Malaysia culture free essay sample

In Malaysia, cultures have been mixing up when Malaysia was colonized by Portuguese, Dutch, British, Siamese, and Japanese. The colonization of these countries did bring many disadvantages to my country which is Malaysia, but it did bring many benefits to Malaysia also. The main benefit is the colonization caused various group of people in Malaysia with different social and culture backgrounds, unite together into one physical entity. Malaysia consists of many types of ethnic groups, such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, indigenous people, the aborigines and minority of Portuguese descent. Each ethnic group has its very own culture. Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including beliefs, arts, and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. It includes language, religion, custom and etiquette, Malaysian dressing, festival celebration, dance, arts and crafts, food, and lifestyle. I have chosen to write about things that are special in my country which it cannot be found in other country. We will write a custom essay sample on Malaysia culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This paper is about tourist attractions in Malaysia and food in Malaysia. Besides, I will write my essay according to the information that I learn from my text book as it is a part that is necessary for this paper. Moreover, I will take in my practical approach and also my own personal opinion by using SWOT analysis to reinforce and support my statement in this paper.

From Fashion Producer to Fashion Retailer

From Fashion Producer to Fashion Retailer For both the retailers and manufacturers, the goal of fashion merchandising and marketing is to ensure that the merchandise is sold at a profit (Steele 295). To achieve this, one needs careful coordination and execution of the business strategies. The success of the fashion business hinges on fashion merchandising and fashion marketing. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on From Fashion Producer to Fashion Retailer specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Owing to the advances in information technology, customers all over the world have become more knowledgeable and inquisitive, due to information on the fashion industry that is readily available on the internet. It is thus important for those involved in fashion retailing to ensure that the needs and wants of their target customers have been met. In an effort to overcome this challenge, fashion manufacturers are now producing specific fashion merchandise to suit the needs of sp ecific customers (Kotler and Armstrong 81). Since fashion retailers are constantly in contact with the final customers, they are more likely to know the needs and wants of their target market. This is important in a highly competitive business environment. If fashion manufactures are not updated with the needs and wants of the end-consumer, they may lose their share of the market. In order to safeguard their market share, some fashion producers may contemplate shifting from the manufacture of fashion merchandises to retailing fashion merchandise. The research paper endeavors to examine the advantages and disadvantages associated with such a move. For a long time, fashion producers have primarily concentrated in the production of their merchandise in an easy and economical manner. A lot of money and time would be spent on consumers in an attempt to convince them that their merchandise suits the needs and wants of the consumers. However, as packaged foods, automobiles and healthy pr oducts recorded successful growth through marketing, fashion businesses also adopted this concept (Steele 296). When fashion producers switches to fashion retailers they are in close contact with their clients and as a result, this enhances the relationship that they share with their clients. This is a positive sign for good business. Principles of marketing therefore become vital for the business. Owing to the constant contact with the end-consumers, they are also likely to know the needs and wants of the customers. Consequently, they have to ensure that they provide merchandise that has been customized to suit the requirements of the market.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fashion producers are also likely to have an enhanced access to the market. They are therefore better placed to study the retail market well, thereby improving their competitiveness. Retail fashioni ng also enables one to provide branded merchandise to the market. Customers would be willing to offer premium prices for such merchandise, and this incenses the profit earnings of a fashion retailer. There is also the issue of consumer loyalty, because they are able to get what they want. Consequently, the fashion retailer is more likely to have repeat business with such customers (Steele 297). Brand orientation brings with it the dimensions of functionality, distinctiveness, symbolism, and value addition (Bridson Evans 404). As such, when a fashion retailer become more brand- oriented, he/she is likely of offer customers a greater retail offer, relative to the competition. Fashion retailers should therefore endeavor to differentiate their merchandise in such a manner as to afford them a competitive advantage in the market. On the other hand, there are also a number of disadvantages that accompanies the decision by a fashion producer to also become a fashion retailer. To start wi th, there is a shift from the core activity, in this case the production of the fashion merchandise, to retailing. A firm is more likely to success when it concentrates on its core activity, as opposed to undertaking various activities. When a firm is only concerned with its core activity, it is more likely to invest more in research and development in an attempt to ensure that its merchandises meet the needs of the consumers (McColl and Moore 97). Another disadvantage of such a move would be the added cost of advertising and undertaking numerous market surveys and research, in an effort to capture the needs and wants of the customer so that the merchandise can be produced to suit these needs. The fashion retailer now has to project sales with regard to the unit of merchandise that they want to sell. In the case of a fashion producer, he/she is required to anticipate the retailers’ needs. In the same way, we may also expect that the fashion retailer shall also have to envis ion the needs of his/her consumers (Stone 59). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on From Fashion Producer to Fashion Retailer specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, we need to realize that the number of consumers of fashion merchandise by far outstrips the number of fashion retailers. Accordingly, this means that a fashion retailer shall have to sue more financial and human resources in an attempt to ensure that they deliver the needs of the market. There are various reasons why a fashion producer may decide to become a fashion retailer. They include the need for brad recognition, gaining a competitive advantage, and increased consumer loyalty, among others. Fashion retailing affords one constant interaction with the end-consumers, thereby enhancing the consumer-retailer relationship. However, even as a fashion retailer contemplates on becoming a fashion retailer, he/she should also be careful to ensure that they re tain the quality of their merchandise. In addition, fashion retailing may mean that one now has to deal with a specific brand. Many fashion brands are a fad that loses popularity with time. Therefore, Fashion producers should therefore not abandon the core activity of manufacturing because they may need to fall back on it. Bridson, Kerrie, and Evans, Jody. The secret of fashion advantage in brand orientation. International Journal of retail Distribution Management, 32.8(2004): 403-411 Kotler, Philip, and Gary Armstrong. Principles of Marketing. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More McColl, Julie, and Moore, Christopher. An exploration of fashion retailer own brand strategies. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15.1(2011): 91-107 Steele, Valerie. The Berg Companion to Fashion. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2010. Print. Stone, Elaine. The Dynamics of Fashion. New York: Fairchild Publications, 2004. Print.

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example Furthermore, forces inside the industry, which include buyers, suppliers, new entrants, substitutes, and most importantly, rivalry in the industry. Therefore, the report presents knowledge management as solution to most of these problems and a tool to strengthen company’s situation. Discussion Definitions of Knowledge Management Without any doubts, for the past few decades the world has been changing at exponential rates. The ability of human mind of discover the secrets of nature, explore the seas, capture the air, fly into the sky and others have allowed us to live in a world which is a better and comfortable place. However, on the other hand, these technological advancements have really increased the amount of information and knowledge that was available before. In fact, never in the history before, we felt the need to manage the knowledge that we possess. Furthermore, the future that awaits for us where our success would be a direct result of our ability to effectively use , manage, and develop our knowledge. Technological capital and human intellectual capital may not get a place on the balance sheets of the organization but they will be getting much attention in the corporate goals, mission statements, and organizational cultures of the many companies. People understand that the only thing, which has the ability to limit them, is their ability to leverage and use the human mind (Stankosky, pp. 234-235). Despite the fact that there has a lot of research in this field and lots of ink is being devoted to the subject, yet authors and experts have not been able to reach a consensus or one unified definition for this topic. According to Robert S. Seiner, Knowledge Management can be defined as a concept in which an enterprise gathers organizes, shares, and analyzes the knowledge of individuals and groups across the organization in ways that directly affect performance (Frappaolo, pp. 26-28). According to Meredith Levinson, ‘Knowledge Management is th e process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge based assets. According to Robert Villegas, Knowledge Management is simply the transfer of knowledge from one person to another, the result of which enables the recipient to benefit from the collected wisdom of the more experienced members of an organization or group’ (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, pp. 341-348). In other words, Knowledge Management is actually a cyclical system or a multiplier effect, which helps an organization in efficient achievement of its objectives and the same happens because the organization’s habits, planning and its execution is deeply rooted in the tacit and explicit learning of the organization (Stankosky, pp. 234-235). Why implement Knowledge Management? Following are some of the direct and clear benefits that Bobco will benefit from by the implementation of knowledge management in the organisation. First, the company would be in a great position to decrease the operational costs. Quite understandably, the market place of today has turned into a ruthless, aggressive, bloody, and destructive place where survival of the fittest is the order of the day. Even Bobco is operating in a market where the pressures for decreasing costs are increasing everyday. Despite the fact that sales have increased yet the profit margins have been shrinking due to increased pressures to outclass competitors. Attaining

