Evolution of Hrm

History and Evolution of HRM Personnel Management Personnel departments were once called Health and Happiness departments. The people assigned to deal with personnel issues were often individuals, who were not able to do other jobs efficiently. Personnel Management’s as a corporate field developed in the early 1900s. It was seen as activity, necessary, but unimportant, part of the organization. Over the years personnel management came to focus on efficient procedures and rules for administering large numbers of employees in various firms.Its aim was to manage difficulties, introduce fair systems and reduce costs. It also tended to focus on groups rather than individuals and, incidentally, reinforced labour-management divisions. The History of Human Resource Management The field of HRM as it currently exists has got through lot of transition. Following are the phases in the transition of HRM:- (a) The Individual Revolution: During this phase machines were introduced into variou s organizations and technology made rapid progress.Due to fragmentation and specialization of work, many workers lost their jobs and many workers felt their work to be dull, boring and monotonous. Workers were treated like tools, and moreover employees were keen to increase the production targets rather than satisfy workers’ demands. (b) Scientific Management: With the introduction of Scientific Management given by F. W. Taylor, efficiency in organizations was increased . Work was rearranged according to systematic analysis into smallest mechanical elements which was mot effective combination.Taylor emphasized on the fact that the individuals selected to perform the task should be perfectly matched, physically as well as mentally. Proper training should be given to the employees so that they can do their job more efficiently. (c) Trade Unionism: As the employees become more exploitive, the workers working in the organizations joined hands to fight against injustice done to th em in the shape of Trade Unions tried to improve the problems faced by the workers through collective bargaining.They helped in resolving the grievances of the workers relating to working conditions, pay and benefits, disciplinary actions, etc. (d) Human Relations Movement: The famous Hawthorne experiments conducted by Elton Mayo during 1930s and 1940s demonstrated that employee productivity was affected not only by the way job was designed, and the monetary aspects, but by certain social and psychological factors as well. The human relations movement led to various behavioral science techniques in industry for the very first time.This movement included support for training programs, support and concern for workers, counseling programs for workers, etc. (e) Human Resource Approach: However, but during early 60s the â€Å"pet milk theory†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. that happy workers are more productive workers as happy cow gives more milk †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Of human relations was la rgely rejected. In human resource approach it was recognized that workers are unique in their own way – having individual needs. It was recognized that each employee is a unique and highly complex individual with different wants, needs and values.Slowly but steadily, the trend moved towards treating employees as resources or assets. Evolution of the Concept of HRM The various stages or phases in the transition or evolution of Personnel Management into Human Resource Management are shown below: (a)The Commodity Concept:Labor was regarded as a commodity to a tool to be bought or sold (b) The Factor of Production Concept: labor is like any other factor of production, viz. money, materials, land etc. (c) The Goodwill Concept: Welfare measures like safety, first aid, lunch room, rest room will have a positive impact on workers’ productivity. d) The Paternalistic Concept: Management must assume a fatherly or protective attitude towards employee. It means satisfying the vario us needs of employees as parents meet the requirements of their child. (e) The Humanitarian Concept: To improve productivity, physical, social and psychological needs of workers must be fulfilled and met. (f) The Human Resource Concept: Employees are the most valuable assets in the organization. (g) The Emerging Concept: Employees should be accepted as partners of the organization.They should belong to the organization as they are running their own organization. Scope of HRM The main aim of HRM is Competitive advantage through people. It involves the following points:- (a) Change in Thinking Process: Achieving competitive success through people involves fundamentally changing the thinking of the concerns, that how they think about the workforce consisting of people an the management-employment relationship. (b) Co-operation with Employees: It means achieving success by working with people, not by replacing them or limiting the scope of their activities. c) Strategic Viewpoint: It in volves seeing the workforce as a source of strategic advantage, not just a cost to be minimized. Distinction – Personnel Management/HRM/HRD The sole purpose of personnel management was to attain advantage and best results for the organization. The individual’s interests, desires and aspirations were submerged into the organization objectives and goals. Where as, HRM projects the development of individual in accordance with his interests, desires & aspirations. So that the individuals would be motivated to make their best contribution towards the accomplishment of goals.While personnel function was designed to respond to the organization objectives like profit of maximization, HRM visualized human elements of enterprise as important resources. The term human resources at the macro level spell the total sum of all the components (like skill & creative ability) possessed by all the people, where as the term personnel even at the macro level is limited to only employees of all organization. One must not be under impression that HRM has replaced traditional personnel management rather we can say that HRM has absorbed the personnel function in its refined form.HRD is an integral part of Human Resource Management. Due to the amalgation of Personnel function in its refined way with HRM, it became necessary for every organization to develop skills, talents, potentialities, capabilities and attitude of company work to meet the emerging challenges. Hence HRD policies have been adopted. HRD strategies are supposed to bring forth necessary changes in skills capabilities and attitudes of people who are required to cope with the emerging changes. Thus HRD has become an integral part of Human Resource Management.Personnel Management Human Resource Management Personnel Management | Human Resource Management| | | Labor is treated as a tool which is replaceable| Treats people as a resource or as an asset to be issued for the benefit of an organization | Interests o f organization are upper most | A distinct philosophy aiming at mutuality of interests| A not so important function meant only to hire employees and maintain their records | Integrated into overall straight management | Precedes human resources management | Latest in the evolution of subject|

