An E-fashion Retailer Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

An E-fashion Retailer Analysis - Essay Example The essay "An E-fashion Retailer Analysis" presents an overview of different companies strategies for their online sales. There has been a growth in internet accessibility and usage on the whole. Online sales of clothing rank fourth highest with travel services, software and media sector occupying the first three positions. More consumers across the globe are purchasing computers and gaining access to the internet and are, therefore, attracted to a myriad of online websites operated by fashion retailers. Typically, consumers in the past were wary of buying apparel online. Females, in particular, would want to touch and see the apparel physically for obvious reasons such as buying the size that best fits them or feeling the quality of the fabric. In recent years, this trend has been changing and more consumer, including females, are comfortable with purchasing apparel online. The theory of buyer behavior demonstrates the buyer black box of which the buyer decision process is a subset. Consequently, the model of consumer buying process explains how consumers engage in information search after they have realized the need to purchase a product. This has been catered to by online fashion retailers who have now adopted the model of a â€Å"virtual store† whereby consumers can have a 360-degree view of products they intend to buy by seeing the product from different sides. The â€Å"zoom in† function can help consumers see the fabric/texture as well as design that they could o therwise have viewed had they been present physically at the store. Although the initial target market was U.K customers, ASOS has expanded to include American customers through its online store. 3. Online Marketing Mix a. Product ASOS primarily sells clothing that is worn by celebrities in the media. The company offers various brands under one umbrella and includes affordable clothing as well as expensive lines. The company sells over 50,000 product lines from approximately 800 global brands including Ralph Lauren as well as designer brands such as Sonia Rykiel (Perrey & Spillecke, 2013). As per the company’s marketing strategy, over thousands of new products are added on a weekly basis, thereby sustaining the interest of customers. With its strong and multi-brand product portfolio and customer service, the company ranks as the 5th most popular online shopping destination in U.K, beating H&M in terms of having twice the number of unique customers visiting the website (Perrey & Spillec

Business Management of Owning a Construction Company Essay Example for Free

Business Management of Owning a Construction Company Essay Owning a construction company requires good planning whereby the management puts several measures in place to ensure that a company performs well to generate enough money that aids it run its operations. Availability of surplus raw materials is one of the important factors to consider while managing a construction company. A construction firm should have enough laborers who offer services to customers and who work at the production stage. Running a construction company requires that the management come up with a good marketing strategy that allows the company to attract as many clients as possible to allow the organization generate enough income to carry out its activities effectively. Keeping records in an organized manner makes it easy for a construction company to make references and also to avoid loss of data. Managers who plan their activities wisely and accordingly in a construction company are in a better position of elevating the profit that the company generates and to improve the quality of goods and services that the firm offers. Definition of Important Concepts Management is a common term that this paper uses and it means to adopt effective measures as a leader that help to run an organization in an effective manner. The term construction is also common in this analysis and it means to come up with projects such as buildings, bridges and roads using qualified personnel. Counterarguments Even though raw materials are essential in the running of a construction company, some companies lack them due to poor management which in most cases leads to the fall of a business. Other construction companies lack enough laborers and this makes the available workers to strain with their work which in most cases lowers the outcome of construction companies. Lack of effective marketing strategy and lack of proper ways of record keeping also in many instances lead to the downfall of many construction companies because they are not able to generate sufficient income from different customers and they experience confusion respectively.This report makes use of an imaginary company by the name of Davis Construction firm to expound on the management of owning a construction company. As part of its activities, this construction firm produces building bricks from clay soil, produces celling boards that builders fit inside houses, and also hires professional masons and other construction desi gners to people or organizations that want to come up with buildings. To attain its goals, the management of Davis Construction firm must take into account several measure that will help it run its activities. Availability of Raw Materials First of all, the manager of this organization must ensure that there is a continuous flow of raw materials to enable the firm continue with its production. In this case, the essential raw materials that Davis Construction firm needs are clay soil to manufacture bricks, wood chips to manufacture celling board, and sufficient water to carry out the mixing process. Other raw materials that this organization needs to produce its goods include chemicals that it uses to carry out its production. A good manager will carry out a research on the best places to acquire the raw materials so that the firms does not experience delays in its production process. To ensure a steady supply of raw materials in a construction firm, managers should have more than one source of suppliers who deliver raw materials to the company. Having more than one source of supplier who supply the same product is important because this allows a company to carry out its activities continuously not to inconvenience customers. In many instances, unreliable suppliers make business managers to consider alternative ways getting raw materials to carry out an organization’s activities (Alonso, 2007, p. 3). Another way in which the manager of this company and any other construction company can ensure constant availability of raw materials is by establishing nearby sites that generate enough raw materials to run the activities of an organization. For example, to have a constant supply of water, the manager can hire professionals to come and dig boreholes that will provide surplus water to the firm at a much cheaper cost. Availability of Workers Effective management of a construction company calls for hiring enough laborers who help in running the organization’s activities. A wise manager will therefore, put measures to ensure that the laborers share work equally and that they do not strain while carrying out their activities. The laborers in a construction firm should fall into several sections where each worker partakes in the activity of his specialization. By each worker taking part in the activities of his specialization, a construction firm will attain accuracy in all the goods it produces and all the services it offers. To get laborers of sufficient knowledge to carry out their activities, the management of Davis Construction Firm should carry out a test while recruiting laborers after ascertaining their credentials. Even though it is a common occurrence in many countries that construction activities attract workers with low educational level (ILO, 2001, p. 12), it is important for managers to hire workers with high qualification to do their job perfectly so as to come up with products and services that satisfy customers’ needs. The management should ensure that workers get sufficient training to enable them carry out their duties with preciseness. As a way of improving the technical skills of their workers, managers should organize educative seminars where other professionals offer theoretical and practical knowledge to the workers. Good managers take the initiative of helping technicians who show great ability in their duties attain further training and also to serve as motivation to the co ntractors. Managers in a construction company should also take their workers to tour different construction firms because if they fail to do this, it will be impossible to compete favorably with other construction firms. Marketing Strategies A construction company should adopt effective marketing strategies that allows it to reach customers from different geographical regions. After intense research about marketing strategies, managers in construction companies such as Davies Construction Firm should come up with a suitable way of marketing the goods and services that the firm offers. To effectively reach customers from different regions, managers who run construction firms should adopt reliable channels such as the internet and publications because these two are able to carry so much information about a company and are also able to transmit information within a very short time. Enhanced technology has improved communication and marketing which has positive effect on inter-organizational relationship and communication (Avlonitis Karayanni, 2000, p. 442). Managers in a construction firms should appoint certain people with the right qualification to manage the company’s website and to attend to customers’ ne eds. In a business organization, it is important for managers to create a customers’ department wing to improve the quality of services and to build a long-term relationship with the customers (Rust, Moorman, Bhalla, 2010, p. 5). Record Keeping Managers who run construction companies should adopt better ways of storing vital information. Good forms of record keeping enable construction companies to make necessary reference whenever conflicts or discrepancies occur. For example, Davis Construction Firm can adopt better ways of record keeping by using computers that are able to store large amount of data for a very long time. People in charge of electronically storing data must be very keen in their activities to ensure that the information stays for a long time without getting lost (Trace, 2002, p. 138). Managers in a construction firm should also adopt a way of keeping records that is easy to retrieve information. Some of the advisable ways of keeping records in a manner that is easy to retrieve include using alphabetical orders, storing records according to the subject and keeping records in accordance to urgency. Conclusion Managers who run construction firms should take the initiative of helping the company attain its goals. As part of their management duties, managers should be able to come up with ways that ensures a constant and sufficient supply of raw materials to enable the firm carry out production of goods and services continuously. A manager should also be able to ensure that a construction firm has enough workers who help in carrying out the activities of a company in accordance to their area of specialty. Coming up with an effective marketing strategy helps to reach customers from different regions and therefore, be able to generate enough money for the construction firm. Above all, a manager in a construction firm needs to device effective methods of storing vital information about past and current operations of a construction firm. References Alonso, E., et al. (2007). Material availability and the supply chain: Risks, effects, and responses. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Avlonitis, G., Karayanni, D. (2000). The impact of internet use on business-to-business marketing: Examples from American and European companies. Industrial marketing management 29(4) 441-459. International Labor Organization, ILO. (2001). The construction industry in the twenty-first century: Its image, employment prospects and skill requirements. Geneva. Rust, R., Moorman, C., Bhalla, G. (2010). Rethinking marketing. Harvard Business Review. Trace, B., C. (2002). What is recorded is never simply ‘what happened’: Record keeping in Modern organizational culture. Archival Science 2(7), 137-159.at is Recorded is Never Simply What Happened: Record Keeping in Modern Organizational Culture Source document

Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay

Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay If I have to go and work in Japan, I will have to change and adapt myself to the culture of Japan. But in the course of this adaptation process, I will face many problems, the most important of them being a communication problem. Such communication problems caused by a difference in cultures i.e. mine and Japans, are known as problems in cross cultural communication. Meaning of Cross Cultural Communication Cross cultural communication can be defined as a study of how people belonging to different cultural backgrounds communicate with each other, in ways that are both similar and different. It can also be defined as a study of how people endeavour to communicate across different cultures. Cross cultural communication is also sometimes referred to as inter cultural communication. Origin of cross cultural communication In earlier times, all countries used to just strive for self sufficiency. There was no concept of trading between countries and even if there was some trading, it was done by the traders at an individual level. But advancements in economic growth and technological developments led to breaking down of cultural barriers as businesses looked for ways to expand and started seeking new markets. And it was this need for expansion that gave birth to globalisation. Globalisation refers to integrating our countrys economy with the world economy. In layman terms, globalisation means combining the markets of the different countries and making the world one huge market. Thus, people of different countries have access to products from all over the world. Globalisation was very beneficial for companies also as it gave them new markets to sell their products. Companies opened their branches in other countries. However, with the process of globalisation leading to an increase in global trade, it was impossible to avoid the meeting, conflict and blending of the different cultures. In any organisation, irrespective of what it does (construction, public relations, transportation, production and distribution of beverages, etc.), communication is the most essential ingredient for the survival of the business. People from different cultures found it difficult to communicate not only because of the language barriers but also because of the difference in their cultural styles. e.g. in independent cultures like Western Europe, USA and Canada, an independent figure of self is dominant. People think of themselves as being independent and distinct from others as well as from the environment. However, in interdependent cultures like Southern Europe, Asian and Latin American countries, an interdependent figure of self is dominant. People are more dependent on each other and the environment. There is a greater emphasis on the inter relatedness of the self to others and to the environment. The self is meaningful primarily in the context of social relationships, duties and roles. In some ways, cultural difference is a bigger challenge than the language barrier. Culture can be defined as a way of life of a group of people, their values, beliefs, behaviours, the symbols that they accept unconsciously and that are passed along from one generation to the next. Culture provides people with a way of thinking, it tells them how to see, hear and interpret different words. Thus, even though two people may be speaking the same language, the words used in it may have different meanings for them both. With the cultural differences making their presence felt and the need for translators rising, the chances of the occurrence of miscommunication also increase. Thus, the need to understand these cultural difference has become even greater. Only after crossing these cultural bridges can we hope to achieve effective communication. Hence, there is a need to study cross cultural communication. Need for Cross Cultural Communication Communication is a necessity anywhere and everywhere. The need for cross cultural communication is increasing every day. Given below are some reasons as to why cross cultural communication is so important nowadays Exchange of ideas Communication, as we all know, is the process of exchange of ideas and information between two or more people. Cross cultural communication just adds culture to communication. People from different cultures need a way to communicate their ideas, feelings, etc. to each other. Cross cultural communication provides a means for effective communication between people belonging to different cultures. The Same words with different meanings As mentioned above, two people might be speaking the same language but the meaning of the words might be different to both of them. e.g. in English, the word Mansion means a big house or a castle but in Japanese mansion means an apartment or a condominium. Also, Claim in English means to state something but in Japanese, it means to complain. So, when a Japanese says that he wants to make a claim, it does not mean he wants to make a statement but that he wants to make a complaint about something. Thus, an understanding of the different cultures is necessary to achieve effective cross cultural communication. Avoid Miscommunication It is imperative to learn the correct meanings of the different words and to understand the different cultures so as to avoid miscommunication of any kind. Miscommunication can cause many problems and conflicts between two communicating parties. e.g. In English, gift means present but in German, gift means Poison. So, if we say that we are giving a gift to a German, he might get very offended thinking that we are giving him poison. So, for effective communication, it is necessary to have an understanding of the languages of the different cultures. Make people feel valued When we show people that we know and understand their cultures, they are immediately impressed and feel valued. They understand that we have made an effort to understand their culture. This encourages them to try and return the favour by trying to understand our culture. e.g. In India, people greet each other by folding their hands and saying Namaste, a Hindi word which people use to greet the soul of the other person. On the other hand, the Japanese greet each other by bowing to each other as a sign of giving respect to others. Another example of diversity in cultures is that of the Navajo people. They live in Latin America. To them, touching someone else without their permission means we are insulting the person. Thus, they do not like to shake hands when greeting other people but instead just fold their hands and greet others. But in countries like UK and USA, shaking hands is considered to be totally normal and is done to greet everyone. Interdisciplinary Orientation of Cross Cultural Communication The main aim of cross cultural communication is to bring together relatively unrelated areas like cultural anthropology and established areas of communication. Its core function is to establish an understanding of how people from different cultures can communicate effectively with each other. It also tries to give some guidelines, by following which people can achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication, like many other scholarly fields, is composed of parts of various other fields. Some of these fields are psychology, business communication, study of different cultures, sociology and anthropology. The field of cross cultural communication has also moved toward the treatment of relations belonging to different ethnicities and the study of strategies used by co-cultural populations to communicate with each other i.e. communication strategies that are used to communicate with the mainstream populations. The study of languages other than our native language not only helps us understand what we have in common with each other as human beings but also assists us in understanding the diversity (and the reasons for it) which underlies not only the languages that we use, but also the means of organizing and constructing knowledge. Also it shows us the many, different realities in which we all live and interact with each other. This understanding has profound implications on the development of a critical awareness of our social relationships. Understanding these social relationships and the way other cultures work lays the groundwork of successful business efforts in this age of globalisation. Language socialization can be defined as the investigation of how language both creates and hypothecates anew, social relations in the context of culture. It is imperative that the speaker understands the grammar of the language that he is speaking, as well as how elements of the language situated in a socially acceptable manner in order to achieve competence in communication. Human experience derives relevance from the culture in which it is obtained, so elements of language also derive their relevance from culture. An individual must make a careful consideration of the semantics and the evaluation of sign language so as to compare the various cross-cultural standards of communication. However, there are several potential problems that are faced by people while participating in language socialization. Sometimes people can indulge in over-generalization i.e. label cultures with subjective and stereotypical characterizations. Another primary concern with making a record of alternative cultural norms is that no social actor uses language in the exact way as has been recorded (as per the normative characterizations). Cross cultural communication provides a methodology for studying how an individual uses language and other semantic activity to use and create new models of conduct and how this varies from the already recorded / documented cultural norms. Aspects of Cross Cultural Communication The aspects o cross cultural communication educate us about the various parameters that may be perceived differently by people belonging to different cultures. By keeping these parameters in mind, the chances of miscommunication can be minimised. These parameters are as follows :- Context Context is the most important dimension of culture. It is also very difficult to define. It was Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist, who first put forth the ideology of context in culture. He defined context as the stimuli or environment or the ambience surrounding it. Depending on how much a culture relies on these three (stimuli, environment, ambience surrounding it), he divided this context into two main groups :- Low Context Cultures High Context Cultures Low Context Cultures These assume that the individuals must be given a lot of background information as they know very little about what is told or being told to them. High Context Cultures These assume that the individual has to be given very little background information as he already possesses adequate knowledge about the subject. Non Verbal, Oral and Written The major factor behind improvement of cross cultural communication is paying more attention to specific areas of communication so as to enhance the effectiveness of the same. These specific areas have been broken down into three sub categories Non-Verbal Contact Oral Contact Written Contact Non-Verbal Contact This includes eye contact, facial expressions, use of space, etc Communication through body movement is known as Kinesics. The two most prominent ways of communication through Kinesics are facial expressions and eye contact. Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. Non verbal communication is also composed of our gestures. These gestures can be divided into five sub categories :- Emblems Illustrators Regulators Affect Displays Adaptors Emblems These refer to sign language (such as the Thumbs Up sign which is one of the most recognized symbols for all is good). Illustrators These mimic what we speak (e.g. showing how much time is left by holding up a particular number of fingers) and are sometimes used in place of verbal speech. Emblems and illustrators are the easiest ways of non verbal communication. Regulators These provide a way of conveying meaning through gestures (e.g. raising up ones hand indicates that one has some doubt(s) about what has just been said). These are more complicated than emblems and illustrators since the same regulator can have different meanings in different cultures (e.g. making a circle with ones hand in UK means OK but in Japan, this gesture is used as a symbol for money, in France, it conveys the notion of worthlessness and in Brazil, it is taken as an insult. http://www.1000ventures.com/design_elements/selfmade/ccd_example_ok-gesture.gif Affect Displays These reveal emotions such as happiness (a smile) or sadness (crying, lips trembling), etc. Adaptors These are more subtle e.g. yawning when we are bored or clenching our fists when we are angry. Adapters and affect displays are the two modes of non verbal communication over which the individual has very little control. The last non verbal type of communication is proxemics. It involves communicating by making use of the space around us. Hall identified three kinds of space :- Feature Fixed Space Semi Fixed Feature Space Informal Space Feature Fixed Space It deals with how various cultures make use of their space on a large scale e.g. by making buildings, parks, etc. Semi Fixed Feature Space It deals with how people belonging to different cultures arrange the space inside said buildings, e.g. the placement of plants, chairs, desks, etc. Informal Space It is the space that is most important to us e.g. how close people sit to one another, office space, etc. A production line worker has to make an appointment to visit his supervisor, however, the supervisor can come and meet the production line workers as and when he wishes. Oral Communication It is easier to learn than non verbal communication. The only problem in oral communication is Para Language i.e. how something is said. Even though words should convey the same meaning to everybody, the rate, volume and emphasis placed on them