Reflective Overview Of The Business Modules Commerce Essay

Reflective Overview Of The Business Modules Commerce Essay After joining the course I gained lot of knowledge from taught modules and various individual assignments which I have written earlier in this module. Rite from the portfolio submissions i gained understanding about concepts behind marketing skills and knowledge which are needed by the managers. Marketing strategy for managers (MKT-4010) modules overall outcomes was unimaginable because it included presentations, Portfolios, Case study and Lectures. In the beginning of the course we were allocated in the groups and provided with a video for group presentation. Our group presentation was about ZSL London zoo, about which, we watched a video in the group and afterwards we discussed about the video and recoded some important points. Later on we did lot of research in internet to gain knowledge about ZSL London zoo. Subsequently we came with certain theories which we can apply in our group presentation. Such as Porters 5 forces, Swot Analysis, Ansoff matrix which we learned in our Lectur es. Then we progressed with our Lectures and we learned about Situation analysis. We had given Nike case study which was non-assessed but we tried to figure out facts from case study and we made a sincere attempt about Market orientation of Nike. Then we learned about Strategic Marketing Process which is situation analysis, Designing marketing strategy, marketing program development, Implementing and managing strategy. After learning situation analysis now i am able to implement in real world industry. I have done my situation analysis of Accenture in my Marketing plan phase 1. The important strategic issues of the company have been studied here. I have learnt Competitive costing competitive advantage in industry along with targeting various demographic factors from our Accenture project. I have also learnt how companies can get into a position where it steadily increases its market share and brand value to compete in the current market. I have learnt a lot about different strategies that different types of companies has to adopt, for instance, Ikea, Slendertone and many more while preparing portfolios. I have also understood the devastating outcomes if the company does not have an expanded presence around the world which could be detrimental for them. This needs to be increased for a better strategic management. This assignment has resulted in my understanding towards the key roles of each and every aspect of strategic plan and implementation from the case studies of various companies from different Industries. I implemented all types of research techniques in my projects that I learnt from my course, and used core text books to collect secondary data. Identifying reliable sources for data collection is vital for any research or project in order to get updated data. These sources can be found from sources on the web, journals, articles and books. Updated collected online or journals are considered as secondary data which is also vital apart from primary data collected from various books. Secondary data can also be collected from companys financial statements and online publications on their official websites. But it is always essential that data collected should be relevant, accurate and interpretable. These data should help one to gain a better knowledge and understanding towards the company and its strategies. I have based all my conclusions of my analysis in projects of strategies on a single case studies but it is un-ethical to use it as a base for all brands. These research on marketing strategies can be used even on a large scale taking different geographical areas of a country where there are many individual companies are operating. This is shown in the assignments on IKEA, Slendertone, Nanophase. These strategy researches might change with context to different countries as a result of change in their internal and external environments as stated in the case studies of IKEA, Slendertone and Nanophase. I learnt about strategic brand management in our guest lecture which will be of great help in my future because branding is an important component of Marketing Mix. Positioning is one of the aspects of the theory that has been applied in all my case studies. It is very important to know how positioning works in strategies. Positioning in Strategic Management these days are referred to as the process through which marketers attempt to create an Brand Image or Identity in the minds of their target market for its products, its organisation and brand. I have understood that it is only a relative competitive comparison their products would occupy in an indented market which is referred as target market. After learning Porters 5 forces, PESTAL, SWOT analysis, Ansoffs matrix and many other theories which are very helpful in designing the corporate strategy in an organisation. Success alone should not be the goal of any company but also being ethical and practicing healthy practices to achieve market success is also important as it is vital for good image about the organisation in the minds of customers and also with its peers. Now I believe completely capable of taking right decisions at right time. Learning outcomes from the module: 1). Developed a deep understanding about issues, roles and activities of strategic marketing within any organisation through exploring theoretical and practical skills and also knowledge to come up with an outstanding strategy for marketing success. 2). It helped me to understand the core concepts, principles and techniques inside the boundaries of strategic marketing. 3). It has helped me develop inter-personnel skills, organizational skills, soft skills, communication skills, confidence as a result of proper knowledge I have managed to acquire from this module. 4). This module has not only given me knowledge, but also has added weight to my qualification in the current competitive market. After learning theories and models now I am able to implement these in my Situation analysis of Accenture. I feel that I am very successful in learning Marketing strategy for Managers from my core module. The Knowledge I have gained from this module would definitely come in handy when I actually enter the market. In over all, I have learnt each and every aspect of marketing and marketing strategies from this module and used it in my reports. This module helped me to get a deep understanding about real situation in market and learnt that even a single right strategy can make tremendous change everything into useful opportunities. Hence, I strongly believe that outcomes of this module have given me an edge to be successful in strategic marketing management in an organisation.