Learning Healthcare Organizations Essay

There are two healthcare organizations that I will be discussing that have transformational change to promote/create learning organization. One is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the other one is International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). CDC is a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services that focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention. CDC collaborates to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability and preparedness for new health treats. Stakeholders at CDC are people invested in the program that are interested in the results of the evaluation, and/or with a stake in what will be done with the results of the evaluation. Representing their needs and interests throughout the process is fundamental to good program evaluation. Those involved in program operations are the management, program staff, partners, funding agencies and coalition members. Those served or affected by the program are patients or clients, advocacy group, community members, and elected official. And lastly, those who are intended users of the evaluation findings are persons in a position to make decisions about the program, such as partners, funding agencies, coalition members, and the general public or taxpayers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues its long standing dedication to improving the health and wellness of all Americans with the Community Transformation Grant (CTG) program. The CTG program is funded by the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund and  awarded $103 million to 61 states and local government agencies, tribes, and territories, and nonprofit organizations in 36 states, along with nearly $4 million to 6 national networks of community-based organizations. Focusing on priorities for change for healthier living is improving health and wellness on tobacco-free living, active living and healthy eating, and high impact quality clinical and other preventive services to prevent and control high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Also, focusing on disease prevention and health promotion that includes social and emotional wellness and healthy and safe physical environments, which facilitate the early identification of mental health needs and access to quality services. Specific community interventions includes; promotes healthy eating by supporting local farmers and developing small grocery stores where people live, protecting people from secondhand smoke exposure, improving community environments to make it safe and easy for people to walk and ride bikes. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization. It coordinates and conducts both epidemiological and laboratory research into the causes of human cancer. IARC main objectives are; to monitor global cancer occurrence, identify the causes of cancer, elucidate the mechanism of carcinogenesis, and develop scientific strategies for cancer control. On February 3, 2014, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released World Cancer Report 2014, a collaboration of over 250 leading scientist from more than 40 countries, describing multiple aspects of cancer research and control. The report says about half of all cancers could be avoided if current knowledge was adequately implemented. The stakeholders are the scientist’s that has been researching for the cure of different types of cancer; patient’s that are suffering and waiting for the cure, and the leadership of the World Health organization that implements the research. The IARC activities are mainly funded by the regular budget contributions paid by its participating states. The regular budget for the 2014-2015 biennium was approved in May 2013 at a level of 40 424 491 EUR. Recent changes in the epidemiology of head and neck cancer has new findings.  Overall, the incidence of head and neck cancer is increasing in women, whereas it is decreasing in men. Chewing tobacco is a newly recognized risk factor of great public health concern. The role of tobacco smoking and alcohol as the source of cancer has been reinforced. Head and neck cancer among women in developing countries should deserve more attention, as the mortality rates appears to be higher than those of women in developed countries. For never smokers and never drinkers, more research needs to be done to identify their risk factor patterns. While it is true that advances is medical science have led to continued improvements in medical care and health outcomes, the effectiveness of management options remains inadequate for informed medical care and health policy decision making. Frequently, the result is below an optimal level or standard and inefficient care as well as unsustainable cost. In order to maintain quality of care and cost containment, evidence of comparative clinical and cost effectiveness is necessary for healthcare organization. Examples of healthcare organization that I previously discussed have the institutional lessons learned from the process that is learn along the way. As Feinstein said â€Å"a strategic plan is not worth the paper it is printed on unless its underlying vision is embedded in the organization’s culture, (Feinstein W.L. The Institutional Change Process). The most essential element of organizational change is the alignment of all relevant stakeholders to the new directions. The following are critical to achieving momentum and the successful implementation of a vision for change such as: updating the executive’s leadership style, increasing staff involvement in achieving organizational plans, helping the board understand the scope of the change, and strengthening the agency-federation relationship. Enthusiasm, persistenc e, and commitment for change by the leadership are key. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Prevention and control of seasonal influenza with vaccines. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2009. MMWR Early release, 58(Early release), 1-54. Chang, S., & Collie, C. L. (2009). The future of cancer prevention: will our workforce be ready? Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 18(9), 2348-2351. Feinstein, W. L. The Institutional Change Process: Lessons Learned Along the Way. Journal of Jewish Communal Service. Jewish Communal Service Association of North America (JCSA), 1999. James, J. (2009). Health Organizations Theory, Behavior, and Development: 273 Saudbery Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Oreg, Shaul; Berson, Yair. Personnel Psychology. Autumn2011, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p627-659. 33p. 1 Diagram, 2 Charts, 1 Graph. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01221.x. , Database: Business Source Elite Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implement Sci, 4(1), 67.

