in the market. The concerned company for this report, Apple inc. has taken steps to maintain their brand name through the innovation that is being undertaken by the same in the market. it has helped the organization in bringing in continuous improvements in the structure and the functioning. The main purpose of the report is to review and analyze the article by Stefan Thomke and Barbara Feinberg, named Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple. It will be helping in the proper understanding of the manner in which the organization has gained its repute though continuous innovation and planned strategies. According to Thomke and Feinberg (2012), in the year 2012, the launch of the iPad, which resulted to the growth of the market share price of the organization as it reached US$ 600 billion. It has helped the organization in determining the improvements in the financial strengths of the organization in the market, a signal of their growth and expansion based on the needs of the people. Thomke and Feinberg (2012), stated that the market capitalization of the company is estimated to be US$ 550 billion with an annual sale of US$ 100 billion. It has resulted to the growth of the organization in the market. The company has retained its market value since its inception. According to a report, the present market capitalization of the organization has increased to $911.906 billion, which is significantly more than that of Alphabet Inc., which is worth $787.884 billion (Johnson et al., 2018). The major aspects of the growth of the organization are based on the innovation and the sustainability of the same in the market. The continuous innovation process of the organization and the strategies has helped in the sustenance and the expansion of its business all around the world. The innovation and the strategies that are being undertaken by the management of the organization have helped in determining the different aspects of the change in the structure and the functioning. The continuous innovation that is being undertaken by the organization and the Platform strategy has helped in determining the growth and the sustainability of the organization in the world market. As stated by Thomke and Feinberg (2012), the Platform strategy makes an effort of making the operations and the strategies that are being implemented and organized by the company is made confidential. The strategies are not disclosed to the public, which helps the organization in retaining their magic of excellence in the markets. On the other hand, the simplicity of their operations and the proper execution of the strategies have helped the organization in holding on to the continuous improvement efforts undertaken by the same in the market. The innovation approach of Apple and the competitive advantage The determination of the needs of the customers all around the world has helped Apple in undertaking the required modification sin their systems. The proper understanding of the needs of the people has helped the company in undertaking innovations on their products and the services. The development of the products and the modifications in the systems and the configuration is being undertaken by the organization with their effort of bringing in innovation through the determination of the needs of the people. Thomke and Feinberg (2012), in the article Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple stated that excellence in the execution of the processes and the innovation minded people that filled the company with maximum knowledge resource that has helped the same in undertaking the change in the systems and the functioning. The innovation that is being undertaken by the organization has helped the same in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. The business market was occupied with Windows and Intel (Wintel) at the time when Apple was struggling for its market position through continuous innovation. The innovation has helped the organization in gaining over the market through the proper identification of the needs of the consumers. Thomke and Feinberg (2012), stated that the user-friendly interface and the simple functioning is one of the major feature that supported the growth of the organization in the market. The people working in the organization are qualified engineers and scientists that has helped in the quick progression of the organization in the market scenario. Thomke and Feinberg (2012), stated that the growth of the organization is based on the innovation that is being undertaken by the same in order to meet the needs of the customers. However, Johnson et al. (2018) stated that the company prioritizes the Protective Strategy where the organization has taken steps to introduce similar products for maintaining their market position other than focusing more on innovation. Therefore, it can be stated that the organization has taken steps to balance the aspects of the innovation and retention in the markets, which has helped the organization in its growth and expansion in the market. Culture of the company that supports people to undertake the innovation The corporate culture of the organization has helped and supported the employees to undertake continuous innovation in the processes. According to Thomke and Feinberg (2012), the major aspects of the change that is being undertaken by the organization is based on the change in the preferences and the requirements of the customers. Therefore, it can be stated that the identification of the various elements of innovation is supported by the organization culture as it has every provision of undertaking the innovations. Steve Jobs played an important role in determining the progress of the organization while undertaking the different aspects if the change in the systems and the marketing of the products in the market. According to Thomke and Feinberg (2012), Jobs has brought about the change in the structure and the functioning of the organization. On the other hand, he acted as a boosting agent in the year 1997, which has helped in improving the market position of the organization through the enumeration of the chief competitors of the organization and the different aspects of the change that is required to be undertaken by the organization to sustain its market position. According to Steve Jobs, the proper design that could be given to the apparatus should be based on the simplicity as it is taken as the absolute form of sophistication. Jobs explained, The system is that there is no system . However, he never meant his company to be chaotic in nature but he wanted to emphasize more on innovation and less on the effectiveness of the processes that are being undertaken by the organization. Innovation comes from the simple ideas of the people who work in the company, with and for the company. According to Thomke and Feinberg (2012), the innovations that are being undertaken by the organization is beyond the fashion and the trend that is followed by the market and which is characterized by simplicity. Therefore, this strategy of Apple has helped the company in gaining over a competitive advantage in the market. References Johnson, K., Li, Y., Phan, H., Singer, J., Trinh, H. (2018).Mds.marshall.edu. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1420context=etd Thomke, S. H., Feinberg, B. (2012).Design thinking and innovation at Apple. Harvard Business School Publishing.