Project Charter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Project Charter - Essay Example With the advent of new communication technologies call centres expanded their services considerably, allowing companies to contact a large number of people efficiently. Making a decision about the call centre setting up, the ABC Telecom Company sees considerable benefits for its business, because a call centre will: This document represents a general description of the project aimed to set up a call centre, comprising 10 workstations, in the ABC Telecom Company. The call centre is intended to be a primary way of effective communications with customers, partners and other external audience of the company. The company executives believe that the call centre will provide a single point of contact for all people who interact with company via various channels, including email, fax, web chat and board, phone, VOIP, SMS etc. Such virtual (not face-to-face) interactions may concern different issues from multiple areas, e.g. information dissemination, customer service and support, customer relationship management, marketing and telemessaging, sales (inbound and outbound), employee service and support, emergency services and other areas, related to customers’ satisfaction and telecom business’s efficiency. Undoubtedly, the project is rather complex, it includes a number of various aspects – from the selecting the location to build the call centre to the hiring and training a staff. The ABC Telecom Company does not have sufficient resources to cope with all project tasks by its own strength, that’s why it is intended to get a number of subcontractors and vendors to take part in the project, what brings additional important constraints in the project. Call centre in the ABC Telecom Company is being created in order to increase the value of contacts between the company and existent or potential customers. For customers the value means a good care,

Bible Defines Human Nature Essay Example for Free

Bible Defines Human Nature Essay According to the book of Genesis, man was created in the image of God. â€Å"God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.† Genesis 1:27   This means that man’s nature is godly. Because our almighty God is a holy God, man is also expected to be blameless before Him. But how come sin became inevitable to human nature? Isn’t it that man by nature is greedy and self centered? Other than that, the New Testament says that all have fallen short to God’s standard. Does it mean that the bible contradict itself?                  Meanwhile, western philosophers believe in the concept to tabula rasa. It’s a thesis that says that human beings are born without an inborn personality. Human personality is just a product of pile of experiences and is influenced by his surroundings. If a man doesn’t grow up in a good environment, it follows that his nature is not that good too. In other words, man was born as innocent creature without any sense of morality. We can say that being innocent is close to being blameless. Does it mean that the idea of tabula rasa supports the famous idea taken from Genesis?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we look at the Christian concept of salvation, we can conclude that the Gospel presents a clear explanation regarding this long time debate. Although the bible gives a seemingly contradicting explanation regarding the nature of human beings, still it supports each other when view it from Christian perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we were born, we can’t deny the fact that we are innocent. Just like Adam and Eve, we don’t have any knowledge of sin. And as we look back on the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve became aware that they were naked when sin entered their life. Therefore we can conclude that our sinful nature starts when we lose our innocence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As we grow old, our values are being by our family, community, church and media. Other than that, our personalities were shaped by our experiences. For those people who experienced rejection, they are more likely to develop pride and insecurities. It is also inevitable for them to hold grudges and bitterness. As we look at the bible, we can see that pride and bitterness are sin. Like pride and bitterness, greed is also a product of life experiences as well as family background and community involvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It means that sin is an inevitable part of life. As we grow old, they more we can acquire sin which is too far from having a godly nature. But the good news is that God made a way so that human can return to their blameless nature. He sent Jesus for us to be like his image again. Because of Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross, we are forgiven of our sin and purified to become new creations. â€Å"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.†Ã‚   2 Corinthians 5:17  Ã‚   This idea of Christ’s way of salvation supports the concept of sanctification.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But sanctification is not a one time experience for Christians. They are experiencing a lifetime of sanctification as they grow in their relationship with Christ. If experiences can cause us to sin, our experiences can also be used by God to mold our characters. Our life is a preparation of our character, a way of sanctification until we meet Christ. It is the reason why the bible always compares Christ and church relationship with that of a groom and a bride. Bibliography The Bible League. The Devotional Study Bible. USA: Zondervan Corporation, 1987.

