The Belief Of The Doctrine Of Christianity - 1297 Words

As Christians it is important that we have a clear understanding of the doctrine of Christianity. Without knowing what we believe and why we believe it, how are we to share those beliefs effectively with a world that so badly needs to hear about it? My goal with this paper is to discuss two of the five main doctrines that were covered in this course as well as reflect on my own personal observations of the course matter. Revelation As human beings, we are on or own entirely incapable of knowing God. His ways and nature are beyond our minds comprehension. We come to know him through what he reveals of himself to us. There are several ways that He does this. The first is general revelation; Millard Erickson describes general revelation in his book Christian Theology as General revelation is most frequently thought of in connection with the amazing and impressive character of the creation, which seems to point to a very powerful and wise person who is capable of designing and producing intricate variety and beauty (Erickson, 1998, pg. 154). As Paul puts it in Romans 1:20 â€Å"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse† (ESV). God’s general revelation of Himself is present throughout history, his creation and in the complexity of man. The second form of revelation is special revelation. In this form of revelation, GodShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther s Transformation Of Christianity1120 Words   |  5 PagesChristianity has over the years organized its belief, practices and doctrines into a methodical, monotheistic religion. These elements of religion are fundamental features that interact to create a living, dynamic religion. Before these were organized, Christianity experienced a number of influential people who challenged the religions main practices, beliefs and doctrines, affecting both the religion and it’s life of adherents. One of the most important people in Christianity is theologian, MartinRead MoreHow Is Christianity Living and Dynamic and How Does It Answer the Enduring Questions of Life?1271 Words   |  6 PagesChristianity is a faith based religious tradition, of which the follower is considered to be a Christian adherent. 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Read More The Emergence and Africanization of Catholic Christianity in the Kongo1383 Words   |  6 PagesAfricanization of Catholic Christianity in the Kongo When the nation of Kongo â€Å"converted† to Christianity around the turn of the 16th century, the Catholicism that developed over the next century is best understood as primarily a superficial layer added onto Kongolese traditional religion. The kings of Kongo did not try to replace previous beliefs and practices with Christianity, nor did they simply mask their traditional religion, but rather they incorporated Christian doctrines, rituals, and someRead MoreThe Five Principle Beliefs Of Christianity1642 Words   |  7 PagesPRINCIPLE BELIEFS OF CHRISTIANITY The principle beliefs associated with Christianity exuberate the understanding of life for its adherents, whilst perpetrating an influence on society. This therefore allows for the comprehension of sacred texts and its cohesive meaning on an entity. The principle beliefs of Christianity include the divinity and humanity of Christ, his death, resurrection and ascension, the nature of God, revelations and salvation. The correlation between these beliefs ultimatelyRead MoreChristianity And The Patristic Period867 Words   |  4 Pages Christianity, a religion that has been derived off of Judaism, has transitioned into a normative religion due to the influence of the Patristic period. The name Patristic originates from the word Pater, which is defined as father in Latin. Its title is suitable by its very nature since one could regard the patristic age as the authoritative or fatherly age towards Christianity. (McGrath 7) On another note, many scholars and writers had made beneficial contributions to Christianity during the patristicRead MoreThe Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe religion Christianity is grounded through the wisdom and miracles of Jesus Christ. Many may call him Jesus or Christ but in actuality Jesus is Christ which means anointed one. Jesus Christ was no average person, he is the God the Father who came to this world and fulfilled the Old Testament laws and prophecies, died on the cross, and rose from the dead physically. As savior that came on earth to restore his peo ple he performed many miracles which were recorded in the Gospels by the eyewitnesses

Bodily Systems Assignment Digestive System - 1026 Words

Bodily Systems Assignment Digestive System 1. Gluten is a protein that is found present in many grains. It is made up of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. Gliadin is the part of gluten that some people cannot tolerate. Some natural food sources that contain gluten are pasta, cous cous, bread, cookies, cakes, muffins, and crackers. Some alternative food products or grains for individuals that cannot tolerate gluten are buckwheat, corn, quinoa, and rice. 2. Some common symptoms that may indicate celiac disease are bloating, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss or gain, fatigue, or depression. Two diagnostic tests for this disease are an endoscopic biopsy, which is a tube with a camera on the end that is used to view your digestive tract and†¦show more content†¦Meaning your airways become slightly swollen and blocked. Although smoking causes 80% of cases of COPD some other causes of COPD are air pollution, repeated lung infections, and second hand smoke. Smoking causes damage to all of the other systems in our body too. It affects the respiratory system by causing permanent damage to your lungs. It affects the circulatory system by raising your blood pressure and heart rate. Smoking also causes gum disease. 3. Cystic fibrosis causes thick and sticky mucus to form in the lungs. The mucus blocks a persons airways and making it harder for them to breathe and ultimately causes lung damage. Treatment for cystic fibrosis includes digestive enzyme supplements, medication, and physical therapy. Getting treatment early is the key to improving your quality of life and your lifespan. People with cystic fibrosis have a shorter than normal life expectancy, and today usually live well into there 30’s and 40’s. Cardiovascular System 1. Angina is when your heart does not get enough blood and oxygen due to a blockage of one of more of the hearts arteries. Angina is said to be a warning signal as it can lead to a heart attack, cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. Angina is a warning sign that you need to stop what you are doing and rest. 2. Atherosclerosis is the hardening or narrowing of the arteries. It develops when the lining inside our arteries, called the endothelium, is

