Management, Innovation and New techonology Essay

Management, Innovation and New techonology - Essay Example The development and improvement incorporate technical specifications, materials and components, software, user-friendliness and other functional characteristics. Many scholars have examined product innovation which is based on various resource-based views. The process of product innovation can be analyzed as a dynamic capability of the core competence of an organization that helps them in renewing and configuring various resources. From the studies of Daniels in 2002 in which product innovation of five high-tech firms was examined and it directs towards the competencies of the firm associated with technology and customers. Daniels also stress on the fact that for development of new products there is a requirement of the combination of the potential customers and technology. For optimal product innovation, the resources of the firm associated with the current technology and customers are highly essential. From the studies of Shane in 2000 reveals that development of technology gives r ise to the creation of new markets as well exploration and exploitation. From the studies of Shane in 2000 eight enterprises were thoroughly studied and it signifies that the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition signifies to the fact that the entrepreneurs generate the ability for recognizing new knowledge for exploiting new products and technology which includes knowledge of market, knowledge of the ways in serving the markets, knowing the problems of the customers and that of the knowledge of technology. The recognition of entrepreneurial opportunities may lead to better understanding of the new technology or that of the technology for innovation (Huang & Wang, 2011, p.71). Bessant in 1994 creates a model which incorporates several processes and influences within the innovation process as depicted in the following diagram. Fig. 1. Brady, (1995), p.14 The strategy system incorporates information regarding the environment with respect to various forces in the economy like economic, political and so on. Identification of the opportunities as well as needs related to innovation in the light of overall business strategy. This leads to dynamism and change. The system of enabling acts as a support mechanism in the development of the innovation process to take place. Involvement in this respect may include tangible and intangible resources like time, money, people, equipment and management’s support and so on. The system of acquisition can be regarded as the technology powerhouse as it is the area where potential strength of the technology of the organization resides.

Dulux Paints, a Hospital, a leisure centre and a GPs Surgery Essay Example for Free

Dulux Paints, a Hospital, a leisure centre and a GPs Surgery Essay For this project I have sent a letter to each company, I have emailed 1 of the companies and visited 2 of the companies in order to help me with my research. Although not all companies gave me the relevant information, I also used the internet to help me fill in the missing gaps. Production Organisations The only product organisation I have chosen to do is Dulux. Dulux is a paint company. Dulux Customer Care Centre ICI Paints Wexham Road Slough SL2 5DS Tel: 08444 817 817 Dulux produce a wide range of different paints and products both interior and exterior to help you paint. Here are a few examples of what products they make. Paint Paint is any liquid liquefiable or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to a solid film. Products made for interior: Paint pod: Paintpod roller system, Paintpod matt emulsion, Paintpod silk emulsion, Paintpod 2m extension tube, Paintpod extra reach handle, Paintpod roller sleeve, Paintpod dip tube, Paintpod edging brush, Paintpod spare parts Main Range: Matt, Natural hints matt, Feature wall matt, Soft sheen, Solid emulsions matt, Solid emulsions silk, Non-drip gloss, Satin wood, Professional liquid gloss, Pure brilliant white eggshell, Quick dry gloss, Quick dry satin wood, Tile paint, Cupboard paint. Exterior products: Products made for exterior: Main range: non-drip gloss, professional liquid gloss. Once: Gloss. Weathersheild: smooth masonry paint, textured masonry paint, ready to roll smooth masonry paint, exterior gloss, exterior satin, exterior one coat gloss, exterior undercoat, exterior stablishing primer, multi-surface fungicidal wash, exterior preservative primer. What Science is involved? Paint is manufactured with mineral fillers (clay and limestone) and pigments from various minerals. Paint contains four basic ingredients pigments, resin solvents and additives. Each has a different purpose. The pigment is for colour, resin is a binder, the solvent carries the pigment and resin from the paintbrush to the wall, the additive is added to change or improve its characteristics, in paint it is added to help the paint stick better. Making the paste: Pigment manufacturers send bags of pigments to the paint factory where it is them premixed with the resin, the solvent and additives to form a paste. Dispersing the pigment: The paste mixture is then routed to a sand mill (shown below) this agitates tiny particles of sand to grind the pigment particles to make them smaller then dispersing them throughout the mixture. The mixture will then be filtered to remove the sand particles. Although not all paint companys use a sand mill, instead they may be used in a high speed dispersion tank. (Shown below) here the premixed paste is subjected to high speed agitation by a circular toothed blade attached to the rotating shaft. Using this process will blend the pigments into the solvent Thinning the paste: No matter how it is dispersed whether by sand mill or dispersion tank the paste must be thinned to produce the final product. The paste is transferred to a large kettle where it is agitated with the right amount of solvent to match the paint desired. Canning the paint: The paint is then pumped into the canning room. Empty cans are rolled horizontally onto labels the set upright for the paint to be pumped into them. A machine will then place the lids onto the filled cans and a second machine will press the lid so it is sealed. The handles are then made and cut by a bolometer before hooking them into the holes made on the cans. The cans are then boxed and sent to the warehouse. Health and safety act: The health and safety act defines general duties on employers, employees, contractors, suppliers of goods and substances for use at work, person in control of work premises and people who manage and maintain them. The act enables a regime of regulations by the government ministers through the statutory instrument. They created an extensive system of specific provisions for various