can completely change their meaning. e.g. In the sentence, I would like to help you, by placing emphasis on the words I, Like, Help and You one at a time while saying the same phrase conveys a different meaning of this same phrase all four times. Written Communication It is usually easier to adapt, learn and deal with in the business world (as compared to non verbal communication) because of the simple fact that each language is unique in itself. e.g. hair and hare are pronounced in the same way but written in a different way and also have very different meanings. Another example can be of the word minute in the sentence The button was so minute that it was a minute before I found it. Thus, written communication also must be done with great care lest we convey the wrong meaning to the recipient of the message. CHALLENGES OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION International businesses are, nowadays, facing new obstacles in their internal communication structures because of major reforms brought about in the internal communication structure through acquisitions, mergers, internationalization, downsizing, etc. Lack of investment in teaching language socialisation and cross cultural communication training often leads to deficiency in the internal cohesion of the company. Some of the by products of poor cross cultural communication are poor working relations, poor retention of staff, loss of customers, internal power struggles, low productivity, lack of co operation and loss of competitive edge by the company. Cross cultural communications consultants work with international companies to minimise in order to maximise cross cultural awareness and the consequences thereof among the employees. Given below are some hurdles to cross cultural communication 1) Lack of Communication Even though lack of communication seems to be a very obvious problem in miscommunication, it also continues to be a major reason behind poor cross cultural communication. Lack of communication with staff refers not only to lack of spoken dialogue but also to access to information. e.g. Some ways of withholding information from the staff are not informing the staff about actions and decisions that will affect their roles, not giving feedback (positive or negative), failure to properly communicate to the staff what is expected of them, etc. This eventually results in alienating the staff base which feels divided from its superiors and the management. If managers are too selective about the information that they provide to the staff, the staff starts feeling suspicious and jealous. This in turn, leads to internal strife rather than the cohesion that the managers were striving for. A management which foes not interact physically with its staff shows that it is not interested in its staff and that it does not trust or respect the staff. In the West, it has been observed that usually there is only downward communication. The staff reports to the managers and the managers report to senior managers and so on. Ideally, communication should br both ways (upward as well as downward). The seniors should take feedback from their subordinates. In the absence of such a system, the subordinates start feeling indifferent, estranged and sometimes even belligerent. Lack of communication is unhealthy, irrespective of what form or situation it may occur in. Managers and companies must have awareness of why, what, to whom and how they are communicating. 2) Language Language can be an obstacle to communication in two ways a) Use of inappropriate language Language carries with it imperceptible messages and meanings transmitted through stress, tone and vocabulary. The wrong use of words and / or emotions hidden behind phrases can send messages that affect the attitude, confidence and self-perception of the staff. Use of critical language gives rise to low self confidence of the staff (at the individual and group level) and poor interpersonal relationships whereas supportive tones and language have the opposite effect. Body language of the speaker and the listener must also be appropriate. Body language can be said to be composed of facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, etc.Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. b) Foreign Languages These days, companies may have indigenous speakers of over 50 different languages all under one roof.   It is important, in such cases to establish one common language for the entire office, whether it be French, r Spanish or English. It is not necessary that this common language must be some language that is common to everyone; it can be the language of the country in which the company is operating or the language spoken and understood by the majority of the employees. In the absence of such a language, everyone will keep speaking but no one will understand anything, leading to chaos in the company. Once the common language is established, all the employees should only converse in this language. This avoids exclusion of staff who cannot understand other languages. The company should also ensure that all its employees are able to converse in the common language. Language tuition should be regarded as a necessity, not a luxury. Culture International businesses equipped with a highly diverse workforce in terms of cultural background and nationality face challenges due to the differences in business practices, ethics, belief system, values, expectations, behaviour and etiquette. Consider the following conversation A soda marketer was glumly sitting at the bar. His friend approaches and asks, Why so serious? He replies, I created this left to right comic strip for a campaign. It showed a famished man crawling across the desert who finds a bottle of soda, chugs it down, and walks away with a cheerful smile. Sales tanked after it ran in the Middle East. Why? Everyone read it from right to left! Now, normally this would make a very good joke. But this is an excellent example of how culture can affect communication. Had the soda marketer been aware that people in the Middle East read from right to left, he could have planned the advertisement accordingly and his business would not have suffered. Cross cultural differences can have a negative impact on a business in a number of ways, whether it may be on team cohesion or on the productivity of the staff. In such multicultural companies, objective help may be needed through a cross cultural consultant who will be able to show individuals and teams how to manage communication and work together in a more productive and cohesive manner. 4) Company Culture Company culture refers to the internal culture of a firm in terms of how it is managed. e.g. Does it view its different departments i.e. Administration, Human Resources, Sales, Production, Accounts, etc. as open systems or closed systems? A closed system is one in which there is a total lack of synergy between the sales and the production department due to the absence of communication lines and structure between them both. A consequence of such compartmentalization is that managers of the various departments have a tendency to become territorial. This is eventually harmful for the organization as its objectives can only be achieved if these departments work together as one unit rather than start functioning as separate, individual units. Thus, it is vital that team building, team spirit and team work are encouraged so as to create open systems. Such measures are particularly valid in mergers and joint ventures wherein co operation between two or more companies requires their total commitment to an open system. Understandably most companies are mainly focused on the strategic and financial side of company operations. International businesses are now realising that many of their business problems have their roots in man management and communication. Stereotyping . It refers to putting someone or something in a certain category based on our own and / others experiences and opinions. Stereotyping has a negative impact on communication. It inhibits communication as it alters our perception and results in us making pre-selected interpretations thus hindering an objective understanding of the communication by us. Perception of information Another challenge of cross cultural communication is how the communication is perceived. In this case, attention is mainly given to body language. Different cultures have different ways of interpreting body language. e.g. in the Chinese culture, waving at a person is intended to indicate to that person to come where you are unlike in the western culture where it is used as a gesture to say goodbye. Such a small gesture can result in miscommunication due to the cross cultural differences. Thus, such gestures should be carefully observed and learned by the speaker as well as the listener. Behavioural Constraints Each culture has its own set of laws on proper behaviour that affect both verbal and non verbal communication. Such behavioural constraints include making eye contact. Where, in some cultures (Asian, African, etc.), it is interpreted as a lack of respect especially when addressing the elderly, in others (like that of USA, UK) it shows that the person is honest and has confidence in himself. Other behavioural constraints include how close one stands to another person while talking to him / her, the tonal variation, etc. All these differences in behavioural constraints make cross cultural communication difficult and ineffective. GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Strategies to make cross- cultural communication effective are given below :- 1) Flexibility Flexibility in character is an important strategy to make cross cultural communication effective. An individual has to deal with different people belonging to many different cultures. One should not be rigid and stick to ones normal character, way of speech, etc. The individual has to change according to the culture he is working in so as to make the communication more effective. One should be flexible while communicating, i.e. people should change their way of speech and behaviour according to the character of other party and make the other party join in on the conversation so as to facilitate a smooth flow of the same. This will also help in creating a cool and friendly atmosphere between communicating parties. If an individual is flexible, he can change / adapt according to the situation. 2) Honesty This is very much needed in cross cultural communication. Being honest will make the communication better and successful. If one person is honest and the other person is not, the communication will not proceed in a smooth manner. Honest communication also strengthens the relationship between the communicating parties, especially if they belong to different cultures. While participating in cross cultural communication, both parties should be honest in what they are saying, otherwise they will not get the desired result. An honest communication can result in a perfect deal for both the parties involved in the communication. If an important business matter is being discussed, honesty shown by both parties will go a long way in making some important and successful decisions and deals. 3) Listening Listening skills are an important part of cross cultural communication. A person who has low concentration and poor listening skills will be unable to achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication involves dealing with people belonging to different cultures wherein importance is given only to the communication process without engaging in any other activities. An individual should be calm and quiet while listening to what the other person is saying so as to facilitate a smooth communication process. 4) Mutual Respect Respecting each other is an important strategy of making make cross cultural communication effective. Respect should be given in all talks and forms in cross cultural communication. Both parties should give equal respect, in all their talks and opinions, to each other. In case of someone having a different opinion, the individual should respect the other persons opinion even though it might not agree with his own opinion. An individual should not be rigid about his opinions and should keep an open mind and give equal opportunity to the other party also to give their opinions on the subject and if an agreement is reached, a decision can be made, thus making the communication effective between the parties belonging to different cultures. 5) Understanding each other While communicating with people belonging to different cultures, understanding each other is an important skill to make cross cultural communication effective. Asking questions helps in getting a better idea and understand what the other person is saying.. A better understanding of the situation, the other party, their opinions and suggestions will give more confidence in tackling the problem and finding its solution. Both communicating parties should have skills in recognizing complexity of the talks and decisions. This will help in a better settlement of the matter and that too, without any conflicts. 6) Building Self Awareness and Confidence Both parties should be self aware for making cross cultural communication a success. Self awareness can only be developed by dealing with people belonging to different cultures and backgrounds. People should think twice before making any statement or decision. Self-awareness can be developed by asking others questions about oneself and getting the answers to the same. This helps us in getting a better idea about ourselves. Self-awareness also increases confidence in making cross cultural communication effective and successful. 7) Avoid Stereotyping Stereotyping inhibits communication. Individual should keep an open mind while communicating with other people. He should not entertain any pre conceived notions about the other party as these will cloud his judgement and decisions and lead to conflicts. Keeping an open mind will help the individual to think objectively and make accurate decisions.

