Odp Personal Statement - 840 Words

I always strive to help and care for people and I have tried to understand their needs. Therefore, career in the health field has always inspired me. I chose to applied for Operation Department Practitioner ,because in that role I see the way to looked after and support people in a moment of their life when they are much vulnerable, feel scared and anxious. Operation Department Practitioner is very challenging and a dedicating career, but I am ready for this challenge because the reward for the work I do is the gratitude in the eyes in the people I have looked after. I understand how difficult is to build trust between people, but I believe that over the years during which I worked as a Health Care Assistance I have the satisfactory level†¦show more content†¦I studied various subjects that help me to learn new knowledge. Psychology was one of my favourite subjects, which helped me to understand human behaviour, but also my self. Life science was my passion, I learned the amazing way our body works. It is so incredible how different cells, microorganisms, organs and others are connected together and work together to form what we are. I found Core Skills as a very helpful subjects .I was constantly acquired new skills and develop them such as essay writing, referencing. Health Studies was the subject that I studied for the firs t time. It was very educational and it has helped me to broaden my knowledge of British Health Care System. OCN English and OCN Maths were both very helpful for me to upgrade my knowledge. I have extensive experience in health care both in England and in my country Bulgaria. I was 18 years old when I started to looked after my granddad who was suffering from cancer. When he died I continued to care for people suffering like him, because during this time I realized that I want to help people in need. At the moment I am Health Care Assistant in Rehabilitation Ward and I really adore my job. We have variety of patients and they all have different background ,nursing and emotional needs. When I started to work in the UK I realized that I have to use a similar set of skills which I learned during my experience in Bulgaria .ButShow MoreRelatedHuman Resources Managing Change : Human Resource Management2100 Words   |  9 Pages With this in mind I see the role of the Human Resources Department, which operates in the capacity of the Organizational Development practitioner (ODP) department, one that blends a series of effective techniques that question the status quo of systems and how they manage change. The ODP utilizes the best practices of leadership, keeping personal and organizational development center stage. Theories of planned change describe the activities necessary to modify strategies, structures, andRead MoreAn Reflection Of Advanced Perioperative Practice1789 Words   |  8 Pagesreflection which include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis ,conclusion, action plan. (University of Cumbria, 2015). In order to adhere to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of conduct, performance and ethics (2008) all personal details of the patients have been altered or not disclosed in order to keep the patient s identity confidential and safe, but also to keep the identity of the hospital in which the patient was treated confidential. The case that I have chosen toRead MoreReflective Assignment3078 Words   |  13 Pagesevaluate my professional development whilst undertaking the role of the Developing Intra-Operative Practitioner/ Advanced Scrub Practitioner (ASP). Using a reflective model I want to see how my new role affects me as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) and any legal implications it has for me as an employee. For this assignment I have decided to use the Gibbs (1988) date model of reflection and will base the assignment on prevention of Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in relation to the operative procedureRead MoreOffice Depot7355 Words   |  30 Pagesoffice supplies industry is one dominated by three main players, Staples, Office Depot and Office Max. Their goal is to offer quality office supplies and services to a broad range of consumers. While they do offer school supplies for students and sell personal electronic equipment, the majority of their sales come from local businesses that buy supplies in bulk. While in the past this industry has been extremely profitable, the current economic struggles have had their effect on these companies as wellRead MoreSafety First: Standard Precautions in the Operating Department.2628 Words   |  11 Pagestopic of infection control and include practices such as hand washing to achieve optimum hand hygiene to minimise the transfer of bacteria and i nfection, the use of gloves, gowns, face masks, goggles, aprons and other protective clothing known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe handling of sharps, good waste management and good training and education for everyone involved in patient care, be it directly or indirectly to achieve minimal risk to practitioner or patient. (Harrup 2010). WhenRead MoreLaw Enforcement in the 21st Century15936 Words   |  64 Pagesissues are particularly salient in the post–September 11 climate. During a lecture immediately following the September 11 attacks, then U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor remarked that â€Å"we’re likely to experience more restrictions on our personal freedom than has ever been the case in this country† (Greenhouse 2001, B5). Despite protestations otherwise by former Attorney General John Ashcroft that â€Å"we’ll not be driven to abandon our freedoms by those who would seek to destroy them,† someRead MoreH2O Can Expand Operations from Germany Into the Us30890 Words   |  124 Pages Basis characteristics of a DSS: †¢ Decision focused, aimed at top managers and executive decision makers †¢ Emphasis on flexibility, adaptability, and quick response †¢ User initiated and controlled †¢ Support for the personal decision-making styles of individual managers DSS focus higher with an organization during a time when Human resource information systems began to emerge in the cost-effectiveness era of HRM development, and it fits the transformational level

Standardized Testing Damages Education Essay - 694 Words

Intro The purpose of standardized testing is to help guide the teachers teach students the basics of what they need to know in order to move ahead in school. These tests are standard for core classes in any grade but differ from state to state. For Virginia it’s SOLs (standards of learning) in Arizona it’s AIMS (Arizona’s instrument to measure standards), although the name differs the purpose it the same in all states. These tests are to measure how much the students have learned throughout the year. To help improve the results from these tests, the no child left behind act was created in 2001. The bill does this by making the states and schools more accountable for the student’s progression. It improves the academic achievements for†¦show more content†¦Dropout rates increase due to testing In studies, dropout rates are related with failing standardized tests â€Å"high-stake testing does indeed increase dropout rates† Shriberg, Fall 2006, Disse nt Vol.53, No.4. These high-stake tests have been affecting dropout rates since 1986 and earlier. â€Å"States dropout rates in 1986 were highly correlated with minimum competency testing† Shirberg, Fall 2006, Dissent Vol.53, No.4. These high-stake testing dropout rates include mostly high school students â€Å"results show that in schools with proportionately more students of low socioeconomic status that used high stake minimum competency exams, early dropout rates- between the eighth and tenth grades- were 4 to 6 percentage points higher than in schools that were similar but for the high stake test requirements† Shriberg, Fall 2006, Dissent Vol.53, No.4. Standardized testing AKA â€Å"high-stake testing† does not encourage students, mostly in high schools to â€Å"stay on course and head towards the end†. Standardized testing does not benefit passing students. Exit exams which consist of standardized tests is a lose, lose situation even when some students pass them â€Å"exit exams hurt students who fail them without benefiting students who pass them†. Robert and Grodsky, May 2009, Phi Delta Kappan Vol.90. Many qualified students that deserve a diploma are denied of the opportunity to get oneâ€Å"indirect costs of denying diplomas to thousands of otherwiseShow MoreRelated Problems With Standardized Testing Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesIn Standardized Testing and Its Victims, an article written for Education Week, Alfie Kohn states: Standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole.... Our children are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world. While previous generations of American students have had to sit through tests, never have the tests been given so frequentlyRead MoreStandardized Testing Essay examples1573 Words   |  7 PagesStandardized Testing Every year thousands upon thousands of children, ages seven and upwards sit down to take their scheduled standardized tests. This generation has been classified as the most tested in history. Its progress through childhood and adolescence has been punctuated by targets, key stages, attainment levels, and qualifications (Stalin in School 8). Each year the government devises a new standard and then finds a way to test how each student measures up to this standard. TheyRead More Standardized Testing Essay example1558 Words   |  7 PagesStandardized Testing Every year thousands upon thousands of children, ages seven and upwards sit down to take their scheduled standardized tests. This generation has been classified as the most tested in history. Its progress through childhood and adolescence has been punctuated by targets, key stages, attainment levels, and qualifications (Stalin in School 8). Each year the government devises a new standard and then finds a way to test how each student measures up to this standard. TheyRead MoreFederal Regulation Over National Curriculum And Testing Essay1727 Words   |  7 PagesThe education system in the United States could definitely use some serious changes. As of now, what we are doing is not producing the results it should and it would seem that it is time for a change. But the last thing this change should be is a federal regulation over national curriculum and testing, if anything, that would increase the current problem. There are numerous issues with the current education system to be addres sed. One of the main focuses will be on its lack of concerns for students’Read MoreAmerican Schools: Should Be More Equitable for Students of Lower Classes and Minority Races1364 Words   |  6 Pagesethnicity, and gender issues. Although the gender differences in classrooms do have some affects on the quality of American education, they are not the main reasons why American schools are in danger. The most serious problems in American educational system are the barriers that students from both lower classes and minority races are facing. In K-12 schools, standardized testing seems to be the one issue that creates problems. In terms of enrolling into college, the financing is the most common reasonRead MoreThe Importance Of Standardized Testing In Education1140 Words   |  5 PagesThe standardized test has become the staple of the United States K12 education system. Students at all levels are routinely tested, and schools evaluated based on the scores. It’s easy to l ook at this as a necessary part of the system, a needed way of assessing both school and individual student performance to ensure quality across all schools. These tests are regarded as a tried-and true way of doing this, when in reality they are neither old nor accurate in assessment. I move in this essay thatRead MoreStandardized Testing: Does It Really Tell Academic Performance?638 Words   |  3 PagesStandardized testing is any test that remains the same and is given in the same manner to all test takers. Standardized testing began in China as a part of job applications. They became more frequently used in the early 1900’s to determine an individual’s intelligence. The army used these tests to determine if soldiers were officer material. In 2000, Finland had the highest PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores in the world. Finland uses very little standardized testing comparedRead MoreThe Nonconstructive Nature of Standardized Testing Essay74 0 Words   |  3 PagesStandardized testing? Those two words are being heard by students all over the world and is beginning to be a repetitive non constructive assessment. This nonconstructive assessment has become relied upon by the school board to somehow grade the students accurately on a subject that is taught in a small window of time. This is a window that is a two week period and doesnt give teachers nor students enough time to learn or teach it. This is detrimental to the student body by not allowing a themRead MoreAre Standardized Exams Sufficient as a Test of Knowledge?1186 Words   |  5 PagesEducation is an important concept of a human’s life. The system of education teaches us from a young age how to read, write, and be able to get through a lot of every-day activities. Without education, people would face obstacles in participating fully in society (Ackley). Education is something that once learned cannot be taken away. Since primary school children are tho ught different materials and activities to be able to advance to the next grade level. How a school goes about teaching theseRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Standardized Testing871 Words   |  4 PagesThe Negative Effects of Standardized Testing The purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act is designed to close the achievement gap between high/low performing children and improve/strengthen accountability amongst schools (Department of Education). As a result, the Department of Education has implemented a sanctions and rewards system, stipulated in the No Child Left behind Act. If schools do not perform according to the act, funding will be withdrawn, teachers and administrators could get laid off