Email and Literacy

Without any doubts, the Internet is the place, where lots of people, students in particular, like to spend their time, communicate, being far away from each other, send messages, discuss novelties, and share other interesting for them information.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Email and Literacy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the way students share this information turns out to be rather unique. Such letter-combinations like plz, thnx, nbdy, hait, or hayd, are known to the vast majority of Internet users, and they are certainly of what each of them mean. The major point of this paper is to clear up whether such Internet slang, emails, and text messaging has positive or negative influence on students, their education, and language development. Of course, there are certain pros and cons of the Internet, and it is necessary analyze the impact of our modern Internet slang on our future generation. Someon e calls the Internet a disease, someone tells how wonderful to spend one more hour online, and someone just do not what to do with all those web pages. There are so many attitudes to emailing and text messaging. Lots of people prefer real life communication in order to observe the emotions, to follow the reactions, to provide with some support, and, finally, to know for sure whom you are talking to. However, when you emailing to someone, you cannot care about your appearance, you may do several things, and express your emotions by means of funny images. Professor Ellen Seiter truly admits that â€Å"the propensity of kinds and teens to use e-mail and IM makes them better able to write and communicate, even if it’s not on paper. All types of writing helps all other types of writing.† (Olsen and Suri, 2007) She believes that the most significant thing about writing is an ability to express thoughts; but how exactly students do it, it does not actually matter.Advertising Looking for essay on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"Email has brought an undue familiarity. People use words like ‘yo’ and ‘hey dude’ that are perfectly appropriate for peers but not for professional communication.† (Friess, 2003) To my mind, here is the major negative point of e-mailing and text messaging. People change every day polite and complete words into some letters, acronyms, and icons. PAW (Parents are Watching), LOL (Laugh Out Loud), and (L) MIRL (Lets Meet in Real Time) – these are the phrases or just letters students communicate with. (Jones 2006, 10) Is it our future? Is it the way, we are going to communicate with time? If it is so, then our parents need to buy new dictionaries and start getting their one more education in order to be able to comprehend their children language. Students forget how to write ordinary words. Some of them alrea dy cannot write the words entertainment or government properly. This is why it is crucially important to divide our Internet communication and pay more attention to this real life. Real emotions, touching, and observations are much more interesting, and students should known enough words to describe all this beauty around. To my mind, email is a means to communicate with people, who are really far away. To send a message, it is possible to use some short words and known acronyms. But, when we talk about our education and students’ literacy, these words are not appropriate, and we should forget about them and remember all those meaningful words, we learnt, in order to demonstrate proper literacy and ability to communicate on a high level. Bibliography Friess, Steve. â€Å"Yo, Can U plz Help Me Write English?† USA Today. March 31, 2003. https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2003-03-31-chat_x.htmAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Email and Literacy spe cifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Jones, Ryan. Internet Slang Dictionary. Lulu.com, 2006. Olsen, Stefanie and Suri, Sabena. â€Å"Say so Long to Traditional Letter Writing.† CNET News.com, August 24, 2007. https://www.cnet.com/topics/culture/ This essay on Email and Literacy was written and submitted by user Gemma Pacheco to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

White Rabbits Essay

White Rabbits Essay White Rabbits Essay The Rabbits NotesJames Grafton Goes from Belonging (i.e. connection to the land)- Not Belonging ( rejection from theland ), due to conflict of societies. The undertone of this novel pertains to the belonging toa specific group or culture– and the novel metaphorically represents the possums asaborigines, and the white settlers - cleverly tying in thecontemporary issue of Australia’sinequality. Initially: Uses colour in first few pages to represent a connection to the land – brown, redand yellow – earthly colours that effectively work together in creating adefinitive environment o They work with the land instead of abusing it â€Å"Brown possums† raised as the inhabitants - there is a conflict in colour whenthe white rabbits enter the land o Foreshadows tension further on Juxtaposing positions of societies on double page spread – brown on left, whiteright. Hiatus represents a conflict of interest, further with a conflict in colour – white environment consists of dark, grayscale - reflective of their technologicaladvancementProgression: Book progresses, so too does dissolution of the brown rabbit’s belonging Marsden uses repetition of text â€Å"There were too many rabbits† to exemplify thenewfound dominance of the rabbits in a forceful attempt to belong to the land - superficial and forced belonging to place. Violence as a symbolic representation of the limitations of the cultures, whichcreates a sub concept of conflict. Juxtaposition of weapons, especially in size anddetail – white rabbits are larger in size, greater detail, and greater number. Feebleopposition of brown rabbits – limited, uses elements of the earth as opposed tomanufactured goods - destruction of brown rabbits o Upon brown depletion, comes a depletion in colour within the world – turns grayscale progressively w/ houses, buildings and farms  Signifying the NOT belonging to place by the black rabbits Post-destruction: Brown rabbits are framed to the left of the page, enshrouded by technologicaladvancement and the vectors of a fence lead them to be seen as prisoners Black colour dominates final pages to suggest lack of life, lack of belonging – colour and light used as symbols Low key colours + vector of horizon leads reader’s eyes towards a huge jail wall,framed to the left of the page. The text â€Å"the land is bare and brown and the wind blows across the plains† sits above the horizon’s vector – although the whiterabbits occupy the land, they do not belong to it, hence Marsden’s use of â€Å"bare† o Furthers link between black rabbits and the land â€Å"Wind blows empty† is mysterious imagery to show the rejection that naturalelements now have towards the land, and suggests that the white rabbits havedestroyed the landscape - superficial colonization and forced belonging / signifies

Marketing Communication Strategies of UK Supermarkets Case Study