Heracles: A Primary Example of Joseph’s Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Essay

THESIS STATEMENT Heracles favorite of the Greeks is a primary example of Joseph’s Campbell’s hero’s journey, proven by all the actions that Heracles has done during the span of his Life. PURPOSE STATEMENT This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god. INTRODUCTION The story of Heracles that comes to people’s mind is not what Heracles had to do during his life. Throughout the life of Heracles, he has shown that he deserved to be remembered as a great hero, through the opposition that he faced from the husband of Zeus, the king of the gods, wife, Hera, because he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera is the main reason that Heracles had to complete the 12 labors. Hera caused Heracles to go mad and kill his family. The only way for Heracles to purify himself was to accomplish the 12 labors that was assigned to him by his cousin Eurystheus as the oracle described: â€Å"As atonement for the dreadful killings, the oracles put Heracles in to the servitude of his cousin, King Eurystheus, who would impose upon the young hero the Twelve Labors, seemingly impossible tasks† (Reference book 68). Heracles must have completed these difficult trials to help him return to his usual life The main reason that Hera hated Heracles is because he was the illegitimate son of her husband Zeus. Hera usually would show hatred for woman that Zeus had slept with, but in this case her hatred was for son of the woman. The hatred of Hera is also ironic because Heracles’ names even means â€Å"Glory of Hera†, but with Hera’s h... ...ro. In the Helicon Encyclopedia of Literature they interpret Heracles myth as â€Å"Viewed as the personification of strength, courage, and endurance, Heracles and his legends may have been regarded as an allegory of the triumph of good over evil† (Helicon Encyclopedia). Heracles can be viewed as a story of good vs. evil because Heracles had to overcome the struggles placed on him from his opposition. Some people will believe that Heracles is not a great hero and they criticize Heracles like the poet Tom Sleigh and in his poem. â€Å"[H]is own good opinion of himselfmirrored back indulgentlywhenever he committedsome indiscretion borne of selfishness:† (Sleigh C: 9 L: 12-16). Sleigh is showing that all people don’t have to like or admire Heracles. But according to the mono-myth Heracles is a hero and went through harder things that other heroes didn’t have to complete.