A Turning Point

Walking past the corridor, I saw a student being punished, and I couldn't help but be filled with nostalgia, bad memories. I too was once caught up in such an embarrassing situation, being punished and disgraced in front of my entire class just because of my â€Å"brilliant† idea which went wrong. While I was in high school Year 10, like everyone else, I was in a celebrative mood jumping for joy, as it was the last week of school before the long school break. However, our laughter and happiness came to an abrupt halt as the form teacher of our class Mr Mann entered the classroom. The entire class groaned and became tense on seeing the stack of red report cards he was carrying. My stomach churned as I already knew that I did not excel in my exam, having failed most of my science subjects as I really detest being in a science stream class instead of arts. Reluctantly, I dragged my heavy feet to the front and took my report card when my name was called out. † I knew it,† I said and gave out a loud sigh when I saw my far from impressive results. Mostly were inked in red. Old fashion type of school but yes, my teacher insisted on our parent's signature on the report card for every exam and I could smell the trouble burning awaiting me at home. I knew I would be punished therefore, overwhelmed with fear, I came out with this â€Å"brilliant† idea which is to forge out my parent's signature. â€Å"Everything should be fine if I play my cards right,† I said to myself. Next day came D-day, trying to stop trembling like a leaf while handing up my report card, Mr Mann glared at me. Everything was over when he twitched his eyebrows and questioned me, I was caught red handed. He firmly admonished me in front of my whole class. Drama was unfolding before me just like in TV shows. He was hell bent on making a lesson to be learnt to the entire class out of me. â€Å"Well, do you have anything to say?† asked Mr Mann, in his mild and calm manner. I blushed and stood sheepishly as my classmates roared in laughter merciless. Helplessly I stared at the floor fully embarrassed, with eyes filled with tears hoping it to end as soon as possible. Yet that wasn't the end of the horror, my parents were called and now it is a total game over for me. Well, I had to face the music. My parents are loving and kind but once in a blue moon, like a volcano, they erupt! â€Å"You are grounded for a month!† said mother. â€Å"Your allowance is also going to be deducted!† added father. I'm sorry, that's all I could afford to say while tearing up. Looking back at this though it is just two years back, I saw how much this incident had taught me. It taught me that honesty is always the best policy no matter what happens. Putting aside my studies just because it is not something which I prefer over sports do not benefit me in anyway. Cheating does not bring nor benefit me but only brings out more trouble. I also realized that my parents always wanted what's best for me. Giving me loads of education in terms of academic, sports, music and even computer lessons, I never knew it could be that useful in building up a strong character and confidence in me. Most importantly my future, in who I want to be and what would make them proud. The lessons I learned from this incident has enriched my life and made it much more meaningful in which I promise to strive in studies and also sports. As saying goes, it's always never too late.

Nestle Boxed Water Production Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11000 words

Nestle Boxed Water Production - Research Paper Example Analysis of competitors and macro environment audit will be important part of the study. The report will try to address some key business challenges for Nestle in the later stage of the study. This report will do detail analysis of product portfolio and service offered by Nestle. In final stage the study will try to recommend some suggestion to the company regarding business principles required to achieve sustainable growth in long run.Nestle is a well known Swiss multinational company. The company specializes in nutritional food and consumer goods. The company is headquartered at Vevey, Switzerland. The Swiss consumer goods company was established by Henri Nestlà © in the year 1866. In the initial year they started with a name of Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company while within next thirty nine years the company changed their name twice. Finally in the year 1905 company changed their name to Nestle. Nestle is the largest food company in the world in terms of annual revenue. The comp any is also acts as major shareholder for L'Orà ©al (largest cosmetics company in the world). Nestle offers various products such as Maggi, Stouffer's, Nespresso, KitKat, Nescafe, Smarties, Vittel, and Nesquik to global customers. Nestle employs more than 330 000 people all over one fifty countries while they have established four hundred and sixty one factories across the globe. Sales revenue for the company in the year 2011 was CHF 83.7 bn. Major milestones for the company can be summarized in the following manner. Time Period Event 1866-1905 The Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company merged with Nestle. 1906-1918 Number of factories decreased due to world war 1 but the company started their operation in USA. 1919-1945 The company launched Nescafe. 1946-1975 The company did acquisition of Alimentana in order to gain access to Maggi products. They became major shareholder with L'Oreal. 1976-1980 The company entered in pharmaceutical market by acquiring Alcon Laboratories of USA 1981-1 995 The company acquired American food giant Carnation to improve their bottom line. In 1986 the company entered espresso coffee segment by launching Nespresso. 1996-2005 The company expanded their operation in the segment of health, nutrition and wellness with the help of series of acquisition. 2006-2009

The History of the Transportation Security Agency Research Paper

The History of the Transportation Security Agency - Research Paper Example This research paper deals with the role of the organization, reason for its foundation, change since the day it was incepted and the types of law enforcement instructions. The TSA has a very transparent and significant organizational structure. It has a vertical structure which consists of 21 members including the chief of staff. Each position in the TSA has a significant responsibility. Division of positions in a hierarchical manner allows the organization to overcome the security challenges and makes decision making strong and acceptable for everyone. The reason this agency implemented this kind of structure is solely because it does not cause any discrimination between the members regarding any important strategic decision making as all decisions are needed to be approved by the administrator. TSA implementing a vertical hierarchical structure reduced the external challenges as well. Each and every policy introduced needs permission of the director and proper adherence to policies and governance is maintained by the administrator. The following chart shows the organizational structure in a very appropriate way. The organizational structure maintains not only law and order in place or adherence to policies but also helps to maintain integrity and liberty. By application of this kind of structure the agency has better co-ordinance with citizens and work culture in the organization gives optimum output. TSA has been successful in providing homeland security across U.S. because of its strong administration and so it can be stated the organizational structure plays a very important role in national defence and safety. The TSA was formed as a wing of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in the year 2001. It was signed into law by George W. Bush the president of U.S. on 11/19/2001. Later it was moved to Department of Homeland Security on 03/09/2003. The TSA was founded in the

