Strategic Planning in the Airline Industry

Airline Planning Strategic Planning in the Airline Industry a two-day Seminar The Challenge Rapid and intense change in today’s business climate reshapes the fundamental approach to strategic decision-making. New thinking for ways to face the two vital strategy issues – where will the airline be in the future and how to get there – must emerge so that a modern air carrier can leverage its strength and capitalize on opportunities. Creating innovative strategies for the new business paradigm marks a proactive approach to the challenges in the volatile, yet exciting, airline business.Airlines that embrace a dynamic outlook for strategic planning are positioned favorably to prosper financially and operationally in face of uncertainties and complexities in this business. The strategic plan and its components influence every aspect of running a commercial air carrier. As such, it is critical to devise effective strategies and execute them efficiently. Organizational un its depend on clear understanding of the strategic issues so that they can plan accordingly and carry out the responsibilities created by the strategic plan.Strategic planning brings about an opportunity to examine carefully ways that the airline is conducting its business, and finding new methods to do a better job. Designing and delivering the airline’s services in today’s demanding marketplace requires sophisticated coordination between business units of the airline. Strategic planning serves as a mechanism to create a framework for integrating various contributions to deliver the airline’s offerings. Strategy-based planning addresses both the resource allocation and organization structural issues.Developing a business model for the airline based on a strategic analysis of opportunities and requirements form a platform for planning resources going forward. It also responds to: †¢ †¢ †¢ limitations in utilizing resources uncertainties of the fut ure dynamics of the airline business Business Requirements Strategic Management Strategic management is a disciplined yet adaptive endeavor to chart the future of the airline and align the activities of all business units in that direction.This attempt must be flexible, not rigid, so that the roadmap that it creates can be applied in building sensible operating and tactical plans that can incorporate new realities as the future unfolds. The strategy-savvy airlines reap the rewards of performing better while avoiding the detrimental effects of unstructured, undisciplined response to strategic challenges. Over time, only the airlines will survive that can master designing an advanced yet pragmatic strategic planning process.Such a process must encompass all significant considerations for constructing a blueprint of actions and allocating resources for properly executing those actions. CA Advisors 1250 Aviation Avenue Suite 200M San Jose, California 95110 USA Tel: 408-295-7730 Fax: 408 -280-5700 www. ca-advisors. com Gesellschaft fuer Markt und Strategieberatung Sonnenberger Strasse 52 65193 Wiesbaden GERMANY Tel: 0611-37577-39 Fax: 0611-37577-40 www. gms-beratung. com What is the airline trying to achieve? How is the airline going to achieve it? Objectives Strategy Strategic Analyses StructureHow will the airline organize its resources? Business Model Policies What are the operating rules and boundaries? Strategy-based Planning Structured Approach to Strategic Planning Seminar agenda†¦ Day One †¢ Introduction – strategic management perspective – structured approach to strategic planning Day Two †¢ Planning Optimization – allocating resources – developing prioritization †¢ Airline Business – unique features – models and economics †¢ Financial Planning – investment analysis – financing methods †¢ Strategy Development – practical considerations – innovative approaches †¢ Asset Valuation Real Options methodology – managing uncertainties †¢ Strategic Planning Process – components and requirements – execution and evaluation †¢ Integrated Strategic Management – thriving financially – performing operationally Who should attend†¦ This seminar delivers methods and tools for creating innovative strategies and executing strategic plans at both the corporate level and organizational units. Lessons learned can be quickly applied, facilitating the complex process of strategic decision-making. Airline corporate development and strategic planning executives, managers, and analysts directly profit from this seminar.Those responsible for long-range planning of various functional areas, business development, fleet planning, product and service development, corporate finance, treasury and financing, financial and investment analysis, financial planning and budgeting who directly face the challenges in strateg ic planning are the primary audience. Others in scheduling, marketing, and operations, who are impacted by strategic plans, are also encouraged to attend so that they can benefit from understanding the difficult and complex process of developing strategies and implementing strategic decisions that significantly impact the airline.Benefit from experienced leaders†¦ Two experts who combine extensive experience in strategic planning, airline strategies, and market development with knowledge of advanced quantitative planning and management science techniques will present the seminar. Jahan Alamzad Email: jahan. [email  protected] com Jahan Alamzad is president of CA Advisors. He has served as advisor to Applied Decision Analysis (ADA), a unit of Standard & Poor’s Corporate Value Consulting, where he was previously the director of airline practice. (ADA was a wholly owned subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC between 1998 and 2001. ) Mr.Alamzad has been a management cons ultant in the airline and aerospace industries for the past seventeen years. Before his consulting career, he worked at American Airlines and United Airlines. Mr. Alamzad holds a masters in operations research from Stanford University, as well as a masters in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California, and bachelors degrees in civil engineering and electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. He has served on the faculty of the Department of Aviation at San Jose State University, and has collaborated in publishing a textbook entitled Airline Management.Maciej Mazurowicz Email: maciej. [email  protected] de Maciej Mazurowicz is managing partner of Gesellschaft fuer Markt- und Strategieberatung (GMS). Prior to GMS, Mr. Mazurowicz worked at Lufthansa German Airlines in different strategic management positions. At Lufthansa Consulting, he managed a variety of business development projects for airlines worldwide. Mr. Mazurowicz holds a Mast er of Business Administration and bachelors in business from the University of Kiel. His publications include articles on behalf of the German Ministry of Economics concerning product development and management of innovations.About CA Advisors†¦ www. ca-advisors. com CA Advisors is a management consulting firm dedicated to providing state-of-the-art analytical services. By applying powerful and practical tools, the firm helps its client understand their business positions and improve their strategic and operational decisions. To ensure the success of its work, the firm is committed to collaborating closely with its clients, communicating clearly about its approach, and delivering valuable results that are logically sound. For many years, the work of CA Advisors rofessionals has spanned a wide range of projects. The firm has a focused and dedicated practice in the airline industry, with a breath of expertise in aerospace and aviation. The experience of the firm’s professi onals extends from traditional applications in logistics and resource allocation to more innovative applications in strategic planning. GMS is a management consulting company supporting clients in strategic planning and business development. GMS focuses in planning, marketing and sales, and assists clients in developing and implementing business strategies.GMS experts facilitate the evaluation of the business environment, forecast and analysis of market scenarios, and development of organizational structures by applying a wide range of state-of-the-art analytical tools and business methods, resulting in optimized financial and operational performance of clients. GMS ensures efficient project realization through a network of cooperation partners – from complete IT solutions up to personnel training. About GMS†¦ www. gms-beratung. de