The American Psychiatric Association Free Essays

Bulimia is an eating disorder and people affected by bulimia are abnormally self conscious and worry excessively about their physical appearance and weight. Their paranoid concern causes to consume excessive amounts of food in short periods of time. Moreover, such people indulge in self induced vomiting, abuse of diuretics and excessive exercise in order to reduce their weight. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Psychiatric Association or any similar topic only for you Order Now The American Psychiatric Association classified the bulimia disorder as a unique disorder of its class in the year 1980. Subsequently in 1987 it changed the name of this disorder to bulimia nervosa. Occasionally the characteristics of bulimia are found in cases of persons suffering from anorexia nervosa. Abnormal dieting patterns are the primary behavioral symptoms found among patients suffering from anorexia nervosa; however, the extensive loss of weight cannot be attributed to bulimia. It has been observed that Bulimia causes gastrointestinal disorders and severe depletion of potassium in the human body. The process of self induced vomiting results in the damage of the teeth enamel, due to the acidic nature of the vomited food. Adolescents are the primary targets of bulimia disorder, because they undergo severe psychological depression if they are overweight (Bulimia, 2005). Bulimia causes dehydration, malnutrition and mineral imbalances. Insufficient and irregular supply of minerals and fluids may cause damage to brain cells, muscles, reproductive tract, bowels, stomach and other organs of the body. Sometimes severe heart problems may also result from bulimia and some of these problems are arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and sudden death. Moreover, repeated vomiting results in damage to the throat and esophagus, furthermore, it has been observed that individuals who indulge in self induced vomiting are backward in their academic career (Reyes, 2006). According to medical history, cases of illness due to bulimia had not been reported before 1980. Subsequent researchers noticed that there were a considerable number of people who were accustomed to eating large quantities of food within a short period of time. Moreover, these people being unable to withstand the excessive gain of body weight were in the habit of adopting methods of self induced vomiting in order to control their weight. The name bulimia is used to describe the eating patterns of overweight people and to describe their episodes of overindulgence in eating food. After such episodes of overeating, bulimics attempt to get rid of the extra calories imbibed by them by consuming laxatives. Some bulimics engage in excessive exercise and abstention of food for long periods of time. Subsequent to the end of the fast period bulimics consume large amounts of food, which would cause a rupture of the stomach. Vomiting the consumed food could cause chemical imbalance in the body. Bulimarexia is the term used to describe people of low body weight who overindulge in eating and then get rid of the food eaten by consuming laxatives or by self induced vomiting (The Medical Complications of Bulimia). The oligomenorrhea in patients with bulimia affects bone mineral density, however, weight – bearing exercises could prove to be beneficial. Thus the ever present danger of osteoporosis could be reduced to an appreciable extent by resorting to regular exercise (Bulimia Nervosa ). Several studies have determined that people with eating disorders have weak bone and suffer from osteoporosis due to inadequate nutrition. Persons suffering from such eating disorders had twice the risk of suffering from osteoporosis and fractures of the bones. Moreover, such eating disorders result in malnutrition for prolonged periods of time and this brings about a gradual erosion of the bone mass and continued nutritional deficits. Eating disorders, therefore present an enhanced risk of bone fractures due to the damage caused to the human skeleton (Goebel, Schweiger, Kruger, 2002). Consequences of bulimia include the disturbance of the vital chemical balance of the body fluids and the electrolyte balance. The potassium and calcium levels in the body are drastically depleted due to self induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives. The vicious cycle of overindulgence in food and subsequent use of laxatives or self induced vomiting results in heart problems, damage to the kidneys and the brain and osteoporosis. Other contraindications are fatigue, depression, sore muscles, faintness, over sensitivity to cold and a susceptibility to gain weight. These symptoms are most common in bulimics as their blood glucose level fluctuates constantly due to overeating food containing carbohydrates (The Medical Complications of Bulimia). Furthermore, vomiting disturbs the intricate message system that aids a person to stop eating at the appropriate time. Frequent self induced vomiting confuses the brain in properly maintaining the responsive system and this causes the brain to fail to ascertain whether the food consumed is to be retained or not. Such confusion of the brain’s activity results in perpetual eating habits. Vomiting food restricts the serotonin levels of the brain and these levels are associated with the positive states of brain and help the person to be in a happy mood. Self induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives results in the irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and this irritation could prove to be fatal in later stages. Excessive eating and subsequent induced vomiting cause swollen salivary glands and erosion of the enamel of the teeth. Vomiting causes a sore throat that leads to severe bleeding of the esophagus. (The Medical Complications of Bulimia). The functionality of the stomach is seriously impaired and the abuse of laxative drugs causes permanent damage to the lining of the bowels affecting their normal functioning. Thus people who abuse laxatives develop problems like the bloating of the stomach, constipation and diarrhea in the long run (The Medical Complications of Bulimia). Moreover, bulimia has several deleterious effects on the human body like frequent weight changes, poor skin condition, hair loss, irregularity in menstruation periods, loss of libido, tiredness and lethargy, and increased risk of heart related problems and the danger of a heart attack (What is Bulimia Nervosa? ). References Bulimia. (2005). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD] . Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Bulimia Nervosa . (n. d. ). Retrieved June 27, 2007, from http://www. healthyplace. com/Communities/Eating_Disorders/women_6. asp Goebel, G. , Schweiger, U. , Kruger, R. (2002). Predictors of bone mineral density in patients with eating disorders. The International journal of eating disorders , Vol. 32. Iss. 4. ISSN: 0276 – 3478. Reyes, A. P. (2006, January 12). Bulimia. Retrieved June 27, 2007, from Discover Health: http://health. discovery. com/encyclopedias/illnesses. html? chrome=Nonearticle=2817page=2 The Medical Complications of Bulimia. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 27, 2007, from http://www. eating-disorders. org. uk/docs/bulimia. doc What is Bulimia Nervosa? (n. d. ). Retrieved June 27, 2007, from http://www. b-eat. co. uk/AboutEatingDisorders/WhatisanEatingdisorder/WhatisBulimiaNervosa How to cite The American Psychiatric Association, Papers

Marketting Strategy and Strengths Of Adidas †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Marketting Strategy and Strengths Of Adidas. Answer: Swot Analysis Adidas has various strengths and some weaknesses associated with it. It is a recognized brand worldwide and is a strong player in the sportswear sector. It has gained enough experience over decades of operations and enjoys the loyalty of a large number of professionals, for whom good quality sportswear is crucial to their performance. It has a long range of products catering to requirements of sports like tennis, football, sprint etc. As new generations of sportspersons evolve, their icon players inspire them. This is beneficial for Adidas since it is a widely accepted brand by eminent sports personalities. Adidas can also afford a well-focused and technically advanced research and development unit, which in turn helps it make superior products like ultra-light running shoes, which helps in increasing an athletesperformance. It has also introduced a technology known as optimum shock damping that uses sensors and a computer chip to reduce stress on the foot while running. It is widely regarded as a next level innovation. Adidas also has some weaknesses, one of which is itsmarketing activity. In US, its strongest competitor Nike spent $1.47 Billion in the year 2016(Statista, 2017). Compared to that, Adidas spent just $ 415.4 million during the period (Statista, 2017). This has also resulted in an inferior ad campaign for the brand. While other brands such as Puma and Nike are increasingly pursuing theme-based campaigns, Adidas simply looks to highlight its products and quality, while relying on its brand recognition to connect with the consumers. Adidas has a good opportunity to expand in emerging markets where it can tie up with local players to better understand the needs of the consumers. With big events like Olympics, FIFAworld cup and other premier events being held around the globe, the enthusiasm for sports, and therefore the demand for sportswear, is bound to increase (WiseGuyReports, 2017).Adidas also faces threats on various fronts, more serious among t hem coming from competing brands like Puma, Nike and Underarmour. While Nike is already the number one brand in the sportswear segment, Underarmour is also gaining market share in certain regions, which can be a cause of concern for the company. Recently it overtook Adidas in the crucial North- American market (Germano, 2014). If these issues are not addressed, it can cause Adidas to lose its position among its competitors. While making SWOT analysis of Adidas, few highlighted points those were analyzed are shown in the figure below. Marketting Strategy Adidas has always focused on positioning itself as a company that makes performance-oriented products for sportspersons. As such, it has adopted a strategy to keep its core brand Adidas as its main product, and has promoted Reebok as the brand, which offers casual sportswear. Adidas Fun and Rockport labels offer products catering to Sports Fashion segment. Thus, Adidas looks to maintain its brand essence in each of the sub categories by projecting different labels for each of them(Bhasin, 2017). This strategy of segmentation reduces risk of brand dilution as one brand is perceived as specially made for that particular segment. Target Market Adidas produces goods that are mostly used by people in the age group of 14-29 Years (Morgan, 2012). As such, it has to understand the basic psychology and needs of its target consumers, and it is crucial for the company to get young adults loyalty towards its brand. In addition, since Adidas is a premium brand associated with high quality products, its target consumers further shrinks to upper and upper middle class of consumers(Shetty, 2017). It is important for Adidas to maintain that status so that its brand is always looked at as a high value choice. Positioning Adidas has to maintain a difference between itself and mass-market products in order to keep its brand image and appeal among its target consumers. The young generation of sports enthusiasts is more likely to adopt the brand if they perceive it as a specialist, which will help them perform better. Even if they are not sure about its performance enhancing effects, they are likely to judge it by its brand membership. If they see elite sportspersons wearing it and acknowledge the fact that it is not a regular run of the mill product, they will respect the brand more. Thus, the company has positioned its product as a performance oriented and in the premium category. Marketing Mix Adidas has devised two different types of pricing strategy in its marketing mix. For its premium and newly launched products, it uses skimming price strategy, whereas for other regular products like caps etc., it uses competitive pricing strategy in order to compete with its main competitors (MBASkool, 2017). Adidas also has an adequate line of exclusive stores and presence in multi brand retail chains, so it has a good exposure among its consumers. It has also made an online presence through websites like myntra.com, while also maintains its website where it sells to retail consumers directly. Thus, Adidas maintains a good chain of supply for its products through exclusive outlets, multi brand showrooms as well as through online fashion websites. Adidas also has a good promotions strategy in its marketing mix, where its association with popular sports icons like Lionel Messi, Sachin Tendulkar and others help it in creating a formidable brand image for its products. Its tagline Impos sible is nothing seeks to associate the brand with a powerful statement that can be remembered(Bhasin, 2017). This tagline features in large billboards where the company portrays images of the likes of Muhammad Ali or Roger Federer and underlines the image with this line. The idea behind this strategy is to associate the brand with great achievers and whenever people look at the brand logo, they are filled with a sense of confidence that they too can achieve what they aspire. It also generates a lot of fan following through social media and promotes its products through YouTube videos as well. These medium provide an instant connect with the youth and the use of print and television media completes the overall reach of its promotional campaign. References Bhasin, H., 2017. Marketing strategy of Adidas. [Online] Available at: https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-adidas/ [Accessed 18 September 2017]. Germano, S., 2014. Adidas Slips Behind Under Armour in U.S. [Online] Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/under-armour-edges-out-adidas-in-u-s-1409940825 [Accessed 18 Spetember 2017]. MBASkool, 2017. Adidas Marketing Mix. [Online] Available at: https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/products/17006-adidas.html [Accessed 18 September 2017]. Morgan, R., 2012. Adidas Marketing Strategy. [Online] Available at: https://prezi.com/-mzf9jbpifc4/adidas-marketing-strategy/ [Accessed 18 September 2017]. Shetty, A., 2017. Marketing Strategies By adidas. [Online] Available at: https://www.scribd.com/doc/43300948/Marketing-Strategies-by-Adidas [Accessed 18 September 2017]. Statista, 2017. Adidas Group: ad spend in the U.S. 2012-2016. [Online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/307386/adidas-group-advertising-spending-usa/ [Accessed 18 September 2017]. Statista, 2017. Nike: ad spend in the U.S. 2009-2016. [Online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/463063/nike-ad-spend-usa/ [Accessed 18 September 2017]. WiseGuyReports, 2017. Sportswear Market. [Online] Available at: https://www.crossroadstoday.com/story/36247924/sportswear-market-demand-growth-opportunities-and-analysis-of-top-key-player-2021 [Accessed 18 September 2017].