How does Owen show that even Nature has turned against the soldiers Essay

Wilfred Owen was an officer who fought throughout the war and achieved admirable accomplishments. He was not a man who was unpatriotic and he believed in the war as a whole as he thought that this was necessary to overcome the pure evil demonstrated by the opposition and achieve a greater good for the rest of mankind and future generations. He was seen as a man that did not agree with the events and suffering that occurred within the war, and believes that some of this was not necessary, although it did ultimately achieve a better world in his viewpoint. He was a strong believer in God, as is evident by his early background; the fact that he starting reading the Bible at a very young age and was raised in a typical Christian family; however during the war Owen questioned his views on religion, the war and its effects in every aspect. Although his beliefs were strong at the start, they weaken throughout the war and as he familiarises himself with the terror of war, he learns the extent in which himself and the soldiers are driven to. I am going to analyse the poem ‘Exposure’, which clearly displays all of Owens’s thoughts, doubts and fears. I will particularly focus on the fact that Owen emphasises nature as an enemy to the soldiers as well as the opposition. The poem does not only use nature in one context, it varies throughout and I will how he creates this effect and why it is so effective to express his views. Firstly, the title ‘Exposure’ can be drawn to a number of metaphorical conclusions by the reader as it is a deliberately ambiguous title. For example, it could be the physical exposure to which they are revealed, the conditions that are expressed, the uncovering of the soldiers fears and doubts, all exposed within war situations. However, another conclusion that could be drawn from this title could be the fact that they are exposed to extreme weather conditions, which in those conditions, can be more of a threat than the actual scene of the fight and waiting for the next vicious attack. By the title alone, Owen reveals that the soldiers are exposed not only physically by the weather, but also mentally as it slowly crumbles them. These views become more blatant as the poem progresses. The first line immediately captivates the readers’ attention, drawing the reader into the theme of the nature against them from the beginning. Owen relates to the weather harshly and within that line, the reader has learnt the mood of the poem. ‘the merciless winds that knife us’ refer to the wind as being very icy blowing from the east; this is then also personified as an opposition who would knife them as it draws nearer as it is in close contact with them. The gust is displayed as being ‘merciless’, which means that the weather is enjoying their suffering and does not care about the consequences the soldiers are left with and this also emphasises the brutality of the attack and the way the surroundings made their world crumble. The weather does not alter because it strives on the fact that the soldiers are hurting and the fact the defences weaken as a result. The weather is personified constantly to develop its own human-like characteristics and demonstrate its sole purpose: to attack. It ‘attacks once more’; this develops the weather as another army; another enemy, who is attacking repeatedly and obviously does not need, nor is willing to, discontinue the violence, even for a while. This is significant because as the opposition begin the attack at dawn, it is suggested that the weather takes a turn for the worse then also to add to the terror that occurs daily at that particular time. The snow is demonstrated as being ‘flowing’, which means that it is happy and is fulfilling its purpose and Owen is suggesting this purpose is to bring fear to the soldiers. In contrast to what snow is normally related with; all things that bring happiness to people, typically for example, Christmas, the scene of children running around playing and snow mans, this seems a very different image for the reader to come to terms with. The line ‘flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces’ is particularly significant of this observation and the snow is given a nasty human-like characteristic and this also projects a definite strong image to the reader by the alliteration that attract the reader to this phrase. Owen then says that the flakes ‘flock, pause and renew’, suggesting that it does indeed feed off the soldier’s deep sadness. They are also described as ‘wandering up and down the wind’s nonchalance’, which again displays the image of the snow and the wind working as the opposition, uniting with one another to deepen the blanket of sadness masked over the soldier’s eyes. The mad gusts of wind are also described as men ‘among its brambles.’ This demonstrates the delusion and hallucinations by each of the soldiers’ intensified by natures’ input in the battle. However, this phrase could also be seen as portraying another of the weathers’ characteristics; the fact that it mocks them. It does this by teasing the soldiers and reminding them of the terrible events that occurred here before in Owens opinion. He also describes the wind as nonchalant, meaning that this again has a selfish and evil characteristic. Another technique that Owen uses is changing a stereotypically good thing into something that would be seen as the complete opposite. One of the examples of this is the context in which he uses dawn as a ‘poignant misery’ that begins to ‘grow’. Dawn is traditionally seen as a particularly holy time of the day, along with being seen as good and happy. However, in ‘Exposure’, it is seen as an awful time of day, this is because it reminded the soldiers of the cycle of vicious attacks they lived through and experienced day in and day out. It was a constant reminder of the way of life and a reminder that they could never go home it seemed, and they are again captured by the blanket of sadness. Owen uses this effect once more in the poem in relation to the snow. As stated earlier in the essay, snow is supposed to be a happy type of weather that brings joy to most people. However, Owen says in this poem that the air ‘shudders’ black with snow’. Although on the surface, it is established that the wind is viciously cold and this is emphasised by the fact Owen uses the word ‘shudders’, it is also noticed that the air is ‘black’. The blatant meaning of this phrase is that the war has turned the snow black because of the riots there, however, looking at the phrase from a metaphorical point a view, another perception that could be perceived is that war even drains a completely pure concept; this is highlighted by the fact that the snow is white. It is noticeable that within the poem, Wilfred Owen also allows the weather to change along with the soldiers’ thoughts, feeling and deepest hope and dreams. They tend to slip in and out of reality and the weather ultimately changes to represent these thoughts in their own wandering minds. There is a particularly noticeable and interesting phrase at the point where the soldiers are slipping in and out of reality between one line and the next. It says that Owen and his men ‘stare, snow-dazed’, which represents that their minds are at their time in with the battle surrounding them. However, on the next line, it says that the men ‘drowse, sun-dozed’. These are two key lines in the poem because not only does the sibilance draw the reader’s attention to it, the consonance allows these words to be looked further into, which then creates a much harsher effect than the traditional standard rhyme pattern. This is a very remarkable way of exploring the soldier’s thoughts because firstly, they are in contrast to one another and they instantly change, which shows the men finally crumbling. Secondly, the fact that Owen uses the weather to contradict itself is because he wants to establish the fine line between what is real to them and what is scenery is waiting in their mind. It also highlights the differences between their time and another entirely, one that doesn’t exist to their conscious mind. Another example of Wilfred Owen’s contrast in weather that exists in their thoughts is when he says that they are deep into ‘grassier ditches’, with ‘blossoms trickling’. This is a beautiful image and a deliberate contrast to how the weather was related to beforehand, but now the group are imagining themselves in warmer times, and nature is a good way of explaining this. The reader will notice that nature has a very strong impact on the soldiers’ thoughts and feelings. The men’s way of how they think and feel is a reflection of the weather and the after-effects of nature are displayed clearly throughout the whole poem. The first time the soldiers crumble because of nature is when Owen states that they only know ‘war lasts, rain soaks and clouds sag stormy.’ This shows that the war and nature have shrunken their reality down to what is their life at the moment and it seems that they have forgotten what their life was like before nature turned against them and before war affected their lifestyle. Another way in which they are affected is the fact that they obviously think that nature is much more of a threat to them than the actual war. Owen thinks this because he believes that a bullet can quickly end the pain, however nature threatens to torture you to death, which is to the extreme of unbearable for him. This is evident by the way he states that bullets are being fired, but are ‘less deathly than the air’. This also allows the reader to feel involved in the poem and creates a certain atmosphere so that they feel extremely overcome with the blanket that Owen feels saddens him. He then goes on to state how nature has affected his feelings toward religion and that they should never see a clear field with trees of fruit again; this intensifies the extremes of the weather and how it could almost drive them insane. It also shows that because since the early times God has been traditionally in unity with the weather, he is certain that God somehow does not love him and if He does, how is it possible if He has no mercy either? The last significant image that Owen displays in the poem is toward the end when he states that, referring to the men that have died, ‘all their eyes are ice’. This means that not only has death occurred, it partially means metaphorically that nature was part of the death and has taken over the body in the death process and that overall; nature is but a sign of death for the soldiers and all that is the circle of life now involves nature hunting them down, and when it finally does it will still be with their body and captivate them even when they die. It also provides a strong image of the circumstances in which they die in, and the reader learns that this is truly awful, furthermore, it is known that in religious mythology, one of the circles of Hell punishes sinners by trapping them under ice and they are open and staring, which also has an effect on the men and makes them fear death more than the situation they are in at the moment. Throughout the poem, there is a repetition of ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. This could be the length of time that the soldiers are waiting for the next event to occur, but it could also be when they are waiting for nature to attack once more. As already partly mentioned, some words and phrases are highlighted through the consonance, for example, ‘army’ and ‘stormy’, this is meant to grasp the attention of the reader and portray the key concepts and words. Alliteration and some sibilance techniques also add to discovering the key phrases, e.g. ‘streak the silence’, ‘field, or fruit’. In conclusion to this exploration of Wilfred Owens’s poem ‘Exposure’, I have looked at various aspects of the poem relating to the theme of nature, and also how and why this link is connected. In my opinion, Owen clearly states his point of view and the other soldiers’ throughout the natures input and use this as another aspect of the war to think about that wouldn’t at first come to mind when readers hear about the war initially. He also tries to show other sides of the war that wouldn’t have been revealed before, and discusses how everyone had similar thoughts and feelings to him as he relates to them almost as a unity. He always describes the events as ‘we’. I believe that altogether this poem reflects, in more than one way, how the war was harsh and the effects that this had on the groups of soldiers’ there. I think that the poem does this effectively, as described beforehand and would overall say that the war was an awful place to be, which obviously deludes the soldiers so much so that there is a fine line between the sane and the insane.

U.S. President Mckinley Assassinated

U.S. President Mckinley Assassinated On September 6, 1901, anarchist Leon Czolgosz walked up to U.S. President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in New York and shot McKinley at point-blank range. After the shooting, it first appeared that President McKinley was getting better; however, he soon took a turn for the worse and died on September 14 from gangrene. The daylight assassination attempt horrified millions of Americans. Greeting People at the Pan-American Exposition On September 6, 1901, U.S. President William McKinley spent the morning visiting Niagara Falls with his wife before returning to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in the afternoon to spend a few minutes greeting the public. By about 3:30 p.m., President McKinley stood inside the Temple of Music building at the Exposition, ready to begin shaking the hands of the public as they streamed into the building. Many had been waiting for hours outside in the heat for their chance to meet the President. Unbeknownst to the President and the many guards who stood nearby, among those waiting outside was 28-year-old anarchist Leon Czolgosz who was planning to kill President McKinley. At 4 p.m. the doors to the building were opened and the mass of people waiting outside were forced into a single line as they entered the Temple of Music building. The line of people thus came up to the President in an organized fashion, with just enough time to whisper a Nice to meet you, Mr. President, shake President McKinleys hand, and then be forced to continue along the line and out the door again. President McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was a popular president who had just started his second term in office and the people seemed clearly glad to get a chance to meet him. However, at 4:07 p.m. Leon Czolgosz had made it into the building and it was his turn to greet the President. Two Shots Rang Out In Czolgoszs right hand, he held a .32 caliber Iver-Johnson revolver, which he had covered by wrapping a handkerchief around the gun and his hand. Although Czolgoszs swaddled hand was noticed before he reached the President, many thought it looked like it covered an injury and not that it was hiding a gun. Also, since the day had been hot, many of the visitors to see the President had been carrying handkerchiefs in their hands so that they could wipe the sweat off their faces. When Czolgosz reached the President, President McKinley reached out to shake his left hand (thinking Czolgoszs right hand was injured) while Czolgosz brought up his right hand to President McKinleys chest and then fired two shots. One of the bullets didnt enter the president - some say it bounced off of a button or off the presidents sternum and then got tucked into his clothing. The other bullet, however, entered the presidents abdomen, tearing through his stomach, pancreas, and kidney. Shocked at being shot, President McKinley began to sag as blood stained his white shirt. He then told those around him, Be careful how you tell my wife. Those in line behind Czolgosz and guards in the room all jumped on Czolgosz and started to punch him. Seeing that the mob on Czolgosz might easily and quickly kill him, President McKinley whispered either, Dont let them hurt him or Go easy on him, boys. President McKinley Undergoes Surgery President McKinley was then whisked away in an electric ambulance to the hospital at the Exposition. Unfortunately, the hospital was not properly equipped for such a surgery and the very experienced doctor usually on premises was away doing a surgery in another town. Although several doctors were found, the most experienced doctor that could be found was Dr. Matthew Mann, a gynecologist. The surgery began at 5:20 p.m. During the operation, the doctors searched for the remains of the bullet that had entered the Presidents abdomen, but were unable to locate it. Worried that continued searching would tax the Presidents body too much, the doctors decided to discontinue looking for it and to sew up what they could. The surgery was completed a little before 7 p.m. Gangrene and Death For several days, President McKinley seemed to be getting better. After the shock of the shooting, the nation was excited to hear some good news. However, what the doctors did not realize was that without drainage, an infection had built up inside the President. By September 13 it was obvious the President was dying. At 2:15 a.m. on September 14, 1901, President William McKinley died of gangrene. That afternoon, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States. The Execution of Leon Czolgosz After being pummeled right after the shooting, Leon Czolgosz had been arrested and taken to police headquarters before nearly being lynched by the angry crowds that surrounded the Temple of Music. Czolgosz readily admitted that he was the one who had shot the President. In his written confession, Czolgosz stated, I killed President McKinley because I done my duty. I didnt believe one man should have so much service and another man should have none. Czolgosz was brought to trial on September 23, 1901. He was quickly found guilty and sentenced to death. On October 29, 1901, Leon Czolgosz was electrocuted.