Marketing Pizza Hut in Nigeria Essay

Executive Summary The fast-food industry has been one of the most successful industries even with the economic meltdown that occurred in 2008; its success is due to the relative low cost of its products and Pizza Hut is an example. Established in the United States in 1958 by two brothers, the company has since grown from being local company to an international company with over 11,000 units in the United States and across the World. The company has branded its image and name for being one the leading pizza making restaurants in the world. Despite its presence internationally the company is still yet to dominate Africa, although, Africa is developing region with a lot environmental risk in certain regions some countries are taking measures to remedy such risks; with outlets in the Northern and Southern Africa the company can expand in other areas. The suitable location will be Nigeria located on the Western side of Africa. Nigeria being the most populated country in Africa is country with abundant resources, oil and gas are the major source of income with agriculture following suit. The country has a wide range different cultural background each exhibiting one’s own way life, but the country is united as one nation with English being the official language. Although, the country is known to be environmentally risky region, the government is adopting a new reform that will benefit the nation and encourage Foreign Direct Investment. For Pizza Hut, franchising its restaurant to such  location will increase its strength and presence in the African region with other countries likely to follow the path. History Pizza Hut was started in the city of Wichita, Kansas in the United States in 1958. It was two brothers â€Å"Dan and Frank Carney† while studying in college in Wichita, Kansas were approached by a family friend with the impression of opening a pizza store. Being inspired with the idea, they borrowed an amount of six hundred dollars from their mother and procured some second hand equipment’s and hired a small building on a busy intersection in their hometown. Thus became the start of the of the greatest pizza name in the world. The company incorporated after a year and its initial franchise began in Topeka. (Entrepreneur Media, Inc., 2013) Background Overview Pizza Hut is an American chain of restaurants and international franchise that offers various types of Pizza’s along with a variety of side dishes and desserts. Pizza Hut began franchising around 1959. Pizza Hut otherwise known as Pizza Hut, Inc., in the corporate world became a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., as of 1997. Yum! Brands, Inc., is considered to be the largest restaurant company around the globe. Our study indicated that Pizza Hut has around 14,357 franchise units around the world today and also is ranked 10th among the top 10 franchises for 2013. (Entrepreneur Media, Inc., 2013) Purpose The purpose of this report would be to make use of the study and results to prepare a marketing report incorporating Pizza Hut, Inc., in Nigeria, Africa in order to disclose a marketing audit, plan and strategy and also use the appropriate material and subjects related to entering the Nigerian Market. There would however be a portion of concerns and reasons that would involve the company while shifting and familiarizing to the new location. However due to high cost of these fast food brands, many people still cannot afford it. Hence reasonable prices are to be varied in order to compete in these types of challenging markets. Country Overview: NIGERIA Nigeria also known as the ‘Giant of Africa’ is the most populous country in Africa. Nigeria was colonized by the British and got her independence on October 1st 1960. The country is a federal constitutional republic, with 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. There are over 250 ethnics groups in Nigeria, which the majority being Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. After the country’s independence the country had a civil war that led to the formation of military regime during the 70s till 1999, which saw the beginning of a democratic regime. Culture and Religion With a population of over 160 million people living in Nigeria, projected figures shows that the religious demographic indicate that 50% of the population are Muslims, 40% Christians and 10% practice their indigenous belief (CIA World Fact book). In Nigerian society religion plays a major role in people’s way of life; Islam is of majority in the Northern region, which is dominated by the Hausas while Christianity is in the Southern region. The Yorubas have a more diverse religion and those in the middle-belt practice their own indigenous belief. Throughout the country religion is a means for social mobility, providing means of incorporation into business and political circles as well as educational system (Library of Congress). Politics and Government The Constitution of Nigeria shows that the country is a sovereign state, whose citizens are bounded together by a Federal arrangement. The branches of government is divided into three; the Executive, a Judiciary, and a Legislative. The Executive power is solely for the President who is also the chief of state and head of the government. The Legislative branch consists of the Senate members, and House of Representatives, and the Judiciary consists of the all the legal system both at Federal level and State level. The president appoints members of the Supreme Court subject to confirmation by the Senate. There multiple political parties in Nigeria of which three are very strong, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and Alliance Congress (AC); the PDP has been ruling the country for over a decade. (Nigeria: GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS). Legal System The legal system in Nigeria is a combination of statutory law, English common law, customary law, and in the northern region Islamic law. The Federal and State courts apply the English common law, while the local courts apply customary and Islamic law (Nigeria: GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS). Economy Nigeria being an oil-rich nation has been faced with heavy political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor management, but in 2008 started economic reforms. GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) = $ 455.5 billion (2012 est.) Compared to the rest of the world = 31 GDP (PPP) 2011 = $ 428.4 billion GDP (Real Growth Rate) = 6.3% (2012) Compared to the world = 41 GDP (Real Growth Rate) 2011 = 7.4% GDP (Per Capita) 2012 = $2,800 Compared to the world 180 GDP (Per Capita) 2011 = $2,700 (CIA World Fact Book) The economy of Nigeria slowed down in 2012 as shown above; the oil sector continues to be the major contribution of the regions revenue with a growth rate of 8% compared to -0.35% in the non-oil sector. Economic activities are mostly denominated by Agriculture, gas and oil sectors in Nigeria. Though the economic reform looks strong there are still challenges the country needs to face. There is a high unemployment that rose from 21% in 2010 to 24% in 2011. Another downside to the economy is the security challenges arising from religious or ethnic conflicts, costs associated with environmental factors, and the slow global economic growth and the sovereign debt crisis in the Euro region. Demographics Population http://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/age_structure.htmlworld fact book The above population pyramid shows a structure of a countries population, population Is distributed on the horizontal axis, which is divided by male on the left and females on the right. The X-axis indicates population and the Y-axis has distinguished age groups. Economic statistics The economy in Nigeria is a mixed economy with developing market sectors (legal, finance, communication, transport, entertainment). Nigeria is ranked 36th in terms of GDP as of 2013. Due to the resilience witnessed in 2012, the economy of Nigeria is expected to grow rapidly and gain stability. Nigeria GDP growth slowed down from by 7.4 % in 2011 to 6.6% in 2012. In diversity with sectors in Nigeria, agriculture stands the highest contributor, followed by crude oil, natural gas and wholesale products. Economy in Nigeria is the largest in West Africa and top three in Africa. Personal income per capita http://www.tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/gdp†per†capita Personal income per capita has improved over the years and has maintained a stable growth from 2004 – 2012 due to the improved income to the country from crude oil and agriculture. From $726.4 per person in 2004 and a drastic change in 2012 with $1052.3 per person. Gradually with the development and newfound opportunities in Nigeria the income per capita will steadily grow. Foreign investment Before the exporting of oil, agriculture was one of the largest fractions in the countries earnings. A key for direct foreign investments in Nigeria is the oil and gas sector. Other foreign investment opportunities such as telecommunications, electricity, real estate, food and beverage, consumer goods, health care and tourism. Working conditions Working conditions in Nigeria is far from ideal, apart from civil servants and employees of foreign countries, working conditions and wages are acceptable. This may not be the condition of the local people in Nigeria. Protests by the trade union leaders, strikes, income inequalities, late payment, poor wages affect the standard of living in Nigeria. Technological analysis Infrastructure in Nigeria is weak; it is one of the main problems that affect the growth of the country. Unreliable electricity, water resource, road, transport have pulled back the growth of Nigeria in the previous years. In recent developments the country has public– private partnership, investors and international companies moving into these regions for a better prospect and can revive the economy. Market Audit The Product When considering the market audit and competitive market analysis for any business, there are four factors to consider fundamentally. These four factors are product, price, promotion, and placement. Pizza Hut is a fast food restaurant chain that provides the dine-in and take-away services for fast food customers. The other external and internal environmental force such as the cultural, legal and political also has the greater impact on the product availability, its sales, marketing and reputation. The legal forces are unbiased to start a business venture in Africa, specifically the fast food chains such as Pizza Hut. Some social and cultural forces also play an influential role in creating and destroying the opportunities for any business. KFC, Donut King, Dominos, and Italian Pizza are most well renowned names in providing the high quality fast food products in these markets and are using the high standard advertising and promotional strategies thus the competition is challenging. T he understanding of recent advertising, trends, promotions and marketing ways are considered to be necessary when stepping into the Nigerian fast food products market. The Market Market is a place where major process of the business takes place. The economical, political, social, cultural, financial, legal and technological forces are basically some of the factors that play a significant role in creating and destroying the opportunities for any business. If the economy of the country where the product or service would be marketed is stable and unbiased, it is a great opportunity for the businesses. The political and legal stability plays a vital role for starting any business in a country. The social and cultural environmental forces are most significant to consider because they contain people, the real buyers of the products and services. (Glader, 2006, pp. 16). Nigeria’s culture and tradition are slightly different than the other regions of the world i.e. UK and USA. There are several languages are being spoken in Nigeria, but the official language is English. This is one of the best strength of Nigerian culture that welcomes the foreign firms to join the Nigerian market. The legal system of Nigeria is a combination of several laws and principles including Islamic, customary and English laws. There could be some threats for the fast foods businesses because of diverse religions and laws systems. Nigeria has a mixed economy and stands at the 36th position in terms of GDP as of 2013. The agricultural industry of Nigeria significantly supported its economy followed by the natural resources of crude oil, natural gas and wholesale products. The income per capita increased in the period of 2004-2012 (Trading Economic, 2013). The income status of people is acceptable, but not for general Nigerian public. However, the earning people are able to afford the fast food product purchase even in regular intervals. While the poor wages of most of the people, late payments and strikes can often make critical situations in the country. Figure : GDP Per Capita The technological advancement is growing rapidly in Nigeria and it is a most important advantage for MNC’s. The online markets are majorly playing important role in bringing buyers and sellers closer. People now prefer to use online platforms for placing orders and making purchases. Thus the  online promotional strategy and also television and physical ad banners would be helpful for Pizza Hut if implemented. Several other products are also getting rapid fame among people such as MacDonald’s and Italian Pizza. The introduction of several beneficial schemes and promotions such as coupons, gifts, weekend packages and midnight offers would be profitable and would also help Pizza Hut to get rapid repute and vast customer circle. Market size The market size of the host country describes the demand and supply scale of the products. To supply the products in any host country there must be sufficient potential