Product Positioning and Differentiation

Product positioning and differentiation is a combination of elements of marketing that help in marketing a product. Product differentiation involves setting the product in a way that it is different from the competitors’ product in the market (Kazmi, 2008). This may include a high quality service, after sale service among others that the competitor does not offer.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Product Positioning and Differentiation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In product differentiation, a marker tries to answer the question of what will make the consumer purchase his product and leave the others (Kazmi, 2008). On the other hand, product positioning involves the presentation of the product image in the market (Kazmi, 2008). This occurs after product differentiation whereby a product marketer has to place his products well in order to attract customers’ attention and make them buy it. Product positioning may be in terms of quality, price, and value among others. Normally, product differentiation and positioning are also accompanied by a positioning statement. This statement tries to highlight both the differentiation and positioning of the product thus making it easy for identification of the product in the market (Kazmi, 2008). Product positioning statement is the third step after differentiation and positioning. Therefore, the three items go together in marketing of a particular. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Company Blue Cross Blue Shield is an insurance company in the US. It is located in Texas and provides insurance services particularly in the healthcare sector. It began its operations in Texas and currently has a wide coverage within the state. It has been in the insurance industry for more than 80 years now. Being one of the largest health insurance companies in the country, it has won various awards due to its outstanding financial service. This has made it a leader in the health insurance industry (Plunkett, 2008). Product Differentiation Blue Cross-Blue Shield has engaged in product differentiation in the market. This is aimed at making clients able to differentiate between Blue Cross Blue Shield products from those of their competitors in the market. One way that the company has used to achieve this is through the service quality offered. The company is rated the best in terms of client service (Plunkett, 2008).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This includes physical assistance and in answering calls for clients who are seeking information about the company. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Company has build on this and thus, it does not majorly compete on price. Therefore, it becomes the company rated among the best in performance despite having a higher price charges for its services than their competitors. Therefore, continuing to build on this aspect will make the company grow in the insurance market at a very high rate. Another method that used in bringing about product differentiation is on its brand (Plunkett, 2008). When a customer sees a certain product with the label of a company that he knows has superior quality goods, he is well assured that even that new product is also suitable. This is the same method used by the insurance companies in product differentiation strategies in the market. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Company has won various awards and some related to its strong brand in the insurance market (Plunkett, 2008). Therefore, when a client comes across the company’s product or office, he is assured of a quality service when he gets to visit the office. Hence, this has made the Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Company build their product differentiation on its products in the market. Customers are assured of a quality service when they visit or call seeki ng assistance. Brand image is enough to convey a message of exceptional quality service from the company. The company can now continue building on the brand image in the market that will enhance product success in the market. Product Positioning The company has a well positioned brand image in the society for the provision of healthcare. The image has made the company be successful in the provision of health insurance services within the United States of America. Every person wants to be associated with a successful company.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Product Positioning and Differentiation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, customers are likely to transfer from other insurance agencies to Blue cross Blue shield to seek for medical cover. It was ranked as the best in health insurance in the year 2010 and 2011 (Plunkett, 2008). This gives a strong base for positioning of the company brand image. The brand image has sold the company into other countries such as Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico among others (Plunkett, 2008). Blue cross Blue Shield Insurance Company has a substantial financial base. This has made it succeed in various insurance products that have been presented by clients (Plunkett, 2008). It has also given it an excellent base for price competition with other insurance agencies within the economy. Many rival companies try to compete by offering low priced products, but since the company has a strong financial base, it is able to lower the price of its services but not less than that of competitors. The company also has excellent customer service program (Plunkett, 2008). This has made the customers remain loyal to the company despite its high price for some of the services. The company has a number one response to customer questions. Clients are assisted in their requests even though the phone. One paramount goal for the company on customer service is to sati sfy the customer through the assistance offered in the company (Plunkett, 2008). Health Partners Insurance Company This is an insurance company that is concerned with providing insurance services to the communities. The company has an institute of medical education that deals with training of physicians who work on various hospitals and other departments and it is also a research foundation concerned with research for the best curative medicines for various diseases.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company deals with creating awareness to the community about the health tips and best ways of maintaining quality health. It also has a several number of pharmacy shops within the country that have the mandate of providing reliable drugs to the community (Hill Jones, 2009). Product Differentiation The company has also come up with the health fitness program that has both online services and offline services through their website (Hill Jones, 2009). The program is known as â€Å"silver fit program.† The program aims at making the people exercise in order to have happy, healthy lives. Members of the public are free to join the group or they can choose to do the exercises at their homes. Those who join the program should select a club that they are going to partner with and pay a monthly charge of $25 (Hill Jones, 2009). Health Partners insurance company pays the club and a person can freely visit the place for exercises. This is a new product in the insurance industry. It is aimed at providing health insurance services through prevention method from diseases (Hill Jones, 2009). The company has come up with this new product in a way of differentiating its products from other insurance companies that provide insurance covers on the treatment of diseases. This differentiation method will maintain the company in the provision of health insurance scheme. Clients will easily identify the company product as it is aimed at preventing diseases rather than providing insurance for treatment of diseases. Another method that the company has come up with in trying to differentiate its products is through the introduction of an insurance product that covers thirty diseases on a daily basis. A customer is supposed to identify a clinic that treats thirty common diseases such as cold, urinary infections, sore throat among others (Hill Jones, 2009). The insurance cover is only up to $40 per month (Hill Jones, 2009). An individual will be able visit the clinic on any day to receive medication without charges. This is also another way to look at the medical insurance scheme. Most insurance schemes provide only one time cover for illness while this cover provides a daily cover for common diseases. The new cover differentiates the company’s product from other products of its competitors. It has a guarantee of being successful in the market with these two differentiated products. Product Positioning Health Partners insurance company has also come up with an easy method of positioning these new products in the market. It has set low prices for the new product such that they are easily affordable by many people within the country (Hill Jones, 2009). Other companies within the industry are charging higher prices for their products such as Blue cross Blue Shield Company. The latest study shows that more people prefer low cost insurance products than high cost products that are in the market. These company products will be easily identified i n the market due to their differentiation and positioning. Product Positioning Statement The company has come up with a product statement for its new products in the market. This has been developed from the new products differentiation and positioning. The product positioning statement states â€Å"affordable medical, prescription drug, and dental cover from the top rated. The freedom is yours.† (Hill Jones, 2009)This statement will easily sell the new products in the market. Companies’ similarities and differences There are no similarities in the company products, product differentiation or positioning. Each company has its own method of creating product differentiation and positioning in the market. The two companies are different in the way they create product differentiation and positioning. Blue cross Blue shield insurance company differentiates its product through its services and brand. On the other hand, Health Partners differentiate their products through the creation of new products that are different from their competitors. The other difference comes in the product positioning where Health Partners position their products in the market by setting a lower price as compared to the competitors’ prices. On the other hand, Blue cross Blue shield positions its products in the market through its brand image, excellent customer service and a higher price. The last difference is on positioning statement where Health Partners have a product positioning statement. Blue cross Blue shield does not have a product positioning statement for their products. References Hill, C. Jones, G. (2009). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. New York: Cengage Learning. Kazmi, A. (2008). Strategic Management and Business Policy. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Plunkett, J., W. (2008). Plunkett’s Health Care Industry Almanac 2009. New York: Plunkett Research, Ltd. This research paper on Product Positioning and Differentiation was written and submitted by user Deon Perez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Place a Checkbox Into a DBGrid