Innovation and Sustainable Business Development Model

Question: Discuss about the Innovation and Sustainable Business Development Model. Answer: Introduction The business models are considered as an effective representation of the overall business processes. It can take various forms such as textual, contextual and graphical and these elements are interrelated (Chesbrough 2013). There are also financial considerations that are designed by the organization including the present and the future services or products. The primary constructs of the business models include value proposition, organizational infrastructure, value architecture, value network and technological architecture (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). A business model explains the rationale behind the creation, delivery and capture of value in the social, economic or cultural constraints. This essay would describe the different attributes of the business model and how business model can be perceived as a system (along with the use of different scholarly articles). Discussion The concept of business models is used to represent the formal as well as informal descriptions in understanding the core business aspects (Chesbrough 2013). There can be variety of the business processes such as target customers, purpose, organizational structures, operational policies and others (Baden-Fuller Haefliger, 2013). The business models are used to explain as well as classify the business processes in order to explore different possibilities of the future development (Chesbrough 2013). The business models can be considered as a set of the assumptions and the hypothesis that is used to determine the key resources as well as important activities in the value chain (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). According to Bohnsack, Pinkse and Kolk (2014), the design logic views of the different business models considers the process as outcomes for the creation of new organizational structures in order to pursue an entirely new opportunity. As opined by Baden-Fuller and Haefliger (2013), the value chain activities are defined by the different system components such as marketing, sales, outbound logistics, services and others, which are important components of a system. The partnership is considered as a business relationship that is based on openness, mutual trust, shared rewards and shared risk management in an organization. This leads to greater business performance in the organization. When the business models are considered as part of the systems, then the overall model helps in knowing, understanding and stimulating the model representation (Chesbrough 2013). The system modeling can also be used to define the different interdisciplinary study of the application of the models to construct as well as conceptualize the systems mainly in the IT and business development aspects (Veit et al., 2014). The systems that involve the function modeling are concerned with the application of specific techniques such as functional flow diagram and others. The business process modeling notation is one of the graphical representations for the purpose of specifying the business process in a typical workflow (Flowers Edeki, 2013). The conceptual models are often considered as considered as the abstracts derived from real world and it can be physical or social (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). The value of a model is related to the well representation of the present, past, future and the actual state of the affairs (Veit et al., 2014). The business models act as systems, which are able to solve dynamic and static problems (Farahani et al., 2014). The static models are defined as the relatively stable components of the business models that undergoes minimal change over a period of time. The business models are considered as equivalent to the managerial style of the scientific method in which the hypothesis is the starting point for solving the problems in a rational manner. The business managers use the business models to increase a large number of static as well as dynamic issues (Flowers Edeki, 2013). The spreadsheet gives more analytical approach to the planning process and the managers are able to analyze the components as well as sub-components of the system in a logical problem (Veit et al., 2014). The static problems can be solved by asking what-if questions in order to gain critical assumptions for the business. The companies can also handle the dynamic problems by gaining market insights and take care of t he resulting economics (Veit et al., 2014). The managers can gain an idea regarding the overall business functioning and the detailed system processes provide valuable feedback for improving the systems processes (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). The business models can be used to understanding the partnerships of the firm (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). This can be done through the use of the Business Model Canvas. The entrepreneurs need to be careful about the key partnerships which would help them to perform the business activities in a smooth manner. This would be done with the formulation of suitable questions to understand the nature of partnerships (Flowers Edeki, 2013). The questions include the critical partnerships for business, who are the different critical suppliers, type of partnerships according to the needs, location of the best supply chain and others (Flowers Edeki, 2013). The business models help in the identification of different factors that help in the identification of the right partnerships (Zou et al. 2014). This comprises of the right partnership agreements, defining of expectations, impact on the clients, determination of the win-win situation and the right selection of the partners. The business ent ities need to decide the various types of partnership options such as strategic alliances, joint ventures and buyer-supplier relationships (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). The business systems are useful for understanding the innovation process used in a firm (Davenport, 2013). They define the set of processes that are used by the companies for sustaining in the market. Flowers and Edeki (2013) defines innovation as the process of sustaining themselves over the competitors is done with the help of innovative processes. The business system outlines the different modes of innovation that takes place in a business environment (Camisn Villar-Lpez, 2014). The different process flows would be displayed in the business systems. This would make it possible to understand the different levels of creative business solutions that are used by the organizations. The article on Boundaries Innovation and Knowledge Integration in the Japanese firm by Mitsuru Kodama throws light on the Japanese firms which are in the process of restructuring their organizations for the purpose of competing in the global market (Kodama, 2009). The paper evaluated the competency of various Japanese firms in diverse industries such as electronics, telecommunications and others. The article focused on the knowledge integration firm, new kind of corporate model. The objective of the paper is to analyze the success factors of the Japanese firms in the technology domains and how they set an example to the world (Kodama, 2009). The primary argument of the article is on the knowledge integration process which is concerned with skillful collaboration between different organizational entities. The main idea behind the Japanese firms revolves around the technological as well as marketing innovation. They also have path-dependant knowledge and the firms implement diverse kno wledge from various sources. A new business framework is proposed, which is known as the knowledge integration model. This model is an integration model for the heterogeneous knowledge, which is prevalent in the internal as well as external environment of the organization (Kodama, 2009). This model is sensitive to the dynamic changes in the horizontal as well as vertical corporate boundaries (Kodama, 2009). It has integration of vertical value chain and co-evolution model, which is used for analyzing win-win business models (Kodama, 2009). The internal knowledge is being integrated with the help of internal networks and the external knowledge is done through the external networks. The corporate boundaries are transcended with the help of knowledge transfer process (Kodama, 2009). The two aspects of the business process is concerned with the new boundary conceptions and the dynamic human networks (Kodama, 2009). For example, the knowledge integration model is being used by major firm s such as Toyota and DoCoMo. They make use of i-business model which comprises of the vertically integrated value chains. The article on Killing Two Birds with One Stone helped me to understand the business models in a better manner. This article clearly defined the composition of a business model profit model and the business systems (Itami Nishino, 2010). The business system is responsible for the delivery of the services or the products of a firm. The reason for selecting this article is that it gave a clear view of the current situation of the company and incorporation of value added features in the business processes (Itami Nishino, 2010). The unique business model would help the businesses to gain sufficient competitive advantage by handling the risks associated with the business. The article stated clearly the actual business framework of an organization in simplistic terms (Itami Nishino, 2010). The profit model of the companies is also explained in the article along with real examples (such as Google). It is important to understand the core assets of a business which are often invisible, ho wever, they do affect the business in a major way (Itami Nishino, 2010). The core competence of a firm determines the revenue generation and the competitive advantage. Conclusion This paper presented some of the interesting findings that would be helpful in understanding the future business trends. The business models are considered as a part of the overall business systems. The business models are able to solve both static as well as dynamic problems, which is helpful for the organizations in the long run. The effective use of the Business Model Canvas is done, which is helpful for answering several critical questions. The new concept of knowledge integration firm would gain more prominence in the new future. This essay would broaden the understanding regarding business systems in innovative business environment. References Baden-Fuller, C., Haefliger, S. (2013). Business models and technological innovation.Long range planning,46(6), 419-426. Bohnsack, R., Pinkse, J., Kolk, A. (2014). Business models for sustainable technologies: Exploring business model evolution in the case of electric vehicles.Research Policy,43(2), 284-300. Boons, F., Ldeke-Freund, F. (2013). Business models for sustainable innovation: state-of-the-art and steps towards a research agenda.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, 9-19. Camisn, C., Villar-Lpez, A. (2014). Organizational innovation as an enabler of technological innovation capabilities and firm performance.Journal of Business Research,67(1), 2891-2902. Chesbrough, H. (2013).Open business models: How to thrive in the new innovation landscape. Harvard Business Press. Davenport, T. H. (2013).Process innovation: reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business Press. Farahani, R. Z., Rezapour, S., Drezner, T., Fallah, S. (2014). Competitive supply chain network design: An overview of classifications, models, solution techniques and applications.Omega,45, 92-118. Flowers, R., Edeki, C. (2013). Business process modeling notation.International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing,2(3), 35-40. Itami, H., Nishino, K. (2010). Killing two birds with one stone: profit for now and learning for the future.Long Range Planning,43(2), 364-369. Kodama, M. (2009). Boundaries innovation and knowledge integration in the Japanese firm.Long Range Planning,42(4), 463-494. Veit, D., Clemons, E., Benlian, A., Buxmann, P., Hess, T., Kundisch, D., ... Spann, M. (2014). Business models.Business Information Systems Engineering,6(1), 45-53. Zou, W., Kumaraswamy, M., Chung, J., Wong, J. (2014). Identifying the critical success factors for relationship management in PPP projects.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), 265-274.

Spellbound Essays - Cunningham Family, Jason Voorhees,

Spellbound The book I read was Spellbound by Christopher Pike. In this book, a teenage girl named Karen Holly, was killed at the top of a nearby mountain with her skull smashed in. The only witness to this horrible murder was her boyfriend Jason Whitfield who said that a grizzly bear killed her and scratched him across the face when he tried to stop the bear by hitting it with a stick. He later goes to the police with his story and tells them where to find her corpse. When the police get to the top of the mountain they do not find her body where Jason said that it would be, but instead discovered the corpse in a nearby stream. After a few weeks people start to think that Jason is hiding something about that terrible night, some people even think that Jason himself killed her. These conspiracies are fuel by many things such as the fact that there was flesh found underneath Karen's fingernails or that Jason now has a new girlfriend named Cindy Jones. The town decides to have a trial because of all of the conspiracies so that they can set the record straight on what happen that night. A couple days before the trial Jason, Cindy, Cindy's brother Alex, Alex's date Joni Harper, Cindy's best friend Pam Alta, and a foreign exchange student who is staying with Pam named Bala decide to go to the top of the mountain. Jason wants to do this because he says he wants to face his fear of the mountain that he got after the night Karen was killed. At the top mountain, Jason says he wants to show them a secret cave. After walking for about ten minutes they have to go over a log to cross the stream. While walking on the log Cindy falls off and into the stream. Alex and Jason run to try to save Cindy but suddenly Bala dives off a high cliff into the water, grabs Cindy and pulls her to safety. The next day at school, Alex and his best friend named Ray get in a fight because Alex finds out that Ray is going out on a date that night with Joni Harper. That is the last time Alex ever see's Ray alive because that night after Ray's date with Joni he is killed the same way that Karen was. This happened only a day before Jason's trial. As the plot thickens, Jason asked Cindy to appear at the trial in his defense. The morning of the trial a reporter from the local newspaper who thinks that Jason killed Karen comes to Cindy's house and talks her into thinking that Jason is hiding something. Two hours before the trial Cindy decides to go up the mountain to see what she can find. When she gets to the place where she fell, she finds that there was oil on the log which caused her to fall. She concludes that Jason did this so that he could save her to clear his name by making people think he is a hero for saving Cindy. The main characters in this book where Jason Whitfield, who is the only witness to the murder of Karen Holly, and Cindy Jones, the new girlfriend of Jason Whitfield. Other main characters are Bala, who is a foreign exchange student for Africa and Joni Harper, who turns out to be the one who kills Karen and Ray. Some secondary characters are Alex Jones, Pam Alta, and Karen Holly. The setting takes place in a small town in the Rocky Mountains at present day time. My favorite part of the book is when Cindy goes up into the mountains and discovers that Jason had put oil on the log to make her fall. This was my favorite part of the book because Cindy had just discovered that Jason may have killed Karen after all. The scariest part of the book was when Bala was in the hospital because Bala was very strong and smart and it would take a lot to hurt him, but something had. My opinion of the book was that it was great. I would recommend it to anyone who likes scary books or Christopher Pike books.