Non Vegetarians Towards Vegetarian Food

Non Vegetarians Towards Vegetarian Food The aim of this chapter is to provide a thorough critical review of existing literature concerning consumer behaviour and the increasing phenomenon known as vegetarianism. First, the various perceptions of non-vegetarians and vegetarians towards vegetarian food and lifestyle. between the different genders. Secondly, how the various aspects of the marketing mix, commonly price influences vegetarian food choice. This chapter also examines the main religions and their influence on food choice and finally the degree of influence ethics has on a persons dietary choice. Perception towards vegetarian foods. A large number of Americans do not understand vegetarian food as they grew up on an American diet, which comprises mostly of meat(Pearson, 2010). The majority of North Americans are used to having meat at every meal even if there is another high-protein food is present (Reiner 2011) . Meat is considered as central food round around which meals are prepared, various types of meat are sometimes served on festive and celebratory occasions. (bender,1992). However, A study conducted by the Vegetarian Times (2008 ), revealed that 3.2 percent of U.S adults which is about 7.8 million people are on plant-based diet and 5.2 % were interested in following a vegetarian diet. Perception of non-vegetarians towards vegetarian food However, many people tend to believe that vegetarian food tastes bad, lacks taste, is uninteresting(Pope, 2010) or that meat has a good taste and vegetarian meat is disgustful (Vigneault,2009) which explains why many people especially men tend to avoid vegetarian food (Bailey, 2012) . However Janu (2010) argues that meat does not have taste by explaining that a person cannot eat raw meat and the digestive system rejects it and says that what gives the taste is the additional items added to the recipe and these are generally from something that is vegetarian. Meat, Vegetarianism and Gender (Mckeever, 2012) reports that consuming meat is regarded by many as being more virile and masculine, the traditional macho all-American male, believes that eating red meat is considered as strong and eating soy is not. It has been found that people from Western cultures link up manfulness with meat, especially muscle meat like steak(Gann,2012). Macrae(2011), reports that men who do not consume meat were viewed as less masculine than the others even by other vegetarians. Even ladies, especially vegetarians regarded men who were not eating meat as crybabies or less mach. They also found that people associated meat with more masculine words In a study by Rothgerber(2012) women were a lot more excusatory about meat consumption and men had more favourable attitudes towards meat consumption(Macari, 2012) and (William,2012), eating meat makes the latter feel like real men. If we take a brief look at history, meat has been affiliated with might, virility, manhood and as a prerogative. This h as been observed during the first world war when meat was reserved for men and this was also observed in many Western, Asian and African cultures( Heine 2010). There may be a more scientific explanation to why men prefer meat, such as differences in physiology and men having a greater protein needs to build body mass as compared to women. To the traditional hunter, meat has always been considered as a reward to hunting. (Shah, 2010) According to (Rowan, 2012) men are less likely to eat their vegetables than women and prefer meat over other foods (Bryner,2012) because they dont have the same strong values and beliefs that eating fresh produce are beneficial to health. Furthermore, messages that convince women to eat fruits and vegetables may not have the same effects on men. There are certain situations when a man may healthily opt for salads which is in the case of social support (Ar et al. 2008) or such as when they are trying to impress someone they are eating with, when they are eating out alone or when dining with their spouse and their spouse has chosen the healthy menu ( Strahan, 2012). (Sifferlin,2012 ) further supported the last reason by asserting that men eat their vegetables so as to avoid arguments or with their wives or girlfriends and if they were left on their own in most cases, they would opt for unhealthy foods. (Shere,2012) explained this by adding that ones personal belief influences his behav ior and men are not as convinced that eating vegetables are not worth eating. Dean(2012) suggested that it would be very difficult to educate non-vegetarian consumers to eat vegetarian or fake meat but the key could be to reshaping burgers to resemble beef and by giving them grill marks as according to(Schà ¶sler.et al,2011) the shape and its appearance are important. marks could even convince men who believe that meat is masculine to try it out and eventually help them through their transition to vegetarianism. Perception towards a vegetarian lifestyle 2.1 Perceptions towards vegetarians When people think about a vegetarians, they imagine a skinny person, or perhaps an unhealthy one(Host 2004). Vegetarianism will not make a person skinny or thin(Olsen,2012) many people have this misconception that vegetarians eat only salads (schuna,2011) and (Beppu,2011) and removing animal products from ones diet can help to slim down(Tyler,2012). According to Stanger(2011) and a study by Katz (2008) many people tend to believe that vegans are pale, have clearer skin. Andrews(2011) and (frankel,2010) put forward that due to certain lackings in a vegetarian diet this may cause ones complexity to deteriorate and become pale due to insufficiencies of iron. However Groenewald(2011) refuted this by stating that if this the case the person was probably wrongly doing his diet. 2.2 Vegetarianism and health There is no single reason why people become vegetarians, but one reason which is cited the most is for a healthier lifestyle(Floyd,2011). Many non-vegetarians today believe that meat is unhealthy (Wong 2006) and the most common reason people are becoming vegetarians today are due to the health benefits(Kasiser,2009). He further adds that vegetarian diets continuously have proven to be healthier, in a way that meat, especially non-lean red meats which are high in saturated fats and may carry risks of animal-human transmission diseases. 2.2.1 Perceptions towards vegetarianism as a means to lose weight The perception of the vegetarian diet as an efficient weight loss tool has lead many into giving up meat (Mccarron, 2011) There has been significant amount of research coming out in support of a plant-based diet, and how it helps a person to lose weight(Freston,2011) while Denos(2012) believes that it is a misconception due to the fact that since fruits and vegetables are low in calories, are loaded with vitamins and minerals people believe it should help one lose to weight. (Zeratsky,2012) states that it is true that vegetarians are usually thinner than non-vegetarians but a person can also gain weight on a vegetarian diet Zeratsky,2012) and (Sass 2012) if their portion sizes are too big and they do not get the right balance. 2.2.2 Perceptions towards vegetarianism as a means to live longer According to many authors, eating a lot of red meat regularly is bad for the health in the long run and increases the risks of heart diseases and other cancers(Lezard, 2012),(Bazelle,2012) and Lee(2011). On the other hand, vegetarians suffer fewer heart attacks than meat eaters. For instance, vegetarians under the age of 65 were 45% less likely to suffer a heart attack than meat eaters(Faloon,2006). 2.2.3 Perceptions towards meat Moreover according to (MacEachern 2009) many conventional meat producers use hormones, antibiotics, and frequently process their products with chemical additives and preservatives. This tends to make the meat pinker but less healthy. He supports his argument by stating that there is a strong relationdhip between highly processed meat consumption and risks of getting colon cancer. 2.3 Reasons discouraging people to become vegetarians 2.3.1 Giving up on their favourite meal (Cain,2011) argues that a reason discouraging people from becoming vegetarians is having to renounce to their favourite meals, cheeseburgers or chicken wings and all the other great tastes that non-vegetarians enjoy(Markella,2006). Those who have returned to being omnivoures claimed that they began missing the taste of meat (Wong,2006). (Herzog,2011) further adds that even long-term vegetarians developed urges to taste cooked meat or developed craving for proteins when they smelt upon smelling bacon being cooked. New vegetarians say that they found it hard to give up favorite foods and adjust to the taste of substitutes for butter and dairy products. For some the toughest part to switching to a vegan diet was to give up on cheese. (Pope,2012) 2.3.2 Lack of social support (Pope, 2012) believes that for vegetarians there is a lack of social support as some people are negative and condescending towards vegetarian food and this is the main reasons why many vegetarians have returned to an omnivorous diet. (smith et al, 2000) 2.3.4. Beliefs that a vegetarian diet is not healthy Many authors claim that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy in a way that that there is is insufficient proteins and a person may suffer from nutritional deficiencies(Claire 2012),(Schuna,2011), (Alan et.al2000) . Robin(2011) argued that it depends on the type of food eaten. In the case of vegan who exclude all animal proteins from their diet they may develop a B-12 defficiency and this is commonly found in meat and defficiencies of this vitamin may lead to anemia. Assess the role of culture in the choice of vegetarian food Sabine (2012) stated that there exists indefinite number of definitions of culture. Definitions of culture may vary from one person to another. Kroeber et al (1952) defined culture as patterns of behavior gained and transmitted through symbols, consisting of classifiable achievements of human groups including their incarnations in artefacts. Culture consists of traditional values and ideas which historically inferred and selected.Many religions promote a vegetarian lifestyle or diet, for example, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and Seventh day Adventists(Frankel, 2010) Culture or Religion is an important determinant in ones selection of his own diet as many eastern religions impose a vegetarian diet as compared to many western religions. According to the survey done by the Vegetarian Times (2008), this explains why India has the most vegetarians (400 million, about 40 % of the population ) as compared to the US which is only at 7.3 million. This is explained by Lingam(2010) who states that India has this strong vegetarian culture due to its religions, dating back to 500 BC where the rise of Buddhism and Jainism were teaching non-violence. Today this vegetarian lifestyle is dictated by the influence of and those having a strong belief in their religion such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism which impose a vegetarian diet. 3.1. Hinduism Hinduism is the oldest and the third largest population around the world with over 900 million followers around the world (Magicman,2011). Hindus believe that all living beings have souls and one animal which is sacred and strictly forbidden to eat is the cow (Dowling, 2009). According to Srivastava(2007), all Hindu scriptures praise and glorify nonviolence. And a vegetarian diet as important in the successful practice of worship and in yoga. Hindu dharma generally recommends vegetarianism but it is not a requisite to be a Hindu. Animal flesh is considered the same as the flesh of ones own offspring and to eat this would make one the most despicable of human beings. Moreover she quoted from the Yaj Veda that one must not use his body, which is given by god to kill other of Gods creations whether they are human, animal or whatever. (Srivastava,2007) further adds that according to the Manusmriti, one should abstain from eating any kind of flesh as this is concerned with killing and it involves killing and leads to karmic repercussions and their choice of food brings about consequences. Killing involves giving pain and according to the karmic law of cause and effect he who gives pain will receive that same amount pain. Christianity The bible is divided into the old testament and the new testament. Based upon an analysis of the bible by Zeolla (2005) In the old testament, especially in the Genesis, which refers to the moment god created Adam and Eve and the whole universe where it is stated that god made every tree grow and those which seemed pleasant good for food and commanded that man shall eat from these trees. This section of the bible implies that at that time god wanted men to be vegetarian. However, there are sections in the bible whereby god stated that man can eat as much meat as he wishes, where god provided quails for the Israelites. Moreover, there are many situations in the bible where animal sacrifices where made to god or where he himself asked for an animal sacrifice. Social influences and vegetarianism Culture transmission, in principle can be transmitted from any individual to another(Acerbi,2006). It is common that lots of vegetarian parents expect their children to eat what they eat (Belkin,2009) despite others arguments that the child should decide when he is old enough(Madsen, 2009) or that eating meat is free choice and what you choose to eat is up to you(Vigneault,2008) . (Roth 2012) argued that kids arent scared of veganism and that it is adults who afraid because kids learn when we they are taught. A survey by Katz (2008) and (Berman2011), showed that many of the respondents had become vegans due to the influence of family and friends. It had been reported that the elderlys food choice was because many elderly valued their relationships between spouses or friends over their personal taste preferences (Falk et al . 1996). 