Product Innovation and Management

Product Innovation and Management Introduction For the contemporary companies, the current global business environment is complex and with a myriad of challenges when it comes to maintaining production and continued market relevance (Adner 2006). Product innovation is increasingly becoming a driving factor for promoting product development and marketing.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Product Innovation and Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For any company aspiring to maneuver, embracing various innovative ideas in making new, or improving the existing products is nowadays a demanding task. Fisk (2014) postulates that innovation nowadays determines whether a product will successfully clinch the higher market tier or fail. Giant companies that compete on the global scale are facing even tougher demands to continually embrace new business innovations or improve their existing innovations (Garcia Calantone 2002). Such perceptions explain wh y the automobile, mobile phone, and the computer companies are relentlessly searching for the modern innovations. Given such presumptions, this essay analyses the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor to examine its product innovation ideas. Overview of the Intel Core I 7 Computer Processors Intel Corporation is an American advanced computer-technology company that has invested in making innovative computer hardware systems that suit the users of the 21st century (Santa-Clara 2003). The computer technology has evolved from the first generation, to the fourth and the fifth generation computers, where computer features, and the power and efficiency of the central processing units matter (Jordan-Marsh 2010). One of the latest innovations that marked a new era in the world of computer technology is the super-speed Core I 7-5000 laptop and desktop processor from the Intel Corporation. The Intel Corporation made this move in a bid to offer laptop users a wide variety of opportunities that improve their computer experiences on the commercial scale (Santa-Clara 2003). The Core I 7-5000 series processors have managed to influence the success of other computer processing companies that rely on the hardware components provided by the Intel Computer Technology Company. The Market Performance of the Core I 7 (5000 Series) Computers Intel Corporation released the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor in August of the year 2014 (Duran 2014). With the introduction and release of the Intel Core i7-5000 Processors, commercial and home laptop users have discovered a new technology that is capable of serving most of their desired needs in surfing, cloud computing, networking, computer programming, and other computing needs.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Laptops that are using the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor have received a remarkable market success in several European markets since the processor arrived in the computer technology back in August of the year 2014. In Europe, over 6, 000 corporate organizations have bought various commercial laptops integrated with the Core I 7-5000 processor. Out of those 6, 000 corporate organizations that have incorporated laptops that are running via the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor, over 4300 firms have revealed that laptops integrated with these processors have noticeable performance advancements.  In China and Australia, companies that deal with the manufacturing of the desktops and laptops confirmed with Intel Corporation that the processor has received a good market uptake. Due to its high performing capabilities, this high-end laptop and desktop processor has managed to influence the activities of the mega computer manufacturing companies (Duran 2014). The Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor has now manifested itself in the mega computer brands such as the new Dell computers, HP computers, Lenovo computers, and Toshiba computers. Almost all the new generation computers in several renowned computer-processing companies are running through the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor (Intel Corp. 2014). In the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, computer manufacturing companies have noted a registered success in the marketing of computers integrated with the Core i7-5960X processors, the Core i7-5930K processors, and the Core i7-5820K processors. The Applicable Theories (The 4Cs Marketing Theory) Several theories have appeared to explain the association between innovative product development and management of product innovation. The theories that highly associate with the emergence and subsequent success of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor are two theories that show the relevance of using strategic marketing techniques to penetrate highly competitive markets (Constantinides 2002 English 2000). The first theory that best describes the success of the Intel Corporation and its success story in the development and marketing of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor is the 4Cs marketing theory. This theory postulates that for an innovative product to manoeuvre in the highly competitive business environments, an innovation must consider the elements that associate with Consumers, the production Cost, product Convenience, and the Communication platforms (Constantinides 2002). Hence, companies must assess what the customers want and what they are lacking, for them to create an appealing product, service or a business solution.  When Robert F. Lauterborn designed the 4Cs marketing theory, the second component of the 4Cs model that deemed important was the concept of production cost (Prandelli Verona 2006).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Product Innovation and Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Companies intending to develop a successful innovatio n must consider all the costs involved in the development, production, and marketing of the product to the targeted consumers. Such approaches often help the innovation to remain strategic and undeterred in its processes, from the beginning of the designing process to the ultimate destination of meeting the end-user (Prandelli Verona 2006). The third component that Robert F. Lauterborn thought was imperative in product innovation and management realm was the degree of convenience that a new product is capable of delivering to the consumers. Goi (2009) postulates that, for a new product to manoeuvre in the already competitive markets, its design and its features must provide a high proof of convenience in terms of accessibility, efficiency, usability and suitability to the needy clients scattered within the niche markets. The last aspect of product innovation that Robert F. Lauterborn proposed in the 4Cs marketing model is the idea of the available communication platforms. Robert po stulated that since new products face numerous challenges while trying to penetrate the exigent markets, companies must consider the available communication channels and the manner in which other previous brands may act as brand ambassadors. Hence, the theory of Robert F. Lauterborn emphasizes on four driving factors that determine the success of an upcoming innovation from its initial production strategies to the final marketing techniques. From the perspective of the 4Cs marketing model, Robert F. Lauterborn encourages companies to consider consumers, the production cost, product convenience, and the communication strategies as factors that determine the success of a new product innovation. In essence, companies must identify their targeted consumers, consider the convenience of the desired innovation, and evaluate the involved costs while marketing an emergent innovation. The Applicable Theories (The Developer-Based Theory) In determining the behaviour of the emergent innovations and the manner in which new products permeate into the market, business philosophers sought to establish the ideas of how innovative products diffuse into the market (Goi 2009). One of the theories that best suits the explanation of the manner in which Intel Corporation has been replacing its old technologies with zealous technologies that have gained a massive market prominence is the developer-based theory. The developer-based theory is a form of a deterministic theory that postulates that companies must be willing to understand that ensuring high efficiency, high effectiveness and elegancy are essential market elements while developing products that replace the initial technologies (Prandelli Verona 2006).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The developer-based or the deterministic theory of product innovation and management assumes that superior technological products will only by virtue of their superiority alone; substitute the previous inferior products in the existing markets.  From the philosophical perspective, the determinist theory assumes that the behaviours of human beings largely depend on the preceding factors (Ram 2007). The human behaviour that shows itself in the technology world is the desire among the people to understand how new technologies work and their desire to have a better knowledge about the upcoming technologies (Ram 2007). In terms of innovation, technological determinism according to business philosophers is the ability of the developers or companies to design and implement efficient strategies that enable a new product to excel in a market (Guo Sun 2004). In product marketing process, this idea may associate with the reputation of a company, the stability of a company, and the strategic planning processes of a company (Mahadevan 2000 Werbach 2000). Therefore, the superiority of an emerging innovation and the reputation of similar brands from a tech company may determine the market success of a new product. Strategic Product Design and Innovation The 4Ps marketing model also known as the marketing mix model has four major components or business marketing principles that drive the marketing strategies of companies (West, Ford Ibrahim 2015). These four principles of marketing include Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. The first principle is product, where the issues of product design and product-manufacturing techniques play a pivotal role (Grieves 2009). For the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor, Intel Corporation and its team of technologists fostered some sophisticated technologies to develop a high-end multiprocessor system that offers high capabilities for the major computer activities (Duran 2014). The Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor comes via a co mpatible motherboard made of a powerful Intel X99 Express chipset, an eight-core processor unit, and a quad-channel memory controller (Duran 2014). These features enable the software developers, the media professionals and the ultra HD gamers to find high performing hardware systems that are compatible with the computer motherboard.  