Great African Culture

The Great African culture is the result of the influences of the African kingdoms and city states which thrived and prospered between 1200 and 1500 CE. In addition to this, the forces of cultural diffusion as well as trade had influenced and changed these African civilizations.The ruling Kingdom of Songhai, due to the influence of the Arab culture and trading system, was replaced by the Mali. This new power in Western Africa influenced and expanded the ruling class, culture, society and its people.On the other hand, through extensive trade contacts, Islamic traditions and customs were brought to East Africa. Consequently, this had a huge influence on the culture and politics in Swahili city-states. On the other hand, the Great Zimbabwe was able to deter the influence of Islamic cultural diffusion and other cultures despite having trading contacts from the Middle East, India and China.This is due to the obstacles created by its natural geographic location. While Kongo in West Africa c ontinued to trade slaves, goods in return for weapons from the Portuguese merchants, ultimately leading to a change in religion (towards Christianity). In 1500, the power of several African societies was reduced because of the expansion of slave trading in the region.Generally, through trade, the African societies transact all the activities related to production and the reproduction of human life in its culture. Culture is consists of all that members of a society do. It is also passed on from one generation to another.Trade and development eventually must be understood or recognized as a cultural process, wherein culture is identified to encompass the social, economic, religious, political and other areas of social life and activity.In the African situation, conceivably greater than any other area of the world, culture as an incremental, as an inheritance and constructional basis of life and society, had a propensity to be forsaken in favor of unsystematic mimicry and cheap imitat ion of Western practices.The consequence of this is failure during most of the post-independence period to crucially or â€Å"significantly improve the quality of life of the majority of people in the continent† (Ukaga and Afoaku, 2005). Accordingly, modern Africa is still one of the poorest regions of the world regardless of its vast endowments of natural and human resources. ReferencesUkaga, O., & Afoaku, O. G. (2005). Sustainable Development in Africa: A Multifaceted Challenge. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, Inc.