industries, including discipline and risks. It enforces powers backed by criminal sanctions extending to unlimited fines and imprisonment for up to 2 years. The act provides a critical interface with the law of European Union on workplace health and safety. How is the HS act used in Dulux? The health and safety act will be used in Dulux to make sure that paint is not left on the floor and so that the company is a safe environment to work in. listed below are a few ways in which they will ensure health and safety: * They are to make sure there is no paint left on the floor to ensure no accident occur * They are to make sure Special clothes will be worn to protect the workers from toxic chemicals * They will Ensure that all equipment is safe to use to help prevent accident occurring * They will ensure that All fire exits are clearly marked and not covered so easy access incase of a fire * All rules and regulations are clearly stated, visible and always followed. * There is a fire safety point Cleary situated. * Ensure all fire alarms work Service organisations The 1st service organisation I have chosen to do is within the health care system. I have chosen to do a hospital. I will research manor hospital. Manor Hospital Moat Road, Walsall, WS2 9PS 01922 721172 Manor hospital offers a wide range of services from AE to Vascular surgery. I have listed a few below: * AE * Cancer services * Care of the elderly * Dermatology * Ear, nose and throat surgery * Maternity * Orthodontics * Pharmacy and medicines * Sexual health * Therapy services * Urology * Vascular surgery Manor hospital is a place where you can get medical treatment. They help you in a variety of different ways. I have chosen to do focus my project on the AE What Science Is Involved? In the AE there are a variety of different sciences involved. Although not all are used daily. There are some things that you may not be aware off that use science. The AE is a place where you go if you have been involved in an accident. They deal with all accidents and emergencys ranging from a sprain up to a breakage of a bone. Although this may seem like no science is involved there is. Biology is mainly used because its deals with the human body. They need to have a biology degree. For example if somebody were to come into AE with a nail in there hand, they would have to use the biology in order to figure out the best treatment n how to go about getting the nail out. Would they just pull it out or would they operate? After deciding this they will need to sterilise the nail in order to stop the micro-organism infecting the wound. This is another form of science involved. After that if they choose to operate they will use anaesthetic. Although this may seem as if this is not using science it is. This is used to temporarily reduce sensation so that painful procedures or surgery can be performed. There are 2 types of anaesthetic: * General; makes the patient unconscious * Local; numbs the part of the body that would feel pain. So what is in anaesthetic? * Benzocaine * Dibucaine * Liudocaine * Tetracaine * Novocaine * Prilocaine * Mepivacaine * Bupivacaine * Articaine * Procaine Health and safety: As stated above manor hospital will also have health and safety regulations to help ensure nobody is put at risk, listed below are some examples of where health and safety will be used in the AE: * They will ensure that when using needles or checking a patient they will use gloves, that are to be changed after every patient * They will ensure that all needles used are put into a container and only used on 1 person. * They will ensure that all the toilets are clean. * They will ensure that no fire exits or covered and are fully accessible. * They will ensure that if a patient is highly ill they will be put into quarantine. * They will ensure that all medical equipment is clean and able to be used. * A fire safety point clearly stated * Ensure all fire alarms work * They will ensure that there are enough seats available so that people are not standing around. The 2nd service organisation I have chosen to do is Berkley practice. This is a GPs practice. Berkley practice Churchill Road Walsall West midlands WS2 0BA The Berkley practice provides a wide range of services such as: * Blood tests * STI Tests * Pregnancy tests At the Berkley practice there is more than one GP available to suit your needs, as each GP may have a different area of expertise. This also may be so that it is easy access to your GP if you live close by. Although you may have a personal GP you may also chose to use a different Doctor. What Science is involved? As a dentist they will need to know a variety of different thing that involve science such as x-ray machines and chemicals. Here below are some of the sciences used. A dentist will diagnose and treat problems relating to the teeth and gums in the mouth. This means the dentist will need to know the science of the body but specifically the mouth and teeth. This will be so they can give advice about brushing and healthy eating for looking after teeth and gums. They will also need to know the science of chemicals and antibiotics so that they are able to provide proper protection and pain relief. Dentist will also need to know the science of x-rays machines and other equipment so that they can be used safely and easily without accidents occurring. Finally dentist will need to know the science of infectious diseases so that he can prevent them happening whilst providing treatment. Health and safety: Like in the hospital the GP may have some of the same constraints to ensure safety. * Ensure all equipment is clean and safe to use * Ensure that gloves are worn when treating a patient * All needles will be put into a container * A fire safety point clearly stated * Ensure that all rules and regulations are stated, visible and always followed. * Ensure that all fire alarms work The 3rd service organisation I have chosen to do is Darlaston leisure centre Victoria Road Darlaston Walsall WS10 8AP Telephone 0121 526 7473 Fax 0121 568 7379 Darlaston leisure centre offers a wide range of activities and facilities such as: * Childrens gym * Adults gym * Swimming pool * Tanning studio * Swimming lessons * Vending area * Spectators area * steam rooms * holiday camps Darlaston leisure centre also caters for disabled people by providing disabled access, parking and disabled changing facilities. What Science is involved? Chlorine: Chlorine is the chemical that is often used to keep swimmingpools free of bacteria that can be hazardous to humans. It kills bacteria through a simple chemical reaction. The chlorine solution breaks down into different chemicals including hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion. Both of these kill micro organisms and bacteria by attacking the lipids in the cell walls and