4. Determining the effects of the marketing mix on the choice of vegetarian foods 4.1 Product A vegetarian diet is a meal plan that consists of mostly plants such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds and nuts, with a small amount of or no animal products(Evert, 2011). According to Porter (2009) there are different types of vegetarian diets. If a person says that he is a vegetarian that could mean many things. In each style of vegetarian diet certain foods that are restricted. Here are a few categories of vegetarianism: A Lacto-vegetarian consumes no animal products except for dairy(Ochel,2008) A vegan or a strict vegetarian does not include any animal-based food products. A vegan lifestyle refers to the exclusion of all animal products, such as leather clothing and even honey because honey requires bees. A vegan diet consists carefully reading the labels of packaged foods before purchasing them to ensure they meet vegan criteria. Stein (2011) An ovo-lacto vegetarian will not eat meat, fish, or poultry or anything which contains eggs but they do consume dairy products. Unlike a vegan like diet, vegetarianism offers more flexibility and lets one enjoy some of the things that they are accustomed to eating. (Miles, 2009) Americans are eating 12 % less meat than they did 5 years ago(Ketzenberger,2012) and less real meat means more fake meat(Nolan,2012.) Fake meats also known as mock meats or faux meat (Sawant,2012) have made a lot of progress in the last ten years(Nolan,2012) to becoming a multi-million dollar industry today(Olsen 2012). Mock meat is a substitute for meat made with ingredients such as tofu soy and wheat gluten to imitate the taste and appearance of real meat(John,2010). Nolan adds that in the last year alone, over 100 new fake meat products have been introduced in the United States, from beef tips to orange chicken,pulled pork. fake sausage and fake burgers. When hippies and many sympathizers sought to reduce or eliminate their meat consumption in the late 1960s tofu was well positioned to grab that market, and between 1925 to 1975 America had 528 commercial tofu makers. As stated by (Mintel 2005) manufacturers are doing their best to make alternatives look like real, and there is little in the packaging to distinguish vegetarian products. Soymilk is available in packaging that is identical to dairy milk, and meat-free hot dogs look the same as their meat-based counterparts. However, taste is a more important factor for consumers, who rejected the earlier less-tasty versions of soymilk and veggie burgers. Since then, technology has improved the flavor of vegetarian products. Also helping is the wider array of products that include flavored versions of soymilk and more complex meat alternative products (e.g. chicken-free Buffalo-style chicken wings). These flavored products mask or disguise the beany flavor that many consumers dislike. Although processed fake meat is not healthy food, in most cases, especially from an animal rights perspective, it is given a pass or is accepted (Striepe,2011). Bittman(2012) believes that it would be very difficult to make people reduce the amount of meat they consume each day, an option which is more tasty to the mind and to the mouth is fake meat. According to (Pratt, 2012) This may bother some vegans, who do not like the idea of fake meats, and perhaps it is bringing fake meats is too realistic. Absolute vegans firmly admonish that it still counts as eating meat in spirit and thus labels them as hypocrites(Rufus,2010). 4.2. Price There is a strong relationship between the increase in price and the demand for vegetables. The price increases in the UK also meant that a lot of people were not buying the fresh fruits and vegetables which they need to for a healthy and nutritious diet(Pouler, 2012). In 2010 the price rises are affected many families in a way that 10 % of the poor families are consuming 25 % less fruit and 15 % less vegetables(Hill, 2012). Sheehan (2012) also argued that the economic situation is making it more costly for people to have a morehealthier meal. The price of healthier foods are increasing at a great speed than the that of the unhealthy foods, for example pizzas and burgers and people are eating less fruits and vegetables than a decade ago and more and more unhealthier foods because of its affordability. People are now looking for a meal that fills the stomach which is the case of most junk food than food that is nutritious. According to MailOnline (2011) when the price of beef and porc had reached records, nothing seemed to have changed regard consumer spending and meat. Moreover, in Kolkata, incessant rains had led to a drastic increase in the price of vegetables which had forced many middle-income families to opt for non-vegetarian meals on their menus(Chawdhuri,2011). (Miser 2011) states that many people hesitate to go for vegetarian meals or to become vegetarians because they believe it is much more costly and expensive. However, she opposed these beliefs by stating that a vegetarian diet is more cost-effective and not too expensive, an argument supported by Greenwood (2011). (Miser 2011) affirms a vegetarian diet is much cheaper in a way that chicken can be substituted by beans which is 60% cheaper that the costs of the latter. A person can save up on the costs of electricity which is used to keep the meat frozen. Moreover when a person is purchasing the meat they are paying for parts which are not comestible such as fat and bones. 4.3. Place How easy it is for one to find vegetarian food on menus depends on what type of vegetarian the person is and where he is(Goodyer,2012) . Being vegetarian can also limit your options when dining out Callahan 2010). According to ONeill (2012) Its much harder for vegans who dont eat eggs or cheese to find something they can eat. Japanese food has options for vegans, however Thai food (Goodyer,2012) and in Korea, where there is no Korean word for vegetarian, and which every meal has animal parts in it. (Kerp,2009).Moreover a lot of wine have animal ingredients added for flavour. Vegetarian wine isnt that hard to find these day and the easiest way is to bring ones own wine although in some restaurants this means paying corkage(ONeill,2012) According to Davis (2011) restaurants dont do vegan food because they believe there is no demand for it. Secondly it is too much of a bother, for example separating equipment that use processed meat (Schuna,2011) with such few vegans and most of them will just look at the menu in the window, or the website, and if they see nothing vegan they go somewhere else instead; If there is only one vegan item on the menu, then the only option is take it or leave it. Bigger restaurants can afford to offer a wide variety so that customers can come back but this may not be the case of the smaller ones. Thirdly, people do not dine out alone, and most vegans have mostly non-vegan friends and family. When theyre deciding where and what to eat the one vegan influences the decision. In this case the restaurant doesnt lose only the one vegan customer, but also their friends and family. 4.4. Promoting a Vegetarian lifestyle 4.4.1 Vegetarian Food Festival The 27th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival in Toronto was attended by more than 25,000 visitors over three days (Alexander 2012) The purpose of the festival is to educate. There were educational speakers, exhibits by health and wellness marketers and many samples of food by local vegetarian restaurants and food companies. All food samples family-friendly event will be completely free of animal products. (Juhng, 2012) 4.4.2 Advertisements Advertisements involving nudity to promote vegetarianism PETA( People for the Ethical treatment of Animals) has become known widely for shocking and offensive advertisements (Bhasin,2011) such as Turn over a new leaf or the Sex with vegetables advert therefore making it very easy to confuse PETA with an organization promoting sex with vegetables(Mahdawi,2012). An ad using sex appeal as a strategy is All Animals Have the Same PartsGo Vegan advertisement. The concept of this ad, featuring Pamela Anderson, is that factory-farmed animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, just as humans are. They have the same bodily organs, the same five senses, and the same range of emotions, just as humans do.(Schragin,20120). Here, Peta is urging people to see animals as more than just walking entrà ©es and that animals who are raised for their meat have personalities and emotions and form families and friendships when given the opportunity. Factory farms deny animals the things that are natural and of importance to them and instead confining them to fou l and constricted cages. (Croce, 2010) Shocking Advertisements to promote vegetarianism Meet your meat is a video that shocked many(Felip, 2012) and according to Friedrich(2003) it is the most effective tool promoting the cause of veganism. The twelve minutes video is a documentary showing the worst practices in the business which are considered as the standards and according to him there is not a single person who has not been touched when he or she had viewed the video. In the views of (Pettit,2012) shocking depictions of animal abuse have been found to be more effective in videos and in the case of pictures intended results were obtained when effects or graphics found it to were used to a low degree. Advertisements which involve compassion towards animals Why love one but eat the other? is a provocative ad series in Toronto, which was a great success according( Laurie Wilson, Tyler Jamieson, 2012) asking Canadians to be veg and it would seem riders are responding. The ad draws attention to the shocking cruelty faced by animals raised for food in Canada(NEWS,2011). (Runkle,2009)The campaign consisted of over 200 ads and drew attention to the similarities between the animals we call family and the animals we call dinner. The ads would be run would be viewed over 470,000 times per day, hence exposing millions of riders. One of the three ads features an inquisitive puppy and a cheerful piglet side-by-side and asks, Why love one but eat the other? The other two ads feature a fluffy kitten and an equally fluffy baby chick, and an alert Labrador Retriever next to a curious cow. In each case, these heart-warming images are juxtaposed with graphic photographs of the horrific conditions on factory farms where animals are crammed by the thousand s into filthy windowless sheds. Rather than using shock tactics with bloodstained images or nudity, this campaign appeals to peoples sense of compassion and tenderness towards animals(Takeuchi, 2011) (Cheeseman,2009) reports that the strategies of PETAs adverts are based upon focalizing on creating disorder to raise attention. Remorenko (2009) raised the question as to whether these advertisements were effective and put forward that it succeeded in grabbing peoples attention and that 4.4.3 Celebrity Endorsers Vegetarian and vegan celebrities have made a big difference in bringing attention to the harsh realities of the fur and skin industry. So as to reach a larger audience, the support of celebrities is crucial. With the help of celebrities jumping aboard to adopt and promote the vegan lifestyle, the image of vegetarianism has metamorphosed significantly in recent years (Contributor, 2012). Organisations such as Peta have many celebrity endorsers to help promote the cause such as legendary musician Paul McCartney in a campaign to say no thanks to turkey and eating vegan on thanksgiving. (Ciandella, 2012). A survey by (Moran,2011) however revealed that 46% of British people believe that most celebrities who promote charities are doing it to improve their own public image. One of the key determinants of the success of a celebrity endorser as per (Ritchie, 2012) is if the celebrity fits the product. If the relationship between the celebrity, their public image and the product is a positive one, then it could mean product effectiveness. However, if the product a celebrity endorses is a doubtful match, this could hurt the product image or its success; an example is actress Natalie Portman who collaborated with startup Te Cesan to design a line of vegan friendly shoes. The shoes came with a hefty price and according to (Doan, 2008), overpriced. Within a year the company closed down due to poor sales despite one of the biggest names in Hollywood backing their product because no one thinks of vegan shoes when they think of Natalie Portman. Moreover conflicts of interest may arise and backlash. For example supermodel Naomi Campbell posed in adverts for animal rights group PETA, against wearing animal fur, but she later featured in an ad campaign for a luxury New York furrier, and appeared on the catwalk wearing real fur.(Moran,2011). Determining the influence of animal welfare and environmental concern has on the choice for vegetarian food. Animal Concern and the ethical vegetarian One of the most concrete reasons for vegetarian food choice is for ethical reasons(Dragunaite,2011). The concept of ethical vegetarians is, that they want to reduce harm to animals for food or any other reasons. Becoming an ethical vegetarian is a sudden process most of the time. The intent to avoid meat due to feelings of guilt, which results in avoiding the purchase of meat to support their beliefs in animal welfare(Schroder, 2004 ). According to Towell (2011) the decision of many people to not eat meat is motivated by compassion and also because they care for animals and dont want animals to be exploited for any reasons (shoeman,2011). Furthermore many animals in animals die in horrifying conditions in farmhouses and slaughterhouses and when people find out that animals are capable of feeling fear pain and joy they understand that their diet is not consistent with their values (Towell,211). (Owen,2012) further adds that have an intellectual advantage over other species of animals does not give one the right to oppress them but the responsibility to care for them. Vegetarianism and concern for the environment According to Profita (2011) many people give up on meat for environmental reasons. This is explained by (Borden,2007) stating that a non-vegetarian diet is great burden onto our planet and is an inefficient use of resources(80% of agricultural land in America is used to grow food that is used to feed farmed animals) . Even producing beef has a negative impact on the environment as it produces large amounts of heat-trapping gases (Fiala, 2009). Vidal(2010) pointed out many ways in which it is causing harm to the environment. He adds that it is causing deforestation as may trees have been cut down to be converted into farmland. Moreover it is poisoning the earth in a way waste produced by animals are often dumped in lagoons. It is to be noted that a single farm can generate as much waste as an entire city. Finally he states that faming uses up a lot of water as 70% of it is used for faming purposes. However Collin(2010) refutes this belief by stating that soy and lentils could cause mo re harm to the environment and that a switch to tofu and other substitutes could increase the amount of arable land needed. Perception towards vegetarian food Mckeever (2012) http://eater.com/archives/2012/05/17/just-as-everyone-suspected-manly-men-prefer-eating-meat.php Reiner, R.V, 2007, Disadvantages of going veg , http://suite101.com/article/disadvantages-of-going-veg-a13587 AR Psychosocial predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption in adults a review of the literature http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18471592# Mintel 2005, pages 85 Vegetarian foods in the United States 2005 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/305430/vegetarian_foods_in_the_united_states_2005 Parker-Pope, T.P , 2012, The challenge of going vegan Janu, K.J, 2010 , Why do people eat non-vegetarian Why Do People eat non  vegetarian? MacEachern, M.D, 2009 , 10 surprising reasons to eat less meat, http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/vegetarian-47021902 Bender, A.B, 1992, Meat and meat products in developing countries , http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0562e/T0562E00.htm#Contents Pope, T.P, 2010,Tasty vegan food? Cupcakes show it can be done http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/tasty-vegan-food-cupcakes-show-it-can-be-done/ Vigneault, E.V, But meat tastes good, http://www.vegansoapbox.com/but-meat-tastes-good/ Rothgerber, H.G, (2012) Real Men Dont Eat (Vegetable) Quiche: Masculinity and the Justification of Meat , Consumption http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2012-30417-001/ Macari, C.M, 2012, Men eating meat enhance their sense of manhood study reveals, http://news.softpedia.com/news/Men-Eating-Meat-Enhances-Their-Sense-of-Manhood-Study-Reveals-309472.shtml Williams, A.W, 2012, Men think eating meat makes them more manly (and even veggie women think veggie men are wimps) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2236768/New-study-shows-men-think-eating-steak-burgers-bacon-makes-manly.html Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2236768/New-study-shows-men-think-eating-steak-burgers-bacon-makes-manly.html#ixzz2IPzuSkrp Bryner, J.B, 2012, Meat