Marketing Communication Strategies of UK Supermarkets - Case Study Example Essentially, the value of the customer must be prudently considered. Convenience substitutes place and cost (which includes time and energy) replaces price. Thus, communication replaces promotion (Ashcroft 2002, p.178). Knowing its external audience is a huge necessity for any organisation and to achieve this task, a firm must embark on an effective market research. So as to attain excellent communication, it is imperative to be conscious on which communications media the audience will respond to -- whether they read newspapers, magazines, leaflets, listen to the radio or watch television (what type or what programmes they specifically watch). In the case of supermarkets, for instance, they obtain information about their customers via loyalty card ideas, magazines and their websites. From the information gained, they target particular groups of shoppers. The process employed in the current study includes Primary Research and Secondary research. Primary research entailed the use of questionnaire survey and personal interviews. Meanwhile, with Secondary research, it included the Mintel database as well as newspapers, books, company information and internet search. Many of the information gathered are backed up by visuals like illustrations, charts and graphical representations. Likewise, in order to complete the brief report, the study also included watching television and taking notes from these commercials, getting inside the supermarkets themselves, watch how people react to the advertisements fed to them, talking with marketing agents and supermarket sales staff. Similarly, product reviews have also been read, consumer comments and blogs have been randomly considered so as to get insights and an overview of the whole chain and the entire supermarket-retailing system. Market Overview Today, supermarkets control food sales in developed countries and are swiftly escalating their international presence. At the same time, global mergers and acquisitions and cutthroat pricing schemes have focused market power in the hands of a few major retailers (see Appendix 1 for company growth) (Raworth 2004, p. 6). The late 1990s witnessed a spell of merger and acquisition activities as the supermarket segment speedily merged and strengthened to counter the 'Wal-Mart' intimidation. Currently, the UK food retailing industry is governed and strongly dictated by four key supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons) who together account for over two-thirds of retail food sales (Fearney, Duffy and Hornibrook 2004, p. 2) and such consolidation of retailers has reinforced their control over suppliers. Today, the UK supermarket segment is still ruled by Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons; these are the only chains that operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700m) and sometimes go beyond. These so-called "Big 4" had a combined share of 75.3% of UK's grocery market realm (TNS Report, 2008). As it is, sector analysts foresee that it is not improbable

Shackleton Case Questions Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shackleton Questions - Case Study Example From this discussion it is clear that  Shackleton’s utmost strong point was his ability to keep the team together and reduce their tension even in situations of dire crisis. He managed to take fast effective decisions for the need of the moment especially when there was shortage of food on the ice and the decision to abandon the ship at the right time. However, the mains weakness lies in his shortsightedness regarding food supplies. We find examples of the men feasting and entertaining themselves with the flesh they hunted and whatever they brought along but care could have been taken to ration the food from the very beginning such that the animals could be kept alive. In fact his decision to kill McNeish’s pet worked against his relation with his subordinate since the latter never pardoned him for this.This report highlights that  Shackleton knew that an effective leader needs to inform the team members about the rewards and incentives lying in the path of achievin g the goals. He promised his men that they will be compensated in full despite the fact that their ship was lost.   His tactics are similar to that of Agamemnon who sent for Achilles with the promises to shower him with gifts of women, land and riches in order to win against Troy.  Machiavelli’s principles of ruling show some great ideas of leadership some of which have already been applied by Shackleton. According to Machiavelli, a leader can be â€Å"deceitful when it suits his purpose and not appear that way†.... He managed to take fast effective decisions for the need of the moment especially when there was shortage of food on the ice and the decision to abandon the ship at the right time (Koehn, 2010, p.12). However, the mains weakness lies in his shortsightedness regarding food supplies. We find examples of the men feasting and entertaining themselves with the flesh they hunted and whatever they brought along but care could have been taken to ration the food from the very beginning such that the animals could be kept alive. In fact his decision to kill McNeish’s pet worked against his relation with his subordinate since the latter never pardoned him for this (Koehn, 2010, p.30). When the dogs were shot in front of the men, the sight was disturbing to all of them (Koehn, 2010, p.16). In a situation where men are fighting for their own survival such a sight of death at the leader’s instructions might give them little confidence about a safe return. 3. What parallels do you see between Shackleton and other leaders whom you have studied? Shackleton knew that an effective leader needs to inform the team members about the rewards and incentives lying in the path of achieving the goals. He promised his men that they will be compensated in full despite the fact that their ship was lost (Koehn, 2010, p.15). His tactics are similar to that of Agamemnon who sent for Achilles with the promises to shower him with gifts of women, land and riches in order to win against Troy (Bass & Bass, 2008, p.366). Machiavelli’s principles of ruling show some great ideas of leadership some of which have already been applied by Shackleton. According to Machiavelli, a leader can be â€Å"deceitful when it suits his purpose and not appear that way† (Heijden,