destroying enzymes and structures inside the cell, thus making them harmless. If not enough hypochlorous acid present the cleaning process can take much longer. After the cleaning process both chemicals either combine with another or are broken down into single atoms, this then makes the chlorine harmless. Although chlorine is good for swimming pools it may also produce side effects such as; * Itching; chlorine may have an itching effect on some skin, more likely to affect people with sensitive skin. * The smell; chlorine has a distinctive smell that some people may find sickly * Fading clothes; clothes may begin to fade if being exposed to chlorine for to long, such as your swimming costume around summertime. * Inhaling; inhaling a massive mount of chlorine may be hazardous to your breathing. Health and safety Darlaston leisure centre will also be a service provider that uses the health and safety act 1974. They will use this to ensure that all children using the facilities are safe. They may do this by: * ensuring there are ore than 2 staff watching the pools at all times * ensuring all fire exits are clearly labelled and visible * Ensuring that staff is watching children whilst in the gym children should not be in the gym as accidents may occur. Children should be out having fun. The equipment used may be too complicated for them. The age range for this gym is 8-16. * ensuring all food available is able to eat * clearly stating the rules and regulation of the centre and are always followed * making sure that there are qualified first aiders available * ensure that a fire safety point is clearly situated * ensure that all fire alarms work Below are copies of the emails and letters sent to the companies in order to help me with my research? Letters: This is the letter that I used to send to all of the companies. I edited the letter in order for it to be suitable for the companies. Dear whom ever this may concern, My name is Jaymie lee Howard I am 17 years old and am currently at 6thform, I am studying applied science. At the moment we are currently doing organisations using science. I am using your company as part of my coursework and was hoping you could answer these questions for me in order to help me. I would like to ask you if you could please answer these questions for me. 1) What type of work takes place within your company? 2) What science is used to help make the products offered for service? 3) What health and safety constraints do you have? 4) Does everybody follow the health and safety act? It would really helpful if you could answer these questions for me as they are not displayed on the website.

RC Cola Marketing Plan

RC Cola Marketing Plan The product for the particular assignment is RC Cola which used to be a product of Royal Crown Cola Inc till 2001. In 2001 Company sold Royal Cola International to Cott International, now all the brands are under the acquisition of Cott International. For the purpose of this assignment we will be looking at the marketing plan for the product that is drafted particularly for the country from which I belong Pakistan. A reason for choosing this product is more a personal reason. RC Cola was one of the favourite drinks when i was a school boy and in late 1990s RC Cola started to lose its popularity and starts to fade away. After sometime it was out classed by Pepsi and coke. I have tried to draw out a marketing plan for RC Cola because i know that there are so many people in Pakistan who used to fancy RC Cola in their childhood and want it to make a comeback. For the purpose of making a marketing plan for the chosen product, we will do the situation analysis of the Soft Drink Industry in Pakistan. The Marketing Strategies that can be adopted by the company to gain competitive edge and the Marketing Mix for the product. The later part of the assignment looks at the Actions that should be taken in order to implement the plan and any control measures that should be taken to make the plan successful. In the end we will draw out a budgeting plan that should be allocated for the advertisement campaign of the product. Marketing Objective The objective of drafting out the marketing plan for RC Cola is to win the market share in Pakistan and beat Pepsi and coke which are the two big competitors in that region. This objective is set because in past RC Cola has been the market leader for more than 20 years in Pakistan and there was no competition. This object might be difficult to achieve but is not impossible as RC cola has a very strong brand name which is a strong edge. Only thing needed is to formulate a right strategy and to make adjustment to the product according to the strategy. Industrys Situation Analysis Before drafting out a marketing plan for the chosen product it is important to analyse the industry situation. It includes the analysis of strengths and the weaknesses along with the opportunities and the threat that can affect the choice of the marketing strategy that we will adopt. At the moment the soft drinks industry of Pakistan is dominated by the products of Pepsi (market leader) and coke. Strengths Due to the hot weather conditions the Pakistan soft drink market has enjoyed a massive growth in the terms of volume. Soft drinks industry comprises of carbonated drinks, juices and milk shakes etc. Among all of these carbonated drinks have the highest market share. This is because the change in the lifestyles of the people, as it is perceived that drinking a soft drink makes the person look cool. The sales analysis of the soft drinks industry in Pakistan shows that the sales have grown in both ways firstly people buying sales directly from the cold drink shop and secondly people going to hotels and having drinks with their food. This clearly shows that the soft drinks have become a part of the culture and have out classed the homemade drinks i.e. Lassi (drink made by adding milk, yogurt) etc. Weaknesses The sale of soft drinks is normally seasonal; it achieves its peak in the summer and then starts to fall down as the summer progresses to meet winter. The soft drinks like Lemon and Orange squash are not strong enough in reputation to beat the traditional drinks which are made by adding two spoons into water, mostly known as Sandalwood the best one in Pakistan are Roh Afza and Jam e Shiri. Opportunities Government of Pakistan has reduced taxes such as VAT and Excise in order to attract more foreign investments. The labour is very cheap in Pakistan along with the running costs of a factory. This makes it easier to install and run the factory. Threats Increase in the awareness of heath related issues, people have started to turn towards fresh juices. Education providers and media have raised health related issues caused by the regular use of carbonated soft drinks Mostly people in