demand. Larger the market size, better the economical growth would be (Wei & Liu, 2001, pp.38). Several international investors and marketers have opened their retail business in Nigerian market such as Shoprite, Artee Industries Ltd, and Internationale Spar Centrale BV in 2012. The rapidly increasing population of Nigeria will generate the strong and ever going demand for international products specifically the fast food products. The increasing rate of urbanization and positive economic outlook of Nigeria will support the MNC’s. (Euro Monitor, 2013). Competitors One of the main competitors and its product prices in Lagos is: Dominos Pizza Domino’s Pizza is a popular pizza joint in Lagos. They offer both dine in and home delivery services. Their motto is to spread happiness around Lagos. Products and Prices Domino’s main offering may be pizza but a wide variety of side orders is also offered by the fast food joint. The price list of their popular products is as follows: Chicken Feast Grilled chicken breast, mushrooms and sweet corn. Medium: â‚ ¦ 2,000 Large: â‚ ¦ 2,900 Hot Pepperoni Feast Extra beef pepperoni, red chillies & extra mozzarella cheese Medium: â‚ ¦ 2,000 Large: â‚ ¦ 2,900 Hot Veggie Onion, green pepper, banana, red chillies & tomatoes Medium: â‚ ¦ 2,000 Large: â‚ ¦ 2,900 BBQ Chicken Grilled chicken breast, Onions & BBQ sauce. Medium: â‚ ¦ 2,300 Large: â‚ ¦ 3,200 BBQ Philly Steak Philly steak, Beef topping, Onions & BBQ sauce Medium: â‚ ¦ 2,300 Large: â‚ ¦ 3,200 Meal Deals and side orders are also offered. The joint also serves Cold Stone Ice cream Promotion and Advertising Domino’s pizza uses different channels of advertisement and promotion. Billboards and hoardings are used to promote special deals and discounts. The fast food joint has a website that houses the menu and also facilitates online order booking. Domino’s prides itself on its ability to make prompt deliveries throughout Lagos. Distribution Domino’s Pizza has six main outlets in Lagos. The bulk of distribution is attributed to home delivery. Apart from these international fast food chains, many local fast food joints are open in Lagos. These include Mario’s Pizza and fast food Sweet Sensation Mama Cass Ghana High These fast food chains offer a wide range of discount deals and competitive prices. Pricing Strategy Pricing is one of the most important aspects of the marketing mix of the product. Product placement and promotion depends on how the product has been priced. In order to set a pricing strategy, pricing objectives must be set. These include: Current profit maximization Current revenue maximization Maximize quantity Maximize profit margin Quality leadership Partial cost recovery Survival Status quo Since Pizza Hut will be introducing its products in Lagos for the first time, its pricing object should be to ‘maximise quantity’ and ultimately become the market leader. In order to attain this status Pizza Hut may employ one of the two pricing strategies: Skim Pricing: whereby the company prices its products high. This offers profit maximisation. By adopting this strategy the company assumes the stance of serving a niche market. Penetration Pricing: whereby products are priced low to maximise quantity and ease into the market. Since, the target market for Pizza hut is price sensitive and highly elastic, the best pricing strategy would be ‘Penetration Pricing’. By pricing the products low at the beginning, Pizza Hut would be able to gain more market share and cater to a greater market. Pricing Methods Several pricing methods may be employed to satisfy the pricing objectives of the company. These methods vary from product to product. Some companies may use different and innovative pricing methods that better satisfy the needs of both the customer and the company. Traditionally used pricing methods include: Cost-plus pricing: based on production cost plus a certain profit margin Target-return pricing: based on a target return-on-investment Value-based pricing: based on value offered relative to competitors Psychological pricing: based on customer’s perception and demand Pizza Hut may employ any one or a combination of the above mentioned pricing methods to accomplish its pricing objectives. Price Discounts The list price is normally discounted for the distribution channel. This may be done in the following ways: Quantity discount Cumulative quantity discount Seasonal Discount Cash discount Trade discount Promotional discount Pizza hut could offer the following price discounts to its customers: Quantity discounts: whereby customers buying in greater quantities could be offered special deals and discounts Promotional discounts: special promotions could be used to boost sales Marketing Plan Marketing Objectives Marketing objectives helps define what a company wants to achieve through it’s marketing activities. Firms from different industries create their marketing objectives by doing a thorough analysis of their firms SWOT analysis in order to identify the key areas of concentration. For Pizza Hut, to define its marketing objectives it has to decide on the entry strategy that it will adopt for Nigeria. Entry Strategy One of the leading markets in Sub-Saharan Africa is Nigeria with a population of above 158 million. However Nigeria having a wide range of ethnic groups is an environment with high risk potential. It would be advisable for Pizza Hut to franchise the company to another company in Nigeria, in order to reduce unforeseen risk. A franchise is an agreement between two parties where the franchisor sells the right to franchise the company to a franchisee. However due to the changes in routines and consumer flavors, preferences are readily growing towards packed and convenient foods. All these matters are assisting the country’s retail food sector to develop. In growing markets like Nigeria, consumers would always prefer to have a cuisine that is more appropriate to the native palate rather than an  Ã¢â‚¬Å"international† cuisine Finding the right partner to sell the rights might be quite daunting but Devyani International Limited an Indian based company with operation in Nigeria might be good partner to sell the franchise to. Devyani International Limited an associate company of RJ-Corp – Largest bottler for Pepsico with currently having about 300 outlets of Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa, Swensen’s, and many more brands in India (Devyani International Limited). The company opened KFC in Nigeria as of 2009 and is currently investing on opening more outlets in the region (Business New Nigeria). Our study showed that an average Nigerian spends around 72.97% of his/her income on food. The table below shows the percentage of total food expenditure in Nigeria as of 2010. IMAP’s Food & Beverage Industry Global Report – 2010 Total Food Expenditure Percentage of Total Expenditure (%) Beverages/Tobacco 2.73 Meat 12.88 Fish 15.22 Diary 5.61 Breads/Cereals 34.08 Fats/Oils 5.15 Fruits/Vegetables 15.44 Other Foods 8.89 Percentage of Total Food Expenditure (%) 72.97 After selecting the entry strategy, establishing the SMART approach for the marketing objective would seem useful. This will however help to ensure the objective are: Specific – explains what needs to be gained. Measurable – objectives should be measurable in terms of performance indicators, percentages, outcomes, and much more. Action-oriented – State which action need to taken and who should take them. Realistic – the resources available should be able to meet the objectives. Time Specific – specify time frame and schedules for achievements or completion. To achieve the SMART approach, Pizza Hut will have to train the management of its franchisee on how to operate and manage the business similar to that of Pizza Hut’s method. Product Adaptation The key for international food chains such as Pizza Hut is to emphasize on adapting and accepting the local palate and then developing innovative foods to win over the native consumers. The term ‘Product Adaptation’ uses the strategy of the follower. That is the new product is based on improvements or modifications of the current product of the company (MBA Skool). To be successful in an international market it necessary for a firm to adapt its product to meet international customers’ or markets needs (Small Biz Connect). For Pizza Hut, it will have to rely on the franchisee to foresee the product adaptation in the region. The franchisee with its extensive knowledge in the market understands consumer preferences, even though Nigeria is country with wide range of cultures but each culture share common trait in its region. Promotion Mix: Promotion is the method used to create awareness about a product or service to customers a firm offers (Small Business Development). Once the business has started the following are means to raise awareness to the public about the company: 1. Advertising – one of the most important forms of passing information to  the general public. It is a form of communication used to convince or persuade potential consumers to choose a company’s product or service over its competitors (Small Business Development). Successful advertising should be planned properly so that the consumer perceives the intended messages. There many types of media options to choose for advertising; choosing which type of media depends on the market a firm is trying target and also on the budget. The types of media include: press advertising, radio, television, direct mail, ambient, and much more. Firms should be careful on selecting the type of media (or mixture) for advertising their product so as not waste resources, a famous quote from John Wanamaker (1838-1922) state â€Å"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted – the trouble is I do not know which half† (Small Business Development). 2. Sales Promotion – relates to incentives or activities mostly short-term that produces the likelihood of purchase or sale of a product. Sales promotions can be used to target different types of customers, types of promotions include: consumer, business, trade, and Sales force promotions. 3. Public Relation – this is all about building relationship with stakeholders of a company by obtaining favorable publicity, incorporating a strong brand image and name, and providing accurate information to the public. Having a strong relationship with stakeholders can generate positive outcomes for a firm where customers can provide good recommendation to others due their satisfaction with the company (Small Business Development). The franchisee of Pizza Hut should be able to use any of the above-mentioned promotion or use all of them. For the advertising both parties should discuss on the cost for doing the advertisement whether both would share the cost or one party would be responsible. Channels of Distribution Agricultural and livestock products have a high import tariff in Nigeria; the government imposed such high tariffs as part of their economic reform to boost the economy and to support the agricultural sector. Pizza Hut would face high tariffs if it were going to supply the business with its own  produce. The company or the franchisee can partner with any of the intermediaries to provide the company with agricultural products; this in short would save the firm cost it would have to bear due to import tariffs and compensating with high prices of the products to the customers. SWOT Analysis Conclusion Once colonized by the British, Nigeria is known as the â€Å"Giant of Africa† which is one of the most populous countries in Africa. Having a population of over 160 million people and over 250 ethnic groups with each having their own dialects, it is a mixed economy with developing market sectors. Even though a majority of the general population are earning low incomes, the increasing rate of urbanization and positive economic outlook of Nigeria will support the multinational companies. Due to the rapid growth in technology in the country, various sources of promotional strategies can be followed such as online platforms and other beneficial schemes in order to help the business to get a rapid fame and vast customer circle. Hence through continuous marketing plans and strategies, we can extent the label of our fast food joint around the nation and generate happiness among the people. References Entrepreneur Media. 2013. Pizza Hut Inc.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/pizzahutinc/282696-0.html. [Accessed 04 November 13]. Oliver Joy and Tatiana Nassar. 2013. Fast-food giants want pizza the action in Africa. [ONLINE] Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/04/business/fast-food-giants-africa/. [Accessed 06 November 13]. Uche M. Nzeka. 2011. Steady Growth of Nigeriaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Retail Food Sector . [ONLINE] Available at: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/Retail.pdf. [Accessed 12 November 13]. ATKearney. 2013. Winning in Food in Emerging Markets: One Size Does Not Fit All – See more at: http://www.atkearney.pl/consumer-products-retail/ideas-insights/featured-article/-/asset_publisher/KQNW4F0xInID/content/winning-in-food-in-emerging-markets-one-size-does-not-fit-all/10192#sthash.tunoBVJP.dpuf. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.atkearney.pl/consumer-products-retail/ideas-insights/featured-article/-/asset_publisher/KQNW4F0xInID/content/winning-in-food-in-emerging-markets-one-size-does-not-fit-all/10192. [Accessed 22 November 13]. Focus Nigeria. 2008. Nigerian Politics & Government. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.focusnigeria.com/nigerian-politics.htm. [Accessed 24 November 13]. Monga Bay. 2011. Nigeria: GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS. 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Case Study:Pizza Hut,Inc.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/45066/case-study-pizza-hut-inc. [Accessed 26 November 13]. Trading Economics. 2012. GDP PER CAPITA GROWTH (ANNUAL %) IN NIGERIA.