How to Avoid High Turnover Essay

Employee turnover is a ratio comparison of the number of employees a company must replace in a given time period to the average number of total employees. † In the recent years Operation department of Caulfield Racecourse experienced problems associated with high turnover, which is a pervasive and serious issue resulting in high direct expenditure as well as intangible costs, low performance level and job dissatisfaction. Operation department is looking after large numbers of employees: event managers and supervisors, administration and operation assistants, staff coordinators, caterers, set up teams, cleaners. The problem is not the lack of job applicants: the company receives endless stream of applications. The problem is that the quality employees are hard to keep. The talented employees do not stay for long before they get employed somewhere else. As an Operation Manager Executive Assistant the author has been asked to examine and analyse factors that may impact on staff turnover. Applying a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques (form of structured questionnaire) to determine the reasons why workers leave their jobs at Operation department, this research tries to identify the root causes of job dissatisfaction leading to turnover and provides managerial implications that may assist managers in dealing with labor-related risks. 1. 1 Objectives This report is identified to achieve the following objectives: 1. To identify general factors that may cause high turnover within Operation department. 2. To examine and analyse levels of staff job satisfaction. 3. To suggest some measures in order to improve overall job satisfaction, performance and reduce high turnover. 1. 2 Methodology * Structured questionnaire (consist of multiple choices, ranking and descriptive questions). The survey method was selected to gather primary data by administering the structured questionnaire among the employee in Operation department of Caulfield racecourse. The questionnaire is chosen because of its simplicity and reliability. We can expect a straight answer, which is directly related to the questions asked. Interpretation of data under this can also be done correctly. An organisation perceived to be in economic difficulty will also raise the specter of impending layoffs. Workers believe that it is rational to seek other employment. 3. The organisational culture. Much has been written about organisational culture. It is sufficient to note here that the reward system, the strength of leadership, the ability of the organisations to elicit a sense of commitment on the part of workers, and its development of a sense of shared goals, among other factors, will influence such indices of job satisfaction as turnover intentions and turnover rate. . The characteristics of the job. Some jobs are intrinsically more attractive than others. A job’s attractiveness will be affected by many characteristics, including its repetitiveness, challenge, danger, perceived importance, and capacity to elicit a sense of accomplishment. A job’s status is also important, as are many other factors. 5. Unrealistic expectations. Another factor is the unrealistic exp ectations and general lack of knowledge that many job applicants have about the job at the time that they receive an offer. When these unrealistic expectations are not realised, the worker becomes disillusioned and decides to quit. 6. Demographics. Empirical studies have demonstrated that turnover is associated in particular situations with demographic and biographical characteristics of workers. But to use lifestyle factors (e. g. smoking) or past employment history (e. g. many job changes) as an explicit basis for screening applicants, it is important for legality and fairness to job applicants to verify such biodata empirically. 7. The person. In addition to the factors listed above, there are also factors specific to the ndividual that can influence turnover rates. These include both personal and trait-based factors. Personal factors include things such as changes in family situation, a desire to learn a new skill or trade, or an unsolicited job offer. In addition to these personal factors, there are also trait-based or personality features that are associated with turnover. These traits are some of t he same characteristics that predict job performance and counterproductive behaviors such as loafing, absenteeism, theft, substance abuse on the job, and sabotage of employer’s equipment or production. These traits can be measured and used in employee screening to identify individuals showing lower probability of turnover. It is important to note that the factors we have listed above can be classified as being within or beyond the control of the employing organisation. In order to actively participate in reducing costs associated with turnover, organisations need to identify those factors over which they do have some control and initiate necessary changes to reduce turnover attributable to these â€Å"controllable† factors.