LensCrafters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LensCrafters - Essay Example riendly service should never be discounted as efforts to specifically address consumers gives them a sense of power as they enter into a room ready to serve them. The lessons learned from Lenscrafteres’ are to differentiate, provide high levels of service, and to be convenient without sacrificing quality. The strategy that is used by Lenscrafter in order to compete in the eyewear market is high levels of service. Service is made a visible entity as the customer can watch as their eyeglasses are being made. The service that is provided is intended to be completed within an hour, making it a convenient process which leads to the second characteristic. The second characteristic that defines the competitive priorities for Lenscrafters’ is that of convenience. Where most eyewear operations require several days to order and then receive the glasses that a customer has ordered, the Lenscrafters’ model is based on a fast turnaround that provide the consumer with their product within the same shopping experience. The average turnaround time is one hour (Collier & Evans, 2010). The final characteristic explored here is that of quality. Quality is the lynchpin characteristic of the development of the competitive advantages that Lenscrafters’ holds. Everything from the design of the store to the view of the workers in the lab promotes the idea of quality. Although service and convenience are the basis on which the store operates, it is through quality that they create relationships with consumers, outdistancing the competition by crating high quality eyewear in a short period of time with a high level of service. The service delivery system design is structured through the development of the store locations. The store locations use a number of different design features in order to facilitate the best possible experience for the consumer. The first element of the design is that it is created in order to evoke a high level of professionalism. The display of

The impact of advertising on children and youth Thesis

The impact of advertising on children and youth - Thesis Example Advertising through media options have often been argued, mostly in the negative connotation, to strongly influence the children and youth. Correspondingly, whether media exposure has been one of the major contributory factors towards the degrading social contexts, especially within the segment comprising of children and youth, has been a commonly debated issue in the global plethora (Villani, 2001). Where scientists accuse these media advertising to influence the psychological as well as the physical growth of the children and the youth, socialists argue 21st century advertising to encourage violence within the society. Stating precisely, obesity, learning behavior of children and youth, lifestyle preferences of these populaces and on the whole the development of these individuals have been widely argued as strongly influenced by advertising in the recent phenomenon (Wiecha and Kim, 2013; Kunkel et. al., 2004). Where on one hand, the significance of advertising has increased in the industrial context; on the other hand, social issues such as school drop-outs, teenage pregnancy rate, violent acts performed by young adolescents as well as obesity has also increased. Hence, researchers have often been inclined towards examining any possible linkage between these alterations in the industrial and the social contexts which has, in major instances, led to the classification of advertising as a negative force in this context. It is worth mentioning in this context that advertising is applied with the sole intention to generate awareness amid the targeted audiences. However, when concentrating on the impacts caused by advertising on the children and youth, either positive or negative, it can be observed that not the intention but the contents of advertising tend to impose major influences on these populaces (Diaz, 2011). Apparently, owing to the fact that a majority of the audiences of media today comprises children or youth, it becomes quite challenging to exclude th ese populaces from the audience group even though the message conveyed through the advertising is actually intended towards other age group people. Role of parental guidance has also been argued in this context which is expected to obstruct the negative influences caused by advertising on the adolescents. However, studies conducted with emphasis on this particular aspect, yet lack precise connotation to the linkage or the impact caused by advertising on children and youth along with the limitation of rational judgments on the role of family as well as the advertisers to combat such an issue (The Australian Psychological Society, 2000). This thesis will be aimed at assessing the linkage between advertising initiatives through television, internet as well as print media and the development of children and youth from a social perspective taking into account the various measures recently adopted by governmental bodies, industrial communities as well as social organizations. With this ai m, the thesis will critically evaluate the psychological as well as the physical impacts caused by advertising on the populaces (i.e. the children and youth) suggesting few remedial actions based on the identified benefits and risks associated with such media exposures. Advertising to the Young Audiences Advertising to the young audiences, that is to the children and the youth has been proved to be quite beneficial for the advertising industry throughout the globe. It has been apparently observed in this similar circumstance that the advertising industry spends nearly about $12 billion per year on making advertisements particularly targeting to the

Thunder ego boutique Manchester UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thunder ego boutique Manchester UK - Essay Example 2.0 Key functions of merchandising The merchandising responsibilities for the sales retailer focus on the persons who are in a position of executing special promotional campaigns that are created through the manufacturer in boosting sales volume. The retail environment also introduces the gain agreement, promotion and securing preferred product placement, re-merchandising, place signage, and generating awareness with the customers prior launching the promotion (Carter & Evans, 2006). 2.1 Specific market level and retailer merchandising functions At the traffic building level for the marketing processes. There is frequently purchased items, high volume share and high sales percentage for Thunder Egg. This level focuses on having to draw more consumer traffic to the store and into target categories (Burke, 2008). This leads to higher ring and transaction size and well as impulse purchases. The merchandising strategy in this case involves focus on the increment of the ultimate size of a verage level transaction. Profit generation involves embracing higher gross margin as well as higher turns. The strategy takes the focus of the ability for the category in terms of generating more profits. The margins are also higher within this market level as a result of the value added and higher-quality products demanded by the market. 3.0 Retail channels For the supply chain, issues of merchandising channels in Thunder Egg will involve a practice of ensuring that products across the retail outlets that are available to consumers are primarily stocked in shelves and displays. Even though this was initially done through the exclusive consideration of the stores' employees where the Thunder Egg retailer appreciates that there is substantial savings that require it done through the manufacturer, wholesaler, or vendor through the provision of the products for the retail store (Lambing & Kuehl, 2007). According to Appendix 2, Thunder Egg will undertake promotional activities towards ensuring constant supply of merchandising services for purposes of supporting retail outlets based in general stock replenishment as well as merchandising support for its new stores. 3.1 Product allocation for variety of retail channels In retail commerce and Thunder Egg’s product allocation involve the attraction of diverse visual display merchandising approaches through the use of merchandising sales on the basis of product packaging, design, pricing, selection, and displaying all the aspects that stimulate consumers into spending more. The approach also covers the inclusion of disciplines and discounting as well as physical presentation for products and displays coupled with the decisions for which products are presented to customers at similar time periods (Jeffrey & Evans, 2011). The aim of developing retail sales in Thunder Egg is aimed at helping both the manufacturer and the retailer in maximizing the sales while still increasing the sales volume. The goal can be acco mplished through education, promotion, and execution. 4.0