Inflation and Cost-push Factor Essay

Cost-push factor inflation occurs when there is increase in cost of production of an item, which then gets translated into a higher price for that item in the market. Demand-pull factor inflation occurs when there is more money with the consumers compared to the total number of goods available in the market. With too much money chasing too few goods, prices rise because people are willing to pay more for the same item. This type of inflation generally happened when the demand exceeds supply. On the other hand, when prices fall it is known as deflation. However this is more of a theoretical concept as developing countries rarely experience deflation. Inflation in india: A combination of both cost-push and demand-pull factor exist in india. However cost-push factors are more apparent in the post liberalization period. Prices in india basically increase due to an increase in petroleum product prices, primarily because petroleum is vital input in many manufactured items and also an essential fuel for road transport, aviation and even the railways. As transportation costs rise, the prices of other products tend to rise in general. A noteworthy instance of price rise is the demand-pull factors that led to a steep rise in the price of onions in the year 2000, causing an artificial shortage in the market. In india inflation is calculated on the wholesale price index (WPI), representing the increase in wholesale price market. But it differs greatly if calculated on the consumer price index (CPI), which matters more to consumers. However, calculation of inflation is on wholesale price index because they are more or less same throughout the country, while the consumer or retail prices vary across the different regions (rural and urban) and also among different cities, depending on consumer preference for certain products, the supply and the purchase power. Taxes levied by different states also play an important role in the variation of prices of the same product from one state to another. Though wholesale prices rise at a slow pace (2-3%) comparatively, consumer prices tend to rise at a faster rate (8-9%), which is why we feel the pinch. One of the reason for this is the substantial retailer’s margin, which is built into what the consumer pays. Besides, the way the two indices are calculated differ both in terms of weightages assigned to respective products as well as the kind of item included in the basket of products. However, inflation is a necessary evil for developing and developed countries.

MANAGING THE ORGANIZATION'S STRUCTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MANAGING THE ORGANIZATION'S STRUCTURE - Essay Example ops a working environment that guarantees the trust and respect for employees by allowing them to make fundamental contribution to organizational goals and objectives (Dammen, 2001). Organizational structure also influences how organizational members perform, communicate, decide, and coordinate their affairs. An effective organizational structure enables the employees to show the management how they can utilize their creativity and teamwork, which enhances productivity (Dammen, 2001). Organization’s structure affects the well-being of its members and influences the members’ behaviors since it can relieve mental stress and limit increased absenteeism. Indeed, literature confirms that â€Å"organizational structure is an extrinsic factor, which influences people’s behaviour from the outside, through formal limitations set by division of labor, authority distribution, grouping of units, and coordination† (Janićijević, 2013, p. 36). Through successful organizational designs, organizations gain the capacity to compete in the global arena where they define the roles and stipulate the relationships between members of the organization with an aim of guaranteeing effectiveness and efficiency. Organizations achieve this by influencing organizational behaviors as depicted by the managers and employees. Successful organization designs reduce ambiguity for employees leading to certain and effective behaviors. Moreover, organization designs influence the employees’ job satisfaction, performance, job involvement, absenteeism, preferences, and cultural norms. Organizational design defines the division of labor, coordination, grouping, and authority distribution in an organization, which influencing organizational behaviors. For example, functional organizational design subdivides work into specific areas of specialization, which may lead to boredom as members become tired of doing the same thing for long. The matrix structure also influences organizational behaviors

Research Proposal on the Influence of Gender and Age on Cyber Bulling

On the Influence of Gender and Age on Cyber Bulling - Research Proposal Example However, with the advancements in information technology have arisen insecurity issues. Insecurity issues have in turn sparked far reaching implications to the users. In particularly, insecurity issues in information technology have been closely associated with internet usability. This comes when the usefulness of internet cannot be presently overemphasized. It is for this reason that information technology and security issues become critical. Important, though, have been the concerns on how to address these forms of insecurity. Background of the Problem The aspect on information technology that is paramount to this discussion is cyber bullying and how whether or not it is affected by age or gender. According to Hopeline (2011), cyber bullying has emerged to be the newest platform on which the youths are increasingly abusing each other. The more concerning issue is that there are currently no appropriate techniques that intervene for cyber bullying despite large numbers of kids who a ccess the information technologies. Internet and cell phone communications have been cited as tools for Cyber bullying. According to Hopline, what appalls even more is that Cyber bullying occurs during kids’ class time. Hopline cites that cyber bullying has far reaching implications on kids, so that the victims (kids) of cyber bullying only feel safe when in their bedrooms. This clearly shows that it does not under all circumstances hold that cyber bullying causes physical harm. However, cyber bullying is mostly associated with causation of harmful emotional fallout which may cumulate to other far reaching consequences. It is factual that kids are major victims of cyber bullying. It is also true that cyber... This essay says that the researcher has set out research questions in an attempt to identifying specific considerations to make in order to achieve the purposes outlined above. The research questions are said to have very close relation with the purpose of the study in the sense that the research questions are going to be tackled during research work. Successful completion of this research work will come with a lot of significance to a lot of people, especially primary and secondary students. This report shall be conventional to the guidelines of the Ethics of a University. Before starting the process of handling the questionnaires to the children, letters shall be sent to parents and to head-teachers, describing the nature of the study. These letters will serve the purpose of informing them about the content of the questionnaire. The main aim additionally, shall be to confirm about the confidentiality of the study. In this respect, parents shall sign the parental consent forms as an approval for their children to participate in the study. In this regard, they shall have one week deadline to send them back to the researcher. It shall also be required that teachers and head-teachers approve the study. This, therefore, necessitated that this researcher inform them about the study, the collection of data, and the process to be followed and about the privacy of the questionnaires. It is also worth noting that teachers will be informed that they will be present during the proc ess of the survey and if they have any objection that need be discussed with the researcher.

Jet Blue in the United Kingdom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jet Blue in the United Kingdom - Research Paper Example As an MNE, Jet Blue also services Aruba, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Bermuda. Jet Blue is able to compete with much larger U.S.-based airline companies such as American Airlines as the business has been able to shed much of its high operating costs related to supply chain and fleet management by maintaining a lean operations methodology (Jet Blue, 2011). Price reductions in the form of lower and competitive ticket prices are accomplished through its lean business model that makes Jet Blue an attractive alternative to high-frills airline companies. A country where Jet Blue does not have market presence is the United Kingdom, a generally attractive market for foreign direct investment by the organization. The United Kingdom maintains a significant airline infrastructure that will assist Jet Blue in establishing a centralized hub in order to serve the UK market effectively. Major renovations to such airports as Heathrow International have provided more traffic space and feasibi lity for structured and timely arrivals and departures. Alongside the infrastructure exists recent government deregulation of the airline industry that had once controlled pricing and established anti-monopoly legislation by major carriers. This has removed some of the financial and regulatory barriers to new entry by airline competitors, making the United Kingdom a viable market for direct investment. Another advantage of investing in the United Kingdom is the economic environment. Currently, the United Kingdom still measures its currency against the Pound Sterling, a method of isolating volatility and risk associated with the current Eurozone economic crisis related to the Euro. The UK Pound Sterling is currently worth $1.61 as compared to a single U.S. dollar. Jet Blue currently has established a very viable and well-developed supply infrastructure within the United States, giving it many comparative advantages in relation to procurement. By investing in the United Kingdom, Jet B lue can establish a moderately higher pricing structure that is comparative to the British Pound Sterling, providing profit opportunities of approximately 60 percent, especially when moving materials procured in the United States into the foreign UK market where import pricing risks are dramatically reduced compared to this much higher-valued Sterling currency. Procurement costs for on-board operations management will be fundamentally less expensive than in the United States if not procured domestically in the United Kingdom. There is, however, a significant disadvantage to entering the United Kingdom for direct investment. There are currently many different low cost carriers, such as RyanAir and Air Asia, that provide similar low-cost and low-frills options for consumers and business travelers. Deregulation occurring in the last few years has removed entry barriers to these companies that now have high cash flow and considerable positive brand reputation with price sensitive consum ers. Even Virgin Airlines offers similar low-cost methodology allowing this carrier and those such as RyanAir and Air Asia to have comparative and competitive advantages in pricing and quality. Jet Blue is not a well-known brand name in the United Kingdom which could provide much higher cost allocation toward the promotional function (such as advertising and online marketing) in order to compete in this dynamic competitive market. Minimizing foreign exchange risks is not that complicated for Jet Blue, considering the currencies regularly traded in this market. The Euro and the Pound Sterling are both valued much higher than the

DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WRITE IT ON Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WRITE IT ON - Essay Example The revolution in Russia that occurred in 1917 has a central place in the history of the world as well, the history of states that fall within the league of Baltic nations. These constitute Lithuania and Latvia as well as Estonia. The people of the Baltic nations also played a central role in the revolution of 1917, with significant stress on the Bolsheviks in Latvia, who primarily constituted a significant majority of the famous Red Guards that made it their duty to take side with the Bolsheviks in Russia which was absolutely critical at the initial times of the revolution. In the earlier revolution periods in 1905, which was the pioneer revolution in Russia, peasants that were scattered all over the Baltic states took advantage of the Russian Revolution to aggress against their leaders. At given varied moments in history, peasants from Latvia as well as Estonia had been under the rule of the Tsarist regime in Russia, the Swedish kingdom as well as the nobility in German. Peasants in Lithuania had been under the rule of Russia and prior to that, the Kingdom of Poland (1569-1791). The peasants in the ruled states took advantage of the revolution in Russia to control their destiny in their respective states by agitating for establishment of self rule. Despite this fact, the revolution did not lead into immediate independence as they had to wait until the period ranging from 1918-1940 for independence. The people that formed the citizenry of Baltic States which primarily are the present Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, had been under the manacles of serfdom that characterised their existence from periods that traced back from the twelfth century to the entire 19th century. The Baltic region has in history formed ground for confrontation. The most notable of its rulers were the nobility in Germany as well as Poland, Sweden as well as the Tsarist regime in Russia. A significant majority of the Baltic Population that constituted Lithuanians, Estonians and Latvians

Conduct a critical examination and discussion of the Assignment

Conduct a critical examination and discussion of the Marketing-Entrepreneurship interface and the proposed use of Entrepreneurial Marketing within small firms - Assignment Example These challenges include constraints such as financial, marketing, management, customer services and so on. Furthermore, Day and Reynolds, (2011) makes recommendations that in order to increase the survival rate of new and other small business, these businesses shall give considerable attention to the Entrepreneurial Marketing. Entrepreneurial Marketing as a system has evolved to reduce the gap between the resources and capabilities required for employing traditional marketing tactics and the constraint resources of the new venture (Collinson & Shaw, 2001). According to Morris et al. (2002) Entrepreneurial Marketing is a system through which the new business ventures attempts to exploit the opportunities proactively, that enables the business to serve the new customers and retaining profitable ones with ideas that have not been presented yet to the market. This proactive system of value creation also allows the small ventures for risk management by effectively and efficiently managing limited resources accordingly. Therefore, with the EM the entrepreneurs do not only rely on basic marketing of four Ps but also at the same time give consideration to the innovative ideas that rejuvenate the concept to the target customers. In addition to this, it also implies that small business shall have considered all per spective that reduces the risk of doing business (Hills, Hultman, & Miles, 2008). For example, Dindin Kitchen is among the recently opened restaurants in London. The food industry in London is highly mature and competitive; therefore, small business with the idea to enter the restaurant industry differentiated its business offering with the Persian cuisine. With a limited budget, the business not only offered the differentiated idea, but also the limited offerings in order to explore the market response. Additionally, the one pager website as well as the social media account have been used which is as

The Kansas City Gun Experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Kansas City Gun Experiment - Essay Example Experiments are not the only research designs used to conduct research. There are other types of data-gathering strategies that can be used such as surveys, case studies, participant observation and unobtrusive measures. The most common type of unobtrusive measure is the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) where existing data collected and maintained by the FBI is used. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is a part of UCR. This experiment undertaken by the Kansas City Police Department was based on the theory that gun seizures and gun crime are inversely proportional. According to this theory gun seizures increase with the decrease of gun crimes. In order to test this theory and to reduce gun crime in Kansas City the Police Department used the quasi experimental design. It ordered extra patrol attention on gun crime â€Å"hot spots†. They conducted a target beat for 29 weeks. Specific and varied techniques were used by officers to detect guns, illegal weapon owners and high-risk youths. In order to protect civil liberties all searches and frisks conducted had to conform to legal guidelines. All arrests made for carrying illegal weapons had to be approved by a supervisory detective. A University of Maryland evaluator accompanied the officers when they went out to gather information. The data gathered was then analyzed. It was found that gun seizures in the target area increased by more than 65 percent and gun crimes declined by 49 percent whereas there was no significant change in areas not covered by the experiment. There was also a significant drop in homicides in target areas. The experiment also proved that the police can implement a program to increase seizures of illegal guns and that the productivity of Police officers increased when they were given the opportunity to focus only on gun detection in crime hot spots without being duty-bound to answer service calls. This program was

Personal Effectiveness Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Effectiveness Report - Assignment Example Mr. Eason and Mr. Abdulrahman as a marketing officer and advertising officer employed by the Western Australia State Government. They have been assigned to run the campaign with a big problem perplex the government. That is in recent years, many young people have died because of the alcohol related violence. Now with a report written by the Mr. Eason and Mr. Abdulrahman to found working in a team personalities can collide or even assent different kinds of problems. This six indicators are help Mr Eason and Mr Abdulrahman understand their own and test their character whether they can work together more effectively and efficient or not.And the test also help them find some problem and gives some recommendation let them work more easier. After the test Mr Eason’s and Mr Abdulrahman’s Hemispheric Dominance test, the result was as shown in the table below.According to the theory of left-brain or right-brain dominance, each side of the brain controls different types of thinking. Additionally, people are said to prefer one type of thinking over the other. For example, a person who is "left-brained" is often said to be more logical, anarchically, and objective, while a person who is "right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful, and subjective. According to the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory, the right side of the brain is best at expressive and creative tasks. Some of the abilities that are popularly associated with the right side of the brain include:recognizing faces,expressing emotions,music, reading emotions,color,images,intuition and creativity.And The left-side of the brain is considered to be adept at tasks that involve logic, language and analytical thinking. The left-brain is often described as being better at:language,logic,critical thinking numbers and reasoning. Eason’s responded as a right brained person 8 questions, and responded as a left brained person to 11 questions. According to the Hemispheric Dominance test,

Bib 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bib 8 - Essay Example According to the Acts, Peter had to flee from Jerusalem after the threats of persecution by King Agrippa and spent his time henceforth traveling and building churches all over. There is mention of Peter returning to the church in Jerusalem later but not much account has been given of him other than that in the Acts. Peter’s writings indicate that he was on missionary work in the areas of Asia Minor and also in Rome, working with Mark to translate his experiences with Christ and document the teachings and history (Niswonger, 1992). Peter’s ministry was mainly to the Jews. Peter’s First Epistle was written from Rome and addressed to people in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (Barlee, 1837). The issues raised by Peter mainly comprised the church persecution. Also, Peter detailed his own understanding of apostolic ethic. Peter’s second letter was addressed presumably to the same churches but the topic under discussion was the false teachers in the church. In the final years of his life, Paul saw the killing of his wife, was thrown into the Mamertine prison where he converted his jailers, was subjected to immense torture and was killed in 67AD by Nero (McBirnie). According to the Galatians, apostle John was in Jerusalem in the about 49AD where he rose to a position of great influence in Christianity; shortly after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, he moved to Ephesus (McBirnie) and stayed till his last years as a leader in the Ephesians church (Niswonger). Here under the Roman king’s decision, John was exiled to an island called Patmos where he was presented with the sacred book of Revelation and he recorded the events in New Testament book of Revelation (McBirnie) along with John’s letters. John addresses the people as the pastor and the apostle in a very personal manner and refers to himself as the ‘elder’. The main subject