How to Place a Checkbox Into a DBGrid There are numerous ways and reasons to customize the output of a DBGrid in Delphi. One way is to add checkboxes so that the result is more visually attractive. By default, if you have a boolean field in your dataset, the DBGrid displays them as True or False depending on the value of the data field. However, it looks much better if you choose to use a true checkbox control to enable editing the fields. Create a Sample Application Start a new form in Delphi, and place a TDBGrid, TADOTable, and TADOConnection, TDataSource. Leave all the component names as they are when they were first dropped into the form (DBGrid1, ADOQuery1, AdoTable1, etc.). Use the Object Inspector to set a ConnectionString property of the ADOConnection1 component (TADOConnection) to point to the sample QuickiesContest.mdb MS Access database. Connect DBGrid1 to DataSource1, DataSource1 to ADOTable1, and finally ADOTable1 to ADOConnection1. The ADOTable1 TableName property should point to the Articles table (to make the DBGrid display the records of the Articles table). If you have set all the properties correctly, when you run the application (given that the Active property of the ADOTable1 component is True) you should see, by default, the DBGrid display the boolean fields value as True or False depending on the value of the data field. CheckBox in a DBGrid To show a checkbox inside a cell of a DBGrid, well need to make one available for us at run time. Select the Data controls page on the Component Palette and pick a TDBCheckbox. Drop one anywhere on the form - it doesnt matter where, since most of the time it will be invisible or floating over the grid. Tip: TDBCheckBox is a data-aware control that allows the user to select or deselect a single value, which is appropriate for boolean fields. Next, set its Visible property to False. Change the Color property of DBCheckBox1 to the same color as the DBGrid (so it blends in with the DBGrid) and remove the Caption. Most importantly, make sure the DBCheckBox1 is connected to the DataSource1 and to the correct field. Note that all the above DBCheckBox1s property values can be set in the forms OnCreate event like this: procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);begin DBCheckBox1.DataSource : DataSource1; DBCheckBox1.DataField : Winner; DBCheckBox1.Visible : False; DBCheckBox1.Color : DBGrid1.Color; DBCheckBox1.Caption : ; //explained later in the article DBCheckBox1.ValueChecked : Yes a Winner!; DBCheckBox1.ValueUnChecked : Not this time.; end; What comes next is the most interesting part. While editing the boolean field in the DBGrid, we need to make sure the DBCheckBox1 is placed above (floating) the cell in the DBGrid displaying the boolean field. For the rest of the (non-focused) cells carrying the boolean fields (in the Winner column), we need to provide some graphical representation of the boolean value (True/False). This means you need at least two images for drawing: one for the checked state (True value) and one for the unchecked state (False value). The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the Windows API DrawFrameControl function to draw directly on the DBGrids canvas. Heres the code in the DBGrids OnDrawColumnCell event handler that occurs when the grid needs to paint a cell. procedure TForm1.DBGrid1DrawColumnCell( Sender: TObject; const Rect: TRect; DataCol: Integer; Column: TColumn; State: TGridDrawState); const IsChecked : array[Boolean] of Integer (DFCS_BUTTONCHECK, DFCS_BUTTONCHECK or DFCS_CHECKED);var DrawState: Integer; DrawRect: TRect;beginif (gdFocused in State) thenbeginif (Column.Field.FieldName DBCheckBox1.DataField) thenbegin DBCheckBox1.Left : Rect.Left DBGrid1.Left 2; DBCheckBox1.Top : Rect.Top DBGrid1.top 2; DBCheckBox1.Width : Rect.Right - Rect.Left; DBCheckBox1.Height : Rect.Bottom - Rect.Top; DBCheckBox1.Visible : True; endendelsebeginif (Column.Field.FieldName DBCheckBox1.DataField) thenbegin DrawRect:Rect; InflateRect(DrawRect,-1,-1); DrawState : ISChecked[Column.Field.AsBoolean]; DBGrid1.Canvas.FillRect(Rect); DrawFrameControl(DBGrid1.Canvas.Handle, DrawRect, DFC_BUTTON, DrawState); end; end; end; To finish this step, we need to make sure DBCheckBox1 is invisible when we leave the cell: procedure TForm1.DBGrid1ColExit(Sender: TObject);beginif DBGrid1.SelectedField.FieldName DBCheckBox1.DataField then DBCheckBox1.Visible : Falseend; We need just two more events to handle. Note that when in editing mode, all keystrokes are going to the DBGrids cell, we have to make sure they are sent to the CheckBox. In the case of a CheckBox we are primarily interested in the [Tab] and the [Space] key. [Tab] should move the input focus to the next cell, and [Space] should toggle the state of the CheckBox. procedure TForm1.DBGrid1KeyPress(Sender: TObject; var Key: Char);beginif (key Chr(9)) then Exit; if (DBGrid1.SelectedField.FieldName DBCheckBox1.DataField) thenbegin DBCheckBox1.SetFocus; SendMessage(DBCheckBox1.Handle, WM_Char, word(Key), 0); end;end; It could be appropriate for the Caption of the checkbox to change as the user checks or unchecks the box. Note that the DBCheckBox has two properties (ValueChecked and ValueUnChecked) used to specify the field value represented by the checkbox when it is checked or unchecked. This ValueChecked property holds Yes, a Winner!, and ValueUnChecked equals Not this time. procedure TForm1.DBCheckBox1Click(Sender: TObject);beginif DBCheckBox1.Checked then DBCheckBox1.Caption : DBCheckBox1.ValueChecked else DBCheckBox1.Caption : DBCheckBox1.ValueUnChecked;end; Run the project and youll see the checkboxes all over the Winner fields column.

Human geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human geography - Essay Example Geography has a rich tradition as a study Human being from earlier times had to interpret and interact with different spatial element. Knox and Marston studied human geography form a contemporary aspect. They have simplified the human geography in to three tiers; the core, the periphery and semi - periphery. The core are those countries which are the super powers of the world. They have immense wealth and power. The peripheral countries are those who are under developed and achieve no benefits from rich countries .Finally the semi – periphery countries are those which are industrializing and capitalizing countries. They resemble the characteristics of both core and peripheral regions. They play major role in enhancing the economic, social and political growth of core and peripheral regions. Even their geographical positioning comes between core and peripheral areas. Semi peripheral nations have dominance over peripheral ones and further technological developments can lead to their chances of being turned into core nation. development. These nations are on their way to position themselves as wealthy nations. They have well advanced economies but are yet to show their signs of development. Where as poor nations is far behind from rich nation and super powers, they require lot of time to even cross the poverty line. Traditional method only give importance to rich and poor, they are completely ignoring the rapidly boosting economies like India, china etc. Middle class nations with little more development in different areas like technological and politics can emerge as a well developed nation. Knox and mars ton gives complete importance to the semi peripheral category. They constitute as a different sector of the global economy. They help both developed and developing countries in the growth. These regions paves way to technological innovation and industrial development and this stimulates the growth of the economy of the

Write a Policy Manual for Treatment Individuals Essay

Write a Policy Manual for Treatment Individuals - Essay Example It is therefore important that policy governing treatment individuals in the prisons should be formulated with the prisoners and officers in mind so as to ensure observation of human rights. The International Convent on Civil and Political Rights states that â€Å"All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.† The American Convention on Human rights under article 5 section 2 also states and emphasizes the importance of the same. It is therefore very important for all professional working in prison facilities to observe basic human rights conventions, ethical standards and policies set by judicial authorities when carrying out their jobs in correcting behavior of prisoners placed under their care. A good policy should emphasize observation of certain important rationale in making decisions on issues of ethical concern such as the rights enjoyed by prisoners, their privacy and even medical health. This is because they are public servants, earning from public coffers and as such should perform their duties in a manner that makes assures public confidence in the institutions of corr ection. Professionals working in prison facilities should always make sure to fully identify all facts so as not to act with probabilities or leave room for future prediction. They should also refer to relevant value systems as well as concepts on handling ethical issues such as privacy in the best possible interest. For instance in the case where a prisoner is sick and requires special urgent medical attention yet the rules restrict entry any officer to the prisoner’s room at the time. It will be the responsibility of the officer to make the life saving decision of ensuring the prisoner is attended while referring to available rules and concepts. Officers should also make it their job to ascertain all moral

Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final - Assignment Example These children are aged from kindergarten to the fifth grade and are hence divided accordingly into three different groups, (kindergarten and first, second and third, and the fourth and fifth grades). Both the school and the program is largely white, with one of the larger Jewish populations in San Diego being represented. As reported before, the program, unlike the one at Cadman is not structured with a formalistic rigor and hence children can leave at their convenience, and not at the end of the day. In fact, over the duration of my visit, there was a constant stream of parents arriving to pick up their children. As there are three different age groups to deal with, the program tries to use distinct areas within the school for each of the groups. The school auditorium is used as the homework area for the first group [K/1], whereas the cafeteria and school library serve as the homework rooms for the second [2/3] and third [4/5] groups respectively. Besides, the auditorium also serve s as the main activity and meeting room for the entire program, and access to the library’s computers are provided during library and club activity time. Other outside activities are conducted in the school’s playground. ... Next, the groups split and are lead out for different fitness activities, which typically last for about half an hour. The emphasis here seems to be on teamwork, but I perceived that it involved a lot of standing around, especially when the children had to wait their turn at certain games. This could be eliminated by increasing the number of games or by decreasing the size of the groups. In case of a difficulty in doing either, the time allotted to the different groups could differ based on their age differences. After the fitness workouts, the children prepare for snack. Preparation entails a proper cleaning of hands. All snacks are provided by SAY, and are healthy choices that consist of a full serving from at least two of the food groups. After snack, the children prepare for homework time, which seems to be the main focus of the program. Every child in the program is guaranteed thirty minutes of homework time, with a minimum of two teachers present to help tutor each group. The s chedule provides for an hour of homework time, especially for students with tough or lengthy assignments. Children who have finished their homework are allowed to have free play time on the school playground. This is done to ensure that children with difficult or longer assignments get adequate attention. The ratio for the program entails a maximum of 14 students to each supervising teacher. This ratio is not much different from the maximum of 12 in the Cadman program. Considering that the Cadman program requires more guidance and observation, the ratio is very good at Phoebe. As mentioned earlier, the children leave at different times. Hence, after the scheduled homework hour, children still attending the program will work on an art program. This