Breath Right Essay

â€Å"When we first began marketing this product, what was so gratifying, particularly as a physician were the literally thousands of letters and phone calls we would receive talking about how much better people slept at night. Almost all the letters began with â€Å"thank you, thank you, thank you!† Just three thank you’s. It was, I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep like this in 10 years.† What is Dr. Dan Cohen, CEO of CNS, Inc., talking about? Its Breathe Right ® nasal strips, the innovative adhesive pad with a small spring inside that, when attached to the nose, pulls the nasal passages open and makes it easier to breathe. Since its introduction in the United States, Breathe Right strips have been coveted by athletes hoping to improve their performance through increased oxygen flow, snorers (and more often, snorers’ spouses) hoping for a sound night’s sleep, and allergy and cold sufferers looking for relief for their stuffed noses. The Breathe Right ® strip was invented by Bruce Johnson, who suffered from chronic nasal congestion. At times he would put straws or paper clips up his nose at night to keep his nasal passages open. After tinkering in his workshop for years, he came up with a prototype design for the Breath Right ® strip. He brought the prototype to CNS, which was in the sleep disorders diagnostic equipment business at the time. Dr. Cohen knew instantly the market for the strips would be huge. After the products received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and became successful in the market CNS divested its other interests and went to work marketing the strips full time. Being a small company, CNS did not have the budget to launch a large-scale marketing campaign. But it got the break it needed when Jerry Rice, the wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers won the 1995 Superbowl. The entire nation became aware of the product overnight, and demand for the strips increased dramatically. An indication of this national awareness was discussion on TV talk shows and even appearances of the strip in cartoons. The problems that the Breath Right ® strip solves – snoring, congestion – are not unique to the US population. Also, with the media being so global today, people around the world were seeing US athletes wearing the strip and wondering how they could get their noses on some. CNS decided to take Breath Right ® international. But because it was still a relatively small company and had no experience in the global market place, it opted to take on a distribution partner that had extensive global outlets already in place as well as the ability to market the product abroad. 3M, makers of such products as Post-It notes and the leader in stick-to-skin products around the world became the international distributor for Breath Right ® strips. David Reynolds-Gooch, International Business Manager at 3M, explains that the strips fit in well with 3M’s existing adhesive line of first-aid products and are sold in channels with which 3M has extensive leverage: pharmacies, hypermarkets and food markets. 3M agreed to take control of all the marketing and communication responsibilities in addition to the distribution in return for a percentage of the sales revenue of the strips. The strips are â€Å"co-branded† in the international markets. The packages say both Breath Right ® and 3M. 3M introduced the Breath Right ® strip in Japan, and then it was rolled out in Europe, and now can be found in more than 40 countries from Australia to South America. 3M used a similar approach to that used by CNS in the US. Create awareness during the introduction phase through public relations – sports related and otherwise. â€Å"The first year we had incredible PR success† remembers Reynolds-Gooch. â€Å"We believe we got about $14 million worth of free TV, radio, and print time around the world.† This was done through such tactics as having the South African rugby team wear the strips while it won the World Cup of rugby and having pulmonologists and breathing experts describe the benefits of the product on talk shows in Japan, Australia, Europe and Latin America. CNS quickly discovered some major differences in marketing the product here and abroad. For instance, as Gary Tschautscher, Vice President of International Marketing at CNS explains. â€Å"In the US, we positioned and distributed the strips as part of the cough/cold category of products. As we rolled it out internationally, suddenly we realized in some countries that section in the store doesn’t even exist. So where do you position your product?† Additionally, says Reynolds-Gooch. â€Å"There really aren’t many large drug chains or pharmacy chains. The stores are independent in most countries by law. So what that means is you have to go through multiple layers of distribution and ultimately we were able to influence the pharmacist because of the other products 3M distributes in the stores. Finally, there is no couponing in most countries in the world. That vehicle for inducing trial of a new product is not available, and hence a lot more in-store sampling is nee ded. Both CNS and 3M face some issues for the future as Breathe Right strips gain in popularity around the globe. While the athletic segment of the market gets most of the publicity, the snorers are the bulk of the market for the strips internationally. Reynolds-Gooch has identified creating heavy users – those who use the strip every night – as the most important marketing point for the future, ahead of people with seasonal colds or allergies. Also, many of the markets that have been identified as â€Å"hot† new markets throughout the business community may not be appropriate of the Breath Right ® strip. For example, Latin America and Asia (especially China) are emerging markets with steadily increasing income levels and large populations, but the average age in these countries is under 30, and people under 30 typically do not have snoring problems with the frequency that older people do.

The Five Bases of Power Essays

The Five Bases of Power Essays The Five Bases of Power Paper The Five Bases of Power Paper Five Bases of Power Maria Mayorga BCom230 November 28, 2011 Jay Johnson Five Bases of Power Power is said to be ability of one person, group, or organization to control another person, group, or organization. Power is also refer to when one individual makes another do what the other wished through fear, force, persuasion, or reward. For example someone may be powerful because he or she could fire or assign a task someone does not like. Other could be powerful by having the ability to give a raise or bonus. Furthermore, power could depend in the knowledge an individual poses or a person charisma or admiration that contributes to respect. In a research made by social psychologist John French and Bertam Raven in 1959 power is divided into five separate and distinctive forms; coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert. According to this social psychologist coercive, reward, and legitimate power are considered as positional power bases; referent and expert are personal power bases. Positional Power Sources Coercive is considering a positional power source. Coercive power is a when a person force others to do something they do not want to do. This type of power most of the time may cause problems and can be subject to abuse. Using coercive power in the work of place could lead to unhealthy behavior and dissatisfaction. Leaders used punishment and threatening to make people do whatever they wished because they can fire, demoted, and give undesirable assignments. Although a position may give people the capability to intimidate others, it doesn’t mean that they have to do it. Occasionally coercive power can be used as a last resort but not as form of leadership. Legitimate is another formal power source. A president, governor or a chief executive officer poses this type of power. It has to be with someone holding an important position in an organization, country or city that typically has this source of power. Legitimate power can be unpredictable and unstable because is base in a position or title. For instance, if a person loses his or her position in an organization that power instantly disappear because the position was the one who influenced others not the person. Reward power is the results from one person’s ability to reward another for compliances. According to psychologist this power is based on the idea that we as a society are more likely to to do things and to do them well when we are rewarded. Promotions, raises, and desirable assignments are the most popular forms of rewards. The problem with this power is that supervisors may not have as much control over rewards. Promotions and raises sometimes are limited because supervisors may need approval from higher leaders. Another problem with this power is that each time rewards need to be much bigger so they could have the same motivational impact. In the contrary if rewards are given so frequently, they may lose their effectiveness. Personal Power Sources A person’s superior knowledge and skills gives an individual the ability to poses expert power. Individuals with expert power are well prepared to face any difficulty or problem that may occur in organization because of their experience. People will listen to people with this type of power because they demonstrate expertise. The individuals with this type of power gained respect and trust because their ideas have more value. The expert power is one of the best methods of leadership and can be useful to become a successful leader. Referent power is also a personal power source is based in the result of a person’s attractiveness, and charisma. A person may be like because of the personality that individual poses. Likewise an individual may like or respect that person because may identify with that person in some way. Celebrities have this type of power; fans may identify with their music, or their movies. Referent power can represent a big responsibility because the individual don’t necessarily have to do anything to earn it. It can be abused very easily because if someone who is likeable but lacks integrity may rise to power and may use that power to hurt other individuals. Relying on this type of power alone is not good for a leader who wants respect; however, combined with other source of power it can help achieve success. Power can be hold by anyone and can be used to help or affect individuals. If a person wants to become successful leader it is important to learn and recognize the different types of powers. Powers can be a powerful tool if people learn to use those in the correct way. Learned to use those powers that they are more effective and could make someone become a more influential leader. References Mindtools. com- French and Raven’s Five Forms of Power Wikipedia. com- French and Raven’s Five Bases of Power