Why do consumers love GreyGoose Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why do consumers love GreyGoose - Research Paper Example The winning answered the consumer’s long asked question of whether expensive vodka tested better than cheap vodka. Consequently people felt justified for buying expensive vodka (Rothbaum 60). Following the cosumer’s loving for greygoose, we developed an urge to conduct a research. The research was to explain why consumers love greygoose. We used ZMET procedure to carry out our research. We chose on ZMET because the procedures involved draw out the deepest feelings, thoughts, recognitions and undisclosed perceptions of the respondent concerning the topic being interviewed. ZMET is the best choice for researchers willing to investigate consumer behaviors concerning a given product (Chang 279). We recruited our informants from France. Since many people were willing to participating in our interview, we carried out screening criteria on consumers who were interested in participating in the interview. We conducted in-depth interviews and carried out the convenience sampling to choose our interview participants (Chang 279). We were gender-sensitive thus we selected one male and one female. Therefore we had two informants for our data collection process with whom we carried out two interviews. The female informant was a 45 year old house-wife while the male informant was a 28 year old employed young man. We used two tape recorders to record the data conveyed by the respondents in the two interviews (Gofin, Lemke and Koners 49). After the interview, there was need of understanding the informants’ information on why consumers love greygoose. We critically analyzed the collected data to identify the metaphors that the greygoose consumers use about this vodka. We focused on obtaining metaphors because through them we could gain a better understanding of the consumers’ thinking. We transcribed the information collected from the two interview tapes into text for deeper analysis (Gofin, Lemke and Koners 49). From the data, we identified metaphor e xpressions and categorized them into thematic metaphors, conceptual metaphors and deep metaphors. Thematic metaphors described various aspects of the informants’ attitudes towards consumers’ love for greygoose. Conceptual metaphors played a role in data reduction and organization. We obtained deep metaphors by analyzing the thematic and conceptual metaphors (Belk 401). The informants revealed that greygoose consumption made them think of France, their home. We used resource as a deep metaphor to show the informants’ claims that greygoose consumption is a source of entertainment (Belk 401). The study showed that consumers considered greygoose consumption as a source of entertainment after engaging themselves in strenuous activities. The informants affirmed the entertaining ability of greygoose increased their trust in the brand. The statement we recorded from these claims was, â€Å"greygoose gets me high†¦it entertains me, I trust the brand!† The vod ka also reminded them of the great times they shared with their friends and family members back in France. Greygoose made them think of the tragic accidents and people lose caused by alcohol consumption. The informants stated that sometimes they met new people during greygoose consumption process hence making new friends. We used intimate as a thematic metaphor to show greygoose consumption as a source of memories. Conceptual metaphors obtained included anarchy, messy, France, friends and family. The informants revealed of how greygoose consumption connected their memory to the upscale greystone club. They reaffirmed that the packaging of greygoose was classy and gave them a sense of psychological ownership of the brand. Greygoose also gave them a sense of belonging. The following verbatim from the male respondent indicated this:

A Unique Man Essay Example for Free

A Unique Man Essay The novel Into the Wild, written by author Jon Krakauer, takes place in the western portion of the United States during the late 1980s, early 1990s. Chris McCandless grew up in Washington D.C. and attended college at Emory University. He did not live an ordinary life by choice. He abandoned his opportunities after graduation and decided to travel out west for his own enjoyment and self-discovery. Chris McCandless is very different from an ordinary person because he explores life to the fullest and does not believe in society’s perception of what a person’s life should be. Chris McCandless did not need materialistic items to make his life more enjoyable; he only needed Mother Nature and his own motivation. For example, Chris does not want a new or better car because he is perfectly content with the Datsun, an old car passed down to him by his parents. His parents wanted to buy him a new car; however, he disagreed and became upset at the idea of having a new car in his possession. Chris’s perspective on the situation is that the Datsun is still in very good condition, therefore there is no reason to replace it with a more advanced car. Additionally, Chris donates over $24,000 to Oxfam International, a poverty eradication charity. The money that he donated to Oxfam International was originally given to him by his parents. However, Chris believed that this money was just a distraction and in order to make a point that he did not need the extra money and that he was satisfied with his life, he decided to donate it. Furthermore, before Chris began his adventurous journey for Alaska, he burned the rest of his money that he owned into ashes. He thought that money was just a distraction for what you could accomplish. One thing that Chris realized was that in life money is not everything, and happiness and tranquility cannot always be bought. The same thing goes for materialistic objects which are considered a distraction and unnecessary in the overall vision of the ideal life. In conclusion, Chris never needed materials or money to feel happy; he just needed motivation, nature, and the wild. Chris McCandless was always viewed differently by others since he lived an unordinary lifestyle. He would explain his theories and view of life to many others during his adventure to Alaska. For example, Wayne Westerberg, the first man to encounter McCandless on his vigorous adventure. Chris wasn’t prepared for the wild with the supplies he had, Westerberg helped him out with more advanced supplies. Chris shared his story with Wayne and they talked about their views on the lifestyle. Chris gave his input, but Wayne thought he was wild and out of his mind, but he liked Chris. Additionally, Chris encountered Jan Burres. Chris told Jan about his goals that he set for Alaska and the long adventure. At first Jan did not have must interest in of the matter. Then she gave her own insight on the hardships he would face and what he would need. Jan told Chris that he would have to acquire a job and shelter. Also, she said Chris would need plenty of food and water to prevent starvation during his traveling. Furthermore, Ron Franz was an old man Chris came across on his endeavor for Alaska. McCandless told his story towards his perspective on societies thoughts on what life should consist of. Franz thought he had interesting points and was a clever young man. Chris even convinced Franz to climb a mountain at one point to see a great view Chris had found. Chris encouraged Franz to take a risk and leave his everyday lifestyle and had him climb a steep mountain. In conclusion, Chris was an inspiration to many other people with his unordinary perspectives on the valuable things you occur in life. Chris McCandless would rather risk his life for his thrill of the adventure and nature than play it safe and be like everyone else. For example, McCandless has a main goal of traveling all the way to Alaska by foot. Chris did have a vehicle, the Datsun, but he abandoned the car and continued his quest for Alaska. On his way to Alaska he is offered help, such as food and shelter, and sometimes he would reject the help and continue on. He had the knowledge and skills to build his own shelter and obtain his own food. Also, he does not want or need valuables or materials to be satisfied. One example of this is the action of Chris donating over twenty thousand dollars to an organization. Another example is when Chris burns the remaining money he has left. Soon after he burns his money he abandons his longtime car, the Datsun. Furthermore, Chris prepares vigorously for hardships he could be unaware about of the wilderness. He would read multiple books as some preparation for the vigorous adventure from the United States to Alaska. He also gathered advice from multiple people he met during his traveling and took what people said into consideration. Chris possessed a guide that told him about different kinds of plants and if they were poisonous or not. In conclusion, Chris likes the idea of adventure, the challenges he will face, and the beauty of nature. Chris McCandless does what he believes life should consist of instead of accepting society’s view of what the normal life is. I think Chris succeeded in trying to live a transcendental lifestyle. He took on a grueling challenge that not many people would even consider. Even though he died on his adventure to Alaska, he was probably one of the bravest men to ever live. Also, Chris’ arrogance was not an obstacle to his success in achieving his goals, it was a confidence boost. His arrogance was a sign of confidence and knowledge, unfortunately he didn’t make it to Alaska. In conclusion, Chris succeeded in being what he viewed as a man and this brave man died trying to achieve a very unique thing.