Television and Citizenship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Television and Citizenship - Essay Example With these theories combined, we can now progress to a real-life example of these theories in action. Audiences who watch the television show The Biggest Loser are introduced to a panel of morbidly obese contestants at the beginning of each season. As the weeks progress, the contestants and their professional trainers work to transform their bodies into healthier versions of themselves. Within the context of the show, the areas of neoliberalism transcend to audiences through the idea that these contestants are chosen and represent extreme cases of unhealthy living habits. While a plausible view, thanks to the constructs of neoliberalism, viewers of The Biggest Loser may forget the mass epidemic that obesity has within this country. Through combining this viewpoint with the democracy game of television, The Biggest Loser can help the political movement of working to help the nation gain greater awareness about the dangers of obesity. With the publicity of this show shedding light on t he growing problem of obesity among Americans, the political realm can capitalize on the popularity of this movement and work with health institutions to create new awareness campaigns and programs to combat obesity in society. By understanding how these tangible possibilities can stem from society’s enthrallment with popular television, it is clear that these theories have pros and cons about them. While it is good that a high degree of followers for a particular television program can spur social change, it is also dangerous that neoliberalism can make it seem a social issue is less widespread than it truly is. Question 2b According to Stuart Cunningham, the public sphere is a symbiotic place for free debate within the constraints of society. The... According to Stuart Cunningham, the public sphere is a symbiotic place for free debate within the constraints of society. The purpose of a public sphere is to create an environment where issues, regardless of social class or community can be discussed. It is because of these public spheres that ‘public sphericules’ exist. Allowing for smaller sub-groups or diasportic communities to discuss issues pertaining to their needs, public sphericules can create awareness for issues that need to be brought to the center of the national forefront. While public sphericules are the catalyst for an increasing debate in community-specific issues, there can be difficulty in relating these specialized ideas back to the mainstream of national public thought and opinion. An example of this theory in action can be seen in the movie, â€Å"Slumdog Millionaire.† The plot of this film concerns a young Indian man who was raised in the slums of the county. With the chance of a lifetime to be on the show, â€Å"Who Wants to be a Millionaire,† the young man wins the monetary prize and finds himself with more money than he could ever imagine. In translating this idea to public sphericules, we can see where the smaller community affected by the poverty in Indian culture strives to gain awareness for the problems this country is facing in regard to the abject living conditions of a large population of its citizens. Once this film became popular throughout America and entered into the national public sphere, society’s awareness.

Intergrated marketing communications in the retail banking sector

Intergrated marketing communications in the retail banking sector Nigeria is among the developing countries in the World today. In the 1980s, several developing countries pursued some form of financial liberalization program or other, in order to boost the development of their countries. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). In achieving this financial liberalization, the First Bank of Nigeria Plc played a major role since the development and maintenance of the Nigerian economy. Being the first of its kind in Nigeria. The Nigerian Banking system started its history as far back as 1892 with the establishment of the African Banking in Lagos, the Capital of Nigeria as at then; it was taken over by the Bank of British West Africa (BBWA) in 1894 and was later acquired by Standard Bank of West Africa in 1965. In 1969, Standard Bank of West Africa incorporated its Nigerian operations under the name Standard Bank of Nigeria. In 1971, Standard Bank of Nigeria listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and placed 13% of its share capital with Nigerian investors. The bank changed its name to First Bank of Nigeria in 1979. (The journalof African society). Now, First Bank is the biggest bank in Nigeria out of the 25 banks, it has been rated as the largest RETAIL lender in the country. FBN has a subsidiary in London, UK which started its operation in year 2002 having a branch in Paris. The bank as at 2009 December had a total asset of N2,172 billion (USD14,718 million). (First Bank Financial Highlights 2009). Being the first of its kind in Nigeria, it has made a large clientele base and this has given the management so much confidence and a sense of satisfaction which has led to the neglect of customers satisfaction maximizations and feelings. There are 25 banks in Nigeria, although FBN Plc has been rated has the largest retailer bank, other banks are improving on the loop holes of their products and services and using that medium to sap their customers. The Nigerian populace has come to realise that they own the money (capital) of the bank and because of that; they should get the best products and services possible. Doole et al, (2005) says In the fast moving competitive environment it is vital for organisations to provide customer satisfaction otherwise they risk losing their customers to competitors. The penalty for not providing customer satisfaction can be a steep decline in the organisations performance, as Marks Spencer, McDonalds and British Airways (BA) have recently found. Integrated marketing communication consists of varieties of medium of communication all in the name of satisfying customers in order to get new customer and to retain existing customers. Zeithaml et al (2006) says, marketing communication is more complex today than it used to be. In the past customers received marketing information about goods and services from a limited number of sources, usually mass communication sources such as network television and news papers. With a limited number of sources, marketers could easily convey a uniform brand image and coordinate promises. However, todays consumer of both goods and services receive communications from a far richer variety of advertising vehicles- targeted magazines, websites, direct mail, movie theatre advertising, e-mail socialisation and a host of sales promotion. Consumers of services receive additional communication from services capes, customer service departments, and everyday service encounter with employees. FBN Plc is the biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of asset and clientele base but lacks a proper integrated marketing communication system. It has so much relied on the facts that it is the first bank ever in the country and the Nigerian populace believe strongly in the bank because of its strong asset base and because it has stood the test of times. Despite their strong clientele base, FBN can single handled own 90% of the customer population in the country if it adopts IMC. Chris Fill (2009) IMC has emerged partially as a reaction to this inadequacy and to the realisation by clients that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than previously. The FBN customers are yearning for qualitative and uniform information about their funds and interest. The Nigerian government created a monetary policy reform that was geared to stabilize the economy in short-run and to introduce a market system for effective allocation of resources. The efforts were directed at promoting financial savings, reducing distortions in investment decisions and inducing an effective intermediation between savers, investors and their financial institutions. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). Integrated marketing communication build a strong brand identity in the market place by tying together and reinforcing all your images and messages. IMC means that all your corporate messages, positioning and images, and identity are coordinated across all venues. It means that your PR materials say the same things as your direct mail campaign and advertising has the same look and feel as your website. (Zeithaml et al 2006). Thus this research work aims to explore the opportunities awaiting FBN Plc after adopting a well integrated marketing communications system to boost its customer satisfaction. Research Questions and Objectives: Identify the need, want and demand of the market. Identify the causes of lack of customer satisfaction Identify and evaluate the market opportunities for FBN Plc. Analyse the FBNs competitive advantage over its rivals Develop a well qualitative and quantitative integrated marketing communication system for FBN Plc. Methodology: Conceptual Framework and Design Fisher (2010) says conceptual framework is formed of patterns of concepts and their interconnections. It is usually based on cause and effect relationships which are often the basis of hypotheses that such research seeks to test. It has also been noted by Easterby- smith et al (2002) that conceptual framework helps to take a more informed decision about the research approach, decide which method(s) are appropriate for the piece of research, and also to think about constraints which may impinge on the research. FBN Plc being a bank and with diverse staff and customers spread all over the country, it is therefore advisable from the understanding of methodology (conceptual framework) to go by positivism approach which is linked to quantitative method. Yates (2004) states that other approaches (quantitative methods) within the social sciences may come from the fact that natural science methods appear to be successful in their field of use. Most research texts have categorised research into two parts; quantitative and qualitative approaches. (Knox 2004) notes that this is mostly done for ease of explanation or to reflect differences in style or marketing, (for structural reasons or for addressing alternative research disciplines) or simply differences in approach is in hindsight for the research. It is said by Yates (2004) that from research texts, the relationship between positivism and quantitative method is almost a law or truth. He then further highlights (with other authors) that quantitat ive methods can be used with other areas of examples within the social sciences. Also that one can argue clearly that positivist thinking has influenced quantitative or numeric research. This could be as a result from the justification that quantitative methods are just as appropriate within an interpretivist piece of research. Ticehurst and Veal (2000, p15) support this linkage between quantitative and positivism by stating that the quantitative approach to research is also known as management science or operations research. Therefore linking discipline with philosophy. Saunders et al (2003) sees research process as an onion. Adapted from Knox (2004, P.123) Within this onion the second layer refers to the subject of the research approach that flows from ones research philosophy. Therefore linking the philosophy of positivism with different approaches. This onion has now explained that ones research could make do with Deductive Approach: develop a theory and hypothesis or hypotheses and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis. Inductive Approach: in which data will be collected and a theory will be developed as a result of data analysis. (Saunders et al (2003). Deductive approach is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is validly inferred from some premises and must be true if those premises are true. And Induction is a form of reasoning that usually involves the inference that an instance or repeated combination of events may be universally generalised. (Malhotra, 2003). From the above, I as a researcher in the case of FBN Plc have chosen to use from the Onion; Positivism approach which will lead me to deductive approach (quantitative method). I am expected to use this approach to identify an area of enquiry which is the customers and members of staff of FBN Plc to be able to have a good background of developed theory, which is seen as crucial for, guide me. The issues to focus an enquiry upon emerge from the established theoretical framework i.e., the customer service procedure, products and services and information given to customers about their funds. Specific variables are identified that the researchers deem should be measured, i.e., hypotheses are set. An instrument to measure specific variables is developed. Respondents give answers to set and specific questions with a consistent language and logic. The response to the set questions are analysed in terms of a prior established theoretical framework. The researcher tests theory according to whether their hypotheses are accepted or rejected. (Malhotra,2003). Knox (2004) concludes that positivist paradigm is majorly used by marketing researchers (positivism = deduction =quantitative methods); in aligning methods with philosophical stances. It also helps to form the nature of techniques that are applicable by researchers. Alternative Paradigm Names Positivist Interpretivist Quantitative Objectivist Scientific Experimentalist Traditionalist Qualitative Subjectivist Humanistic Phenomenological Revolutionist Adapted from Malhotra(2003 p.138). Easterby-Smith et al (2002 p28) argue that the key idea of positivism is that the World exists externally, and that its properties should be measured through objective methods. This infers that only knowledge, which is observable, is in fact valid. This then brings together the epistemology of positivism with quantitative methods i.e. methods which are essentially numerical evidence, following a very natural science approach to the research in hand. In reference to the Onion diagram, the third layers consists of six Research Strategies which include; Experiment, Survey, Case study, Grounded theory, Ethnography and Action result. This research is to make use of all these strategies to know the expectation of customers and what the management and staff are ready to deliver to their customers. Saunders et al (2003) further expatiated on data collection to be by the following which will be the means of my gathering of information; Case study (questionnaires, interviews, observations) and Documentary analysis. Expected data collection: Collection of primary data will be conducted majorly in Nigeria through personal interviews (observations), questionnaires for customers and staff of FBN Plc, and customers and staff of other banks. A major interview will be conducted with the Head of Department of the following units; Retail, Human Capital and Social and Welfare (customer service) at the Regional office. Secondary data will be collected through the customer and staff complaint