Blockbusters and Star Wars Essay Example for Free

Blockbusters and Star Wars Essay If one views the top grossing films of all time, it becomes easy to see that most of the films rely heavily on computer generated images, whether to enhance live action or the animation of popular animated features. Many cinematic experts cite the fact that blockbusters in the last thirty years have relied increasingly on special effects to the point that they overshadow the plot, which in essence becomes superfluous. However, this is hardly the case, and most blockbuster films feature plotlines and ideologies that date back to the earliest days of cinema when special effects were scarce. One of the most popular film franchises in history, Star Wars contains not only special effects that helped change movie making, but it also features a plot with many of the same elements as classic western films, including the ideological battle of good versus evil, the wild frontier, and archetypal characters. In the first few years of its existence, cinema was nothing more than a novelty that possessed little artistic value. The idea of moving images was more than enough to attract audiences, though like all novelties, the public would soon grow weary of the invention without the efforts of men like Edwin S. Porter. Undoubtedly, Porter can be said to be the creator of the first blockbuster in movie history, with 1903’s The Great Train Robbery. The film advanced filmmaking in many regards, as not only the first western, but also by incorporating action, violence, frontier humor, color, special effects, and a full-screen closeup of a bandit firing his pistol at the audience. While a short film featuring only one reel of action, it soon led to the proliferation of the nickelodeon as the most popular and commercially successful film of the pre-nickelodeon era, establishing the idea that film could be a commercially-viable medium. This realization that films could make money would eventually become the driving force behind the Hollywood film industry, and the conventions of the western would serve as the perfect template for plots to the present day. When the Hollywood studio system emerged in the 1910s and 1920s, films were produced much in the way of automobiles, with an assembly line mentality and factory-based production operations that allowed the studios to dominate the movie industry in the U. S. and abroad. The impact of the western formula on the success of film was apparent and by the mid-1920s, nearly half of Universal Studio’s annual output of feature films was westerns. After remaining the most profitable genre of film for decades, by the 1960s the western had peaked both as a viable Hollywood commodity and as a national myth to ease Americas rural-urban transformation, in part brought low by a combination of market saturation and generic exhaustion. However, many of its familiar conventions would find their way into the plots of some of the biggest blockbusters in history. Over seventy years after Porter’s blockbuster, George Lucas would also change the face of cinema, relying on the basic plot techniques developed through the evolution of the western. Stars Wars is credited as ushering in not only the era of dominating special effects, but also remains one of the highest grossing blockbusters of all time, with a worldwide box office take of $797,000,000, not to mention another few billion from its subsequent sequels and prequels. While Star Wars contains amazing artistry in the scale and scope of its special effects, its plot still relies on the simple conventions of the western film, which are designed to be accessible to all audiences. Often considered the first blockbuster to star one of cinema’s greatest icons, John Wayne, the film Stagecoach is an adult drama that had deep roots and moral lessons that helped make it a timeless classic, whose plot is about a group of strangers thrown together on a journey and put under stress so that the strengths and weaknesses of the character within them is revealed; this same basic formula has been seen in blockbuster films like Apollo 13 and the biggest blockbuster in history, Titanic. While both of these later films are heavy with special effects, they feature these proven plot techniques, much like Star Wars. The first time viewers see the heroic Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, it almost looks like a scene from a western. The classic desert landscape, the flat, expansive land and the big sky are all classic icons of the western genre. It is this vastness that is a key characteristic in Star Wars and westerns. Specific settings for westerns include lonely isolated forts, the isolated homestead, the jail, or small frontier towns that are forming at the edges of civilization. Luke, much like the young heroes of westerns, yearns only to get off the farm and lead a life of greater excitement. It is only when the Empire storms through and kills his family is he forced to become a man and take on the evil forces conspired against him. Usually, the central plot of the western film is the classic, simple goal of maintaining law and order on the frontier in a fast-paced action story: â€Å"It is normally rooted in archetypal conflict good vs. bad, virtue vs. evil, white hat vs. black hat Often the hero of a western meets his opposite double, a mirror of his own evil side that he has to destroy† (Dirks). For Luke, the good, his opposition is Darth Vader, the evil. This point is even illustrated by the color of the clothing they wear, as Luke dresses in white and Vader is decked out in ominous black. This element of good versus evil, or white hat versus black hat is a key to western films and make it easy for viewers to delineate between good characters and bad characters is traditionally easy in conventional western movies. There is little question as to who the good guys and bad guys are. And, this is even seen in Luke’s sister, Leia, who begins the movie wearing an all-white dress. The white clothing of Luke and Leia link them through their apparent goodness, even though it is not revealed until later that they are brother and sister. The only character that is seen in both white and black is Han Solo, who wears a white shirt with a black vest. Unlike Luke and Leia, Han has elements of mischief and is also an outlaw. The white shirt signifies his goodness, while the black vest hints of his less than admirable qualitieshis greed, selfishness, and willingness to deal with shady characters. When Han is introduced into the movie, he kills an alien within the first few minutes. According to author Stephen D. Greydanus, this scene is typical of western films: â€Å"The saloon shootouts, of course, come from that other great American mythology, the Western. (So does Han Solo’s general cowboy look and demeanor. ) By the 1970s, though, the Western no longer enjoyed the hold on the popular imagination it once had, though its influence has continued to be felt in films [like] Star Wars†. With all the element of classic westerns, including cowboy-type characters, evil villains, and a plot filled with action, it would only seem appropriate that Star Wars also possessed a classic theme, as many popular westerns do. However, Han’s goodness is finally known and he becomes one of the rebels’ greatest assets and is one of the movie’s best examples of a western style cowboy. While Star Wars could be considered a western set in space, it certainly possesses more elements and intricacies of plot than are given credit. While none of the conventions are new, they helped infuse the modern blockbuster with the spirit of old Hollywood, to very profitable results. A few true westerns have become blockbusters in the past thirty years, most notably Dances with Wolves, which grossed $424,200,000 worldwide, and featured many of the same elements as Star Wars, including good versus evil, the encroaching omnipresent technological power, and the perseverant hero. Ironically, Dances With Wolves even won the Academy Award for best film, beating out the film Goodfellas, which actually ended with an homage to Edwin S. Porter’s original western; it featured one of the most sinister mobsters in the movie shooting his gun directly at the audience at the end of the film, almost exactly duplicating the ending of Porter’s film. This just goes to show that regardless of what genre today’s Hollywood blockbusters fall under, the plot elements of the American western permeate most, from the simple battle of good versus evil to the ultimate victory enjoyed by the pure-hearted hero. Bibliography All-Time Worldwide Box office, Internet Movie Database, 2008, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://imdb. com/boxoffice/alltimegross? region=world-wide. Dirks, Tim, The Great Train Robbery (1903), The Greatest Films, 2008, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. filmsite. org/grea. html. Dirks, Tim, Western Films, The Greatest Films, 2008, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. filmsite. org/westernfilms. html. Eyman, Scott and Gianetti, Louis, Flashback: A Brief History of Film, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 1991. Greydanus, Steven D. , An American Mythology: Why Star Wars Still Matters,† Decent Films Guide, 2007, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. decentfilms. com/sections/articles/starwars. html. Levy, Emanuel, Oscar History: Western GenreBest Picture, EmanuelLevy. com, 2008, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. emanuellevy. com/article. php? articleID=7193. Lucas, George. Star Wars. Hollywood, CA, Twentieth Century Fox, 1977. Schatz, Thomas, Cowboy Business, The New York Times, November 10, 2007, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. nytimes. com/2007/11/10/magazine/ 11schatz. html? _r=1ref=magazineoref=slogin. Schatz, Thomas, Studio System, Film Reference, 2007, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. filmreference. com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Studio-System. html. Williamson, Ed, John Waynes First Blockbuster Movie, Epinions, 2002, retrieved 2 April 2008, http://www. epinions. com/content_75406675588.