Marketing Myopia, Theodore Levitt

Marketing Myopia, Theodore Levitt The rapid increase in technology, economic downturn and globalization has led the businesses to reflect about their organizational goals and policies. It is of imperative importance that an organization knows where it is heading. Businesses may have cutting-edge technology, large customer base and skillful employees which are an asset for any organization but it would all fall behind if that organization does not have a clear and concrete understanding of what it is trying to achieve in the long-run. It is the vision and goals of the company that direct its people to work for a purpose and is fundamental to the success of a company. Visions help to define the working practices, relationships, procedures and strategies for production which is turn determines the magnitude of progress of the organization. Theodore Levitt, in his article Marketing Myopia, compels the readers to understand the importance of effectively set visions which are a catalyst for the companys success. Most of the industries focus largely on their refined product and become victims of downfall in the long-run. They do not realize the cause of their diminishing growth because to them their strategies in product development and product enhancement are top-notch. They tend to blame external factors which might have contributed to their downfall but they fail to see the bigger picture underneath: their goals and visions did not focus on consumer preferences and needs. Theodore Levitt explains this phenomenon by the carefully penned term Marketing Myopia which refers to the short-sighted visions by the top-management that is focused on enhancing products rather than assessing customer needs. Levitt explains the downfall of railroads stating that the industry was defined incorrectly. The management should have seen railroads as a transportation means rather than just railroad industry. The stagnation of this industry thus was because of incorrectly defined vision. According to Theodore Levitt, there are no growth industries. He believes that in todays times there could be many substitutes for any number of products and the companys which focus on capitalizing their growth opportunities fall into a shadow of obsolescence. They fail to see the prospects of substitute industries which could wipe-out their businesses. For example, the silk industry in Europe has been thoroughly diminished because of introduction of viscose rayon as it costs less and has the ability to replace silk. In short, Levitt tells us that the companies are doomed to fail if their visions and purpose is obscure. In order to succeed, organizations should have crystal-clear goals that focus on the customer needs and preferences rather than on the product. This paper will discuss some of the pros of the article Marketing Myopia and some criticisms about the same along with examples. HIGHLIGHTING THE STRONG POINTS: Theodore Levitt emphasized that the organizations which are working on the belief that their products are unique; are growth opportunities for them and would continue to give them success, do not realize that their dependence on such belief could be their downfall. He describes this view in these lines: Industries that assume themselves to be riding some automatic growth escalator invariably descend into stagnation. The history of every dead and dying growth industry shows a self-deceiving cycle of bountiful expansion and undetected decay. He further gives four strong points arguing why these industries slow down in their growth conquest. 1. The belief that growth is assured by an expanding and more affluent population. 2. The belief that there is no competitive substitution for the industrys major product. 3. Too much faith in mass production and in the advantages of rapidly declining unit costs as output rises. 4. Preoccupation with a product that lends itself to carefully controlled scientific experimentation, improvement, and manufacturing cost reduction. I would be discussing these strong points here with the help of examples. 1. Population Myth: Theodore Levitt rightly argues that when the market for the product is growing the management tends to stop thinking about the future assuming that the growing market is the indication of future success. The management then focuses on expanding its production rather than thinking about marketing. The main focus of their concerns becomes selling which stems from the needs of the seller instead off the needs of the consumer. The management tends to ignore the changing trends and needs of the customer which leads the company to their doom. Iridium, which once was a high-flying organization on Wall Street, got the biggest failure in the market. Iridium introduced satellite phones in late 1990s that could work anywhere in the world. It was a brilliant idea which was flopped within a year pushing the company towards bankruptcy and leading the CEO to resign. The company invested billions of dollars in this project which backfired because the focus of their initiative was not the consumer. They assumed that the growing advancement in information technology and the larger customer base for mobile phones would be enough to build an expensive project on. They did not take marketing efforts seriously and failed to realize ahead of time that the consumers were not willing to pay high prices for their product and they did not take note of the fact that the cellular phones could become popular during that same time period. The market for satellite phones was not tested before launching the phones which did not get the success hope d by the management. 2. No Competitive Substitution Myth: The second argument by Theodore Levitt, the belief that there is no competitive substitution for the industrys major product, could easily bring about the downfall for the organization. When the management tends to have faith in the fact that their offerings are indispensable, they stop thinking about the future. They focus on producing that indispensable product and do not take into consideration the changing environment and the threats of possible entrants or substitute products. This belief takes the organization into stagnation. In this age, mobile phones have more or less replaced the fixed connections. The competition is between the landline services and the mobile phone companies. Now multiple wireless access technologies are also in the fast race with the GSM technologies. 3. Faith in Mass Production: Declining unit costs as production rises is a very attractive incentive for producers. They tend to focus on the production and costs rather than focusing on the marketing and consumer preferences. Once they have mass produced their products, they are inclined towards selling it instead of marketing it which becomes the reason for their downfall. As time changes, the consumer preferences change as well. . It is a known phenomenon that people and their behaviors have to change with the changing environment they live in. With todays changing milieu, an individual must be willing to abandon old techniques and learn new ones. Henry Ford, developer of assembly-line technique for mass production, introduced Model T automobile and revolutionized the transportation business. He started producing Model in large quantities. It was a success initially and was hailed as the everywhere. As time changed, the consumers started thinking in terms of benefits and value they get from the Model T car. They demanded more features especially color options. Ford replied saying, Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black; it was because black color used to take less time in drying. After some time, the production of Model T stopped as consumer wants changed and the industry got competitive. It is important for the organizations to take in view the changing trends and consumer wants. The industries in todays age are highly competitive and uncertain. Thus to avoid stagnation, marketing should be given specific importance. 