boxes, financial news and reports and other related websites. Resources: This deals with how to find things out by research than discovering things by reading literature. Fisher et al., (2010). In gathering information for the research work, survey research will be adopted to have accurate and generalised views. In having a successful research work, one needs to make use of several resources in the survey approach which includes the following: Questionnaire: a question is a method of obtaining specific information about a defined problem so that the data, after analysis and interpretation, result in a better appreciation of the problem. In this research work, the questionnaire must have these set of information inclusive Facts and knowledge Opinions Past behaviour Future behaviour (chisnall 2005). Pilot testing questionnaire: chinall (2005) notes that, it is vitally important to make sure that questionnaire are piloted through all the stages of development. He further explains that it contains question which are specific, clearly understandable, capable of being answered by particular population sampled and free from bias. Webb (2002) confirms that piloting of questionnaire helps to evade participants biased answer. Personal interviews: helps with structured questions like rating question in self-response instruments and open-ended questions. These are orally presented, with the advantage that there is the opportunity for the interviewer to interpret questions, clear up misunderstanding, or gather data from those not fully literate from the designers language. (Black, 1999). It also helps observe and quantify the respondents attitude when interviewed. Documentary analysis: this is analysing the news originating from the financial sector of the country, news about the general views of customers and staff and complaints of staff and customers. Ethical issues: this poses as a problem in gathering information from staff and customers when there is a restriction on privacy, customers and staff that believe they should be loyal to their bank and employer and this can be done by keeping some things secret. Research bias: Saunders et al.,(2009) says to avoid research being bias, questionnaires and interviews must be designed and tested before being put to use. Time: a time frame must be set to achieve the expected result for the research. Literature Review To appreciate the importance of integrated marketing communication (IMC) it is useful to understand its origin and the major elements that have helped in its development. For many years agencies and clients believed that to deliver messages to particular audiences it was necessary to use specific tools of the communication mix. At the time it was a common belief that to achieve specific communication effects on buyers it was necessary to use particular tools. (Chris Fill,2009). Schultz et al.,(1993) says the practice of integrated marketing communication is emerging as one of the most valuable magic bullets companies can use to gain competitive advantage. Advertising, sales promotion, direct response marketing, and public relations practitioners are busy finding common ground to meet the coming challenge of selling to customers rather than market. This explains that integrated marketing is not out to increase profitability alone but also to achieve maximum customer satisfaction. IMC has now emerged as the response to this structural shortfall and the realisation by customers that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than the way it was in the past. IMC develops and extends the notion and value as a communications process targeting a firms external market. By directing Internal Integrated Marketing Communications (IIMC) towards their employees, firms are able to promote employee satisfaction, trust and commitment, thereby strengthening the firm-employee relationship and ultimately affecting profitability by enhancing customer satisfaction (Herington, Johnson and Scott 2006). By achieving employees satisfaction, trust and commitment, it results in employees dedication and putting in their best at their duties and this helps increase customer satisfaction. Gummenson (2002) confirms this, that previous studies have shown that employees who are familiar with and committed to an organisations market orientation and brand values play a critical role as part-time marketers. All customer oriented employees, not just those associated with marketing, help to deliver the brand promise. They can influence relations, increase customer satisfaction, customer perceived quality and ultimately revenue. Therefore, directing integrated marketing communications towards a firms internal market is itself a critical part of achieving sustainability and profitability. (Ferdous, 2006). Schultz et al., (1993) have produces a lively, no-nonsense critique of this fast moving marketing trend in integrated marketing communications. Taken alone, the early chapters documenting the shift from mass production to mass marketing are worth the price of the book. Yet the real meat of the text is revealed as the authors analyze the emerging reality of true one-on-one marketing to individuals, a reality made possible by the power of information technology to develop this ultimate consumer segmentation approach. The fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. Nonetheless, despite the evolution and increased critical evaluation of IMC, it remains neither universally understood nor universally accepted as a useful construct. Furthermore, IMC is not consistently applied as a marketing principle and according to Hutton à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦has resulted in superficiality, ambiguity and blurred focusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Hutton 1997, p. 8). It is high time financial institutions realised that they all offer the same products and services and the only thing that can put a major distinctive difference to their services and product is by going extra mile to adopt IMC. Financial products are controlled by regulatory authorities in an economy. It includes administrative tinkering by governments with financial prices such as interest rates and exchange rates. McKinnon and Shaw (1973) further agrees that financial institutions are generally offering the same services and are controlled by government, and this is hindered in a repressed financial system by the low level of savings, it responds in a positive way to real rates of interest on deposits as well as the real rate of growth in output. Moreover, investment is negatively related to the effective real rate of interest on loans, but positively related to the growth rate of the economy. However, if it is proven that the basic financial practices of a bank is solely dependent of government policies, it is only a good thing for the bank(s) to look for best opportunities to improve on their services to survive and sustain their stand in the highly competitive market. This is further proven by Ferdous (2008) that the fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. IMC has been able to achieve what other marketing processes have not been able to by breaking down