Fascist Germany Essays - Fascism, Adolf Hitler, Far-right Politics

Fascist Germany The 1930s were turbulent times in Germany's history. World War I had left the country in shambles and, as if that weren't enough, the people of Germany had been humiliated and stripped of their pride and dignity by the Allies. Germany's dream of becoming one of the strongest nations in the world no longer seemed to be a possibility and this caused resentment among the German people. It was clear that Germany needed some type of motivation to get itself back on its feet and this came in the form of a charismatic man, Adolf Hitler. Hitler, a man who knew what he wanted and would do anything to get it, single-handedly transformed a weary Germany into a deadly fascist state. In order to understand why exactly Hitler was able to make Germany a fascist state, we must study the effects that the end of World War I had on the country. Germany was left devastated and vulnerable at the end of the war. The Treaty of Versailles had left the country without a military and with a large debt that it just couldn't pay. Aside from that, it was forced to withdraw from its western territory where most of its coal and steel were located. This was a major implication for Germany because without these resources, it had no industrial growth (steel and coal are the forces behind industry), which meant that there was no money going into its economy. Without any economic development there was no way that Germany would be able to get out of debt. The Allies did not make any effort to help Germany during this time and left Germany to fend for itself (they seemed to be aware that this had been a mistake by the end World War II when they helped Japan out of its economic crisis; this is an example of history influencing future actions). The "humiliation imposed by the victors in the World War I, coupled with the hardship of the stagnant economy," created bitterness and anger in Germany (Berlet 1). This is the reason that, when the Allies tried to establish a new government in Germany, the German people were less than eager to embrace it. The French Revolution was a prime example that without a participant culture, there is no stability. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Weimar Republic failed so miserably in Germany. When it was introduced in 1918, it had the potential of molding Germany's government into a modern institution. It consisted of regular elections (this would later be referred to as the Reichstag), a proportional representative electoral system, and checks and balances. It was almost flawless as a formula for creating a modern institution but it did not make Germany stable by any means. Herein lies another lesson that many countries have learned the hard way: a modern institution does not, in itself, guarantee that a country will become stable. In Germany's case, there was no participant culture and, as a result, no trust in the government and no efficacy. Germans believed that people within their country were conspiring against them. They did not trust the government in the least and because of this suspicious attitude sought a scapegoat to blame for their suffering (the scapegoat, as we now know, would turn out to be the Jew). Germany was slowly falling apart and could not handle another crisis. Unfortunately, the Depression of 1929 was inevitable. It was also unfortunate that Keynsionism had not yet been conceived for, if it had, Germany might not have dug itself into a bigger hole. Because of its impoverished state and its inability to pay its reparatory debts, Germany began to produce more and more money until inflation was so high that its money became almost worthless (had Keynsionism been developed Germany may not have gone into such a devastating depression). By 1933 the economy "stood on the brink of collapse, with an economy which should, realistically, have long since declared itself bankrupt" (Frei 163). Now Germans felt that the so called "democratic" system had brought them nothing but trouble and this paved the way for Hitler and his Nationalist Socialist Party (which would later be referred to as Hitler's Nazi party, a party that was centered around ideological fascism) (Berlet 1). There is no denying that Hitler took advantage of Germany's instability. He appeared at a time when Germany needed someone to give it a solution to its problems. The first action he took was to assure the German people that they were not

A company’s ethical climate Essay Example

A company’s ethical climate Essay Example A company’s ethical climate Essay A company’s ethical climate Essay When we say ethical climate, it refers to the unified way of thinking of a certain group of people regarding moral, societal and cultural issues. This is the totality of their perspectives and insights on various things or issues. It is â€Å"the way [they] do it,† to sum up the definition of ethical climate. Through the advances of a leader or a manager, a company is able to achieve a certain ethical climate that would be the basis of how they run their work. It is important to develop such ethical climate so that unity between the employees could be promoted. If everyone goes by the ethical climate, the company will more or less be a unified unit when it comes to ethical issues.However, some companies often don’t achieve ethical climate because of several aspects. These are the factors that can hinder a company or an organization to obtain an ethical climate. They are considered to be obstacles, and needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. These obstacles involv e issues between employees themselves. An example would be the pressures to conform to the company’s â€Å"standards.† These standards are not set by the company themselves but arises from the way other employees â€Å"do things.† Another obstacle would be in the form of company/managers-employees relations. An example would be on the evaluations and rewards, where most employees aim hard to achieve, often working as an individual instead of cooperating with a team. Another is fragmentation and deference to authority. Some employees view highly of themselves which would lead to separations and factions.No matter what the cost, a company should strive hard to achieve an ethical climate. This would assure them of a better future as a successful organization. The key is to cooperate not only with co-employees but also to the superiors. If you are able to reach a conglomeration of ideas, then it is highly possible that an ethical climate would be achieved. All it ta kes is for all parties to do their share, and they will all reap the fruits of their cooperation.

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals Essay

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals - Essay Example In order to uphold such contracts, insurance is guided by Insurance Contract Law that defines the relationship between an insured and insurer. Insurance contract law in the United Kingdom has for a long time been considered outdated (Netherway, 2012). For instance, the Marine Insurance Act (MIA) was created and passed in 1906 and has not been reviewed. Nevertheless, there are major developments in motor and aviation insurances, business globalization, development of the property, and the recent natural disasters have demanded serious and extensive reforms, especially within the insurance contract law. In order to appraise the Joint Law Commission proposals for the reform of the law relating to business insurance, considering further the case for differential treatment of Micro-businesses, the following discussion demonstrates solid understanding of the theory and practice of insurance. In addition, the discussion demonstrates sound understanding of key issues pertaining to the law of the insurance. Lastly, the paper provides a critical appraisal of Joint Law Commission proposals before winding up with a summary of the main points. Insurance is a contract where risk financing is attainable through pooling of risks. Insurance is a form of risk management practices within firms, entities, and amongst various individuals (Lawcommission.justice.gov.uk, 2012). Insurance services, though auxiliary, are aimed at reducing the adverse financial impact that firms, entities, and individuals meet in the event of an occurrence of risks (Smith, 2012). Therefore, insurance within the global arena is a vital element especially with respect to financial planning. UK insurance law that defines and regulates contracts between insured and insurers made several proposals (Hamilton, 1995).

Medical ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medical ethics - Essay Example important form of commission parents) may also be the sufferers of exploitation (Laura M. Purdy). Furthermore, it is argued that there are high-quality reasons for considering that commercial surrogacy is frequently exploitative. Though, even if we believe this, the exploitation quarrel for keeping out (or if not legislatively disappointing) commercial surrogacy leftovers quite weak. One important cause for this is that ban may well backfire and lead to possible surrogates having to do additional things that are more exploitative and/or additional damaging than paid surrogacy. No doubt, it is finished so that those who oppose exploitation be supposed to (rather than attempting to discontinue exacting practices similar to commercial surrogacy) focus on: (a) humanizing the conditions beneath which paid surrogates labor; and (b) changing the backdrop conditions (in exacting, the uneven distribution of power and wealth) which make exploitative relations (Laura M. Purdy). The term autonomy is resultant from the Greek autos, which means self and from the term nomads denotation rule, governance or law. To be autonomous is to be self-determined and to be in control of ones life. In regards to health check care, being autonomous refers to one making a decision concerning personal medical care issues for his or her self. Autonomy focuses on respecting the ability of a person to make health care decisions on their own. It is much more multifaceted than considering who is in charge or who knows best the real matter is which of the basic ethical principals hold advantage in any given situation. "medical paternalism" leads to the burden of coercive life-prolonging measures in a manner insensible to the patient; and it put off dying patients and their families from lasting the touching and financial hardships caused by the continuance of desperate medical and technical intervention; (Dialogue.

Writing the result section of a research paper Statistics Project

Writing the result section of a research paper - Statistics Project Example With regard to the distance walked without an assistive device, the mean distance covered in meters was 283.3 while the mean of the distance covered with an assistive device being 296.63.The mean for VAS 1 was 55.3 while the mean for VAS 2 was 43.43 The question relates to the use of paired sample T-Test and aims to answer the question â€Å"Is walking with the device less fatiguing than walking without the device? .This is achieved by comparing the VAS instead of 6 MWT distance. Chart 1 shows the mean differences of VAS. As shown in chart 1, the mean fatigue for the 6MWT distance for subjects without an assistive device is higher (55.0) compared to the one for those with an assistive device (43.43).This result points out that it is less fatiguing to walk with the assistive device because the p value following the paired sample T-test for VAS is significant at 0.00.Again this is below the 0.05 significance level. The second question to be answered is â€Å"Did the subjects walk further with assistive device? and the task also requires the use of a paired sample T-test. A paired sample T-test comparison points out that the mean distance covered with an assistive device is higher compared to that covered with a non assistive device(as shown in table 1). The P value got from the paired sample T-test is 0.03 and it is considered significant for it is below the 0.05 level. The means for distance 1(without an assistive device) and distance 2 (with an assistive device) are 283.30 and 296.63 respectively. The percentage difference of these means is shown in chart 2