Psychological Continuity Of Personal Identity Philosophy Essay

Psychological Continuity Of Personal Identity Philosophy Essay In this chapter I describe my position with regards to personal identity over time. I describe the limits of acceptable psychological change, and discuss which elements of the psyche are essential to our survival. I also attempt to address whether psychological change has a physical cause or not. The Psychological Criterion for Identity Sydney Shoemaker suggested the theory of psychological continuity as an improvement upon memory continuity. While losing our memories would certainly be a huge loss, it could be possible for people to maintain the same psychological life despite this. But what do we mean when we speak of psychological life? This encompasses more than just memories, including beliefs, passions, and tendencies. Clearly, our mentality changes greatly during the course of our lifetime. This theory, then, allows for a similar transition as Lockes memory criterion. As long as I am psychologically connected to my past self, I am still the same person as I was. Criticisms of this position But what about almost complete personality changes? For example, people who have lived lives of terrible sins may experience a religious conversion and change almost every aspect of their lives totally willingly. Does this mean they are literally no longer the same person they used to be? Marya Schechtman claims that if people change their beliefs, they must have empathic access to their old beliefs. This does not simply entail having a good memory of those beliefs, but being able to recall them with the same passion as when they were fervently held. Schechtman states that they must look upon their old beliefs favourably and still give them some weight in the decisions they make today. However, many people dismiss their old beliefs and do not wish to give them any weight at all, because they no longer see these old beliefs as relevant to their current decisions. Schechtman gives the example of a party girl who mellows after becoming a mother, to the point that she views her younger days with embarrassment and even disdain. According to Schechtman, this woman is not the same person as she was as a teenager. But it seems that maturity, and the changes in belief which come with it, are inevitable. For example, children tend to have a very self-centred approach to life and only behave in their own interests. Yet as they mature they gain a greater understanding of manners and courtesy, and are able to put others before themselves when necessary. If we must give weight to our old opinions, as Schechtman claims, we must all give the selfish child within us an opportunity to disregard the feelings of others. It seems that giving all our previous beliefs some consideration results in us giving weight to a lot of contradictory views. More importantly, Schechtmans attempt to keep a link open to our old selves results in us behaving a manner which is untrue to our new selves. I, however, believe what is more important is that the changes a person undergoes as they grow older and presumably wiser, are voluntary changes. As long as the changes are not somehow imposed upon the individual, perhaps as a result of brainwashing or conditioning, the changes a person goes through should not cause them to become an entirely new person. [I believe that change in identity over time is unavoidable, unless one lives in a box from birth. The first few years of our life are spent developing an identity. After that, most of our life is spent learning and trying new things which challenge that identity. Sometimes we integrate our new knowledge (not just factual, but also societal and emotional) into the identity we have at the time, and sometimes our old beliefs are pushed aside and replaced by this new information.] I believe that the Ship of Theseus is an appropriate analogy for the development and changes which occur in ones identity. The usual type of development which occurs in our identities is a gradual one, where new knowledge is integrated alongside the knowledge we already had. If, however, we were to dismiss all of our previous passions, dispositions, beliefs and opinions at once, it is difficult to defend the position that we are still the same person as we were before. It seems the only way we could defend this position is with the criterion of bodily continuity, which we have already seen is not that helpful. From this we can conclude that what is needed for us to retain our identity over time is for the changes to be gradual and voluntary. Some may claim that any psychological changes we undergo must have a physical cause. This has not yet been confirmed by science, though. Many psychological disorders which may affect our identity do have physical symptoms on the brain. But it is impossible to determine causality in these cases. For example, people with depression have lower levels of serotonin(?) than people who are mentally healthy. However we cannot determine whether this is the cause of the depression or the result of it. So we cannot tell whether it is brain continuity or psychological continuity which is the real issue here. But regardless of whether or not psychological change has a physical cause, it seems the brain is still needed to encapsulate our psychology. As we discovered from the chapter on bodily continuity, our DNA is an important aspect to the continuity of our selves. This means that our psychology in a robot would not really be us. Look at: What Matters For Psychological  Continuity Defining psychological continuity in terms of style of thought which, though possibly a result of past experiences, do not depend upon our memories of them. Amnesiacs often demonstrate the same styles of thought as they had shown prior to their loss of memory. It is also possible that we regularly forget bits of information and later reform those memories in the same way as before. http://bookstove.com/non-fiction/on-psychological-continuity/ But what if the personality change is not total? What if there remains one tenuous psychological link to our past self, while everything else is lost. How many psychological links must there be in order for our identity to live on? During the course of our lifetime the majority of our psychology changes, so majority isnt good enough. Refers again to Ship of Theseus- perhaps if the change is gradual enough its okay. Problem tends to occur when the change is a majority one and sudden. What if memories were downloaded to a robot? This would still be you according to psychological continuity. Again, suggests that the physical body is needed to encapsulate and verify the mental element (although this is dangerously Cartesian. But to be fair, the only person who objects to that is Ryle, who isnt all that great). Ultimate challenge: what is psychology if not, essentially, the brain? Cannot defend an argument based on a mysterious immaterial mind, but may have to resort to this until neuroscience is able to explain the location of each element of the personality. Similarly, cause and effect cannot be established. Is the change in personality a result of a change in the brain, which seems to suggest it would be involuntary, or does our intentional change or development of personality cause our brain to work differently? Parfit describes a scenario where a scientist attaches a number of switches to a mans brain. As each switch is flicked, they cause the man to become slightly more psychologically like Napoleon. After half the switches have been flicked, the mans psychology is half his own and half Napoleons. Once all the switches have been flicked, his psychology is completely identical to Napoleons. Williams argues that, as each change caused by the switch is so slight, changes in identity are subject to the same problem as Sorites problem and the heap paradox. This is because each change is so slight that we are inclined to say that individually they do not change the mans identity. But if no switch changes his identity, we must conclude that when all the switches have been flicked he is still the same man he was, despite having none of the same tendencies or memories. Parfit suggests that we are simply mistaken in our belief that the question Will I die when the next switch is flicked must have an answer. He argues that it is absurd to believe that there is a sharp borderline which is so incremental that we could never really know the location of it. Therefore, he concludes, it is far more sensible to adopt a reductionist view of personal identity. Which is? However, I argue that the sharp borderline which exists can be knows quite easily. While many may claim that we lose our identity somewhere around the 50% mark, where the majority of our psychology becomes more similar to that of someone elses, I claim the distinction is much sooner. I believe that our identity is lost as soon as the scientist flips the first switch. Although the effects are minimal, our psychology has been artificially altered into something which is not the same as us. The fact that we allow this tampering simply because the effects are minimal is what lures us into the heap of the paradox.