corporate, geographic, and political borders to reach into customers homes and offices in a matter of weeks or days through the use of worldwide networks created by computer and communications technology that have been inculcated into the process of IMC. (Schultz et al., 1993). Integrated Marketing Communication Integrated marketing communication plan. PLACE Distribution strategy CHANNEL/MEDIUM CHOICE C OTHERS (PR, POS, etc.) Objectives Strategy ELECTRONIC Objectives Strategy PERSONAL CONTACT Objectives Strategy TELEPHONE Objectives Strategy DIRECT MAIL Objectives Strategy MASS MEDIA Objectives Message strategy Media strategy Adapted from McDonald and Dunbar (2004, p.19). Ferdous (2006) describes IMC to have been variously described in terms of a process, a marketing orientation, an organisational structure, a set of marketing tools, a basis for accountability and a philosophy. In fact it is all of these. However according to Robert Lauterborn who helped coin the IMC label, What IMC has come to mean to too many people is little more than two-from-column A, one-from-column B media selection process (Lauterborn 2003, p.14). Schultz (1997) agrees that the focus has been one of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Trying to integrate discipline rather than customer or prospects communications. In addition, focusing IMC efforts on the integration of a firms external marketing communications disciplines ignores the gains in competitive advantage to be had from a horizontal integration across a firms total communications effort including that of its internal market. The need for integration is the notion that some aspects of marketing communication should be integrated. The origin of IMC can be found in the prevailing structural conditions and the needs of particular industry participants, an understanding of what elements should be integrated in order to achieve IMC needs to be established. The elements to be integrated are; relationships, structures, brands, communication tools, messages, employees, technology, agencies and IMC strategy. (Chris Fill, 2009). The integrated elements are applicable to understanding IMC as a customer oriented process in creating a common understanding of its principles and core values. It is known that the primary aim of any business is profitability which can only be achieved when customers are satisfied. Profitability as defined by Ferdous (2006) is the function of customer behaviour, and then customer orientation is not only logical but essential. IMC integrates everything that impacts customer behaviour, not just the organisations conscious outgoing marketing messages. It begins with product development and includes packaging (branding), selection of distribution channels (communication tools), channel management (agencies), customer behaviour (relationship), customer relationship management and total quality management. It involves the multi-dimensional, interactive, continuously measured communication that connects brands or products and the customer. Lauterborn (2003 p. 15). Furthermore, Cravens et al. (2003) identifies four attributes that set IMC apart from traditional promotional strategies. They are comprehensive, drawing on all of the media, tools and technologies available to affect behaviour; unified execution of all the components of the organisation; and IMC programs em phasise productivity in reaching the designated targets when selecting communication channels and allocating resources to marketing media. Before considering the delivery of values of IMC, the communication channels will be given further attention, the channels are generally complex, and they involve various media for different communication with the same set of target market or customers. Ferdous (2006), these views about IMC values share three key attributes which are fundamental to its values as a marketing concept. They recognise that IMC is about the connection between the brand and the customer and that communication in all its forms facilitates this relationship. Implicit is the understanding that marketing is the whole business from the point of view of its final result, which is from the customers point of view, marketing today is not a function, but a way of doing business; marketing is everything and everything is marketing. (Harris 1993,p.13). Most importantly in this approach is the recognition that purposeful and coordinated management of customers and their relationship with the organisation is at the heart of building brand equity, which at a time of brand proliferation is critical to success. (Ferdous 2006). The Role of Communication. Communication is the greatest use of language. John Locke has seen the use of communication as the clue to an analysis of the notion of linguistic meaning. Customer communication completes the marketing cycle, linking customer with product, service and availability. At a societal level, in order to connect to mass production and consumption there simply must be mass communications. At its best, commercial communication engages in real dialogue, transmitting value and meaning, while responding to feedback and remaining close to the external customer. Communication has the role to announce, inform, promise, persuade and influence customers to buy in by communicating and delivering customer satisfaction. ( Doole et al.,2005). Communication is the best instrument for sustaining a good relationship between a business and its customers if well understood. In as much as communication is essential between a business and its customers, so also a communication feedback is also very crucial. This because; if a wrong interpretation has been gotten from the information passed by an organisation and a feed back is not received from the customer, the customer retains the wrong information , the organisation might be repeating the same information again at great expense. But when a feedback is in place, the organisation has an opportunity to correct the misinterpreted information and pass the right information across which makes the customer a happy one. Communication when used in the right context strengthens relationships. Doole et al.,(2005) recognising that employees deliver quality, internal communication encourages affiliation with organisational values as well as providing everyday working information. He further explains that communication to both external and internal customers is central to both marketing transactions and relationships. LEVEL OF COMMUNIVATION CORPORATE BUSINESS UNIT MARKETING DEPARTMENT Product Price Promotion Place Price packaging BRAND MANAGEMENT People Sales Advertising Public relations Merchandising Direct Adapted from Doole et al., (2005p.249) This explains the level of communication and how uniquely they have their level of importance to the whole communication process of an organisation. If one malfunctions, it invariably affects the whole system. This helps to increase the value and credibility of brand communication. At this stage, it should be clearly noted that commercial communication should be based on clear intent as noted by Doole et al., (2005), a communication campaign generally seeks to both push product on to