History of the United Nations †Government Essay

History of the United Nations – Government Essay Free Online Research Papers History of the United Nations Government Essay The United Nations has changed substantially its understanding, concept and action towards development since its conception in 1945. Specially since the end of the Cold War a considerable refinement in its approach could be noticed, moving more and more away from a notion of development as mere economic improvement and progressing to a much broader view that has been named Sustainable Human Development, which is centered on the empowerment of the people and good governance, aiming at eradicating world’s poverty. Historical events played a great role in reshaping this conception and among them the speed of the globalization process stands out. The main question of this essay is: â€Å"How has UN’s approach to development changed since the end of the Cold War?†. The intention here is to expose the major modifications that have occurred and the facts and events that have influenced them, as well as to show the importance, weaknesses and limits of the world organization in the international arena in relation to the development realm. Historical context in which the United Nations emerged and the progress in its conception of development until the end of the Cold War The United Nations emerged in the context of the 2nd World War, in 1945, as an attempt â€Å"to avoid the slaughter and misery of more world wars and another Great Depression- as well as the failure of the first generation of universal organization, the League of Nations† (Jolly, 2005, p.2). These were the main purposes that the organization was directed to during the first to the second decade of its existence. But the organization had broader ambitions and its original view was based on the ideas of peace, development and human rights (Jolly, 2005, p.3). In 1944 we had also the creation of the so-called Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank and the IMF) that were set up to regulate the world economy under the direction of the US with the immediate goal of rebuilding Europe during the post-war years (Allen, 2000, p.204). Through the decades, the action and approach of the world organization towards development changed consistently, being shaped by and shaping historical events occurring during its period of existence. For several years, development was taken only as economic development (Jolly, 2005, p.7). During the 50s and 60s import substitution and state-centered economic liberalism were taken as the best way to achieve economic growth (Allen, 2000, p.292). From the middle of the 60s till the beginning of the 80s there were some historical facts that affected the UN such as the independence of several African former colonies and the reaction of the â€Å"South† in relation to the â€Å"North† with the creation of the â€Å"Group of 77† and the emergence of the â€Å"Dependency Theory† as an attempt to make the developing countries’ priorities be taken into account in international politics (Weiss, 2004, p.231). The development view shifted a little and more stress was given to employment and redistribution with growth. There were some positive reactions to this situation from the UN’s part as it launched in 1964 the First Development Decade, and in the 70s concerns about the environment and about women’s participation were also put into the development agenda. The downside of these years also called the â€Å"debt-led growth† years – was that the developing countries increa sed their external debts substantially (Allen, 2000, p.296). The 80s were called by many authors the â€Å"lost decade† once there was a turn towards neoliberalism, conducted by the Bretton Woods agencies and the US through an agreement named the â€Å"Washington Consensus†. They started promoting â€Å"structural adjustment† in developing countries, which meant conditioning aid provision in exchange of liberalization of the economy, privatization and tax reforms (Cornia, 2004, p.7). During this period those countries were already heavily indebted and the UN had serious problems in taking action because the greater part of international funds started going to the Bretton Woods agencies. Since that decade the UN began its disagreement with the Bretton Woods agencies, once the former emphasized the importance of democracy, good governance and human rights but was backed by inadequate funds (Jolly, 2005, p.5). Structure of the organization and its main activities According to Archer’s classification, the UN is an international intergovernmental organization with a universal approach, once it has membership drawn from basically all sovereign states in the world. Its main activities and therefore its aims can be classified as general and extensive and related both to high and low politics (Archer, 2001, pp.35-63). The three main clusters the organization deals with are: peace and security, human rights and development (Weiss, 2004). The structure of the whole UN is really complex as it is composed by several commissions, committees, boards, specialized agencies and partners. I’ll expose briefly the (acho que seria melhor dizer structure of the organization, ou algo que o valha. Descrever a organizaà §o me parece muito genà ©rico) organization with regard to development matters. The core of the UN system is the General Assembly. Development issues are dealt with mainly in the Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial). The main UN organ with the responsibility of promoting development is the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and it is composed by 54 member states elected by the Assembly for that purpose. Both Committee and Council depend on the Secretariat to carry on their ideas and decisions for it is the administrative branch of the organization. There are several bodies related to development and under the coordination of the ECOSOC, such as UNDP, UNICEF, UNCTAD, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNHCHR, UNEP and WFP (Weiss, 2004, pp.246-7). The role of the UNDP, created in 1965, should be highlighted once it is centre of the UN’s development work. It provides technical assistance, concentrated mainly in four themes: advocacy, advice, pilot projects and partnership. It acts together with many other local and regional actors (Weiss, 2004, p.249). Main changes occurred since the end of the Cold War: Since the end of the Cold War the UN continued working on the enlargement of its view on development. The 80s legacy was absolutely negative for the developing countries which were indebted and had their sovereignty consequently affected. With the Fall of the Berlin Wall the situation went even worse because of the fast transition process that raised more inequality figures. The UN was not in accordance (acho que nao se usa in accordance neste sentido. Melhor, did not agree) with the speed it was been done (Jolly, 2005, p.35). The Fall also shifted the attention of agencies of development from the South towards the former socialist countries. The following years witnessed a considerable increase in civil wars and interethnic conflicts (Allen, 2000, p.163) It was in the 90’s that the UN launched loudly the idea of Sustainable Human Development (SHD), aiming at â€Å"placing people in the center of development† (Fomerand, 2003, p.77), focused on the idea of empowering people. Already in 1985 UNICEF came up with the idea of â€Å"development with a human face†. By 1990, the UNDP started publishing the annual Human Development Report, which was opposing and setting an alternative to Bretton Woods policy. The Report has been published yearly since then, and its contents broadened the development agenda and concept and showed the achievements in this sense through the years (Jolly, 2005, p.11). One good example of the expanding idea of development can be checked in 1993 HDR, which says â€Å"Human development is development of the people for the people by the people. Development of the people means investing in human capabilities, whether in education or health or skills, so that they can work productively and creatively. Development for the people means ensuring that the economic growth they generate is distributed widely and fairly†¦ [D]evelopment by the people [means] †¦ giving everyone a chance to participate† (UNDP HDR 1993:3, as quoted in Fomerand, 2003, p.78) The HDR brought with it a holistic idea of development, as the concept started to cover all areas of UN action, which is to say peace and security, human rights and sustainable development (Fomerand, 2003, p.78). The ultimate and main objective of the SHD would be to eradicate poverty in the world and the main tool to achieve it would be via â€Å"good governance†, which can be defined as a government that manages well the public sector, is accountable, respect the law and provides information and transparency of its action (Allen, 2000, p.380). This approach also stresses the importance of democratization, decentralized development and access to productive assets to gain equity so as to achieve an inclusive globalization (Fomerand, 2003, p. p.83). During the 90s there were other remarkable happenings that gave a new impulse in this novel approach to development, so as the Rio-92, a huge gathering of countries, governments and national and international organisations that took place in Brazil aiming at discussing matters mainly related to environment under the perspective of sustainable development. The result of the gathering was the â€Å"Agenda 21†, a global action plan focusing on bringing into practice the result of the discussions over the subject (Weiss, 2004, p.268). In 1995, during the Copenhagen Summit for Social Development, the General Assembly launched a Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and mobilized the whole UN system towards this goal (Fomerand, 2003, p.91). All these happenings started to affect the conflicting relation between the UN and Bretton Woods institutions, and UN alternative ideas to adjustment were being increasingly accepted by IMF and the WB. The WB committed itself to the pursuit of poverty reduction in the Copenhagen Summit. The IMF included in its mandate â€Å"structural and social aspects of fiscal policy†. In 1996, the WB and IMF published a list of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries committing to provide debt relief for a number of poor countries, and these initiatives were incremented with â€Å"poverty reduction strategies† in September 1999 in IMF programs supported by the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (Fomerand, 2003, pp.92-3). All the regular gatherings that took place in the 90s culminated in the 2000 Millennium Summit that produced the Millennium Declaration for sustainable development and adopted a programme of goals – the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) – whose overreaching intent is to reduce the world poverty, setting targets to be accomplished by 2015. The Bretton Woods institutions accepted the MDG and are now â€Å"on board† (Jolly, 2005, p.12;41-2). The eight MDG are: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development (un.org/millenniumgoals/ 23-1-2006) As it can be seen, the idea of development in the UN broadened notably through the decades, being the Millennium Summit the last highest point in this process. What emerged in the last years was a rich development concept reaching at last all UN spheres of action; taking into account not simply economic development but going as far as to approach environmental, human rights, population and gender issues. Twenty-five years or so ago, the remedial policy measures proposed in the name of the Secretary General would had focused on the central role of the state in the macroeconomic management of national economies to achieve employment growth, poverty alleviation, and overall development. At the international level, such reports would have proposed structural and regime changes, such as the establishment of an integrated commodity program, a common fund, and the development of codes of conducts for multinational corporations. Nowadays, the normative work of the United Nations has shifted winning acknowledgment that if development is to be both sustainable and human, what must be done (†¦) entails public corrective interventions in the operation of national and international markets. For the United Nations, capitalism is a necessary safeguard to personal liberty as well as an essential condition for economic efficiency. But laissez-faire policies alone will not suffice to achieve social justice, stability, and inclusion, or to promote rapid and large-scale improvements in living conditions in developing countries. Markets cannot by themselves reduce inequalities, correct their own imperfections, and promote social convergence and integration. (Fomerand, 2003, p.85) Conclusion: According to what was discussed in the main body of the work, it is clear that through the decades there were many advances in the UN approach to development, especially in the last 25 years. Now, the idea of development is far richer than simple economic development, and entails many more â€Å"ingredients† (no vai và ­rgula aqui?) being the peoples and their empowerment the focus of the policies as well as the promotion of good governance, having as the ultimate goal eradication of poverty through the recognition that poverty itself affects people’s realization of their rights to development (Fomerand, 2003, p.90). Although in theory it may sound all too well, it is worth making a few remarks about the omissions of the UN in its last initiatives and the main hindrances to put its policies into effect. The major omissions of the UN lately – especially regarding the MDG – are the lack of attention to important current global issues such as the arms trade, fair trade, lack of attention to the diversity of cultures (Jolly, 2005, p.13; 59) and the raise of economic inequalities in the world (Cornia, 2004, p.3). Besides, there is no sign of strategies to control and make (ser q no à © melhor colocar os sujeitos aqui?) more accountable the Bretton Woods agencies and international corporations (Fomerand, 2003, p.81). There are two prevailing hindrances to be pointed out in the UN’s work on development which are the tension between the UN and Bretton Woods agencies and the conflicting interests between â€Å"North† and â€Å"South† and their prioritization in the global agenda for development. Even though Bretton Woods agencies have broadened their approach to development in the last years, it is still true that they have diverging â€Å"philosophies† and action towards development, as the Bretton Woods keeps on an essentially neoliberal politics while the UN has a more Keynesian approach (Fomerand, 2003, p.93). This becomes even clearer when financial matters are involved. Besides the fact that the Official Development Assistance which is supposed to provide 0.7% of the donor countries GNP has been giving far less than that, a great part of the resources provided go to Bretton Woods’ hands and leave the UN with no power for action. Moreover, what tends to preva il in their policies, as both UN and Bretton Woods stand for the capitalist system, are the interests and priorities of the â€Å"Northern† countries, with lots of attention being given to market-related issues and no interest placed in international structural changes (Weiss, 2004, p.223; Fomerand, 2003, p.97). In an increasingly globalized world, where the interconnectedness of peoples and countries is remarkable, despite of UN’s weaknesses, the world organization plays an essential role in the international arena gaining much of its authority through the power and spread of its ideas worldwide and the interest and even the need of the world potencies to have their decisions legitimated by the international community (Jolly, 2005, p.47; Fomerand, 2003, p.99). With the proliferation of national and international actors involved in the world organization, the importance and influence of UN’s conception of development cannot be ignored. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, T., and Thomas, A. Poverty and Development into the 21st Century, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000 Archer, Clive. International Organisations, 3rd ed., London: Routledge, 2001 Cornia, Giovanni Andrea. â€Å"Inequality, Growth, and Poverty: An Overview of Changes over the Last Two Decades†. In: Cornia, Giovanni Andrea. Inequality, Growth, and Poverty in an Era of Liberalization and Globalization, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. pp.3-25 Fomerand, Jacques. â€Å"The Politics of Norm Setting at the United Nations: The Case of Sustainable Human Development†. In: Dijkzeul, D., and Beigbeder, Y. Rethinking International Organizations, Oxford: Bergham Books, 2003. pp.77-106 Jolly, R., Emmerij, L., and Weiss, T.G., The Power of UN Ideas: Lessons from the First 60 Years, New York: United Nations Intellectual History Project Series, 2005. unhistory.org/UNIdeas.pdf Millennium Development Goals, un.org/millenniumgoals Weiss, T.G., Forsythe, P.D., and Coate, R.A. The United Nations and Changing World Politics, Boulder: Westview Books, 4th ed., 2004 Research Papers on History of the United Nations - Government EssayAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of IndiaAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Effects of Illegal ImmigrationDefinition of Export QuotasBringing Democracy to AfricaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries Essay