Different stakeholders Essay

D1: Evaluate the influence different stakeholders exert in the organisation. Introduction Each stakeholder is important to the business, however, some are more important than others. I have chosen the top three that I think are the most important and in this word document, I will evaluate how these stakeholders influence the NHS and McDonalds. McDonalds Owners The owners are very important in McDonalds, because they’re the people that invest in the business and make sure that it runs smoothly to be able to give a good service and provide the customers with high quality food. They have to make sure that the each of the fast food restaurants are kept clean and designed well, to attract the customers and make them enjoy their time while having their food. This brings more costs with it; therefore the owners have to make sure that they have enough money when investing more money into the restaurants. They also have to make sure that McDonalds is fully equipped to be able to prepare the food that’s on the menu. When hiring new members of staff, they have to follow the procedures to make sure that they do it correctly. The people that they hire need to be suitable for the job and meet all of McDonald’s requirements and if failed to do so, it could have a big impact on the business and its overall success. Owners also need to make sure that all of the rules and regulations are followed so they don’t get into trouble for going against the law. If any of their employees don’t follow these rules, they are the ones to deal with it. The owners are in control of finance of the business and it’s budgeting. They need to make sure that the money is divided equally and controlled as it’s very easy to fall into debt but harder to get out of it. However, the owners don’t deal with everything themselves as their restaurants are all over the world; therefore they have their trusted people that deal with most of the issues that they don’t have time to deal with. For example, these people working for the owners have a high position within the business and they’re in charge of staff and the way separate restaurants are run. They have to motivate the stuff so they can be happier and enjoy their job more to provide a better quality service to the customers and this way improve the reputation of the business and help to make more profit as happy customers  are most likely to return to McDonalds repeatedly. Employees Employees working in McDonalds have to be well-trained to be able to prepare all of the food and serve the customers in the way that meets their expectations. Without staff, the restaurants wouldn’t be running because there would be no one to serve the customers and it’s not like McDonalds is a small family-run business so the owners could just do all the work themselves. There are many different departments within McDonalds and people are trained for different job roles but they still work together as a team to create overall business success. Employees also have to meet all of the customers’ expectations, whether that’s when preparing their food or serving them. They have to be friendly, patient and caring. The customers’ satisfaction should be the most important to them. However, they want to work in good working conditions and they want to know that they have a secure job, so the employers must make sure that they provide them with these. They might also expect a decent pay considering their job role consists of being on their feet during their shift and keeps them very busy. They can’t expect the pay to be too high at the same time because working in McDonalds doesn’t require any previous experience as full training is given and there’s no particular education expectations that the employees need in order to work in this fast food restaurant. Customers Customers in McDonalds are important, that’s why they’re in the top 3 in terms of how important they are to the business. They are the ones eating the food that McDonalds provide and in return they want to receive a high quality meal for a good price and they want to receive a good service when having their meal. If the business didn’t meet all of these expectations and they would give the customer sub-standard food, the customers might decide they don’t want to visit the restaurant again and it will affect the long-term profit that the business makes, it will also affect the reputation of McDonalds, therefore other customers might behave differently and have a negative opinion on it. The customers might chose to use other fast food restaurants such as Subway, KFC or Burger King who are a competition to McDonalds and it will affect its market share. Customers have an influence on the food that’s served in McDonalds, the quality of it and its price. To be able to charge low prices, the fast food restaurant might have to accept a low profit margin on their products. To be able to prepare high quality food and serve them in the right way, they might need to spend a lot of time and money to train the staff. It’s essential to meet the needs of customers in McDonalds if they want to carry on being a successful business and achieve their aims. NHS Government The government finances NHS, therefore without it, the service couldn’t be provided for free and some people could be affected by that as they might not have the money to pay for expensive health services and their health would be at risk. They are the ones to make sure that everything runs smoothly so a high quality service can be provided. They have to make sure that the NHS has all of the equipment needed to provide the service, that enough staff are hired to carry out these services and that they have the right qualifications and experience. The government needs to make sure that people working for the NHS are not over-working because they have a hard job as it is and they’re taking care of patients, so if they don’t have enough rest, they won’t be able to give a high standard service . Employees The employees in NHS are nurses, doctors and admin staff, all working in hospitals. These people have to have previous experience and they also have to have the right qualifications because they’re dealing with serious matters which is other people’s health, therefore they will want to work in a good environment, have a secure job and receive a good pay. These requirements will have an impact on the business because to be able to provide a good working environment, they will have to invest more money into it for example giving staff longer breaks or making sure that the working conditions are good. Also, high rates of pay will affect the finance of the business; however, if the staff doesn’t receive enough money for their job role, they might not be motivated to work. This will affect the way the business operates and gives out a service because it wouldn’t be a high standard. This would change the public opinion on NHS and then they would expect more from the government if their needs weren’t satisfied and  therefore, the government would have to invest more money in the NHS. The employees have a big impact on the service that is given out to the general public. Patients Patients are very important in the NHS because the NHS basically exists for people. If no one used their services, there would be no point of this existing because it’s a free health service provided to people that simply can’t afford it. If no one used the NHS services, the government would just pointlessly spend money on something that isn’t needed. However, when the patients decide to use the NHS, they have certain expectations that need to be met. They want to be treated equally and receive the health service they really need, whether it’s something simple or more serious. They are not expecting to pay for any help that’s given to them, they want the doctors and nurses to be friendly and helpful and they also expect the overall place to be in a good condition and atmosphere to be friendly and comfortable. The patients can give feedback after they have received a service, whether it’s to the company itself or whether it’s to family and friends who can then enjoy the use of the service too and make it more popular. The patients are also the ones who influence the products and services that the NHS provides because these need to be suitable for the patients themselves and meet their needs and requirements. Summary There are many different people working in different areas and departments of McDonalds and each of these groups have an effect on the company and how well it’s doing. Some of these stakeholders work together to achieve a mutual aim, whereas others work individually to achieve their own. There are also groups of stakeholders who don’t agree with each other and there are some opposing interests between them, therefore the business needs to be ready to resolve these differences. Overall, I think the owners, employees and customers are the most important stakeholders for McDonalds, because without them, the business simply wouldn’t be running or they wouldn’t be able to achieve success. If the owners of McDonalds didn’t invest enough money into the business to make it appealing to its customers and they didn’t hire the right employees who would meet the customers needs and expectations, the business wouldn’t be successful overall and they wouldn’t  be able to expand like it has. The most important stakeholder for the NHS is the government because they are the ones who are in charge of the NHS and they fund them. Without the money that the government invests in the NHS, they wouldn’t be able to provide patients with free health service and therefore the patients might not be able to afford healthcare. The employees such as doctors and nurses are very important because the NHS needs experienced people to work for them and to provide the service to their patients but also meet their business aims.