According to the fourth component of the 4Cs marketing theory, which carries the idea of convenience in product innovation, products should have the element of convenience and reliability. The Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor came with superior features that matched the growing demands of the computer users (Intel Corp. 2014). With a RAM memory integrated with a 3.50 GHz system processor that enables a maximum turbo boost, consumers cannot and may not stop liking the innovation incorporated in the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor. This unique feature enables customers who demand high capacity computers to install software of their wish, comput e what they desire, and program their computers according to their personal needs (Intel Corp. 2014). Since companies and businesspersons are increasingly facing increased demands to maintain huge databases, prolific computer-aided services, and several other demanding needs, the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor seems to have brought a permanent solution. A Positive Market Reputation The theory of determinism in technology considers manufactures or producers of an innovation as the most determinants of the success of a newly launched product (Cravens 2000). Intel Corporation has been a giant manufacturer of the computer processors from the 18th century era, and has managed to maintain a positive reputation as a market leader in the computer processors technology. Since the 1971 era of the 4-bit 4004 processors, the 32-bit and 64-bit processors of the 2002 era, to the Intel core 2 and quad-cores, and finally to the modern eight-core generation processors, Intel has been fervent i n its reputation (Parsons Oja 2012). The market archrival of the Intel Corporation, the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors have always faced an unmatched competition from the superbly made Intel processors. Since 1994, the AMD Company and its computer processors have never matched the market success of the Intel processors in almost all the computer brands.  Although the AMD Processor Company has been using low-pricing strategies to expand its market and improve its reputation amongst the consumers, the Intel Corporation has been keen in ensuring that it dominates the world market with reputable processor brands. According to the theory of the 4Cs of marketing, consumers are normally the platform for the successful marketing of an emergent business product, as they possess the initial experience that often contributes to the building of a stable corporate reputation (Bhatt Emdad 2002). According to the viewpoints of the UK and the U.S computer users, the power and processin g capabilities of the Intel chips and processors are incomparable to the AMD processors. In the U.S, Japan, South Korea, and Chinese markets, users have recognised a continued relevance of the Intel processors and Chips, and have cited an increasing market reputation (Intel Corp. 2014). This continuous and broadened reputation contributed to the triumph of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor. Strategic Marketing Techniques According to the 4Ps marketing mix model, a new product will excel in a competitive market when the involved company considers creating a strategy for penetrating the item into the competitive markets (Cooper Edgett 2009). On the other hand, the 4Cs marketing model considers communication platforms of companies as the contributing factors that help in delivering the product information to the consumers. Intel Corporation has a strategic marketing channel that goes through the brand marketing strategies, where several major players in the computer industry pl ay significant roles in marketing their brands (Intel Corp. 2014). Since its appearance in the computer technology, the Intel Corporation has been working closely with its fellow computer-manufacturing companies such as Toshiba, Dell, HP, Hitachi, Gateway, NEC and Fujitsu Companies in marketing its processors. When releasing the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor, Intel Corporation strategically analysed its communication channel by singling out its reputable brand ambassadors.  Latest computer models such as the Dell Inspiron computer series, the Lenovo Computer models, and the Toshiba new models are systematically supporting the market growth and development of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor (Intel Corp. 2014). Apart from its internal market players, the American Intel Corporation has been using external market players in parts of Europe and Asia to market the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor, as part of its strategic internationalization channels. Aside from the idea of using corporate brand ambassadors in its marketing, the strategic launching of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processors played a significant part in the marketing of these eight-core processors. The 4Ps of marketing consider product promotion as a strategic marketing approach that promotes the growth and development of new products in the markets (Gronroos 2005 Jobber 2001). Through close ties with the computer manufacturers, the Intel Corporation has managed to market its Core I 7-5000 series processor to several computers manufactures. Strategic Financing Pricing Techniques The power of designing, producing, and marketing of new products rests on the ability of the companies to have the financial power to make their strategies workable (Li 2013). According to the 4Cs of marketing, Li (2013) states that companies must always consider the costs of designing a new product, developing the product and the ultimate costs required in delivering it to the end-users. The Core I 7-5000 series processor, being a mega project that Intel Corporation had aspired to initiate through the fifth generation platform, forced Intel to have a strategic financing plan for the development and release of this fifth generation processor. In their 2014 financial year, a time when the Core I 7-5000 series processor first emerged in the computer market, Intel’s budget for the computer chips under the fifth generation platform increased significantly (Duran 2014). According to the Intel Corporation (2014), the company used over USD350 million in the production and marketing of the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor.  A significant factor that determines the success of an emergent product is the pricing strategy set out by the product-manufacturing firm (Yu Hang 2009). According to the 4Ps marketing model, the pricing strategy that a manufacturing company uses on a new business product, matters in its ultimate market success. Although the AMD processors come in rel atively lower prices when compared to the prices that the Intel Corporation imposes, the processors of the fifth generation created by the Intel Corporation appear via a unique market-pricing strategy (Duran 2014). Intel Corporation has been selling the Intel Core I 7-5000 series processor at a relatively high price although its strategic partnership with the mega computer manufacturing companies has made the company to consider offering large-scale commercial discounts and price cut-offs (Duran 2014). Subsequently, this strategic scheme automatically helps the Intel Corporation to dominate the processor’s market and later pressure the computer manufacturers to sell their products at favourable market prices. Conclusion Any new technological product entering into a modern competitive market must have a strategic system that would enable it to excel in the market. The 4Ps and the 4Cs models of marketing are very significant in explaining the manner in which companies ought to understand the promotion of the new products. From the above analysis, it is conclusive that the marketing of an emergent hi-tech product is still a demanding task for several companies because several factors determine the successful growth, development, and marketing of an emergent product. Nonetheless, the three common business elements that seem to dominate the process of product innovation and management include the aspects of product designing, product marketing, and product pricing. The three major variables pave way for an understanding of the manner in which the aspects related to the consumers and their preferences or abilities, the location of the business, and the production costs interact. References Adner, R 2006, ‘Match your innovation strategy to your innovation ecosystem’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 98–107. Bhatt, G, Emdad, A 2001, ‘An Analysis of the Virtual Chain in Electronic Commerce. Logistics Information Management, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 78-85. Constantinides, E 2002, ‘The 4S Web-Marketing Mix Model’, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 57-76. Cooper, R Edgett, S 2009, Product Innovation, and Technology Strategy, Stage-Gate International, London. Cravens, D. 2000. Strategic Marketing, Sixth Edition, McGraw-Hill Publishers, United Kingdom. Duran, C 2014, Testimony of Carolyn Duran. Web. English, J 2000, ‘The Four â€Å"P†s of Marketing are dead’, Marketing Health Services, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 20-23. Fisk, P 2014, Game-changers: Creating Innovative Strategies for Business and Brands; New Approaches to Strategy, Innovation and Marketing, John Wiley Sons, London. Garcia, R Calantone, R 2002, ‘A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: a literature review’, The Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 110-132. Goi, C 2009, ‘A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?’, International Journal of Marketing Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-15. Grieves, M 2009, PLM: Driving the Next Generation of Lean Thinking, McGraw-Hill, New York. Gronroos, C 2005, ‘On defining marketing: finding a new roadmap for marketing’, Marketing Theory, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 395-417. Guo, J, Sun, C 2004, ‘Global Electronic Markets and Global Traditional Markets’, Electronic Markets, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 4-25. Intel Corporation 2014, Backgrounder: Intel Corporation. Web. Jobber D 2001, Principles and Practices of Marketing 3 rd edition, McGraw Hill Publishers, London. Jordan-Marsh, M 2010, Health Technology Literacy: A Trans disciplinary Framework for Consumer-Oriented Practice, Jones Bartlett Learning, London. Li, P 2013, Disruptive Innovation in Chinese and Indian Businesses: The Strategic Implications for Local Entrepreneurs and Global Incumbents, Rutledge, London. Mahadevan, B 2000, ‘Business Models for Internet-based E-Commerc e: An Anatomy’, California Management Review, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 4-20. Parsons, J, Oja, D 2012, New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2013: Comprehensive New Perspectives, Cengage Learning, London. Prandelli, E, Verona G 2006, Marketing in Rete, Milan, McGraw-Hill Publishers, London. Ram, B 2007, Computer Fundamentals, Architecture Organization, New Age International, New York. Santa-Clara, P 2003, Valuing Intel Corporation, Inc. Web. Werbach, K 2000, ‘The Emerging Model for Business in the Internet Era’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 84-94. West, D, Ford, J, Ibrahim, E 2015, Strategic Marketing: Creating Competitive Advantage, Oxford University Press, London. Yu, D, Hang, C 2009, ‘A reflective review of Disruptive Innovation Theory’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1-21.

Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering Introduction Industrial engineering (IE) determines how fundamental factors of production are identified, coordinated, and used to aid efficiency and productivity in diverse operational sectors. It provides innovative skills that aid planning, control, and quality in the engineering sector.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Industrial Engineering specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Evidently, it is important for individuals and countries with resources and strong performance orientations to adopt sustainable and conventional engineering practices. The practices should be developed under ideological, purposeful, and developmental virtues in order to facilitate construction of cost effective infrastructures. Industrial engineers should attain superior training on best engineering practices that embraces modern techniques of operation. This is to facilitate development of appropriate construction designs, allocation of resources, and crafting of superior strategic plan to enhance effectiveness (Price 2). Contextually, this paper discusses Industrial engineering as a major and as a job/career. Additionally, it discerns the importance of Industrial engineering in diverse aspects. Indeed, industrial engineering is a concept that seeks to revolutionize execution of activities in various economic sectors. This is achievable through adoption of noble practices that aim at improving productivity, creativity, and effectiveness. Proposal for the research paper This piece provides insightful information on the imperativeness of industrial engineering that remains a noble aspect in steering performance in the current society. The concept presents requisite incentives that drive planning, design, and control of resources in the engineering setting. This propels effectiveness and efficiency in execution of activities. Its main objective is to equip individuals with performance credentials to enhance produc tivity and development of cost effective construction strategies that are sustainable. Indeed, industrial engineering concept enables development of innovative and creative processes of construction while ensuring superior management of resources. It enables creation of relevant production lines, planning, and resource distribution essential for growth. Therefore, the information is to enhance development of individuals with superior engineering credentials capable of advancing quality in the sector.Advertising Looking for research paper on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Industrial engineering as a major discipline and a career development policy Industrial engineering forms an essential discipline in the current society. It equips individuals with conventional knowledge capacity on contemporary engineering practices that are suitable in advancing growth (Munir, 1). The practices are set to advance prod uctivity, efficiency, and value including maximization of cost-related factors that affect construction. It sets up clear guidelines that enable proper identification of relevant activities that are needed in the society and boosts formulation of strong policies that are geared towards constructing strong infrastructure. Noticeably, engineers perform significant tasks of designing, scheduling, and establishing superior control systems that enable sound execution of construction projects (Munir, 2). This explains the need of ensuring adoption of industrial engineering skills that instills innovative mindset in individuals. According to Dalhousie University article (2), industrial engineering is concerned with advancing productivity and development of stable structures that presents limited threats to users. It achieves this through effective management of people, business models, and technology. In regard to career development, individuals with strong aspirations of pursuing engineer ing should adopt industrial engineering training due to its relevance in the contemporary world. It provides superior incentives for personal and professional growth that enhances flexibility compared to other specialties of engineering. Indeed, IE equips individuals with comprehensive knowledge on diverse areas that includes construction, management, distribution of resources, and activity scheduling (SCCC 1). This is vital since other disciplines of engineering provide nonflexible knowledge where some major content are not provided for holistic practicing. Consequently, it boosts one’s ability to acquire job opportunities. Investors or prospective employers are currently in need of engineers with comprehensive knowledge in diverse fields apart from construction knowledge. These elements explain the imperativeness of industrial engineering as a career development aspect. Activities of Industrial Engineering The activities of industrial engineering revolve under set guideline s with an aim of advancing performance and improvement of quality. This ensures that value is obtained through effective administration of processes and resources that are involved in the development sequence. Evidently, IE aids architectural designing tools and equipments, which forms the foundation of any engineering project (Munir, 2).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Industrial Engineering specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Clearly, projects that are founded under inferior standards hold low capacity to successful execution. Therefore, institutions that seek to develop strong structures should ensure establishment of superior designs and procurement of relevant equipments to ensure effectiveness in service delivery. Industrial engineers also perform identification and improvement of processes. Development of critical processes in the construction sequence is essential in facilitating engineering projects. This is to guarantee effective management of resources through priority-based distribution to avert wastages. Additionally, industrial engineering equips engineers with time, cost, and performance standardization qualities relevant in steering construction projects (TPR Education 1). Time is a scarce resource that should be managed effectively through formulation of structural and operational plans. Other activities of industrial engineers include setting up of value engineering and evaluation systems, wage incentive schemes, and performance assessment incorporating inventory quality maintenance. These activities are fundamental in ensuring development of superior engineering projects in a holistic manner with coordination by proficient individuals who hold unquestionable credentials. Functions and Importance of Industrial Engineering Industrial engineering performs diverse functions that support manufacturing and service operations. This helps in advancing productivity, safety, and employees’ welfare. Precisely, the major function of IE is to revolutionize the engineering sector by providing conventional techniques in various sectors. It seeks to enhance novelty, productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency in service delivery through adoption of superior operating strategies, designs, and control of possessions (TPR Education 1). The concept is set to advance working conditions and create clear motivational avenues with strong focus to consumer satisfaction rather than being profit-oriented. Indeed, most institutions have been focusing on profit making rather than provision of quality services. It is advisable for engineers to adopt contemporary techniques of construction that recognize modern needs and constraints in terms of resources. SCCC (2) states that investors in the construction industry need engineers who hold holistic knowledge on modern construction and administration concepts to steer construction plans. Such individuals are in demand sinc e they foster development of viable construction designs and strategies that are technological oriented. Industrial engineering presents learners with conventional and innovative incentives that facilitate holistic integration of construction and project administration concepts (Price 2). These factors are vital in formulating quality policies and construction plans.Advertising Looking for research paper on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Presently, holistic engineering knowledge that enhances superior planning, development of construction blueprints, and enhancement of administration skills is paramount in recording success. This is vital since planning, designing, and control of resources define the successful provisions of IE. Conclusion Evidently, industrial engineering provides noble incentives for growth and development. It ensures increased productivity, novelty, and superior management of engineering procedures. Critically, individuals with strong engineering career aspirations should undertake this course due to its relevancy and applicability in providing viable solutions in diverse sectors. Dalhousie University. What do Industrial Engineers do?. 2012. Web. Munir, Abdul. About Industrial Engineering. 2008. Web. Price, John. Industrial engineering and engineering management in Australia. 2012, Web. SCCC (Sloan Career Cornerstone Center). Industrial Engineering Overview. 2012. Web. TPR Education. Career: Ind ustrial Engineer. 2012, Web.

Learning differences in a given learning environment Essay

Learning differences in a given learning environment - Essay Example Debates exist on whether it is the parental or teacher responsibility to effectively educate all these differences in student learning. Teacher's expectations/stereotypes whether conscious or subconscious may serve to either support all these learning differences in a mutual learning environment or may advantage some to the disadvantage of others. According to the theory of critical pedagogy which attempts to tailor the educational environment according to students' lived experiences, most educators do not consciously attempt to disadvantage students who come with non-dominant cultural, economic, ability differences yet since all of these students are located within a dominant culture they may or may not receive the proper attention required. Due to dominant curriculum content/narratives and norms of thinking which serve to stream non-dominant students into lower learning tracks and socializes them as such, many students fall between the cracks of the educational system and do not ge t their full learning potential realized. According to several critical pedagogical theorists the role of most schools is one in which the values of society with all its inequities are reproduced. Instead of focusing on the Zone of Proximal Development as described by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1962) and Giroux (1998) teachers simply do not have all the knowledge base resources available nor the financial incentive to pay due attention to these important factors. Although working in the same time frame as Piaget, Vygotsky focused on cultural influences on cognitive stages of development in thinking (Santrock, 2008; Vygotsky, 1962; 1978). For Vygotsky culture specifies what to think, how to think and the means by which individuals think. For this reason, language is considered by him to be an essential element in the learning process since it represents the means by which the adult guides the child through the learning process (Santrock, 2008; Vygotsky, 1962). This illustrates that students who have a second or third language that they are exposed to at home learn differently than those exposed to English only. Since language is the primary means, according to Vygotsky, of intellectual transformation then language has a direct impact on learning. Children use internal speech and imitate their parents' speech so they start teaching themselves through the use of this self-talk. Development according to Vygotsky, means that children gradually become adapted through language to their cultural background and effectively to the learning environment. This theory otherwise known the sociocultural or social cognitive approach illustrates the importance of culture and language in the learning process. Teachers who address language and cultural differences in their teaching by recognizing and effectively including these understandings within learning are being effective educators (Santrock, 2008; Vygotsky, 1962; 1978). Another important factor is the role of socio-economic backgrounds. According to Giroux (1998) schools should do more than simply replicate the stratification existing in society by emphasizing values of competition, individualism, and intellectual consumerism. Instead schools can and should promote a sense of democratic community for teachers and students (Giroux & Schmidt, 2004). This inevitably means