The different types of budgeting systems

The different types of budgeting systems Budgeting systems of different types, usually customised to the needs of individual organisational managements, are in use in various types of organisations, business, governmental and not for profit, across the world. The use of traditional budgeting has in recent years come under intensive critique by different academic and experts for its detrimental impact on different organisational areas and especially upon the overall performance of organisational employees and consequently of organisations. Such developments present a difficult conundrum to organisational managers of the actual utility of budgets in performance management and control. This dissertation takes up the investigation of the role of budgeting in organisational performance, especially so in planning and control of organisational activity, both in theory and in practice. The information obtained from intense study of literature is augmentation by the investigation of budgeting practices at two leading fast food and restaurant chains, Pizza Hut and Burger King. The research reveals that whilst traditional budgeting practices dominate organisational policies for planning and control, modern budgeting concepts are slowly being adopted by organisations with some success. 1. Introduction 1.1. Overview Budgeting systems of different types, usually customised to the needs of individual organisational managements, are in use in various types of organisations, business, governmental and not for profit, across the world (Andrews Hill, 2003, p 135-158). Traditional budgeting methods emerged as important management tools in the pre Second World War era, when Fordist and Taylorist management principles directed the working of most business organisations (Grizzle Pettijohn, 2002, p 51-58). Traditional budgeting techniques involve the comparison of actual organisational performance in different areas of work with budgeted targets, the computation of variances between budgeted targets and actual performance, and the analysis of both favourable and unfavourable variances in order to determine the reasons for such differences (Pilkington Crowther, 2007, p 29-30). The chart provided hereunder explains the sequence of budgeting activities and the relationship of the process to internal and external factors (Tales, 1998, p1). Variance analysis helps in corrective action during the currency of an operating period and helps organisations to achieve various objectives. Analysis of variances and comparison of actual achievement with budgeted targets help in the measurement of performance of responsibility heads, managers, groups of employees, and individual employees (Pilkington Crowther, 2007, p 29-30). Budgetary control has over the years been found to be very useful for planning and controlling of organisational performance (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Budgets have also been found to be useful in the monitoring and achievement of group objectives and in the facilitation of team work (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Budgeting, despite its inherent utility in the planning and control of organisational performance, has come under increasing criticism from modern day management accounting experts like Kaplan, Argyris, Hofstede, and Hopwood, who argue that lack of thought and rigidity in the use of budgeting essentially results in the development of Theory X type management control tools that can cause various organisational problems like increased stress upon employees, organisational disagreement and dissention with inappropriately set budgets, and organisational de-motivation (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Recent years have seen the development of modern budgeting techniques like the balanced score card, rolling budgets and beyond budgeting techniques (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Whilst such new concepts in the area of budgeting are undoubtedly being taken up for discussion, study and implementation by some progressive firms, the overwhelming majority of business organisations continue to use traditional budgeting techniques suitably customised to the circumstances and needs of individual organisations (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). 1.2. Purpose of Study The use of traditional budgeting has in recent years come under intensive critique by different academic and experts for its detrimental impact on different organisational areas and especially upon the overall performance of organisational employees and consequently of organisations. Such developments present a difficult conundrum to organisational managers of the actual utility of budgets in performance management and control. This dissertation takes up the investigation of the role of budgeting in organisational performance, especially so in planning and control of organisational activity, both in theory and in practice. The information obtained from intense study of literature is augmented by the investigation of budgeting practices at two leading fast food and restaurant chains, Pizza Hut and Burger King. This dissertation should hopefully help students, managers and academics through the generation of new perspectives in the area and help in improving the process of planning and control of organisational activities through the use of appropriate budgeting techniques. 1.3. Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of this dissertation are now elaborated as under: To examine the elements of budgetary control and its application in actual practice. To examine the various actions involved in the preparation and planning of budgets, with special reference to the role and importance of accurate information inputs. To examine the key resources required by firms for gathering of information for the preparation and planning of budgets. To examine the limitations of budgeting. To examine recent developments in budgeting and recommend the adoption of the most appropriate system of budgetary control by organisations. 1.4. Structure This study has been sequentially structured. This introductory section is followed by a literature review and thereafter by the formulation of appropriate research questions. Subsequent sections take up the description and explanation of the adopted research methodology, the data obtained from such research, the analysis of data, and finally conclusions and recommendations. An extensive alphabetical list of references at the end of the study provides details on all source material used for the dissertation. 2. Literature Review This review of existing literature attempts to examine the published material available in the public domain on the issue of budgeting and its role in performance management of organisations, departments and employees. Budgeting emerged as an important management accounting and management control tool in the early years of the 20th century and forms a staple item of all text books on financial management and management accounting (Davila Foster, 2005, p 1039-1068). The budgeting process came under severe criticism in the 1980s with the publication of critiques budgeting by experts like Kaplan, Argyris, Hofstede and Hopwood. Recent years have seen the emergence of newer budgeting techniques like flexible budgeting, rolling budgets, the balanced score card approach, and beyond budgeting techniques (Davila Foster, 2005, p 1039-1068). 2.1. Role of Budgeting in Planning and Control Activities Planning and control are agreed to be among the most important of organisational managerial activities (Bhatnagar, et al, 2004, p 92). Budgets play a central and key role in the planning and control processes of business firms. The importance of budgets in planning and controlling functions makes management accounting and the provisioning of management information a critical organisational function. Surveys of UK business and industry reveal that most business organisations use budgeting techniques of some form, even as larger organisations have institutionalised and developed budgeting mechanisms (Bhatnagar, et al, 2004, p 92). The role of budgeting is best examined by locating its place within the wider framework of organisational planning and control (Carruth Digregorio, 2003 p 13-26). The chart provided hereunder explains the relationship of budgeting in the larger control framework of a firm. Management and operational control form very important components of the broader framework of planning and control. Management control represents the process through which managements ensure the execution of pre-determined strategies by their organisations (Carruth Digregorio, 2003 p 13-26). The process is essentially short term in nature, implemented through middle rung managers, and forms an important routine management activity. Operational control on the other hand represents the process of ensuring the efficient and effective conduct of specific tasks. The time spheres for such controls are short term, consist of periods that can extend from a day to a month, and are executed through junior managers (Pilking ton Crowther, 2007, p 29-30). With regard to planning, the use of budgets calls upon and directs managers to think ahead about the utilisation of resources for achievement of company policies and objectives in their area of work (Grizzle Pettijohn, 2002, p 51-58). Such planning involves the obtaining of relevant, accurate and valid information, (either from reliable historical sources or by logical estimation), the analysis and appropriate extrapolation of such information, and its use for projection of future operational figures in different areas like sales, production, income and expenditure (Grizzle Pettijohn, 2002, p 51-58). The relevance and effectiveness of budgets is to a large extent dependent upon the accuracy of information on which it is based (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). The overwhelming majority of budgeting exercises make use of historical information that is available within organisations. Important environmental information is also however often used by management accountants for projecting future developments and their impact on performance (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). Inaccurate or unreliable information can, it will be obvious, erode the reliability and credibility of the assumptions on which budget preparation is based, and therefore invalidates budgets (Craig, 2002, p 57). Modern day organisations, especially if they are large, adopt elaborate and complex methods for retrieval, study, investigation and analysis of the data needed for budgets. Manual accounting inputs for preparation of budgets have largely been discarded by most organisations (Craig, 2002, p 57). Complex acco unting and information retrieval systems that span departments, functions and geographies are used by most large organisations. Modern day Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) plays an important role in the provisioning of management information in the preparation of budgets (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). The control function of budgets is executed through the allocation of responsibility to specific individuals for the achievement of specific budgeted targets and by the comparison of actual performance with budgeted targets (Craig, 2002, p 57). Such comparisons result in the establishment of positive or negative variances and reveal the extent to which people with responsibilities have been able to achieve their specified tasks. The extent of variance denotes the margin of success or failure (Pollitt, 2006, p 25). The reasons for such variances can be examined to ascertain the causes of success or failure of employees with accountability. Budgets have traditionally proved to be effective in performance control because they (a) establish specific, pre determined, and logically computed targets, (b) allocate responsibilities to specific organisational employees for achievement of targets, (c) establish widely known and uniform performance yardsticks and benchmarks, (d) provide a basis for assessment of actual performance and (e) pinpoint the people who can be held to be responsible for organisational failure, and (f) allow for analysis and determination of causes of failure (Pollitt, 2006, p 25). Budgets help in controlling performance by establishing benchmarks for performance and consequently for rewards against such performance (Andrews Hill, 2003, p 135-158). Organisational employees are often promised and provided rewards on the basis of their success in achieving targets in different areas of work (Andrews Hill, 2003, p 135-158). 2.2. Limitations of Budgeting Budgeting undoubtedly constitutes a critical and essential component of management control techniques that are employed by business firms for planning their future actions and thereafter controlling them. Whilst the importance and role of budgeting in achievement of organisational objectives and competitive advantage is widely accepted and also illustrated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of business firms across the world engage in some type of budgeting activity, the process has come under severe criticism in recent decades (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Experts like Kaplan have argued that traditional budgeting techniques have essentially not changed over the last 70 years and have become increasingly inappropriate for the modern day economy and the changed internal and external environments in which business firms operate (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Whilst traditional budgeting operates both on top down and bottom up approaches and are based both upon historic information and current information that is available in the public domain, budgets are in the overwhelming majority of cases finally decided by top management and imposed upon different levels of organisational managers (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Such imposition of budgets and their association with performance measurement, rewards, remuneration, and career progression of organisational employees leads to the development of various complexities, some of which are elaborated as under. Budgets are very infrequently felt to be fair and right. Budgeted targets are by and large felt to be either too soft or too hard, depending upon the perspectives of different persons (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). Such perceptions often lead to organisational dissention and ill will between subordinates and superiors and broad resentment of employees against organisational authority (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). Soft budgets are felt to be contradictory to organisational well being and build environments of complacency and slackness. Difficult budgets on the other hand often prove to be unattainable and lead to de-motivation, resentment, criticism, dissension, and ill will. It is thus not an easy task to formulate a budget that furthers organisational objectives, stretches organisational employees to improve their performance, and acts as a good motivator and fair tool for judgement of performance (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). Argyris and others have pointed out that group attitudes towards budgets significantly affect performance and ultimate achievement of budget targets (Smith, 2001p 1). Geertz Hofstede elaborates that appropriate setting of targets is also very important for achievement of budgets. Hofstede states that whilst group participation was important, the attitudes of senior managers, especially the game spirit with which they play the budget game form a key ingredient of the budget process. (Hofstede, 2003, p 12-18) Hopwood (1972) identified different styles of budgeting, the budget constrained style, the profit conscious style and the non-accounting style. Whilst all three styles exerted pressure on workers, it was only the profit conscious style that drew involvement without eliciting defensive approaches (Hopwood, 1972, p 156-182) Hope and Bunce assert (2003) that autocratic and rigid budgeting approaches lead to the development of organisational bureaucracies that focus on finding fault with employee performance, rather than motivation and encouragement (Hope Bunce, 2003, p 1). Undue emphasis on achievements of budgets can divert management attention from other important organisational aspects like the importance of quality and staff morale with detrimental impact upon organisational wellbeing (Hassel Cunningham, 1996, p 245). The association of monetary and career rewards with the achievement of budgets can lead to a range of unethical activities like fudging of figures, window dressing of performance, and skirting with the law. The wrong decisions taken by managers of banks and financial institutions, (which greatly contributed to the development of the financial crisis of 2008) are closely related to the greed of managers to access the performance bonuses that were linked to achievement of ever-increasing performance targets (Chapman et al, 2007, p 7-51). 