Labelling essays

Labelling essays In todays society, people are labelled and treated differently depending on their nationality. This is something that everyone is guilty of, including yourself. At least once in your lifetime you will describe someone by their nationality or give them a label such as wog, dego, gook etc. Its not only the people who have different nationalities that are being labelled today, its also the Australians and the native people who are being labelled as well. They have been given names such as boongs, red-necks, doggas etc. Labelling leads people to think that these different nationalities have people that look a certain way and that they will have some kind of personality trait depending on their nationality. A couple of prime examples of this are when people are described as wogs. When described as a wog you immediately think they are greasy, hairy, dont know any other English other than fully sick, be stuck up, always get their hair done at Hair Machine, drive a Valiant, Monaro or VL Calais and where their Kappa tracksuit all year round (Kappa considered to be a wog brand). Another example would be the labelling of the Australians. Really people call them doggas, how society came up with that name, no one really knows. When labelled as a dogga you are immediately seen as someone with a mullet, wears stubby shorts and flannelette shirts, wears thongs all year, always says Gday mate, said to be rude and always uses foul language, addresses females as Sheilas and will only ever drink beer. These ar e the types of things that people think of when some one has got a label to them. This is the power of imagery and also stereotypes. Not all people take these labels to heart. Some people are proud to have a label. There are also people who have started gangs using their label. M.E.B Middle Eastern Boys are a gang ...

The Cedarville County jail

The Cedarville County jail Introduction The Cedarville county jail is an incarceration facility that has recently been built and it is equipped with the modern technology in security.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Cedarville County jail specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although this incarceration facility has an upper hand when it comes to security, it is also faced numerous problems ranging from security within the facility, administration management in terms of finance and issues of drug, alcohol and morale that have engulfed the employees within the Cedarville County jail. As the newly appointed CEO to the Cedarville County jail, my main objective is to make use of the existing security technology to deal with the insecurity issues and transform the administration of the facility by tackling head-on the issues engulfing it. Strengths One of the dominant strength of the Cedarville County jail is its latest and modern technology in secu rity. The latest technology in security, if fully exploited, will play a major role in ensuring that inmates’ presence is limited to within the confines of the facility. The Cedarville County jail facility will also attain another advantage of an experienced administrative team that has previously worked together. The separation of the adult and juvenile offenders is a strength that comes into good use especially while addressing the different issues facing the two sectors of the facility. This is because the issues facing adult offenders’ facility are different from the issues facing the juvenile facility. Weaknesses One of the major weaknesses that are evident in the Cedarville County jail is the indulgence of its employees in drugs and alcohol. This kind of behavior portrays a negative image of the jail which is meant to be a correctional facility. The poor financial and accounting system of the facility is also a weakness set to affect the operations of the facilit y. Gender equality within the administrative posts is a weakness that needs to be looked at as women are said to be employed in the lower ranks of administration posts. Opportunities The main beneficial opportunity to the Cedarville County jail is the willingness of the county government to assist the facility with funds and additional resources. This is an opportunity if put to good use, will ensure the transformation process of the facility is successful. Working with the strategic management team that I have previously worked with is a golden opportunity and a boost to the efforts of transforming the facility. Threats The low morale among the facility’s employees is a serious threat that if not properly tackled, it may lead to the failure of the transformational efforts about to be undertaken. In additional to this the lack of technical knowhow among the officers in using safety and restraint technique is a serious threat that is posed to the security of the entire facilit y. Without proper training of the officers, the transformation efforts of the facility will be null and void.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion The Cedarville County jail is a facility that has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengthening and emphasizing of these strengths and opportunities and at the same time tackling of the weaknesses and threats will enable the facility and its administration to attain the set objectives. Making good use of the latest technology in the facility’s security system will be a move that exploits the strength of the Cedarville County jail facility while at the same time the existing security menace within the facility will have been tackled.