Pakistan are now becoming self conscious about their diet and have preferred not to use cold drinks as it contains ingredients that increase obesity. Marketing Strategies Marketing strategies that company can adopt for a specified product are: Cost Leadership Strategy Mass Marketing Cost Leadership Strategy Cost leadership strategy is a strategy which involves company trying to win the market share by targeting the cost sensitive customers. Company should consider this strategy for several reasons. Which are listed below. The average income per person in Pakistan is very low and the soft drink companies like Pepsi and coke have increased their prices in recent past. Looking at it as an opportunity Cott international can keep their prices low as it use to have in past and try to capture the market share. There are about an average of four kids per couple in a country like Pakistan, most of the kids are school going and they need pocket money but due to low average income kids dont get enough pocket money. If company keeps the cost of RC Cola low than that school going kids will be potential customers. There is a tradition in Pakistan that people are invited on marriage ceremonies where food and drinks are served. By keeping the cost low will encourage those people to buy RC Cola as they will want to save money on something. Mass Marketing Mass marketing is a strategy in which company ignores the market segment and go into target everyone, everywhere with one offer. Mass marketing is suitable as well in case of Cott International for the following reasons. It is companys objective to gain as much market share as they could to become a market leader. For this Cott International has to start a massive marketing campaign starting from the south of Pakistan and going up to the northern areas of Pakistan. Cott International should use print media and television advertisements as these two are the mostly used modes of media in Pakistan. Marketing Mix Strategies Marketing decisions cannot be made without looking at the factors such as: Product Price Place Promotion People Process Physical Evidence Product Product is a term which refers to the tangible (physical process) and services. Before starting the marketing campaign Cott International should think of about the presentation of RC Cola. Decline of RC Cola shows that there was something wrong in the product or there was something more well in the products provided by Pepsi and Coke. Rebranding of the product is not an option in case of RC Cola as it is an internationally recognised brand and has a history of more than 100 years. It is consumed by children and adults all over the world. Rebranding in case of RC Cola means that the name of Royal Crown will be replaced by a new brand, which will not be an effective move. Company should try to improve the quality of the product, for example they should try not to use Caffeine in the drinks as they used to have. As mentioned above people in Pakistan have become more aware about the health and hygiene issues and they know that Caffeine is not good for the health in long term. RC Cola should try to improve the taste of their drink, this is because it tastes a bit bitter as compared to Pepsi and Coke. Currently the there is no variety in the taste and they are only offering RC Cola and RC Cola Diet. Company should look to launch RC Cola with variety of tastes as other companies have done. Option of developing new products such as RC Cola Cherry and RC Cola Strawberry is a good option. It should be made available in different sizes ranging from 250 ml to 2.5 Litre. Option of having disposable bottles should be considered. Price As the product has been in decline and out of market for a while so the best option is to adopt marketing penetration strategy and keeping the prices low. This is because our objective is to gain the market share which cannot be achieved if the prices are high. The price should not be too low otherwise it will be perceived as a low quality drink by people. As government has levied the taxes for this particular industry which has resulted in reduced cost to the company, even if company set low prices it will not incur any loss. Place This is related to how the product is made available to the customers. It is all about distribution of the product in market. Traditionally in Pakistan the soft drinks manufacturers have links with distributions and wholesalers. So keeping in mind how it works in particular country it is advisable that company should develop relationship with wholesaler and distribution holders, where they could place their product and the product is made available to the consumers. In this case company should go for the strategy of intensive distribution that ensures that product is placed at as many outlets as possible by the company. Because they aim to cover the large number of customers, so it should be made sure that RC Cola is available in each corner of the Pakistan. Using distributions will also save the cast that would have been incurred if company has to store the product in their warehouse. Distributions somehow provide storage facility as well. Promotion This part marketing mix is of high importance to Cott International as they have to do massive promotion in order to win the market share from the current market leader. Elements of promotional mix on which company should focus more are as follows. Advertisement Sales Promotion Sponsorships Public Relations Advertisement Company should advertise on popular television channels such as Geo, Ary Digital, Aag. TV commercials should be creative and attractive as it will have impact on the thinking of the people. Currently Pepsi and Coke are very good in tv advertisements so i order to get to that level company should make a separate advertisement department. In Pakistan there are so many cultural and religious events for example Basant (spring festival), Ramdan and Eid. So company should seek to make adverts according to the festivals. Print media such as news papers and magazines are another very strong media type in Pakistan. People love to read newspapers early morning, company should advertise in popular newspapers such as Jang and The Nation. Company should use big advertisement boards in main parts of large cities of Pakistan. Using banners to advertise will be another good option. Sales Promotion It a short term incentive aimed at generating sales or encouraging consumer trial of the companys products. Company can distribute free samples of the RC Cola to the costumers so that they are made aware about the product with new packaging and taste. Company should seek to introduce new offers such as Buy a 2L jumbo size bottle and get 250ml for free. People in Pakistan love to get things for free so this will work. Company can introduce a lucky draw in which