2.3. New Developments in Budgets Dissatisfaction with important aspects and outcomes of traditional budgeting principles has led to extensive research in alternative methods of optimisation of organisational and individual control and performance (Hearn, et al, 2006, p 286). Such efforts, both in areas of theory and practice, have resulted in a number of alternative approaches and modifications to traditional budgeting theory and practice. Some of the more important of these developments are represented by flexible budgeting, rolling budgets, the balanced score card approach and beyond budgeting principles (Hearn, et al, 2006, p 286). Rolling budgets are prepared for 6-9 months in detail, (unlike traditional financial budgets that are made for complete financial years), followed by broader and less detailed budgets that extend to 1  ½ to 2 years (Subramaniam Ashkanasy, 2001, p35). Flexible budgets on the other hand deal with operations and contain different estimates for various products and services (Subramaniam Ashkanasy, 2001, p35). Such methods allow for changes in costs or volumes and allow organisations to respond swiftly to changing situations and thereby maintain profitability and competitive advantage (Subramaniam Ashkanasy, 2001, p35). The balanced score card approach aims to translate strategy into practice from four dimensions, namely customer, financial, learning and growth, and business processes (Bhatnagar, et al, 2004, p 92). Its use helps organisations to pay attention to different aspects of organisational performance over the length of business cycles, which are longer than traditional budget periods and thus essentially more volatile. The use of this approach, along with Key Performance Indicators, (KPIs), enables organisations to built holistic targets and track performance in different dimensions (Bhatnagar, et al, 2004, p 92). Beyond Budgeting is a comprehensive and elaborate holistic approach that incorporates modern concepts like rolling budgets and the balanced score card approach and focuses on two groups of principles related with performance management. The first group of principles is process oriented, whilst the second set is leadership oriented. Taken together Beyond Budgeting principles enabl e organisations to motivate their employees, improve performance and enhance organisational creativity (Bhatnagar, et al, 2004, p 92). 2.4. Framing of Research Questions The research questions for this dissertation, framed in line with the aims and objectives of the dissertation and the results of the literature review are detailed as under: How does budgetary control help in planning and controlling of performance of employees? How are budgets used by successful organisations (Pizza Hut and Burger King) to plan and control performance? How do organisations ensure accuracy of information for preparation of budgets? What types of resources are used by organisations to gather information and prepare budgets? What sort of constraints and limitations do modern day organisations face in using traditional budgeting techniques? What measures can be adopted by organisations to make budgeting exercises more effective in planning and controlling performance? 3. Research Methodology 3.1. Important Research Factors Research in areas of finance, management, and business come under the broad ambit of economic research (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). The research methodology for such assignments is by and large determined in accordance with the tenets of social research and is of course shaped by the nature of the subject under investigation and the infrastructural and other resources available with the researcher. The determination of appropriate research methods and techniques involve the choice of specific research methods and the most suitable sources of information (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). 3.2. Quantitative and Qualitative methods of Research Social research methods are shaped by two broad and quiet different research approaches, namely the quantitative approach and the qualitative approach. These approaches are shaped by different epistemologies and involve the utilisation of different research techniques, both for obtaining and for analysis of data (Darlington Scott, 2002, p 33-47). The quantitative approach is guided by positivist epistemology and is closely related to scientific research methods (Darlington Scott, 2002, p 33-47). Quantitative approaches involve the application of scientific theory and aim to measure the responses of research subjects in easily quantifiable and numerical terms. Such methods are used in the majority of economic and business research efforts and are particularly useful in the gauging of broad trends of thoughts or opinions of chosen populations (Darlington Scott, 2002, p 33-47). Qualitative methods of analysis are essentially different and are used when the issue under study is subjective in nature and open to different ways of interpretation (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). Qualitative research methods are shaped by interpretivist epistemology and involve detailed investigation of complex subjects that are often multilayered and incapable of being answered with yes or no responses. Such research is most appropriate for issues that involve questions that are what, why and how in nature and are best conducted by expert and involved researchers (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). Qualitative research is far more time consuming and detailed than quantitative research and is mostly conducted with the help of direct one-to-one interviews and focus group discussions, in which researchers participate with the subjects under study and observe their reactions and responses in minute detail (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). Whilst most research assignments call for the use of either quantitative or qualitative methods, some complex and multidimensional issues require the use of both techniques (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). 3.3. Choice of Information Sources Information sources are broadly categorised into primary and secondary sources. Secondary information sources consists of all the information on the subject that is available to the public at large in the form of published material, more specifically books, articles, both journal and magazine, and other publications (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). Primary information is however obtained from sources that are part of or are integral to the subject under study (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). Whilst primary information is most commonly obtained from interviews and focus group discussions, such information is also available from specific public domain sources like organisational or departmental publications, publications authored by the subjects under study, interviews given by them to reliable media publications, and otherwise from information disseminated through personal or organisational websites. (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). 3.4. Adoption of Research Methodology The subject issue, as detailed by the aims and objectives, the literature review and the research questions of this study, is essentially complex, multilayered and open to interpretation in different ways (May, 2001, p 41-59). The use of budgeting techniques for planning and controlling performance in business organisations is an intensely debated topic and has multiple aspects. The interests of research on this issue will certainly not be appropriately served with the use of yes/ no/ multiple choice surveys administered to sample population groups (May, 2001, p 41-59). The elimination of quantitative methods of research for the assignment by extension also removes the relevance of mixed models and leaves only qualitative methods for use (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). This research study therefore uses only qualitative methods for researching information. The research approach has been formulated on the basis of the aims and objectives of the dissertation and the information unearthed during the literature review (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). This research effort attempts to obtain answers to the research questions through a detailed investigation of the budgeting practices of two well known and successful organisations in the fast food and restaurant industry, namely Pizza Hut and Burger King UK. Information for research has been obtained from a host of secondary and primary sources (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). Study of information available in the public domain on the use of budgets for planning and control of performance in these organisations will provide a balanced multi-prospective view of their organisational policies and practices (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). Primary information is sourced from an examination of organisational websites, observation of their work processes onsite and informal open ended discussions with members of their staff. The information obtained from secondary and primary sources has been carefully collated and thereafter subjected to appropriate analysis (Neuman, 2005, p 18-36). 3.5. Ethics Appropriate care has been taken to ensure the adoption of ethical rules and norms that are pertinent to business research (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). All information sources used for the purpose of study have been acknowledged carefully and comprehensively. All participants have been informed of the nature of the assignment and its purposes. Respondents have been informed of their right to confidentiality and of refusing to answer all or any of the questions asked of them. All respondents have also agreed in writing of their unilateral and unforced willingness to participate in this study (Bryman Bell, 2007, p 12-28). 3.6. Limitations The results of this study are limited by the actual reading carried out by the researcher. Whilst efforts have been made to ensure extensive examination of available literature, it is always possible that some important information may have been missed out (Darlington Scott, 2002, p 33-47). The actual investigation of businesses for ascertainment of budgetary control in practice is also restricted to two organisations, which may well be unrepresentative of the entire business fraternity. The result of this research study is subject to these limitations (Darlington Scott, 2002, p 33-47). 4. Data and Findings Information for research has been obtained from a range of secondary and primary sources. Secondary information on budgeting at Pizza Hut and Burger king has been obtained from information available on the subject from a range of sites in the public domain, even as primary information has been obtained by study of their organisational web sites. The information sources used for secondary information on budgetary control for Pizza Hut and Burger King have not been cited here but have been placed together at the end of the list of references for easy access. Primary information has also been obtained by visits to retail outlets of Pizza Hut and Burger King in London, observation of the work processes at these outlets and open ended conversations with their employees. It has been difficult to obtain relevant information on budgeting because information about budgeting practices belongs to the private information domain of the companies and is not openly discussed at public forums. The employees at such outlets are also more involved in servicing customers and their knowledge of budgetary control methods is restricted. Relevant information has however been accessed from discussions with middle managers at Pizza Hut stores and franchise representatives at Burger King. The information obtained from study of public domain information, onsite observations and interviews with middle managers of Pizza Hut and Burger King are provided below: Information from Study of Public Domain Information of Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is a US headquartered multinational chain of restaurants that offers different types of pizzaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s and associated foods. The chain which belongs to Yum brands operates in more than 100 countries, contains approximately 34,000 outlets of different types and employees more than 30,000 people. The company is headquartered at Addison Texas and has grown enormously since its founding in 1958. The company operates its own stores in the majority of its locations in the US. It does however have some franchised units in countries outside the United States. The company is well known for its high quality and standard food and has faced very few quality complaints. The HR section on its website and information obtained from the public domain state that the company pays great attention to the selection, recruitment, training and performance of its employees. Pizza Hut operates a complex and detailed management information system with the help of extensive computer systems that connect all its global units with regional headquarters and to organisational headquarters at Texas. The computer systems used for the management information function are modern and constantly updated. Budgetary control forms an integral element of Pizza Huts overall management information system. The budgetary control system is extremely detailed and is prepared for every quarter of a calendar year. Budgets are multi dimensional and monitor both operational and financial aspects of the organisation. Budgets are prepared for all departments, all functions and for each restaurant operated by the chain. Much of the purchasing functions are done through annual regional contracts and employee of local retail outlets are not involved in these functions. Employees of retail outlets are however expected to add to organisational sales and competitive advantage through constant improvement of customer relationship and customer satisfaction. The chain has recently introduced the balance score card method for improving the performance of employees at retail outlets. Employees at Pizza Hut outlets are now assessed on a variety of counts that concern the provisioning of customer service, the achievement of customer satisfaction, the improvement of customer relationships and finally of the quantum of repeat customers. The company proposes to extent the balance score card method of budgetary and performance control to other areas of work. Information from Study of Public domain Information of Burger King Burger king is also a US headquartered international chain of fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Florida. Burger King is the second largest seller of hamburgers in the world. It has approximately 12,000 outlets, operates in 73 coun