Narrative Report on The Wizard of Oz (1939) Essay

Narrative Report on The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Essay Example It has significance as a unit, and a thread can be traced all the way along. Plot, on the other hand, is an item that occurs within that story. So for example, there are twists and turns in the story caused by these episodes, or plots, that crop up. They are each of lesser importance in themselves, but they all contribute to the work as a whole, creating interest and sometimes also contrast. The plot element of the balloon scene is an example of a little excursus from the main story and some of the places that Dorothy visits are also branches of sub plot . The scene where the wizard tells Dorothy to find the broom is an example of a new plot being inserted into the story and this, too, diverts her from her main goal of returning to Kansas for a while. It motivates her to take a certain course of action and increases an element of danger because she has to encounter the wicked witch. The film begins with Dorothy out walking with her dog when suddenly a tornado arrives and all the Kansas characters are depicted rushing to find shelter. This dramatic start creates suspense, because Dorothy runs here and there, flinging her arms out and wrestling with items in her desperation to find a safe spot. The whole scene is filmed in black and white, and it shows a rather plain and drab country atmosphere with chickens and horses. There is some cartoon-like camera work when Dorothy gets hit on the head and lies down in bed watching figure pass by through the window, as if being whirled up in the tornado. Finally the camera pulls right away and there is an image of the house spiralling up and away. Suspense is created at this point because the viewer wants to know what happens to Dorothy and Toto. In the final scene there is a repetition of the spiralling house but this time it spins downwards, in reversal of the opening sequence.

The government of Costa Rica Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The government of Costa Rica - Research Paper Example The paper tells that having gained its independence from Spain as part of the broader Central American independence movement in the former Kingdom of Guatemala, Costa Rica became a constituent province of the short-lived Federal Republic of Central America, or Central American Union. Following the Union dissolution in 1838, Costa Rica proclaimed itself as a sovereign nation under Braulio Carrillo, who was ultimately removed from power in 1842; in 1847, Jose Maria Castro Madriz was appointed President of Costa Rica, who, during his first term of office, formally declared Costa Rica an independent republic. The constitutional reform of 1848 attempted to establish basic civil rights and might be thought to have laid the foundations for a tradition of political moderation and civilian government despite having had some interludes of military rule. Two significant periods of political turmoil had taken place since the late 19th century, the first of which started with the 1917 military co up against Gonza Flores administration, led by General Tinoco Granados, whose rule failed to gain recognition from the United States and had eventually ended in 1919 under both external and internal pressure. The second one is considered the bloodiest event in the 20th-century Costa Rican history – the civil war following a highly contentious presidential election in 1948, which lasted 44 days and caused some two thousand fatalities. The Costa Rican civil conflict led to several far-reaching effects, including the abolition of the regularly army, the foundation of one of the first welfare states in the region and the creation of a new constitution. (Meyer 1). The latter prohibited the maintenance of standing army except in case of external invasion, outlawed the communist and fascist parties, and provided for the creation of a Supreme Electoral Tribunal that would oversee the electoral process and have police power during elections; the duty to guarantee the nation’s s ecurity was assigned to a national police force called the Civil Guard (Watkins). Population and Society As of July 2011 estimates, Costa Rica’s population totals 4Â  576Â  562 people, being comprised of four major ethnic groups as follows – whites, primarily of European (Spanish) descent, which, along with the mestizos, account for 94 % of the total population; 3 % blacks, which are, for the most part, of Jamaican origin; and the remainder – 1 % Chinese and 1 % Amerindians respectively (CIA; Encyclopedia of the Nations). Some 69 % of the Costa Ricans are in the 15 to 64 age group, 6.4 % are over 65 year-old and another 24.6 % are under 15 year-old (CIA). Those living in urban areas, according to 2010 data, account for 64 % of the total population (CIA), as compared to 48 % in 2001(Population Reference Bureau, cited in Encyclopedia of the Nations). The capital city, San Jose, has 1. 416 million inhabitants as of 2009 (CIA); other large cities with population o ver 100Â  000 are Alajuela, Cartago and Puntarenas, as well as Limon and Heredia, with over 50Â  000 inhabitants each (Encyclopedia of the Nations). The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish while English is mainly spoken among the middle class in some urban areas, and among descendants of Jamaican origin as well (Encyclopedia of the Nations). The major religions are Roman Catholic, which is the predominant one embracing over 76 % of the population, and Evangelical – shared by 13.7% of the Costa Ricans; along with 1.3% Jehovah’s Witnesses, 0.7% other Protestants, and other religious cults (CIA). In as much as the vast majority of Costa Rica’s people belong to one and same ethnic group, namely the ‘white’ one, which also includes people of mixed ancestry, the so-called ‘whiteness’ would appear the factor that defines the Costa Rica’s population as homogeneous; this homogeneity, however, is further reinforced by the overwhel mingly common origin, hence