winner will get a car and runners up gets small prizes. Customers have to scratch the specific part of bottle in order to get the code then they have to sms that code with their details and they will be included in the draw. This will encourage people to buy because every time they will buy, they get a code which increases their winning chances. Company can give free refrigerators with the company logo and name on it to the retailers and can ask them to use it only for RC Cola products. Company may put vending machines with their logo in schools, colleges and universities. This will remind the people about the existence of product. Sponsorship This is when an organisation undertakes to carry the cost of hosting an event in return for advertising space. Company can sponsor Pakistan Cricket Team, by sponsoring them company will provide them cricket kits, bats and pads. On the kit of cricket team they can put their logo and also company will get space to advertise their boards on the boundaries or even on the wickets if match he taking place in Pakistan. People in Pakistan are diehard fans of cricket so there is good chance of this option to work. Company shall sponsor musical concerts of singers like Atif Aslam Ali Zafar. Because thousands of people attend those concerts, this is the good way of making sure that people remain aware about presence of product. Cott International should try to sign some cricket players like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar to work in the companys advertisement. When people will look at their stars drinking this drink they will definitely try it. People People are included in the production and delivery of goods. People make a lot of difference to the company. They should have proper uniforms. Company should have rigorous recruitment system through which they employee well educated and disciplined staff. There should be proper training in place for the employees to carry out their duties in a perfect manner. Sometimes employees have to interact with public during some advertisement campaign, so company should make sure that there employees are friendly. Processes Company should have clear procedures and policies. Everybody should be aware of their duties and responsibility. Company should ensure that all the processes are efficient and the output is error free. Physical Evidence Physical evidence related to those aspects of the service that customer can see and feel so as to form an impression of the services or its provider. Logo: Company should have a unique sign that should make it look different from other companies. It should be distinctive in way that it reminds the customer about the quality of the product that has been provided by the company. Colour: In past RC Cola has used blue and red colour, which does not look different as the market leader Pepsi uses blue colour this might result in the misunderstanding by the customer. Vehicles: Company vehicles such as lorries and truck should be painted and must have companys logo and name on it. Budget Allocation Implementation of a plan needs finances, if there is no finance allocated to the plan than plan will always remain as a piece of paper left inside the drawer of office table. After looking at the pakistans current market rates for the advertisement, budgeted expense has been drafted which is as follows: ______à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬___ !__ Mode of Media used budgeted expense Television Adverts 2,000,000 Newspapers 100,000 Light Boards 500,000 Magazines 100,000 Total Cost 2,700,000 Once budget is allocated to the project than company should move on to start allocating the responsibilities and tasks. The marketing plan will be of no use if capable people of staff are not assigned duties and given the deadline for fulfilling their tasks. Specify the date on which product will be launched into the market. Time to take Action Date of launching of product is set as 12th December.2010, advertising manager of the company is given 1 week time to put all the bits and pieces in order and prepare for the advertisement campaign of the product. From next Sunday every week an advertisement will be published in the most popular newspapers. Television Adverts will be advertised between 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on tv channels like Geo and Ary. Advertisements will be placed in magazines. Marketing manager has already specified the major areas where the big light boards will be installed on which advertisement will be displayed. Lorries with a big model of the RC Cola 250ml bottle at their starts to take round of the city for whole day. People will keep this distinctive way of advertisement and will remain aware about the product. Continuous monitoring of all the activities should be carried out in parallel till the launch of product this is done to ensure that any inefficiency or weakness could be overcome by the management well before hand. Critical reflection on learning outcomes RC Cola inc was formed a century ago, when it arrived Pakistani at that time there no other cola and there were no advance mode of marketing which can be found now in Pakistan. People very not aware of these foreign drinks and were fond of traditional drinks, despite of all these factors that prevailed at that time RC Cola gained market share and soon became the market leader. Acquiring market share when there was no vast coverage of media in Pakistan makes me think that there was something in the product that prompted people to buy it again after they use it for the first time. Value is in the mind of the customer, probably there were not enough carbonated drinks in the market so the arrival of RC Cola with a sweet crispy taste should be a possible source of value to the customer. After the initial launch of RC Cola in Pakistan in 1970s-1980s the product growth was very rapid and it became market leader as mentioned already. According to my analysis of the product, the reason for its decline in first place that company did not incurred any cost on research and analysis of the development of any new product and tried to survive on the product which they had. With the passage of time the tastes of the consumer might have changed and at the same time new competitors entered the market and got hold of the situation. What do you expect from a company which do not incur any cost on research and development and when new competitors enters the market with an aggressive marketing strategy at that time company do not have enough finances to launch a marketing campaign in response. The result of all these is definitely a failure and failure always lead to the decline. Moreover the analysis of company shows that there were some law suits against them in 1990s which lead t o compensation payments and cash being