4. Preoccupation with Scientific Research and Development Techniques: Theodore Levitt says in the article, The greatest danger which faces the glamorous new companies in this field is not that they do not pay enough attention to research and development, but that they pay too much attention to it. It is true that most technological firms tend to focus their efforts towards scientific implementations and research and development which raises their cost and increases their chances of failure if the innovations are not receptive to the consumers. Nokia, a world-leading organization in cell-phone industry, is fighting a battle with Apple Inc. for the market share of smartphones. The recent milestone in the cell-phone industry is the application feature. Apple has the largest market share in smartphone segments while Nokia is spending millions of dollars for R and D in this area yet its sales are diminishing. The software Nokia uses is failing which is the reason for continuous scientific research in this regard. According to Bloomberg.com, Nokias share of worldwide smartphone sales fell to 41.2 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from 45.1 percent in the year- earlier period, while Apples doubled to 10.8 percent. EXAMPLE OF MARKETING MYOPIA: Marketing Myopia does exist in almost all the industries where the top management fails to see the bigger picture. When the organizations take profit-making approach or mass production techniques, they tend to lose sight of the customers who can change the fate of any organization. Theodore Levitt gave us illustrations about myopic industries though most of his discussion was based on the railroad dilemma or the oil industry. Marketing Myopia, however, could be found in any organization. An example taken from Ivey Business Journal is presented here which discusses the downfall of PG owned coffee roasting company, Splendid, and the rise of Starbucks. For several decades Procter Gamble owned Splendid, an Italian coffee roasting company and a leading brand in the Italian take-home coffee market. Through Splendid, PG had access to a powerful reservoir of knowledge about the production, distribution and marketing of authentic, Italian espresso coffee, and to powerful insights on the consumer experience of enjoying an espresso or a cappuccino in an Italian coffee bar. But it viewed the potential of this knowledge narrowly: as a way to adapt the famous PG brand building and product management skills to the Italian market a peculiar place where people drank thick, dark coffee in preference to the traditional American brew. PGs myopic view of competition both in Italy and, back home, in the U.S.- and its failure to engage with the world as a source of innovation, left the way open for Starbucks, a minute coffee roasting company from Seattle. In the mid-eighties, Starbucks CEO spent some time in Italy and studied the technology and consumer behavior in the Italian coffee market knowledge that PG had already in-house at Splendid for ages. He then combined what he learnt in Italy with world-class retailing and fast-food management techniques perfected in the United States. To the recipe, he added his understanding of American consumers and New York financial market to craft Starbucks strategy. The results are now legendary. What made the success of Starbucks was not an innovative coffee blend but rather an innovative knowledge blend. The amazing thing is that PG had privileged access to all the components of the recipe, though some components were in other countries (Italy, for starters) or in other industries (for example, fast-food). But myopia was surely limiting and hurting PG, as it couldnt see much beyond its existing markets across the street. Eventually, in 1992, PG sold Splendid to Philip Morris Kraft General Foods. HIGHLIGHTING THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING MYOPIA: Considering the fact that what Theodore Levitt said in his article Marketing Myopia was completely flawless would be ambiguous. Like every theory, Marketing Myopia also has its negative points. Railroad and Movie Industry: Theodore Levitt has explained the concept of marketing myopia with the help of the examples of railroads and Hollywood industry. He has pointed out that the failure of railroads was not due to the introduction of other transportation facilities availability rather the incapability of the management in defining the purpose of railroad industry as just railroad-oriented instead of a transportation-oriented. If they had identified themselves as transportation-oriented, they would have been able to see the market conditions more clearly and hence be prepared for any threats coming their way. Levitt has also explained about the Hollywood business in the same context: that they failed to define their purpose as entertainment-oriented and stuck with their myopic view of Hollywood as movie-making business which led to its near collapse because they did not treat TV as an opportunity. This led to their self-deceiving belief and TV became their threat and a much bigger industry. In 1990, David J. Morris Jr. of University of New Haven, published an article in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Services. He explained that the reason railroads came to their demise and the fiscal purgatory of Hollywood industry was not because they were myopic. He explained that their failure was due to the Government regulations that did not give them the chance for expansion even though they tried. In his article, he has stated that the US Government Regulatory body shifted to trucks, auto and air after World War II because of which the railroads got left behind. In his view, the railroads tried to expand into related transportation areas but the railroads suffered because of 70 years of government destruction. Morris has also explained that the Hollywood industry took steps to acquire television stations but the Federal Communications Commission denied this request to Paramount Pictures Inc. The movie industry also became a supplier to the television industry as the motion pictures were in colored and the television was still in black and white. Some motion picture producers also rented out studio space to television. The problems in movie industry thus were not because they were myopic rather because of antitrust policies and Government regulations. It is true that most managements fail to see the bigger picture while trying to focus on their product and define their purpose obscurely and finally getting caught up in myopia but the history of railroads and Hollywood industry show that they were not myopic rather victims of Government regulations. Stakeholders: Theodore Levitt stresses upon the need to focus on the customers and their preferences. In his article, he has emphasized the role of marketing repeatedly saying that the success of the firm in inevitable if the market has been thoroughly researched and the visions and goals of the company are defined on the basis of the marketing efforts. But he does not explain about the role and need of the stakeholders of the organization who also play a big part in the future of the organization. An organization may have an excellent product, well-defined market segment and a considerable market share and yet it could all fail if there are any problems in the workforce, distributors or suppliers. The focus should be the customer but the stakeholders should also be taken into consideration while defining the vision of any organization. Likewise, the marketers should also focus on the current environmental situations, environmentalists and legal regulations instead of just focusing on the customer. Leadership Issues: An organization could also fail if the leadership has no purpose for the organization. It is important to define the purpose in terms of market conditions but an organization should also have a purpose and a reason to exist; when it is lost the organization would fail even if their product and customer base is strong. Theodore Levitt has stated that in order to succeed in future an organization must have customer-oriented goals but the management should also have a vision to lead so that it could fulfill the purpose of those customer-oriented goals. For example, before 1984, ATT had a purpose and a reason to survive. The organization had talented employees and excellent services. The company started failing due to changing technologies and shifting regulations. Michael Armstrong was hired as the CEO with the hope that he would prevent ATT from failing. That unfortunately did not happen because the vision of the CEO to lead was hazy. He started laying-off employees and losing acquisitions and cost-cutting strategies which backfired. The reason was simple: Michael Armstrong did not have a clear understanding of how to lead and could not therefore manage the customer-oriented visions. CONCLUSION: Information in todays time has become more liquid and accessible. The organizations which want to grow in this world need to recognize the need for knowledge about the changing trends, technologies and customer preferences. Marketing Myopia as defined by Theodore Levitt could teach a lot of organizations the importance of clearly defined purposes and customer value. The organizations need to look around them to the changing environment-not only local changes rather a birds-eye view of the world around them. If the top management fails to see the local and global implications of the changing trends and decides to just focus their attention to their product then they are bound to get caught in myopia. This age is not one for an isolated entity. It is also of great significance that the top management analyzes the over-all impact of their strategies with the view to the market and start to think imaginatively. In the recent years, the understanding of marketplace trends and its competitive implications has led the organizations to change their strategies and policies. The competitive pressures influence the businesses to act speedily and innovate productively. The only profit-making approach towards busine ss does not hold true in these times because a single idea, a new product or even a new use of an existing idea can change the marketplace rapidly. The organizations have to continuously evolve and innovate in order to stay in this cut-throat competitive environment. If the management fails to do this, them the organization is bound to be caught up in the self-deceiving cycle of bountiful expansion and undetected decay.