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries - Essay Example The boy William (2009) truly understood how the process of harnessing windmill energy can bring better life for his family and to his community. His constant efforts to build a small but effective device could bring the sustenance and better life. In the same way, an effective malaria eradication program can increase productive man hours and increase the output in industrial and agricultural produce. It is needed to understand the root cause of malaria in Africa first and then devise a full-fledged program, which overtime can eliminate this widespread disease. The severity of malaria in Subafrican region is due to climate and ecology. It is correct to state that malaria affected regions are mostly poor and bound by low economic growth. There are indeed some of the success stories of malaria eradication in the world in the countries such as Italy, Greece, and Spain between 1930 and 1950. Greece had a major suffering in the beginning of 1900s with the spread of malaria. WHO run Malaria eradication campaign had a major effect in Greece in 1946. Infected cases reduced to only 5000 in 1951 from 1-2 million cases per year found in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, it is hard to find much success stories in developing countries sparing the islands of Taiwan and Jamaica. Malaria was eradicated from Jamaica and Taiwan in the year 1958 and 1961 respectively and since then they were in higher growth trajectories. (Gallup & Sachs, 1998) William’s story inspires us about the innovativeness of a small boy that can transform his small town amid adversity. Malawi is a town falling under sub-African region where diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria are quite wide spread. It will be appropriate to see what the measures are taken to eliminate the disease in Malawi. Malawi's the entire population of 1.39 million is at risk of contracting the disease. Every year, almost 4 million cases are registered in health care facilities annually. Malaria is said to have almost accou nted for 40% of inpatient visits. Almost 18% deaths in hospital are accounted to this dreaded disease. Malawi is the first country who relinquished the use of chloroquine in favor of more effective drug. There are many challenges to the issue such as lack of human resources, parasite resistance to the first-line treatment, poverty and a lack of proper monitoring system. To mitigate the weak monitoring system, the World Bank spearheaded a project called Health Sector Support Project through additional funding. The project was also supported by other agencies such as U.S President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) –proposing approximately $186 million in malaria control. Malawi has stopped proposing chloroquine due to resistance developed by malarial parasites and instead implemented a change known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTS). World Bank's investment in evaluation and monitoring system will help assess the effect of change in treatment system. Through this system of monitoring, it will be possible to have improved result-based decision making. The additional grant with further strengthen the efforts to eradicate the malaria from Malawi. Finally, it will have multiple goals to fulfill reducing child mortality, reducing poverty and protecting the poorest from the

History on the start of the U.S. Air Mail Term Paper

History on the start of the U.S. Air Mail - Term Paper Example Even the American Congress was not much interested in giving funding to the postal department for developing air mail system earlier. But the American military has come forward for the rescue of the postal department and they have extended great support to the postal department for developing air mail routes and to train the postal department pilots in using airplanes. Moreover, the American electrical companies has developed and provided navigation equipments for the usage of postal department planes and finally after watching the huge success of air mail system, American Congress also come forward to the rescue of the postal department. From there onwards American postal department never looked back and developed one of the most advanced air mail delivery system in the world. This paper analyses the American air mail history and early developments. Postal service was probably one of the ancient communication means in the world. Even though road, rail and sea paths were used earlier for mail deliveries, it caused lot of difficulties in sending and receiving mails through these mail methods. The need for fast delivery of mails has brought the idea of airmail delivery system. â€Å"THE FIRST aerial mail transportation may be traced back to 1870, when in that year letters were carried out of beleaguered Paris by free balloons, cast adrift in the winds.   The first of such flights was made on September 23, 1870, and carried 500 pounds of mail† (Keogh) The need for aerial route for fast mail delivery system has been realized even before the 20 th century. Most of the Airplanes which used earlier for war purposes were controlled by the military and hence air mail delivery using airplanes were not imaginable earlier. But the usefulness of airplanes in mail delivery has been realized by human kind at the beginning of the 20 th century itself and in countries like India, England and