Issues with Strategic Marketing Management

Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Introduction This course is designed to help you understand and learn advanced principles of marketing and is aimed at marketing managers, or professionals who are working in business or commerce. Who have perhaps a qualification in marketing and several years experience of working in a marketing role, or managers who would like to increase their marketing knowledge. Part of the courses assessment of learning will involve you in undertaking an assignment based on a marketing strategy plan carried out in your own company/organisation. You will be given detailed guidance and advice about this element of assessment later in this workbook. Aims of the unit The aim of the unit is to identify and discuss key issues associated with marketing principles. The course is focused on strategic principles of marketing, which form an essential underpinning to an understanding of strategic marketing in action. The theoretical underpinning will be complemented by a series of short work-based activities. Objectives of the unit To equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand and interpret strategic marketing principles To provide you with practical experience of applying strategic marketing principles and preparing a strategic marketing plan within your own company/organisation. Learning outcomes On successful completion of this Unit you should be able to: Understand the strategic marketing process Recognise the importance of creating strategic advantage Produce a strategic marketing plan in your own company/organisation Understand the importance of developing a specific competitive position Strategic Marketing Management What does this workbook contain? This workbook contains a number of information and learning resources: Background and contextual information about strategic marketing management Key ideas, theories, concepts, structures, processes in relation to strategic marketing ‘Recall and review and ‘Activity points designed to engage you in reflection and action-focused thinking Case examples of strategic marketing in action Assessment You are required to write a 2,500-word assignment as follows: Prepare a strategic marketing plan for your own company/organisation, paying particular attention to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage over rival firms. Strategic Marketing Management How should this workbook be used? This workbook will direct your study throughout the learning experience. There are  six sections, designed to be studied sequentially. However, a good learning technique is to refresh your learning by re-reading, so you are recommend to read back and forth between sections whenever you feel the need. Each section deals with a different topic and, together with any associated activities, practical work or further reading, is designed to require approximately 20 hours of study. The workbook uses an interactive learning approach. This is achieved through the use of self-assessment questions and activities throughout the text. These will enable you to apply the concepts presented in the workbook and explore issues that extend your knowledge and skills. Preparing to use the workbook If you are new to the study of marketing and/or this study method, then we suggest it is worth you spending some time becoming familiar with its contents and approach to learning and development. This will enhance your own understanding of key ideas in strategic marketing management, and your ability to lead and facilitate the learning of others. Strategic Marketing Management Table of contents Title Page Unit 1 The strategic marketing process Objectives 5 Drivers of change 5 Corporate strategy/ Marketing interface 7 Strategic marketing plans 8 Summary 9 Unit 2 Marketing Information Systems Objectives 10 MIS and the use of strategic intelligence 10 Summary 14 Unit 3 Strategic intent Objectives 15 Strategic intent/vision and mission 15 Goals and objectives 17 Stakeholders 18 Summary 19 Unit 4 Creating strategic advantage Objectives 20 Approaches to developing strategic advantage 20 Alliances and networks 22 Declining and hostile markets 24 Strategic wear-out 25 Summary 26 Unit 5 Developing a specific competitive position Objectives 27 Strategic alignment process 27 Innovation and new product development 28 Strategic evaluation 31 Summary 32 Unit 6 Implementation and control Objectives 33 Implementation 33 Control 35 Summary 37 Strategic Marketing Management Unit 1 The core theme of this unit is the importance of market-led strategic change to ensure organisational success. Objectives By the end of this unit you will: Be able to discuss, and give examples of drivers of change Understand the relationship between corporate and marketing strategy Know the process and structure of marketing planning and be able to discuss the differences between strategic and tactical planning Drivers of change Change is inevitable and companies that wish to maintain a market-led approach must take into consideration both cyclical and evolutionary change when developing their marketing strategies. The rate at which the external environment changes varies according to the nature of the business but increasingly all organisations are facing escalating levels of change. Change is inevitable. To survive companies need to adapt and to convert the threats caused by the changing environment into opportunities in order to avoid strategic drift. Marks and Spencer is a prime example of a company that has not adapted to the changing customer demands and as a result has lost many of its loyal customer base. Case history Drivers of change Greenhalgh (2001) identifies the following drivers of change that have created challenges for companies over the last few years: Domestic businesses of any significance have become rare. They are now global, drawing on supply chains that transcend national boundaries and serving customers worldwide Customer expectations of quality have increased and are now applied to all goods and services, rather than just luxury goods Concern for the environment has become a major item on companies agenda. They now have to consider their environmental responsibility as well as their profits. Large institutional investors are exerting their influence on how organisations are managed Start-up companies play an important role in introducing innovative products and new ideas to the marketplace. Young, technologically-competent workers are drawn to these vibrant workplaces, making it harder for other companies to recruit and retain them Strategic Marketing Management Activity 1.1 Consider thedrivers of change outlined above. Identify the impact of these factors on your own company/organisation. What is strategy? The term strategy is probably one of the most used and often misunderstood terms in business. There is no universal definition of strategy and yet it is used extensively. Strategy has the same meaning whether we are discussing corporate, marketing, promotional or even advertising strategy: it is concerned with how we might achieve our objectives. The difference between each type of strategy relates to the level at which the strategy is being developed. Corporate strategy according to Johnson and Scholes (1999), is: â€Å"concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in and is therefore concerned with decisions of scope† whereas marketing strategy aims to transform corporate objectives into a competitive market position. The main role of marketing strategy is to differentiate products/services from those of competitors by meeting the needs of customers more effectively. Therefore, according to Drummond and Ensor (2001) marketing strategy can be characterised by: Analysing the business environment and defining customer needs Matching activities to customer needs Implementing programmes to achieve a competitive position relative to competitors Strategic management consists of three elements: Strategic analysis concerned with answering the question where are we now? This involves analysing the external environment, internal resources and capabilities and stakeholder expectations Strategic choice what are the options available and which is the most attractive? Strategic implementation often the most overlooked of strategy. It is concerned with allocating resources and turning the plans into action. This process can be as equally well applied to marketing strategy. Strategic Marketing Management The corporate strategy/marketing interface It is impossible to discuss marketing strategy without first putting it into the context of corporate planning. The relationship between corporate planning and marketing planning can best be explained by figure 1.1 below. It is helpful to think of these decisions sitting in a hierarchy with corporate planning at the top and marketing planning below it. The diagram also illustrates that, alongside marketing planning, plans should be developed for other functional areas of the business such as human resources management (HRM), logistics, and operations. The vision and mission will drive the overall direction of the company and the functional areas of business will all work towards achieving the corporate objectives. The vision and mission will be discussed in Unit 3 Strategic intent. Strategic Marketing Management Marketing strategy is concerned with three elements customers, competitors and internal  corporate issues as illustrated in Figure 1.2. Strategic marketing management has three major  phases: firstly, strategic analysis in order to answer the question where are we now? This will include external analysis of customers, competitors and the macro environment and internal analysis of corporate capabilities; secondly formulation of strategy in terms of creating and evaluating options and thirdly implementation where the strategies are translated into action. The three stages are not mutually exclusive and are not necessarily linear. In fact it is expected that there will be some feedback and amendments as the process progresses. Strategic marketing plans A strategic marketing plan is the means by which the strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and content of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerable between organisations. However, normally the following components are included: Current situation external and internal analysis Objective setting Strategy formulation Marketing programmes Implementation issues Control measures Strategic Marketing Management There is no one best format for a strategic marketing plan and organisations will develop their own frameworks that match the needs of their companies. Strategic marketing plans need to generate action and not just be filed away. They should also be sufficiently flexible to take into account the changing environment. Activity 1.2 Read a copy of your own organisations strategic marketing plan. Give your opinion on whether the strategies outlined in it have been actioned. Has the plan shown sufficient flexibility to take into account the changing environment. If the answer to 3. is no, how could the plan have been improved? Summary In this unit we have seen that: Organisations operate in a dynamic environment and therefore they have to take into consideration those external influences that will impact on their business. These influences are often referred to as drivers of change. In market-oriented organisations it is likely that marketing will be the largest contributor to corporate strategy. Corporate strategy is concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in, i.e. the scope of the business. Marketing strategy is concerned with transforming corporate objectives into a competitive market position. A strategic marketing plan is the vehicle by which the marketing strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and format of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerably between organisations. There is no one best structure. Strategic Marketing Management Unit 2 Marketing Information System (MIS) Introduction The focus of this unit is to understand how the use of marketing intelligence and key marketing information can assist marketing managers to produce an effective marketing information system which will assist marketing decision makers to return higher profits. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Understand the strategic use of information Understand how a MIS can assist marketing managers to make key decisions Marketing information is a key requirement for any strategic marketing plan and therefore the development of effective management and marketing information systems is an important task for marketers. Senior marketing managers should not become too heavily involved in the details of the MIS and marketing research but should be concentrating on how to utilize the information in helping to understand the market and develop successful marketing programmes. Definition A Management Information System consists of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, it interacts with them to assess their information needs. Next, it develops the needed information from internal company records, marketing intelligence activities and the marketing research process. Information analysis processes the information to make it more useful. Finally, the MIS distributes information to managers in the right form at the right time to help them in marketing planning, implementation and control. Developing information The information needed by marketing managers comes from internal company records, marketing intelligence and marketing research. The information analysis system then processes this information to make it more useful for managers. Strategic Marketing Management Internal records Most marketing managers use internal records and reports regularly, especially for making day to day planning, implementation and control decisions. Internal records information consists of information gathered from sources within the company to evaluate marketing performance and to detect marketing problems and opportunities. The companys accounting department prepares financial statements and keeps detailed records of sales, orders, costs, and cash flows. The customer service department provides information on customer satisfaction or service problems. Research studies done for one department may provide useful information for several others. Managers can use information gathered from these and other sources within the company to evaluate performance and to detect problems and opportunities. Information from internal records is usually quicker and cheaper to get than information from other sources, but it also presents some problems. Because internal information was collected for other purposes, it may be incomplete or in the wrong form for making marketing decisions. For example, accounting department sales and cost data used for preparing financial statements need adapting for use in evaluating product, sales force, or channel performance. In addition, the many different areas of a large company produce great amounts of information, and keeping track of it all is difficult. The marketing information system must gather, organize, process and index this mass of information so that managers can find it easily and obtain it quickly. Marketing intelligence Marketing intelligenceis everyday information about developments in the marketing environment that helps managers prepare and adjust marketing plans. The marketing intelligence system determines the intelligence needed, collects it by searching the environment and delivers it to marketing managers who need it. Marketing intelligence comes from many sources. Much intelligence is derived from the companys personnel executives, engineers and scientists, purchasing agents and the sales force. However, company people are often busy and fail to pass on key information. It is important to realise that staff are intelligence gatherers, and they need to be trained to spot new developments and urged to report intelligence back to the company. The company must also persuade suppliers, resellers and customers to pass along important intelligence. Some information on competitors comes from what they say about themselves in annual reports, speeches, press releases and advertisements. The company can also learn about competitors from what others say about them in business publications and at trade shows. Or the company can watch what competitors do buying and analyzing competitors products, monitoring their sales and checking for new patents. Strategic Marketing Management Companies also buy intelligence information from outside suppliers. Dun and Bradstreet  is the worlds largest research company with branches in forty countries and a turnover of $1.26bn. Its largest subsidiary is Nielsen who sell details on brand shares, retail prices and percentages of stores stocking different brands. Marketing intelligence can work not only for, but also against a company. Kellogg used to allow the public to tour its plants but recently closed its newly upgraded plant to outsiders to prevent competitors from getting intelligence on its high tech equipment. Some companies set up an office to collect and circulate marketing intelligence. The staff scans relevant publications, summarizes important news and sends news bulletins to marketing managers. It develops a file of intelligence information and helps managers to evaluate new information. These services greatly improve the quality of information available to marketing managers. To summarise it is clear that a MIS has four main components: Internal records there is a wealth of information available within the organisation and it is essential that it is organised in such a way as to facilitate its usage. This may include sales data, customer orders, prices, stock levels, customer complaints, etc. Marketing research this is concerned with the systematic collection of information that is specific to a particular problem. For example, a piece of marketing research may be commissioned to investigate attitudes to a new advertising campaign. Marketing intelligence this may include any information that is collected on an ad hoc basis, such as competitor intelligence gleaned from the press, customer trends, registered patents etc. Marketing decision support systems the processes that convert the data into usable information. For example, statistical tools or modeling techniques. Activity 2.1 Write a short summary detailing how a MIS is used to support management decision making in your own company/organisation. Strategic Marketing Management Intelligence gathering: checking out competitors Competitive intelligence gathering has grown dramatically as more and more companies need to know what their competitors are doing. It is essential that managers are not myopic and spend time amassing information about their major competitors. Techniques that companies use to collect their own marketing intelligence fall into four major groups. Getting information from recruits and competitors employees Companies can obtain intelligence through job interviews or from conversations with competitors employees. According to Fortune magazine: ‘Companies send engineers to conferences and trade shows to question competitors technical people. Often conversations start innocently but engineers and scientists often brag about surmounting technical challenges, in the process divulging sensitive information. Getting information from people who do business with competitors Key customers can keep the company informed about competitors and their products. This information can be vital and can prevent a company from being left behind on product launches or price discounting strategies dreamed up by competing companies. Intelligence can also be gathered by infiltrating customers business operations. Companies can provide their engineers free of charge to customers. The close collaboration the engineers on loan enjoy with the customers design staff often enable them to learn what new products competitors are developing. Getting information from published materials and public documents Keeping track of seemingly meaningless published information can provide competitor intelligence. For example, the types of people sought in job adverts can indicate something about a competitors new strategies and products. Getting information by observing competitors or analyzing physical evidence Competitors can get to know competitors better by buying their products or examining other physical evidence. An increasingly important form of competitive intelligence is benchmarking, taking apart competitors products and imitating or improving on their best features. Companies should take advantage of publicly available information but they should avoid practices that might be considered illegal or unethical. Strategic Marketing Management With all the legitimate intelligence sources now available, a company does not have to break the law or accepted codes of ethics to get good intelligence. Activity 2.2 Write a short synopsis of how your own company/ organisation gathers intelligence on its competitors. Summary This unit has demonstrated that: Marketing intelligence is an essential component of an effective MIS Internal records are a vital source of information for marketing managers Senior marketing managers should be concerned with how to use the information generated from the MIS rather than with the details of the system Intelligence gathering can be carried out in various ways but it is important not to break the law or accepted codes of ethics Strategic Marketing Management Unit 3 Strategic intent Introduction The focus of this unit is to consider the aspirations and future plans of an organisation, and the components of a suitable mission statement and development of appropriate objectives. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Be able to define the terms strategic intent / vision and mission statement Know the components of good mission statements Be able to discuss the development of appropriate objectives Strategic intent/vision and mission Strategic intent refers to the aspirations of an organisation rather than just its current activity. According to Aaker, strategic intent provides: â€Å"A long-term drive for advantage that can be essential to success. It provides a model that helps break the mould, moving a firm away from simply doing the same things a bit better and working a bit harder than the year before. It has the capability to elevate and extend an organisation, helping it reach levels it would not otherwise attain.† It is apparent that many organisations that have an appropriate and well-constructed vision are focused on the future and ways of continually attaining sustainable competitive advantage. A vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and provide inspiration and motivation to its managers and its employees by providing them with a sense of purpose. Hamel and Pralahad (1989) suggested that strategic intent combines: A dream that energizes the company (i.e. acts as a motivator) Implied stretch, (looks for new opportunities rather than relying on existing businesses) A sense of direction A sense of discovery Coherence to plans Definition Strategic intent/vision: The desired future state or aspiration of the organization. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p.243) Strategic Marketing Management Mission statements A mission statement is concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. According to Piercy (2000), in order for mission statements to contribute anything they must: Reflect an organisations core competencies and how it intends to apply and sustain them Be closely tied to the critical success factors in the marketplace Tell employees, managers, suppliers and partners what contribution is required from them to deliver the promise of value to the customer Definition Mission statement: A generalised statement of the overriding purpose of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p241) Mission statements are influenced by a number of factors, such as the resource availability, the external environment, the core competencies of the organisation and the current preferences of its current chief executive and senior management. The extent to which the mission statement serves its purpose is influenced not only by the quality and relevance of the mission but also by how it is communicated to staff and other stakeholders. A successful mission statement is one that is wholly embraced and believed by staff. Just having a mission statement is insufficient, the staff must also buy into the idea. Drummond and Ensor (2001) suggest that successful mission statements should demonstrate the following characteristics: Credibility it must be realistic and believable Uniqueness not bland and generic Specific capabilities embrace core capabilities Aspirational needs to motivate individuals Activity 3.1 Write a brief critique of your own companys mission statement in the light of the above characteristics Strategic Marketing Management Goals and objectives The vision and mission provide guidance on the overall direction of an organisation. Objectives, whether corporate or marketing, are the expected outcomes of the strategy. Goals are often regarded as less specific than objectives and more difficult to measure. However, it is normally accepted that objectives should be SMART: Specific Measurable- expressed in quantifiable terms Acceptable to stakeholders Realistic- attainable Time bound- achievable within a certain time frame Definition Goals and objectives Goal general statement of aim or purpose Objective Quantification (if possible) or more precise statement of the goal (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p14)) Activity 3.2 Critically review your companys key objectives using the SMART method There are many different types of objectives with which an organisation should be concerned. Drucker (1954) identified the following: Market standing e.g. market share objectives Innovation e.g. number of new products launched Productivity e.g. inputs compared with outputs such as increased sales whilst maintaining the same number of sales staff Physical and financial resources relating to the use of resources Profitability e.g. return on investment Manager performance and development performance criteria Employee performance and attitude loyalty Public responsibility e.g. reduce dependency on fossil fuels It is likely that many organisations will place greater weighting on some areas than others. For example, the Co-operative bank places great emphasis on their responsibility to the public in the form of their ethical banking policy. There may be a danger that some companies are preoccupied with productivity objectives and trying to improve the efficiency of existing activities without actually questioning whether they are doing the right things. Stakeholders A key consideration when developing strategic direction relates to an organisations various stakeholder groups. Stakeholders refer to all the different groups of individuals that are influenced and/or have influence on the activities of an organisation. Stakeholders have different expectations and can exert varying levels of influence over the organisation. It is important that organisations have a good understanding of the varying needs of their various stakeholder groups. There are three main groups of stakeholders: Internal stakeholders (employees, management) Connected stakeholders (suppliers, distributors, shareholders, customers) External stakeholders (community, government, pressure groups) Definition Stakeholders: Those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn the organisation depends. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p213). The following figure illustrates an outline stakeholder map. Customers Banks/sources of finance Suppliers The local community Distributors Society at large Managers Employees Activity 3.3 Stakeholder map Draw a stakeholder map for your own organisation and consider the varying needs of each group and the implications on the organisations strategic direction. How does your organisation manage the differing expectations of each group? Strategic Marketing Management Summary This unit has shown that: Strategic intent relates to the aspirations of an organisation and is sometimes referred to as the organisations vision. An appropriate and well constructed vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and can act as a motivator for staff by providing them with a sense of purpose. Mission statements are more concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. They should reflect an organisations core competencies, relate to the critical success factors in the market and also inform employees and other stakeholders what contribution is required from them to deliver value to the customer. Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Issues with Strategic Marketing Management Introduction This course is designed to help you understand and learn advanced principles of marketing and is aimed at marketing managers, or professionals who are working in business or commerce. Who have perhaps a qualification in marketing and several years experience of working in a marketing role, or managers who would like to increase their marketing knowledge. Part of the courses assessment of learning will involve you in undertaking an assignment based on a marketing strategy plan carried out in your own company/organisation. You will be given detailed guidance and advice about this element of assessment later in this workbook. Aims of the unit The aim of the unit is to identify and discuss key issues associated with marketing principles. The course is focused on strategic principles of marketing, which form an essential underpinning to an understanding of strategic marketing in action. The theoretical underpinning will be complemented by a series of short work-based activities. Objectives of the unit To equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand and interpret strategic marketing principles To provide you with practical experience of applying strategic marketing principles and preparing a strategic marketing plan within your own company/organisation. Learning outcomes On successful completion of this Unit you should be able to: Understand the strategic marketing process Recognise the importance of creating strategic advantage Produce a strategic marketing plan in your own company/organisation Understand the importance of developing a specific competitive position Strategic Marketing Management What does this workbook contain? This workbook contains a number of information and learning resources: Background and contextual information about strategic marketing management Key ideas, theories, concepts, structures, processes in relation to strategic marketing ‘Recall and review and ‘Activity points designed to engage you in reflection and action-focused thinking Case examples of strategic marketing in action Assessment You are required to write a 2,500-word assignment as follows: Prepare a strategic marketing plan for your own company/organisation, paying particular attention to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage over rival firms. Strategic Marketing Management How should this workbook be used? This workbook will direct your study throughout the learning experience. There are  six sections, designed to be studied sequentially. However, a good learning technique is to refresh your learning by re-reading, so you are recommend to read back and forth between sections whenever you feel the need. Each section deals with a different topic and, together with any associated activities, practical work or further reading, is designed to require approximately 20 hours of study. The workbook uses an interactive learning approach. This is achieved through the use of self-assessment questions and activities throughout the text. These will enable you to apply the concepts presented in the workbook and explore issues that extend your knowledge and skills. Preparing to use the workbook If you are new to the study of marketing and/or this study method, then we suggest it is worth you spending some time becoming familiar with its contents and approach to learning and development. This will enhance your own understanding of key ideas in strategic marketing management, and your ability to lead and facilitate the learning of others. Strategic Marketing Management Table of contents Title Page Unit 1 The strategic marketing process Objectives 5 Drivers of change 5 Corporate strategy/ Marketing interface 7 Strategic marketing plans 8 Summary 9 Unit 2 Marketing Information Systems Objectives 10 MIS and the use of strategic intelligence 10 Summary 14 Unit 3 Strategic intent Objectives 15 Strategic intent/vision and mission 15 Goals and objectives 17 Stakeholders 18 Summary 19 Unit 4 Creating strategic advantage Objectives 20 Approaches to developing strategic advantage 20 Alliances and networks 22 Declining and hostile markets 24 Strategic wear-out 25 Summary 26 Unit 5 Developing a specific competitive position Objectives 27 Strategic alignment process 27 Innovation and new product development 28 Strategic evaluation 31 Summary 32 Unit 6 Implementation and control Objectives 33 Implementation 33 Control 35 Summary 37 Strategic Marketing Management Unit 1 The core theme of this unit is the importance of market-led strategic change to ensure organisational success. Objectives By the end of this unit you will: Be able to discuss, and give examples of drivers of change Understand the relationship between corporate and marketing strategy Know the process and structure of marketing planning and be able to discuss the differences between strategic and tactical planning Drivers of change Change is inevitable and companies that wish to maintain a market-led approach must take into consideration both cyclical and evolutionary change when developing their marketing strategies. The rate at which the external environment changes varies according to the nature of the business but increasingly all organisations are facing escalating levels of change. Change is inevitable. To survive companies need to adapt and to convert the threats caused by the changing environment into opportunities in order to avoid strategic drift. Marks and Spencer is a prime example of a company that has not adapted to the changing customer demands and as a result has lost many of its loyal customer base. Case history Drivers of change Greenhalgh (2001) identifies the following drivers of change that have created challenges for companies over the last few years: Domestic businesses of any significance have become rare. They are now global, drawing on supply chains that transcend national boundaries and serving customers worldwide Customer expectations of quality have increased and are now applied to all goods and services, rather than just luxury goods Concern for the environment has become a major item on companies agenda. They now have to consider their environmental responsibility as well as their profits. Large institutional investors are exerting their influence on how organisations are managed Start-up companies play an important role in introducing innovative products and new ideas to the marketplace. Young, technologically-competent workers are drawn to these vibrant workplaces, making it harder for other companies to recruit and retain them Strategic Marketing Management Activity 1.1 Consider thedrivers of change outlined above. Identify the impact of these factors on your own company/organisation. What is strategy? The term strategy is probably one of the most used and often misunderstood terms in business. There is no universal definition of strategy and yet it is used extensively. Strategy has the same meaning whether we are discussing corporate, marketing, promotional or even advertising strategy: it is concerned with how we might achieve our objectives. The difference between each type of strategy relates to the level at which the strategy is being developed. Corporate strategy according to Johnson and Scholes (1999), is: â€Å"concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in and is therefore concerned with decisions of scope† whereas marketing strategy aims to transform corporate objectives into a competitive market position. The main role of marketing strategy is to differentiate products/services from those of competitors by meeting the needs of customers more effectively. Therefore, according to Drummond and Ensor (2001) marketing strategy can be characterised by: Analysing the business environment and defining customer needs Matching activities to customer needs Implementing programmes to achieve a competitive position relative to competitors Strategic management consists of three elements: Strategic analysis concerned with answering the question where are we now? This involves analysing the external environment, internal resources and capabilities and stakeholder expectations Strategic choice what are the options available and which is the most attractive? Strategic implementation often the most overlooked of strategy. It is concerned with allocating resources and turning the plans into action. This process can be as equally well applied to marketing strategy. Strategic Marketing Management The corporate strategy/marketing interface It is impossible to discuss marketing strategy without first putting it into the context of corporate planning. The relationship between corporate planning and marketing planning can best be explained by figure 1.1 below. It is helpful to think of these decisions sitting in a hierarchy with corporate planning at the top and marketing planning below it. The diagram also illustrates that, alongside marketing planning, plans should be developed for other functional areas of the business such as human resources management (HRM), logistics, and operations. The vision and mission will drive the overall direction of the company and the functional areas of business will all work towards achieving the corporate objectives. The vision and mission will be discussed in Unit 3 Strategic intent. Strategic Marketing Management Marketing strategy is concerned with three elements customers, competitors and internal  corporate issues as illustrated in Figure 1.2. Strategic marketing management has three major  phases: firstly, strategic analysis in order to answer the question where are we now? This will include external analysis of customers, competitors and the macro environment and internal analysis of corporate capabilities; secondly formulation of strategy in terms of creating and evaluating options and thirdly implementation where the strategies are translated into action. The three stages are not mutually exclusive and are not necessarily linear. In fact it is expected that there will be some feedback and amendments as the process progresses. Strategic marketing plans A strategic marketing plan is the means by which the strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and content of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerable between organisations. However, normally the following components are included: Current situation external and internal analysis Objective setting Strategy formulation Marketing programmes Implementation issues Control measures Strategic Marketing Management There is no one best format for a strategic marketing plan and organisations will develop their own frameworks that match the needs of their companies. Strategic marketing plans need to generate action and not just be filed away. They should also be sufficiently flexible to take into account the changing environment. Activity 1.2 Read a copy of your own organisations strategic marketing plan. Give your opinion on whether the strategies outlined in it have been actioned. Has the plan shown sufficient flexibility to take into account the changing environment. If the answer to 3. is no, how could the plan have been improved? Summary In this unit we have seen that: Organisations operate in a dynamic environment and therefore they have to take into consideration those external influences that will impact on their business. These influences are often referred to as drivers of change. In market-oriented organisations it is likely that marketing will be the largest contributor to corporate strategy. Corporate strategy is concerned with what types of business the company as a whole should be in, i.e. the scope of the business. Marketing strategy is concerned with transforming corporate objectives into a competitive market position. A strategic marketing plan is the vehicle by which the marketing strategy is communicated within the organisation. The structure and format of a strategic marketing plan will vary considerably between organisations. There is no one best structure. Strategic Marketing Management Unit 2 Marketing Information System (MIS) Introduction The focus of this unit is to understand how the use of marketing intelligence and key marketing information can assist marketing managers to produce an effective marketing information system which will assist marketing decision makers to return higher profits. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Understand the strategic use of information Understand how a MIS can assist marketing managers to make key decisions Marketing information is a key requirement for any strategic marketing plan and therefore the development of effective management and marketing information systems is an important task for marketers. Senior marketing managers should not become too heavily involved in the details of the MIS and marketing research but should be concentrating on how to utilize the information in helping to understand the market and develop successful marketing programmes. Definition A Management Information System consists of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, it interacts with them to assess their information needs. Next, it develops the needed information from internal company records, marketing intelligence activities and the marketing research process. Information analysis processes the information to make it more useful. Finally, the MIS distributes information to managers in the right form at the right time to help them in marketing planning, implementation and control. Developing information The information needed by marketing managers comes from internal company records, marketing intelligence and marketing research. The information analysis system then processes this information to make it more useful for managers. Strategic Marketing Management Internal records Most marketing managers use internal records and reports regularly, especially for making day to day planning, implementation and control decisions. Internal records information consists of information gathered from sources within the company to evaluate marketing performance and to detect marketing problems and opportunities. The companys accounting department prepares financial statements and keeps detailed records of sales, orders, costs, and cash flows. The customer service department provides information on customer satisfaction or service problems. Research studies done for one department may provide useful information for several others. Managers can use information gathered from these and other sources within the company to evaluate performance and to detect problems and opportunities. Information from internal records is usually quicker and cheaper to get than information from other sources, but it also presents some problems. Because internal information was collected for other purposes, it may be incomplete or in the wrong form for making marketing decisions. For example, accounting department sales and cost data used for preparing financial statements need adapting for use in evaluating product, sales force, or channel performance. In addition, the many different areas of a large company produce great amounts of information, and keeping track of it all is difficult. The marketing information system must gather, organize, process and index this mass of information so that managers can find it easily and obtain it quickly. Marketing intelligence Marketing intelligenceis everyday information about developments in the marketing environment that helps managers prepare and adjust marketing plans. The marketing intelligence system determines the intelligence needed, collects it by searching the environment and delivers it to marketing managers who need it. Marketing intelligence comes from many sources. Much intelligence is derived from the companys personnel executives, engineers and scientists, purchasing agents and the sales force. However, company people are often busy and fail to pass on key information. It is important to realise that staff are intelligence gatherers, and they need to be trained to spot new developments and urged to report intelligence back to the company. The company must also persuade suppliers, resellers and customers to pass along important intelligence. Some information on competitors comes from what they say about themselves in annual reports, speeches, press releases and advertisements. The company can also learn about competitors from what others say about them in business publications and at trade shows. Or the company can watch what competitors do buying and analyzing competitors products, monitoring their sales and checking for new patents. Strategic Marketing Management Companies also buy intelligence information from outside suppliers. Dun and Bradstreet  is the worlds largest research company with branches in forty countries and a turnover of $1.26bn. Its largest subsidiary is Nielsen who sell details on brand shares, retail prices and percentages of stores stocking different brands. Marketing intelligence can work not only for, but also against a company. Kellogg used to allow the public to tour its plants but recently closed its newly upgraded plant to outsiders to prevent competitors from getting intelligence on its high tech equipment. Some companies set up an office to collect and circulate marketing intelligence. The staff scans relevant publications, summarizes important news and sends news bulletins to marketing managers. It develops a file of intelligence information and helps managers to evaluate new information. These services greatly improve the quality of information available to marketing managers. To summarise it is clear that a MIS has four main components: Internal records there is a wealth of information available within the organisation and it is essential that it is organised in such a way as to facilitate its usage. This may include sales data, customer orders, prices, stock levels, customer complaints, etc. Marketing research this is concerned with the systematic collection of information that is specific to a particular problem. For example, a piece of marketing research may be commissioned to investigate attitudes to a new advertising campaign. Marketing intelligence this may include any information that is collected on an ad hoc basis, such as competitor intelligence gleaned from the press, customer trends, registered patents etc. Marketing decision support systems the processes that convert the data into usable information. For example, statistical tools or modeling techniques. Activity 2.1 Write a short summary detailing how a MIS is used to support management decision making in your own company/organisation. Strategic Marketing Management Intelligence gathering: checking out competitors Competitive intelligence gathering has grown dramatically as more and more companies need to know what their competitors are doing. It is essential that managers are not myopic and spend time amassing information about their major competitors. Techniques that companies use to collect their own marketing intelligence fall into four major groups. Getting information from recruits and competitors employees Companies can obtain intelligence through job interviews or from conversations with competitors employees. According to Fortune magazine: ‘Companies send engineers to conferences and trade shows to question competitors technical people. Often conversations start innocently but engineers and scientists often brag about surmounting technical challenges, in the process divulging sensitive information. Getting information from people who do business with competitors Key customers can keep the company informed about competitors and their products. This information can be vital and can prevent a company from being left behind on product launches or price discounting strategies dreamed up by competing companies. Intelligence can also be gathered by infiltrating customers business operations. Companies can provide their engineers free of charge to customers. The close collaboration the engineers on loan enjoy with the customers design staff often enable them to learn what new products competitors are developing. Getting information from published materials and public documents Keeping track of seemingly meaningless published information can provide competitor intelligence. For example, the types of people sought in job adverts can indicate something about a competitors new strategies and products. Getting information by observing competitors or analyzing physical evidence Competitors can get to know competitors better by buying their products or examining other physical evidence. An increasingly important form of competitive intelligence is benchmarking, taking apart competitors products and imitating or improving on their best features. Companies should take advantage of publicly available information but they should avoid practices that might be considered illegal or unethical. Strategic Marketing Management With all the legitimate intelligence sources now available, a company does not have to break the law or accepted codes of ethics to get good intelligence. Activity 2.2 Write a short synopsis of how your own company/ organisation gathers intelligence on its competitors. Summary This unit has demonstrated that: Marketing intelligence is an essential component of an effective MIS Internal records are a vital source of information for marketing managers Senior marketing managers should be concerned with how to use the information generated from the MIS rather than with the details of the system Intelligence gathering can be carried out in various ways but it is important not to break the law or accepted codes of ethics Strategic Marketing Management Unit 3 Strategic intent Introduction The focus of this unit is to consider the aspirations and future plans of an organisation, and the components of a suitable mission statement and development of appropriate objectives. Objectives Upon successful completion of this unit you will: Be able to define the terms strategic intent / vision and mission statement Know the components of good mission statements Be able to discuss the development of appropriate objectives Strategic intent/vision and mission Strategic intent refers to the aspirations of an organisation rather than just its current activity. According to Aaker, strategic intent provides: â€Å"A long-term drive for advantage that can be essential to success. It provides a model that helps break the mould, moving a firm away from simply doing the same things a bit better and working a bit harder than the year before. It has the capability to elevate and extend an organisation, helping it reach levels it would not otherwise attain.† It is apparent that many organisations that have an appropriate and well-constructed vision are focused on the future and ways of continually attaining sustainable competitive advantage. A vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and provide inspiration and motivation to its managers and its employees by providing them with a sense of purpose. Hamel and Pralahad (1989) suggested that strategic intent combines: A dream that energizes the company (i.e. acts as a motivator) Implied stretch, (looks for new opportunities rather than relying on existing businesses) A sense of direction A sense of discovery Coherence to plans Definition Strategic intent/vision: The desired future state or aspiration of the organization. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p.243) Strategic Marketing Management Mission statements A mission statement is concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. According to Piercy (2000), in order for mission statements to contribute anything they must: Reflect an organisations core competencies and how it intends to apply and sustain them Be closely tied to the critical success factors in the marketplace Tell employees, managers, suppliers and partners what contribution is required from them to deliver the promise of value to the customer Definition Mission statement: A generalised statement of the overriding purpose of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p241) Mission statements are influenced by a number of factors, such as the resource availability, the external environment, the core competencies of the organisation and the current preferences of its current chief executive and senior management. The extent to which the mission statement serves its purpose is influenced not only by the quality and relevance of the mission but also by how it is communicated to staff and other stakeholders. A successful mission statement is one that is wholly embraced and believed by staff. Just having a mission statement is insufficient, the staff must also buy into the idea. Drummond and Ensor (2001) suggest that successful mission statements should demonstrate the following characteristics: Credibility it must be realistic and believable Uniqueness not bland and generic Specific capabilities embrace core capabilities Aspirational needs to motivate individuals Activity 3.1 Write a brief critique of your own companys mission statement in the light of the above characteristics Strategic Marketing Management Goals and objectives The vision and mission provide guidance on the overall direction of an organisation. Objectives, whether corporate or marketing, are the expected outcomes of the strategy. Goals are often regarded as less specific than objectives and more difficult to measure. However, it is normally accepted that objectives should be SMART: Specific Measurable- expressed in quantifiable terms Acceptable to stakeholders Realistic- attainable Time bound- achievable within a certain time frame Definition Goals and objectives Goal general statement of aim or purpose Objective Quantification (if possible) or more precise statement of the goal (Johnson and Scholes, 1999,p14)) Activity 3.2 Critically review your companys key objectives using the SMART method There are many different types of objectives with which an organisation should be concerned. Drucker (1954) identified the following: Market standing e.g. market share objectives Innovation e.g. number of new products launched Productivity e.g. inputs compared with outputs such as increased sales whilst maintaining the same number of sales staff Physical and financial resources relating to the use of resources Profitability e.g. return on investment Manager performance and development performance criteria Employee performance and attitude loyalty Public responsibility e.g. reduce dependency on fossil fuels It is likely that many organisations will place greater weighting on some areas than others. For example, the Co-operative bank places great emphasis on their responsibility to the public in the form of their ethical banking policy. There may be a danger that some companies are preoccupied with productivity objectives and trying to improve the efficiency of existing activities without actually questioning whether they are doing the right things. Stakeholders A key consideration when developing strategic direction relates to an organisations various stakeholder groups. Stakeholders refer to all the different groups of individuals that are influenced and/or have influence on the activities of an organisation. Stakeholders have different expectations and can exert varying levels of influence over the organisation. It is important that organisations have a good understanding of the varying needs of their various stakeholder groups. There are three main groups of stakeholders: Internal stakeholders (employees, management) Connected stakeholders (suppliers, distributors, shareholders, customers) External stakeholders (community, government, pressure groups) Definition Stakeholders: Those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn the organisation depends. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999, p213). The following figure illustrates an outline stakeholder map. Customers Banks/sources of finance Suppliers The local community Distributors Society at large Managers Employees Activity 3.3 Stakeholder map Draw a stakeholder map for your own organisation and consider the varying needs of each group and the implications on the organisations strategic direction. How does your organisation manage the differing expectations of each group? Strategic Marketing Management Summary This unit has shown that: Strategic intent relates to the aspirations of an organisation and is sometimes referred to as the organisations vision. An appropriate and well constructed vision can help guide strategy, identify and maintain core competencies and can act as a motivator for staff by providing them with a sense of purpose. Mission statements are more concerned with providing daily guidance rather than a vision of the future. They should reflect an organisations core competencies, relate to the critical success factors in the market and also inform employees and other stakeholders what contribution is required from them to deliver value to the customer.