Leadership Being a Change Manager

Leadership Being a Change Manager Abstract Ronald Heifetz has done wonders in the field of leadership his approach to leadership so compelling is that he is much honest about the demands of real leadership. the role of leadership is drastically changing, as the new responsibility is helping in facing the reality and mobilizes them to make change, but making such changes has not been easy. This is due to many challenges that future and current leaders are facing. For instance, the future leaders will be facing the challenges of adapting to the world of rapid change. This is so especially in Dubai, where the preservation of what is most important from the past while moving into the future is an everyday experience. To deal with such situations, future leaders need to focus on the cultural diversity, due to an increase in the significance of globalization, the future leaders the new leaders will need to appreciate cultural diversity. They also need to look at technological savvy as it will be the main competence for the global l eader of the future. Another area that future leaders need to focus on is the construction of partnerships, this is because The process of restructuring, reengineering as well as downsizing, are resulting to a world in which outsourcing of all except core practices might become the norm. The new blueprint models depend on the availability of proven best practices in the organization planning. They also defines the technology as well as the process design choices , which allows customers to jump-to start new efforts and extends their existing planning budgeting and focusing deployments across their organizations. There are several qualities that an effective future leader has to posses. Some of them include, being Charisma, Positive Attitude, Motivation, Honesty and Assertiveness. This paper also found that, there are many lessons that we can learn from the behaviors of the past leaders. For instance, there is so much hunger for leadership in business current. Every person wants leaders who are the best leaders; hence great leaders have to face the reality. In addition, we learn that, organizations have a remarkable tendency of underestimating their external threats, while overstating d their own powers. As a reason, it is very difficult for leaders to convince indivi duals face reality in life. The paper concluded that future leaders have no alternative other than becoming good change mangers. Introduction It has proved has proved to be much hard to imagine the future leader without looking at Ronald Heifetz, who is one of the worlds leading authorities on leadership. The goodness with Heifetz is that, his approach to leadership so compelling is that he is much honest about the demands of real leadership. It has been argued that, the role of leadership is drastically changing, as the new responsibility is helping in facing the reality and mobilizes them to make change. However, making change is much painful. Most individuals have smiling faces in view of what it means by leading, but get a rude awakening when they find themselves with a leadership opportunity. (William, 1999). The process of exercising leadership generates both pain and resistance; individuals get worried that, they might end up losing something that might be worthwhile. Areas That the New Leader Need To Focus On Cultural Diversity As there has been an increase in the significance of globalization, the future leaders the new leaders will need to appreciate cultural diversity. They will have to get acquainted themselves not only with the economic and legal differences, but also the social and behavioral differences that are also part of working globally. -it has been shown that respect for differences in people is one of the most important qualities of a successful global leader. (Marshall, 2005). It has been proved that, the development of culture understanding is termed as not only an obligation, but also as an opportunity. Appreciation of culture diversity includes all things that makes up culture, may it be small or big. For instance, few Americans working in the Middle East have taken their time to read the Koran. It is much clear that, religion is considered as being one of the significant variables that influences behaviors in the religion. Smaller issues like the meaning of gifts or the significance of t imeliness will need to be understood also. It has been noted that, the capability of motivating individuals in different cultures is becoming mostly significance. The motivation strategies that tend to be effective and efficient in one culture might not be effective in the other. Effective leaders, who happen to learn, appreciate and motivate their followers across cultural diversity, will be valuable resource in future. Technological Savvy High-potential leaders globally are consistently expressing the point that technological savvy will be the main competence for the global leader of the future. On trend on this issue is much clear, the younger the participants, the higher their reiteration on the technological savvy importance. Most of the young future leaders, have been brought up in an error of technology, and view it just as part and parcel of their life. Current leaders view technological savvy as a very important thing for staff individuals, but never for the line officers that run the business. With technological, future leaders will have to learn on how the intelligent use of new technologies will help their organizations, recruitment, development as well as maintaining a network of individuals who are technically competent, they also need to know the procedure of making and managing investments in new technologies. Last but not least, they need to be positive examples in the use of new technologies. All these are based on the fact that, in future, technology will become a critical factor that will tent to impact the companys core business. Building partnerships The construction of partnership along with alliances of all forms is looked upon as being very much important for the future than as it was in the past. Organizations that formed alliances in the past like IBM are forming alliances regularly today. This trend is projected to be far much significant in future. The process of restructuring, reengineering as well as downsizing, are resulting to a world in which outsourcing of all except core practices might become the norm. The capability of negotiating complex alliances and management of complex networks will be much significant in future. The changing responsibility of suppliers, customers along with partners has deeper implication for leaders. In the past, it was much clear on who the enemies or friends are, while in future this role is becoming blurred. In diversified field like telecommunication, similar organization might be the supplier as well as the customer, competitor or partner. New and Distinctive Challenges Faced By New Leader The second challenge is that, individuals might not be willing to be lead by the leader. Sometimes, this comes as a shock, but no one might be willing to work with the leader promotions and titles may confer grudging to0lerance and even a little bit more difference, but never credibility as well as real respect. Another problem is that, everyone might be having an agenda, but they might not be willing to share it. New leaders have a tendency of believing that, every person looks at business challenges, departmental objectives, and a long with the initiatives from the similar perspective with them. They need to learn on how to pay attention to their associates, so that they can be a position of understanding their unique agendas, motivation, interests, motivation along with their ambitions. The next thing is that, personal problems of their associates to become their problems. It has been proved that both new managers as well as experienced ones in most cases attract their mates personal problems to become their personal problems. It is true that, at times, they usually find themselves in the receiving end of [other individuals challenges in their private lives, with their health, their finances, among other dilemmas that individuals encounter. There are times that such leaders follow their instincts which might be wrong. Since they do have the authority to say, Is best left for your parenting chores and checked at the door when you enter the office. (McCarthy, 2009). In most cases, success comes when individuals leading the success are not the subject. It is much important for some individuals to realize individuals never change their nature. In most cases, new leaders make their weaknesses to be their focal point. Some times leaders take the responsibility of fixing the flaws of their associates. As an effect, they need to learn to leverage individuals strength, and develop groups whose members need to have complimentary skills. This will make one succeed beyond their wildest visions. Leaders tend to start off overly nit-picky; but Im sure Art would agree that there are times when weaknesses do have to be addressed. (McCarthy, 2009). Sometime new leaders are faced with the responsibilities of being a ware of over-investing their times with the wrong individuals. At every point, the managers will at the some time get to deal with the brilliant problem child employee, with the outstanding technical withstanding skills but fatal flaws concerning other people skills. Such like employees in one way or the other lack the emotional intelligence, for them to recognize their aberrant behaviors. As an effect, they rarely ever change, (Fullan, 2001). Blueprint for Dynamic Planning The blue print operational planning systems were designed to be highly flexible, where there are a variety of operations along with incidents are managed. The common traits of blueprints are that, they do have a scale have a scale for the size of the deliverables, as well as clear indications of the dimensions of any component elements displayed in the drawing. (McCarthy, 2009). In schematics, the scales might not be exact, however, the forms of elements that needs to be used as well as the nature of such elements tent to be expressed in details. They all have legends that explain the any of the unusual symbols which might be used for the representation of features in the drawing. In most cases, blueprint spans as many pages as possible, as they usually assist in the capture rendering s of the scheme deliverables from multiple angles and at different levels or details. The new blueprint models depend on the availability of proven best practices in the organization planning. They also defines the technology as well as the process design choices , which allows customers to jump-to start new efforts and extends their existing planning budgeting and focusing deployments across their organizations. It is true that, Cognos has recognized that, the process of planting is much more than just financial practices. This is something that ought to spread across the organization and be coordinated across many departments. On the other hand, giving appreciation to the fact, and giving support to it in principle in the planning software is just considered as being one thing, while supporting it in practice is just another practice. In Cognos, blue print helps in the users to adopt such like practices relatively easily. The current initiative planning blueprint covers both capital and labor initiatives. Multiple phased project planning has been addressed in the blueprint for the undertakings that seem to be capital intensive like adding new manufacturing capacity, along with labor initiatives like the implementation of large labor intensive projects. The blueprint schemes having strategic long range planning, in most cases assists firms in assessing the influence of market growth assumptions. Major initiatives such as new IT infrastructure, (McCarthy, 2009). Can be far much essential components for the growth of revenue, as well as increasing productivity. The management of complex financial in most cases, blueprint provides Leadership Qualities Charisma There are different skills that develop leadership qualities that the current and future generation leaders ought to have. The bellow mentioned qualities are far much vital for effective leadership. One of them is being charisma. There have been charisma leaders, who are still being honored for their passionate movements towards equality. For instance, Martin Luther kings I have a dream speech still impacts current peoples. Charisma lessons impact individuals through speeches as they reiterate on the radiation of personalities due to their expressive words in their fight against inequalities. There speeches need not to have the gift of touching individuals through their word choice. Leaders who tent to be charisma tent to be alluring, charming, as well as encouraging their followers to support a grand vision, (Tuia, 2008). Positive Attitude Current and future generation leaders need to posses positive attitudes, as they have the responsibility of influencing their future and current followers. Leaders in some companies like in BMW are viewed upon as role models to their employees and to the coming generation. In one way or the other, employees become very much dependent of leaders, due to the fact that, they are their vehicles to their employment world, and provide much needed help as well as the assistance. If the manger provides a positive learning experience to employees, they will then tent to drive this encouragement, and will succeed and become contagious. In general, under any condition, the positive attitude of leaders will always have a greater impact as well as the influence on their followers. Motivation Fin most cases, motivation leaders are trainers, however, they might also be managers. Though the aims and targets of employees or even players is a good determinant of prosperity in an organization, the motivating qualities of their leader is also of much significance. The motivation of a leader involves infusing their followers with high standards, as well as setting challenging but attainable targets and goals, as they continue performing well. As a result, the motivation capabilities of a leader enhance his followers performances. In addition, motivation also correlates with possessing positive attitude. The presence of positive attitude provides positive environment for the followers, who then fill much motivated to move to the leaders direction, where ultimate success can be attained. Assertiveness Current and future leaders are charged with the responsibility of guiding the direction of his or her company. Companies need firm and assertive leaders, who have the ability to delegate the work to their subordinates, as this will make them earn respect to follow through on their assignments. Assertive leaders have the ability to convey enforcements without being too autocratic to their followers. Din addition, assertive leaders never make their followers feel they are in a hostile environment; instead, they will respect their people, and at the same time demanding proper accountability. Since, leaders assertiveness and confidence earns respect, their followers tent to follow, emulate and help their leaders to achieve success, (Leithwood, 2005). Honesty Both current and future leaders need to be honest, as this is the sign of good leaders towards their work as well as employees. They ought to be honest to themselves as well. They should never loose integrity whatsoever the circumstance, as they will never be considered reliable and worthy following. Other qualities that current and future leaders need to look at include; patience, focus, dedication consistency, as well as effective communication, (Tuia, 2008). Lessons from Past Leadership Behaviors There is hunger for leadership in the business organization The past leaders have shown that, real heroism of leadership involves having courage to face the reality, as well as helping individuals close to face reality. The term vision in business means something that is abstract, But the quality of any vision depends on its accuracy, not just on its appeal or on how imaginative it is. (William, 1999) To muster the courage to face reality and interrogate it is the main function of a leader. Leaders do not get into the act of answering the questions like what values does the organization stand for? What are the organizations talent and skills?, this is because, it forms the old definition of leadership. This teaches that, the leader needs to have vision, answers and everything else is just a sales job to urge individuals to sign up for it. It is the responsibility of leaders to provide directions. In attaining these, they ought to structure questions well, other than offering definitive answers. There are differences between behaviors of leade rs who operates under the idea that, being a leader means impacting the organization to follow leaders direction, and those who think that, leadership means influencing the organization to face its problems and to live into its opportunities. (William, 1999). The second though, enables individuals in an organization to deal with tough challenges. And the lesson is, this is the new definition of leadership job. It Is Hard To Convince Individuals to Face the Reality Organizations are allergic to conflicts, especially organizations that have been under operation for a long period of time. This is based on the fact that, conflicts are much dangerous, as they may damage the relations, threaten friendships, but they also engineer innovation and creativity. Old behaviors have taught that, individuals never learn by looking at the mirror, but when encountered with a difficult condition. With this in mind, future and current leaders need to have the power of dealing with conflicts along with uncertainties. They need to have experimental mind-set. It is true that, there are some decisions that will work, but other might not. Just as like, there will be projects that will pay, while others will not. However, every decision and every project will provide lessons don how the world is changing, and how the organization compares with its competitors. This means that, facing the reality implies, dealing with mistakes and failures, especially our own failures in the organization. For instance, in 1990s, Bill Gates made a big decision about the internet, as he decided that, the net was not going to be such important, but later changed his decision after those who advised him contradicted the decision. How We Should Help Individuals Keep Their Bearings It is true that, not everything is subject to change, if the leader is obligated to help individuals face the reality, and mobilize them to make changes, Which values and operations are so central to our core that if we lose them, we lose ourselves? (William, 1999). The leaders at the highest level are supposed to lead conversations about what is important and what is not. For instance, it was very difficult for Lew Platt, who was the Hewlett-Packed CEO, to lead conversation about breaking up of his company, and about leaving the HP name, together with computer business other than with the test-and business of measurement, where they started. How Leaders Do Listen Most leaders in the past used do die with their mouth open, this teaches us that, leaders have to know how they listen, but listening is more subtle than how most individuals think. But first, and just as important, leaders must want to listen. (William, 1999). Good listening is engineered by curiosity along with empathy. Conclusion It is now obvious that, future leaders have no alternative other than becoming good change mangers. Markets have changed, conditions have also changed, as well; the business plans have undergone some changes. It is the choice of future and current leaders to either make a change a proactive decision or reactive compulsion. These leaders are obligated to shape today and tomorrow, it is not a definite time to start feeling sorry about tough circumstances, but is is an opportunity as well as a new day.