Use of Three Literary Techniques in Things Fall Apart Essay -- Essays

In his work Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe tells a story describing the decay and destruction of ancient African tradition caused by the invasion of white culture. His tone in the book seems to side and sympathize with the Africans and their religion. Interestingly enough, though, he uses biblical allusion, as well as onomatopoeia and symbolism to bring the book to life and captivate the reader. The following will describe how he uses these. Even though it appears that he sides with Africans and their cultural beliefs, Achebe uses things from outside their religion, such as biblical allusions. When the missionaries appear it says, â€Å"they were all sons of God. And [they] told them about this new God† (Achebe 126). It is interesting to note that Achebe capitalizes the â€Å"g† in God, which is proper especially if one claims to be a Christian. Another allusion could be interpreted when the locusts cover the land. It is phrased, â€Å"then quite suddenly a shadow fell on the world, and the sun seemed hidden behind a thick cloud† (49). There were so many, that this â€Å"cloud† could easily repre...

Niccolo Ammaniti’s novel ‘I’m not scared’ Essay

Topic two: â€Å"The character and morality of Michele are underestimated by the adults of Aqua Traverse.† Niccolo Ammaniti’s novel ‘I’m not scared’ is based on fear that is within the characters of Aqua Traverse. Fear can cause people to respond in an irresponsible manner and forget about morality. Throughout this novel, the adults of Aqua Traverse did not only lose their humanity but they also underestimated Michele’s character and morality. It caused them to forget the love of their children and each other. This fear was caused by the feeling of poverty and not being able to leave Aqua Traverse. It has been stated many times throughout the novel, for example Teresa had pleaded to Michele: â€Å"When you grow up, you must go and never come back.† This fear forced them to kidnap the 9-year old boy Phillipo. This vague idea of living a better life left the adults emotionally bankrupt. However, this novel proved that morality is not only in wise and old people but within everyone. It is based on the individual’s character, as Michele did encounter fear just like the rest of the adults, but he did not let fear override his morality. Michele had lost trust in everyone surrounding him, including his own true friend Salvatore; this forced him to look within his moral directions. All children must trust their parents in order to be protected from any form of fear that they may interact with. But in this novel, the adults had focused on their own fears and believed Michele would always be too young to understand anything. Michele’s parents are blinded by the crime, that they don’t take any notice of Michele’s maturity level. They don’t realize they are destroying his innocence at such a young age. Michele’s father, Pino is the main cause for the other adults to forget about Michele’s true character and independence. Pino is one of the major characters in the novel. He portrays being the villain and bringing his son in the face of evil, not realizing this is causing him to lose his innocence. At the beginning of the novel, Pino was described as a caring and loving father. He cherished every moment that he spent with the family, as he brought the children gifts and insisted on fetching the water instead of the kids. Later on, his affection was drawn out when he refused to listen to Michele’s excuse as to why he was late and instead told him to ‘get out’. Pino’s evil character was further exposed when he blackmailed Michele into believing that he will be the blame for Phillipo’s death if he visits him again, as he had stated: â€Å"If you go back, these people will kill him and it’ll be your fault.† This left Michele with a heavy amount of weight being put on his shoulders; it also caused him to increase his anxiety. Pino proved his naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve thinking about Michele by purchasing him a new bike in order to buy his silence or gain his peace, in which Michele was not about to hand over whatsoever. He was the main person who underestimated Michele’s main character, which lead him to not shoot Phillipo in the end of the novel, but instead his own son, Michele. It wasn’t only Michele’s father that had underestimated his character, but also his very own mother. Teresa was busy with her own agendas and was overcome by her fear of having to live in Aqua Traverse for the rest of her life and the children’s life. She appears to be strong as described by Ammaniti, but she is weak from within and her strength is dying gradually. She demonstrated her strength when Felice injured Michele; as she attacked him with all her might and then threatened her husband Pino: â€Å"If he touches Michele again I’ll kill him and then I’ll kill you.† It was unexpected to believe that she was involved in the kidnap of a boy that’s the same age as her own son. However, she is very obedient towards her husband which forces her to not rebel against any evil acts. At the end of the novel Teresa becomes very emotional and stressed that she doesn’t take any notice of Michele’s character from within. This novel only proved that a person does not have to be wise and old in order to have true morality. Michele was a good example of this. He motivated himself with his imaginations and brought a heroic character inside of him. Despite the fact the adults never took any notice of him, it only brought him to take higher risks and chances no other child would take, such as disobeying his father’s rules. He understood the adults were too busy with their own criminal minds and that he must take action to help free Phillipo and take him back to his family. Niccolo Ammaniti truly explored this novel throughout a child’s mind in the face of evil.

Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay

Buddhism is a religious group as depicted from the world’s history that began in the 6th century BCE, in today’s Northern India. Buddhism was founded by a wealthy man of Indian dysentery called Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama’s main concern was to teach people how to realize great spiritual development. These teachings focus on areas like tradition/customs, beliefs, ethics, meditation and philosophy and making people more enlightened; Buddha means ‘to awaken’. To the religious group boast of a huge following of about 300million across the world including 0. 7 percent of U. S. A’s religious composition based on U. S’s Census Bureau Document (Seager, 2012). Buddhism is a religious group that differs broadly from other groups in America. The difference is eminent in the way they carry out various practice. Some examples are worship, beliefs, culture, doctrines, and in other routine practices. Buddhism, unlike other religious groups, believes in the existence of only one Supreme Being ‘God’. In contrast to most groups, Buddhism spirituality is of personal discipline rather than faith in ‘God’. A lot of differences may be present when attempting to draw a comparison between Buddhism and the other religious groups in America. Buddhists Experience in America Buddhism has received its fair deal of mixed reception from other religious avenue. Some people have good perception and understand their teachings seek to uphold good morals and values. Buddhism also seeks a harmonious co-existence with other people in society even if they are not practicing the same religion. Others have perceived them as having a bizarre view deeming its operation as being mysterious. Buddhism is unique in conducting their routine religious practices and beliefs. Some religious groups have upheld Buddhism, not as a religion but merely a philosophy (Seager, 2012). They have even incorporated some practices like meditation as an art of realization physical and emotional well being as yoga in pursuit of reliving off stress. They have also sorted in some Buddhism cultural element and used them to perfect their own religions. Contribution and Discrimination of Buddhism Historically in American culture Buddhism has contributed adversely in development of America’s culture. Many Buddhists doctrine and daily routine practices are borrowed and used to blend America’s culture. Example of such practice teachings of how people perceive life and attitude, changed Buddhism has mentored Great America’s scientists and philosophers (Seager, 2012). They borrow ideas from Buddhism teachings. Some of the ways in which Buddhism is practiced in America include stress reduction treatment. In addition, famous movies and songs based on Buddhism, such as Seven Years in Tibet, Little Buddha, The Matrix, and Star Wars, has helped the advertisement industry. Another instance is the Master Card commercial that shows an image of Woman Meditating. There is an increasing number of Americans who visit the Buddhist temples and also practice meditation in privacy. Buddhist Fellowship organization is a very large group that promotes peace, environmental advocacy, and conducts homeless and prison outreach. Buddhism has experienced discrimination minimally compared to other religious groups. Discrimination happens within its own religion and culture primarily against Buddhist women. All Buddhist women are ordained to follow laws and disciplines such as bhikkhunis. However, Buddhist nuns have come together to fight for their rights. The source of this prejudice was because the Buddhist nuns have increased in number and they want to eliminate them from the religion. Buddhism has helped me learn about meditation which can be used in reducing stress and as a way of relaxing. Asian Ethnic Group The Asian American comprises of a 5% of the American population (Espiritu, 2011). In the recent years, the Asian ethnic group is considered among the fastest growing group in America. The Americans refer to subgroups such as the Chinese, Filipino, Indians, Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese. Most Asian Americans were born in America while others have been the immigrants who have settled in America. Asian differs from the other ethnic groups because from history Asians have continued to follow their religions, unlike many other groups. The Asian Americans are known for their diligence, strong family values and their respect for education, authority, and discipline unlike any other ethnic group in America. Asian American Contribution and Discrimination The Asian American has contributed greatly in the formation of American society. These contributions include constructions of railway, joining the military and protecting the Americans. Asians have also contributed in creating internet sites such as youtube and yahoo. The Asians have influenced other areas like fashion, religion, science and culture. For instance, the kung fu culture of the Chinese is greatly employed in Hollywood while creating action movies. Acts of discrimination towards Asian Americans in America are similar to other minority group. This racial discrimination bars the Asian American from participating in politics (Espiritu, 2011). The reason Asian Americans are discriminated against is Americans consider them foreigners. In conclusion, Buddhism is an Asian practice which the Asian have practiced almost all their lives, but this practice came to be known only in recent years. Discrimination of Asian Americans means that their religion, cultures, and practices are discriminated against. Buddhism is different from Asian Ethnic group because Buddhism is a practice done by the Asian communities. Discrimination should never be practiced in America because America is a multicultural society and the majority of people in America are citizens by birth. References Espiritu, Y. L. (2011). Asian American pan ethnicity: Bridging institutions and identities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Seager, R. H. (2012). Buddhism in America. New York: Columbia University Press.