Grease v. The Breakfast Club: Finding Yourself Essay

The films â€Å"Grease† and â€Å"The Breakfast Club† feature the same strong theme: finding your identity. This theme is universal through many books, movies and even real life. The fact that these two films were filmed so far apart, â€Å"Grease† being filmed in 1959 and directed by Randal Kleiser and â€Å"The Breakfast Club† in 1985 directed by John Hughes, shows that this is a strong theme that sticks throughout the industry. These films have many characters that can be compared to one another. The main characters are Claire Standish (played by Molly Ringwald) and Sandy Olsson (played by Olivia Newton-John) and John Bender (played by Judd Nelson) and Danny Zuko (played by John Travolta). The girls are your typical high school â€Å"girlie-girls† and the guys are your typical high school â€Å"macho men†. There is also a couple of less important characters in the films that can be compared such as Andy Clark (played by Emilio Estevez) and Kenickie (played by Jeff Conaway). They’re the kids who think they’re the big man on campus and better than everyone else. The first obvious comparison is the leading ladies of the film. Sandy Olsson was a sweet, quiet girl when she first arrived at Ridell High. She felt pretty sure of herself entering the school, but when she joined a new group of friends and realized Danny Zuko’s real personality, she realized that she was not really the type of person that she wanted to be. With the help of her new friends, Sandy changed herself completely. On this path of discovery she was totally transformed in her looks and personality. She went from shy and unnoticed to sexy and confident. After the transformation, there was an occurrence that made her realize that she was just fine the way she was and didn’t need to change for anyone. In that time, she lost her true self trying to be something she wasn’t and then discovered at the end that she was always who she really wanted to be and no one could change her. Clair was a stuck up, pretty, popular girl at her school. No one took her seriously. Stereotypical â€Å"pretty† girls are usually ditzy. That is just what people assumed of Claire. After she got stuck in detention with an unusual group of kids, kids she would normally have never interacted with, she slowly began to come out of her shell. Being in that new group of people was a way for her to let her true self out without worrying about people judging her. As the group of detention goers got closer and got to know each other better, it became apparent that Claire was not just a stupid, mean, pretty girl with lots of money. She was nice and smart. Her day in detention brought out her true identity, and let her along with everyone else discover who she really was. The next comparison is between Danny and John. Danny Zuko was the leader of the T-Birds, the schools big gang of popular guys. He was the heartthrob of the school and his name was coming out of people’s mouths left and right. The word around the street was that Danny Zuko was a tough, badass guy and he didn’t care about anything besides himself, his T-Birds, and looking cool. It was a little hard to disprove this though because that is exactly how Danny acted in front of everyone. He was the epitome of a macho man. The only time that he was his true self was during a summer before school when he fell in love with Sandy. He let his soft side show with her, but as soon as school started again, he was back to his old ways. This caused him to lose Sandy, and this in turn cause his realization that he was his true self with her and he wanted to be that again to make her happy. By the end of the movie, Danny has transformed himself into the nice sweet jock that he thought Sandy would love, only to realize that Sandy had transformed herself for him also, and they both discovered that they liked themselves and each other just the way they were. A similar character to Danny would be John Bender. He was his school’s typical macho man who wouldn’t take anything from anyone or let anyone tell him what to do or how to behave. That is how he landed in detention. At the beginning of the film, he kept up greatly with his badass rep. But throughout the film, the kids in detention became closer and they all got to know one another. The true side of John Bender that came out was that his life at home was pretty tough and that caused him to have a rough exterior. The kids in detention as well as the audience saw past that though as the film progressed. The was a part of the film where all the kids were about to get caught leaving detention and John sacrificed his own self to save the rest from getting in trouble again. This showed that he was compassionate and not so self-centered afterall. After breaking down his rough outer shell, the kids in detention saw who John Bender really was, and why he acted the way he did. Som e of that was understandable and they all became friends. John let his true identity shine to everyone. As far as theme goes, the theme of both â€Å"Grease† and â€Å"The Breakfast Club† were pretty generic. The way they were showed though made them more interesting than other films. Showing the journey of discovering your identity through multiple characters gives the film viewers more to relate to and helps people to enjoy the movie more. Whether you’re the badass, the jock, the popular girl, the geek, the psycho, or the shy girl, you can relate to one of these films. Finding your identity is something that every person has to go through in their lives. That makes the theme universal. These two films correlate well with each other to show that you will always find yourself, it may be harder or easier for different people, but in the end you will be able to find your true identity and be happy with the person you are, and be accepted by others.