dried up. In my point of view these were the problems that led to the decline of product and company itself as well. After the first glance at the assignment i thought as if this requires only drafting a marketing plan for a product that has decline and almost out of the market. But when i start to gather my thoughts on how should i start? What should i consider? I soon realise that it is not only the product which we have to look at but also the external and internal elements that will have an effect on the product directly. Than it was obvious that an analysis of the industry needs to be done. I had number of different models among which i have to use the one that best describes the situation of the industry. For the purpose of doing an industry analysis i chose to use SWOT analysis which looked at positives and the negatives of the industry in which we have to launch our product. I have a professional background of an ACCA and i thought the having studied business analysis in past and gone through all the models, it will not be a difficult task to carry out research and analysis. But my percepti on was proved wrong when i started looking at the product and in particular the company, i have never had a chance in past to study any industry so deeply and finding out what are the strengths on basis of shich you can capitalise and what are the weakness that are inbuilt in the industry. While going through industry analysis my mind was thinking of how the product strengths can be used to overcome the inbuilt weaknesses in industry on other hand i was thinking that how the weaknesses of my product can convert the opportunities that can be availed in that industry into the threats. This thinking process was ongoing throughout the assignment time. After the SWOT analysis of industry and in particular the product, i had gained enough knowledge about how the things were working and evaluating the options on basis of which i could make the product play around in market to gain customer attraction. It was time to draft a proper marketing plan because a wise man have said If you fail to plan than you plan to fail and i really didnt want this product to fail. I realised that marketing plan is not only about Marketing Mix 7 Ps. It starts from the analysis which i have discussed above than it goes on to defining the objectives which the product wants to achieve. Objectives defined should be smart and feasible once the objectives are clear than 7 Ps could be used to design a marketing mix strategy, it covers every aspect of the marketing strategy from external factors to the internal factors. Marketing mix analyse each factor individually and then links them with the objectives and missions of the company. It helps to formulate what e xactly needs to be done. Once your are sure about what should be done than there should be proper budget allocation to the project in order to meet the desired outcomes. Most of the marketing plans fail because there are not enough resources allocated to carry them out in practical. Roles and responsibilities should defined and work should be properly allocated. After all this has been done the marketing plan should be monitored on regular basis so that if there is something which is going wrong than proper actions should be taken in order to sort them out without any delay. This is what my perception about how a marketing plan should be carried out and monitored till the desired objectives are achieved. Now a days the world has become a global village and this has a vast impact on the nature of marketing. There is a big difference between a way how companies market their product now and how it used to be two or three decades ago. Marketing of a product is not limited to any physical barriers now. After the birth of e-marketing the things have changed very positively and business have gone multinationals from nationals. This has reduced the cost to the companies as well and have given a competitive advantage. Few basic market research techniques followed now a days are Surveys, Personal Interviews, Observations and Focused groups. With the birth of e-marketing these marketing researches are now more likely to be carried out via internet. To me the outcome of these market researches is not effective at all. This is because it you look at the first technique that is Surveys in which people will be handed over a form with a number of questions which they have to answer, which is then handed back to the person carrying out survey. If the questionnaire is given in person than there might b a chance that response will be 100% but the reliability of a survey depends on the sample size if the sample size is only 1000 out of a population of 1million than the reliability of the survey could be impaired. Telephonic surveys could also be carried put but it will cost a bit more and are more effective but yet again sample size is the key thing. Focus groups. In focus groups, a moderator uses a scripted series of questions or topics to lead a discussion among a group of people. These sessions take place at neutral locations, usually at facilities with videotaping equipment and an observation room with one-way mirrors. A focus group usually lasts one to two hours, and it takes at least three groups to get balanced results. But still the question arises that everyone has its own point of view and perception about the questions which are being asked. Few number of people cannot represent the thoughts of a large population. Personal Interviews are same as the focus groups but is more tended towards one on one discussion. Observation is an Individual responses to surveys and focus groups are sometimes at odds with peoples actual behaviour. When you observe consumers in action by videotaping them in stores, at work, or at home, you can observe how they buy or use a product. This gives you a more accurate picture of customers usage habits and shopping patterns. After learning alot from this assignment i tried to analyse the marketing strategies and the behaviour towards customers that is practiced in my country and i than compared it with what is happening here. My analysis was mostly based on my personal experiences that i had in past. Not to my surprised i came up with a very huge difference between two environments. Back home in Pakistan customers are not treated as they should be, the shop keepers are rude to customers and they are not cared. On the other hand the behaviour of the people towards their costumers is very courteous and polite because they know the value of having these customers as they generate revenues out of them. This assignment has enhanced my analytical skills and i have very positive plans to go back to my country after completing my course and try to work on creating a value for customers and making them feel good.

Cultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita Essay example -- Educating Rita

Cultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in Educating Rita. Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play. Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in "Educating Rita". Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play In carrying out the objectives we have been given to write this coursework, as outlined in the title, we must evaluate the themes and dramatic techniques used and if we believed they were adequate. We must compare the book to the film and what advantages and disadvantages either medium presents.Culture has a tremendous impact on the feelings and opinions they have, and it is therefore justified that I shall be analysing the relevance of culture in the book and film. I have opted to do four scenes from the play. These being Act One Scene Two, Act Two Scene One, and Act Two Scene Seven. I chose scene two out of Act one because we learn a great deal about Rita's school life, skills as a writer, her curiousity, her colloquial language, dialect and of her limited vocabulary, not forgetting Frank's reactions to these, many of which are priceless. In Act Two Scene One, Rita returns from Summer School, and this has a noticeable impression on her. We also hear how Frank has been while she has been away, giving further insight into Frank's curren state. Act two scene four is one of great importance. Frank and Rita begin to grow more hostile towards one another - ev... ...delve into the story as deeply as they want to go and still receive the same sintilation from his work. At the end of the scene, Frank tells Rita that they are to work on the poet Blake, and Rita tells him that she has already done him and begins to flaunt about her expertise on Frank saying, "you don't do Blake without covering the songs of innocence and experience do y'?". This is an exceedingly conceited remark to make and quite an inconsiderate thing to say to a man like Frank with an obvious inferiority complex. The early Rita would not have made such an insensitive comment. This scene was not done very differently in the film to the book. This scene, however, was filmed in the park, which i felt was very effective as a change in Frank becuase in the earlier chapters, he claims he has an aversion to light, which shows a change in his opinions.

American International Group, or AIG

Ann-Katrin Kohnle Organizational Behavior AIG American International Group, or AIG, started out as a company that represented American insurance companies in Shanghai. The company moved on to become a reinsurance company in the United States that would hekp insurance companies disperse their liabilites and therefore aid those companies to grow faster. In 1968, Maurice Greenberg took over as CEO and AIG grew and expanded into countries around the world. Today, AIG does not only provide reinsurance services anymore but also financial services.Maurice Greenberg was born in 1925, is a war veteran and graduated from New York law school. He had a very autocratic approach to leading AIG. His goal was to expand AIG and many political key figures asked him for advice. Because he gave advice to influential people and lobbied effectively, he was often given the benefit of the odubt when questionable practices within AIG became known. In the early 2000s there were several investigations into AIG aimed at clarifying questionable insurance practices and schemes used ot boost AIG’s revenue.As a result, Greenberg was asked to step down as the CEO in 2005 and he is currently the CEO of C. V. Starr & Co Inc. Greenberg was succeeded by Martin Sullivan, Robert Willumstad, and Edward Liddy, who is the current CEO of AIG. Leading up to the bailout of AIG in 2008, the company was involved in riskier and riskier transactions. AIG used credit default swaps that allowed other companies to transfer their risk to AIG in case their securities defaulted. However, AIG did not have enough money to actually pay all these companies once the recession hit.As a result, the federal government agreed to bail out AIG to save it from sure bankruptcy. Not all of AIG was to blame for its downfall, however. One department of the company, AIG Financial Products, dealt with hedge funds and very risky transactions that earned AIG billions of dollars but that also brought down the whole company in th e end. Even though it seems as though employees of AIG knew about the potential threat the Financial Products section posed to the entire company, nothing was ever done to impose stricter regulations on the department.On the contrary, big money and benefit incentives were given to the employees who brought in the most money. However, the transactions that brought in the most money most often also were the transactions that were the riskiest resulting in a very high risk portfolio. After the bubble exploded because AIG could not pay the institutions they had promised money to, the government bailed them out mainly because if AIG would have gone down, many other national and international companies that depended on AIG to do well would have failed as well.Until today, Greenberg who was CEO of the company the longest, maintains his innocence and states that he always acted in the best interest of the company and no unethical behavior was going on. The big question, however, is if the b ailout was necessary or justified. Should a company that has gambled away individuals’ and businesses’ money be rewarded for failing or should they have taken the fall and endured the consequences?

Dynamic Seal †Mba: Six Sigma / Operations Case Essay

Dynamic Seal, a precision parts manufacturer with a reputation for high quality, does not currently utilize a Statistical Process Control (SPC) system. However, United Airlines (UA), a major customer representing 14% of Dynamic Seal’s business, insists they implement an SPC system or loose United Airlines’ business. In addition Dynamic Seal do not have a sound preventative measure quality control system in place, preferring 100% inspection to cull bad quality, rather than building parts correctly from inception. Goal: Reduce product variance and the need for rework by implementing a company-wide quality control system that includes an element of Statistical Process Control. A secondary goal is to reduce waste by focusing on Lean engineering processes. Competitive Environment: Dynamic Seal are a successful manufacturer of mechanical components for aerospace, marine and military application. Their products require precision engineering, and the company has built an excellent reputation based on â€Å"high quality, innovative engineering and close tolerance manufacturing.† The company makes use of expensive superalloy materials manufactured to extremely tight tolerances, with many products selling for $10,000 to $50,000. A significant defective rate with such high cost materials / products will severely impact the company’s bottom line. The United Airlines production line operates under a separate department, with dedicated equipment and personnel. Dynamic Seal’s quality reputation is a result of highly skilled machinists and a 100% inspection policy. The company employs a workforce of approx. 400 people, in a 120,000 sq. ft. facility and has increased it’s sales ten-times over the last 10 years to $130 million. Key Facts: 1.Dynamic Seal does not have a company-wide Quality Management ethos. 2.There is a customer requirement to use SPC. 3.No SPC system is currently in place and equipment has not been tested for capability. 4.Quality is controlled by 35 quality inspectors and is not the responsibility of the workforce. 5.The Quality Control Dept. is overworked and underpaid – reports to the General Manager. 6.Machinists set informal equipment specifications, not the QC Dept. 7.The company operates a 100% inspection policy.  8.In-process inspection is infrequent, therefore origin of 25% of defective issues cannot be found. 9.Inspection and assignment of rework involves significant lag. 10.QC system generates significant volumes of paperwork: 80 defective reports (DMR) per week. 11.Product blueprints and Inspection Specs (IMS) often do not match and are not updated. 12.Initial defective rate documents (DMR) are often produced post-rework. Analysis: Two sets of process data have been collected for initial analysis. Before specific SPC issues can be addressed the process and equipment should be assessed to see they meet the capability requirements laid out in the customer specs. The first process examined uses the Lablond Lathe machinery and requires a machined diameter of 7.7250, plus tight tolerances of + .0005 inches. A Process Capability Ratio (Cpk) analysis of the lathe’s data, results in a Cpk of .379 (exhibit A). A result of less than one indicates the machine is not capable of matching the tolerances laid out in the IMS spec. Therefore the Lablond Lathe is not suitable to handle the process it is being used for. Before a more suitable machine is selected, the Lablond Lathe should be checked for calibration, as should the measuring equipment used. If all fall within calibration specs, new machinery should be selected that is capable of handling such tight tolerances. Solving machine capability issues is a low-hanging fruit method of quickly improving quality control. The second data set refers to the Cincinnati Milling Machine. Initial analysis indicates the machine is capable of meeting the required specs, so X-bar and R-bar run charts were constructed to visualize output performance against the IMS specs. Positions 8 to 10 on the R-bar chart (exhibit B) clearly indicate the process is out of control. The X-bar chart (exhibit C) further supports this claim by showing the process is out of control at positions 9 and 10. Although a bigger concern is that all but one data point lies above the control line, indicating the process could be off-center and require recalibrating. As Dynamic Seal’s materials and production methods are so expensive, before machine recalibration occurs, a fish bone diagram should be used to trace the problem to its source. Alternative Options: There are four significant options open to Dynamic Seal. The can opt to do nothing and potentially lose the United Airlines contract, plus risk further losses as more customers begin to impose stricter quality control requirements. They can implement a company-wide Quality Management system such as Six Sigma that incorporates SPC analysis. They can implement an SPC system on one type of machine throughout the manufacturing plant. Or they can implement a Quality Management / SPC system within the United Airlines production cell alone. Recommendation Short-term: To reduce project scope, I recommend initially focusing on the UA facility only. Once procedures have been tested and proven, they can be rolled out company-wide. Gordon Jenkins is a good person to head up the Quality Management program, as his initial plan (exhibit D) includes many elements of DMAIC and his review of the problems seems accurate. However, he needs senior management backing (possibly a promotion) and further Six Sigma training, to combat negative views from Alan Schneider and Scott Palmer. Without the three of them on the same page, any new quality management system will fail. Initially Jenkins and the QC team needs to perform a UA Dept. X-ray, creating process-maps, checking equipment capability and taking base-line SPC data (exhibit E). Once data has been received a full DMAIC analysis using Histogram / Pareto charts should be done to identify the low-hanging fruit. Variance issues in the new SPC data can be tracked to their source using fishbone diagrams and House of Quality reviews. Equipment selection, process streamlining, reduction in paperwork and implementing work procedures are valid projects. Equipment settings and tool selection should be standardized, reducing the craftsmanship required. The responsibility to monitor quality should be moved to the machinists. Having them fully involved in the process design, and giving them responsibility to manage their own quality would achieve machinist buy-in. In addition tight controls need to be placed around the production and updating of product specs, requiring improved communication and a sign-off system between the Sales, Engineering and Production Depts. Finally a measure of improvement is critical to the success of any quality management system. Improved SPC data will be part of that, but the company can also track rework labor hours, improvements in process throughput time, inventory reduction, and reduction in cost-of-goods as critical measures. Recommendation Long-term: SPC by itself does not promote in-depth quality management, therefore long-term I recommend Dynamic Seal implement a company-wide Lean Six Sigma system, with SPC analysis. To set the right tone and get management buy-in, long-term implementation should begin with upper-management Six Sigma training, including the GM. A dedicated approach to quality management should infiltrate all aspects of the company, from engineering to administration, with the goal of promoting a quality-focused Kaizen culture. The current Quality Control Dept. should train as Six Sigma black belts and be mandated to train the workforce in Six Sigma techniques and to oversee on-going Six Sigma projects. Salary incentives should be implemented that reflect advancement in Lean Six Sigma training.