Chocolate and Confectionery Industry Pakistan

Chocolate and Confectionery Industry Pakistan Free Online Research Papers Confectionery and Chocolate industry of Pakistan in 2009 is an analysis of branded (domestically produced) confectionery and chocolate market of Pakistan. The article reveals close estimates of sales turn over of major active players in the industry. It also examines contemporary trends in the local confectionery and chocolate market, with an emphasis on providing some useful information about the structure, norms, challenges and competitive landscape of the industry. Before proceeding to our core topic, it would not be unwise to have a look at the snapshot of country’s socio-economic indicators. Pakistan- Snapshot: The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a medium size, densely populated country with over 170 million people living in 796,095 square kilometres. With respect to population and area, Pakistan stands at no. 7 and no.43 respectively among the nations of the world. It is located at Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north. Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and declining exports of manufactures. Faced with untenable budgetary deficits, high inflation, and haemorrhaging foreign exchange reserves. During 2004-07 GDP growth has been within the range of 6-8%. Inflation remains the top concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to 20.8% in 2008, primarily because of rising world fuel and commodity prices. In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated significantly as a result of political and economic instability. Confectionery and Chocolate Industry – An overview: Despite Pakistan’s confectionery and chocolate industry has enjoyed an emerging and growing trend in the recent past yet its size and growth pattern has been far inconsequential compared to other countries of Asia-pacific region. The industry has grown with an average annual rate of 6.5 to 7.5 % during 2002-2008. Domestic brands dominate the market accounting for more than 85% of total value sales of the industry. The industry as a whole can be divided between two broader sectors namely organized sector (branded segment) and un-organized sectors (generic segment). The branded segment is more of monopolistic in nature where there are nine prominent, active players in the competitive landscape of this sector. However 80% of the industry’s share is being enjoyed by the five companies listed below. A brief overview of major companies’ estimated annual sales in PKR (1 US$= 83 PKR) is as follows: Company name, Major Product lines, Major brands Estimated annual turn-over PKR.(1US$=83PKR), Share % Hilal Candy, Bubble, Jellies, Chocolates, Beans, powder Drinks, Supari Ding Dong Bubble, Fresh up bubble, Tulsi, AamRus, Kopra candy Limopani 3.5 billion 26% Share Ismail Industries Ltd.(Candyland) Jellies, candies, lollypops, Chocolates, Biscuits, Snacks etc. Chillimili, Fanty candy, Now, Bisconi Chocolito, Cocomo, Snack city, Sonnet 2.8 billion 21% Share B.P sweets Jellies, candies, lollypops, Chocolates, Biscuits, Bread, Snacks etc. Spacer, Dolphin Jellies, B.P Lollies, Dream Chocolates etc. 1.7 billion 13% Share Cadbury’s Chocolates(Countlines and Moulded) Toffees, Chewable mint candies Dairy Milk Chocolate, Éclairs, Softmint, Velvet 1.5 billion 11% Share Kidco Bubbles candies, lollypops, Chocolates etc. 4ever, Centro-bubble, Lollies, Punch candy, Chox 1.20 billion 9% Share Mayfair Candies, Toffees, Creamers, Amrood candy, Éclair, Cafe biscuit 0.8 billion 6% Share Mitchell’s(only Confectionery Chocolates) Groceries ( Squashes, Jams, sauces, Chocolates- Moulded and Countlines , Toffees and candies Milk Toffee, Fruit BonBon, Butter Scotch, Jubilee, Golden Hearts 0.70 billion 5% Share DanPak Bubble Gum, Lolly Pops, Candies Chini mini, Fresh’ O bubble, Choco Bisco, Milko Sip 0.70 billion 5% Share Sweet Hills Candies, Toffees Dr. Milk, NutKut, Love candy , Cow 0.50 billion 4% Share TOTAL 13.4 Billion PKR Confectionery and Chocolate Market – An overview Characteristics: The branded confectionery and chocolate market is highly price elastic and growing with the bulk of sales concentrated in mid-price range products. Urban markets account for the major share and also for a higher penetration rate. Various retail price points exist within the mass market segment of chocolates between the range of PKR 3-25. In Sugar Confectionery major running confectionery items fall into the retail price segment of Rs. 0.50-1.00. The efforts made for the induction of Rs.2 Confectionery unit by industry giants have gone into vain so far. However Rs. 2 and 3 are popular price points for lolly pops and chocolates range. The industry has faced â€Å"coin-barrier† issue in sugar confectionery products at least three times during last three decades when all key players unanimously agreed to increase their products’ price due to escalating prices of raw materials (first from 25 paisa to 50 paisa- in mid 80’s, than 50 paisa to Rs. 1 – in mid 90â₠¬â„¢s and lastly from Rs.1 to Rs.2-in late 2008) whereby the active players of the industry were compelled to raise their prices not less than any thing but 100% because next jump to coin / price denomination was such that they had no way out. It would be interesting for the readers to learn that such moves however have always been proved to be a â€Å"bitter pill† for the industry as it brought immense resistance from consumers and trade. In some of the cases decline in sales as a reaction of price increase was so huge that it forced to leading brands to take their decision back yet they were not able to retrieve their original volumes again. Mitchell’s Milk Toffees and Kidco 4ever are classic examples. To avoid and defer this situation (up to last extend) pro-active companies in Pakistani confectionery industry adopt three kinds of strategies , without reducing or with slightly reducing trade margins. Namely reduce the no. of units per pack, unit size, and packaging ( in an endeavour to reduce cost) Compromising in product quality by reducing qty and/or quality of expensive raw material by using close substitute that is available relatively at cheaper price as a replacement of expensive raw materials. Distribution and Selling strategy: About (70-80) % sugar confectionery and chocolate sales generate through wholesale channel depending upon the nature of product and strategies of manufacturing companies. Almost all but precisely Hilal and B.P rely much on wholesale channel to generate bulk chunk of their total sales. To support their sales through this channel they advertise heavily on electronic media to create brand pull for their brands and subsequently it force retailers to buy these brands from whole sale. The underlying reason behind limited coverage in retail sector by these two companies is they do not have premium priced items that could yield sufficient revenues to make retail distribution viable for their distribution partners so they do a limited coverage in retail sector. Since these companies themselves do not emphasize on retail penetration so their distributors also take an escape route and adopt the way of easy selling through WS. However there are companies like C adbury, Candyland, Mitchell’s and Mayfair that are fully aware of the importance of retail penetration .Hence these companies pay due importance and attention to retail coverage and subsequently allocate resources for retail sector. As stated earlier the emphasis of Hilal and B.P has always been on building consumer pull through mass media advertising ( mostly through television) and pushing their brands through wide-spread network of distributors and wholesalers throughout the nation . This combination of â€Å"Push Pull â€Å" has proved to be a successful tool in their cases because the nature of their brands also support this strategy as they produce products of mass market with as low price as Rs.1 , 2 and beyond. Because of this pricing strategy their products are equally popular in rural and urban towns among middle and lower middle class. B.P and Hilal having this advantage enjoy the benefits of a wide-spread distribution network in 300+ towns and over 350 distri butors nation wide (as they have more than one distributors in some towns). They always try to adopt cost leadership strategy and generate revenues through high volumes of sales. Frequent launches, re-launches, re-introduction of old brands with slight modifications, withdrawals, adjustments in packaging, product designing and even recipe change are a common phenomenon in the brands of these two major companies. Contrary to this Cadbury’s , Candyland and Mitchell’s believe on establishing brands and brand equity and therefore protraction of quality up to last possible extend remains their top priority. Popular Brands , Price point and Trades’ margins: Popular Brands: In hard-boiled (candy) category: Price range 0.50 paisa-Re.1: Fanty (Candyland), AamRus (Hilal), Choran Chatni (Hilal), Kopra candy (Hilal), 4ever (Kidco), Butter Scotch (Candyland) and (Mitchell’s), Amrood (Mayfair), Creamers (Mayfair) and Fruit Bonbons (Mitchell’s) are famous brands. In soft-boiled (Toffees) category: Price range 0.50 paisa-Re.1: Spacer (B.P) – a brand of 450- 500 million PKR, Milk Toffee (Mitchell’s)- brand worth over 250 million PKR and Éclairs (Cadbury’s) can be ranked top three among others in this category. As of today (August 2010) there hardly exist any 50 paisa confectionery unit, those that were available, have been switched to Rs.1 price point. In Lolly Pops: Price range Re.2- Rs.3/- : twin-lolly (B.P), Paint n Pop (B.P), Kidco Pop (Kidco), Funny Bunny (Candyland) are popular among consumers. In Enrobed Chocolate category: Price range Re.1- Rs.5/- : Jubilee (Mitchell’s), 5 Star ( Cadbury) Perk (Cadbury’s), Now (Candyland), Dream (B.P), Choco Dip (B.P), Kat Kat (B.P) Unitee (Mitchell’s), Sonnet (Candyland), Luxuree (Mitchell’s), Chox (Kidco) and Paradise (Candyland) enjoy major share in the market. In Moulded Chocolate category: Price range Re.2- Rs.10/- :Dairy Milk (Cadbury’s), Cone (B.P), Mr. Bear (B.P) Twin Rabbit (B.P), Golden Hearts ( Mitchell’s), Velvet (Cadbury’s) are famous among other brands. In Bubble: Rs.1: Ding Dong (Hilal) in Rs. 1 and recently launched in Rs. 2 as well. The brand has worth about 1000 million PKR, Fresh Up (Hilal) – retail Rs.5/-, Tiger (Mayfair) and Kidco Bubble, Centro (Kidco) are leading brands. Though retailer’s margin varies from companies to companies and product to product but generally acceptable margin in local items for retail trade is between 15-25%. It is lower for fast-moving brands and higher in the case of slow-moving items. Drivers, Challenges and Key Trends: Drivers: Until mid 80’s chocolates was supposed to be the product of upper and upper middle class segment. In 1983 Mitchell’s Jubilee was launched first time in Pakistani market at Rs.3.50 per bar. Due to its attractive packaging, quality, affordable price and an intact media support the brand received un-matched reception and became a success story in Pakistani industry. The brand is still very popular among masses and available in three different price points at Rs.2, Rs.5 and Rs.10. In early 2000 Cadbury’s introduced quality products with affordable price. The launch of Dairy Milk (Rs.5/-), 5 Star (Rs.5/-), Velvet (Rs.5/-) and Perk (Rs.3) with attractive dispensing-chillers was the turning and revolutionary point for making chocolates the choice for every one. The role of Cadbury’s for expansion of chocolate market in Pakistan will always be written in golden words. Challenges: The most common challenges to this industry are soaring prices of raw material, high excise and import duties on raw material, high entry barrier because of strong monopolistic competition and influx of cheap imported brand through gray-Channels. Trends: Driven by marketing initiatives, consumer preferences are speedily changing in the favour of chocolates. Independent retailers and wholesalers are still the largest channel contributors however the role of International modern trade (Makro, Metro and HyperStar) is growing at the increasing rate. Foreign or imported brands are successfully targeting the Lucrative premium segments in urban population. Nestle has recently revamp their sales and distribution management system through appointment of one of the leading distribution house in Pakistan. Large retailers and wholesalers have already started private imports by paying less import duties through tax evasions. The largest bakery and confectionery chain of Lahore is also considering for launching their own chocolate brands in a bid to grow their private label sales. Keeping these positive signs in mind one could expect that future of Chocolate and Confectionery market of Pakistan is promising. 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