and pull products off the shelf and position the offer competitively in the mind of the consumer. Its components parts need to hang together as a cohesive whole and remain consistent with core brand values. It is further noted that during the process of product life cycle, communications have very different roles to play; Introducing new products: the role to play at this initial stage is getting target market attention, also getting the market to test the product or service and the major task at this initial stage is acceptance of the product or service. Product maturity: at this stage, the product has been accepted and needs to proceed to the next stage, the task here includes sustaining the brand identity, maintaining the loyalty, defending the market share and adding value to the product or service is the major task at this level. In a situation where the products or services face rejection or losing market share, the need to improve on the product is essential (revitalise and reposition) or direct customers towards alternative, perhaps reducing communications to bare bones dominates. With the aid of product or service campaign, messages can be charged with differentiating, reminding, informing or persuading (DRIP) or sequentially securing attention, arousing interest, building desire and promoting action (AIDA) and moving a customer from unawareness through purchase to brand loyalty. The Communication Process. The communication process of IMC is between internal external customers. This research work is based on the evaluation of IMC between the employees (internal) of FBN Plc. and its customers (external). Groonroos (1985) explained internal marketing as an instrumental behavioural strategy for developing the state of mind that allows customer service effectiveness and building of relationship marketing. Ferdous (2006), in recent times, marketing professional and scholars have given considerable importance and attention to Internl Marketing (IM). According to Lings (2004) much of the literature on internal marketing, contains a variety of interpretations of the domain of internal marketing, it aim and focus. This means, treating employees as customers, understanding and attending to their wants and views which will help achieve a positive change in employees attitudes and on the long run affecting customer (external) satisfaction positively. Chernatony ( 2001 as cited in Ferdous 2006) suggested that in order to coherently transfer brand values to the companys stakeholders, employees must develop a shared understanding of what the brand stands for, through implementation of a unified communication approach. Today, the way organisations communicate with their internal markets, better known as internal communication (IC) (Tansuhaj et al., 1998; Thompson and Hecker 2000; Ahmed and Rafiq 2003; Kong 2007) is considered one of the most essential internal marketing considerations. Ahmed and Rafiq (2003) attempted to give a more acceptable and holistic explanation of internal marketing through the use of internal communication as a cultural framework and instrument for achieving strategic alignment while building customer service competence. This is reveals the importance attached to internal (employees) communication in operationalising internal marketing concepts/activities and achieving organisational competitive advantage and success. (Ferdous 2006). External customers are the major component of a business or an organisation. Customers determine the existence and longevity of a business. It is therefore important to understand how to carefully communicate information across such that it would not be misinterpreted. Organisations should understand how they receive, process and respond to the feedbacks gotten from customers. (Doole et al., 2005). If quality is meeting and influencing customer expectation (Doole et al., 2005) and even delighting clients, then managing expectations matters. It is very crucial that employees (internal customers) do not promise more than what they can deliver. Communicating with customers regularly is critical, keeping in touch with them, comprehending their expectations, apologising and explaining the limits of service possibilities can influence their expectations and may expand their zone of tolerance. Ferdous (2006) emphasises on viewing IMC as a process that focuses on both internal and external customers is the first step to developing a c

francis of assisi Essay -- essays research papers

Francis of Assisi was a poor man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance. Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. My report is going to discuss the life and contributions of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis of Assisi lived about eight hundred years ago. He was born in the city of Assisi, Italy, in 1182. He was the son of Peter Bernardone (A wealthy merchant) and Madonna Pica. His father sold spices and fabrics and was often out of town on business. While Peter Bernardone was traveling in Provence on business, Madonna Pica gave birth to his son. Far from being excited or apologetic because he'd been gone, Pietro was furious because she'd had his new son baptized Giovanni after John the Baptist. The last thing Pietro wanted in his son was a man of God -- he wanted a man of business, a cloth merchant like he was, and he especially wanted a son Francesco -- which is the equivalent of calling him Frenchman. Francis spent a happy childhood under the watchful eye of Madonna Pica and the attention heaped on him by his father, who was certain that Francis would follow him in the merchant business. His strict education and healthy moral upbringing gave everything he did a sense of balance . Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life growing up because of his father's wealth and the permissiveness of the times. From the beginning everyone loved Francis. He was constantly happy, charming, and a born leader. If he was picky, people excused him. If he was ill, people took care of him. If he was so much of a dreamer he did poorly in school, no one minded. In many ways he was too easy to like for his own good. No one tried to control him or teach him. As he grew up, Francis became the leader of a crowd of young people who spent their nights in wild parties. Francis himself said, "I lived in sin" during that time. Francis fulfilled every hope of Pietro's, and despite his dreaming, Francis was also good at busin... ...tous. Perceiving that he had come to the end of his days, he asked to be brought to the Porziuncola, in Santa Maria degli Angeli, the place from which his message was spread. During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 45) he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord. Francis' final years were filled with suffering as well as humiliation. When he began to go blind, the pope ordered that his eyes be operated on. This meant cauterizing his face with a hot iron. Francis never recovered from this illness. He died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45. Two years later, on July 16th, he was canonized a saint by Pope Gregory IX. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants.