Policy Analysis Paper: Mental Health Essay

Introduction: This paper will discuss the necessity for social policy change in regards to the mental health system (or lack thereof) within the United States as well as internationally. The need for reform is tantamount in order for marginalized groups with mental disabilities to function well-beyond their capacities. An analysis of policy is needed to better understand the challenges that face current social workers and mental health professionals at this time. Therefore, this paper will discuss eight articles that pertain to the social work school of thought, and will be utilized to a great degree in making an argument for social reform. The peer-reviewed, scholarly articles are presented and discussed to frame a basic foundation on what needs to be done, and if these changes are feasible in nature to our society. Since the topic is on Mental Health Policy, it is important to note any biases or hesitations that a social worker may have towards intellectual and mentally handicapped persons, and view this problem with an open mind free from negative beliefs. Looking at this in the broad sense, this is not just a financial problem, nor a personal problem, but rather, this is a societal problem. There are many different ways in which mental health disorders can be attributed to. Crime, drug addiction, and many other factors are linked to some mental health issues. Depression, which affects millions worldwide can be treated through cognitive behavioral therapy. The best way to treat this problem would be prevention, and that is something that the United States, and the world has been lacking for quite some time. It is important to discuss this issue and provide long-term answers now, lest we face more financial burden and social burdens due to our own ineptitude. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples Literature Review: The first article that will be discussed for this analysis is titled Mental Health and Poverty in the Inner City. This piece of literature examines the correlation between the rise in urbanization and mental health problems (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). It is a fact that the number of people who live in urban populations steadily increased within the millennium and is projected to go up in the next decade (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). This article provides evidence linking the rise of the urban population to the growing number of mental health disorders within it. Living in a densely populated area can bring about many factors that can stimulate mental health problems. Noise, pollution, and lack of adequate green space are some of the problems that individuals face within cities (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). It is no wonder that mental health is of vital importance to the urban population, particularly the urban poor. Poverty is a strong characteristic of city life, and thus, it is necessary to see if there is causation between city-life and mental instabilities (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). The article argues that the relationship between an urban environment and mental health problems can be described as cyclical and non-linear (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). The cycle is reinforced through poverty and this can nurture mental illness if not properly taken care of. The authors challenge current mental health policy and advocate for a system that specializes in prevention and treatment across all populations (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). Crime, substance abuse, and other mechanisms that originate from urban environments can have a bi-directional relationship in regards to mental health and urbanization (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 148, 2013). They reinforce each other, causing a strong hold around the community. It is necessary for a new mental health policy to advocate for interventions within individuals and institutions in order to promote such an improvement in urban life. The many mechanisms that cause socio-economic disparities are outlined in great detail within the article; for example, dense and diverse populations, can  cause great stress to the individual (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 149, 2013). It requires a person to be homogenous in their frame for social networking and diversification (Anakwenze & Zuberi, 149, 2013). The advocacy for a better social policy for urban environments cannot be valued enough. The second article, titled: Grand Challenges: Integrating Mental Health Services into Priority Health Care Platfor ms highlights the necessity for integrating mental health care into global programs designed for health. This synthesizing of mental health policy into global health can have a significant impact in the lives of many individuals all across the globe (Patel et al.,1, 2013). The authors state that mental health problems are among the most frequent and disabling conditions within the planet. It is important to have everyone recognize the gravity of the situation and not take mental health lightly, because it is associated with chronic health problems that can worsen over time (Patel et al.,1, 2013). If left untreated, mental health disorders can have a significant impact on one’s self-care and can be linked to increase morbidity and mortality around the world (Patel et al.,1, 2013). Ineffective treatments can also increase the cost of healthcare and decrease productivity at work, requiring employers to cut costs and become ineffective themselves (Patel et al.,1, 2013). Knowing this, it is important to note that effective treatments for common mental health problems that plague the e ntire population can be utilized in order to help those in need (Patel et al.,1, 2013). However, current policies do not allow easy access to such treatments, therefore, reform is needed to make sure that people have access to the treatments they deserve. The authors argue for a more cohesive network for doctors and patients to communicate about mental health (Patel et al.,1, 2013). For example, there are less psychiatrists in the continent of Africa, than there are in the state of Massachusetts (Patel et al.,1, 2013). Even in developed countries such as the United States, primary care facilities are the governing parties involved in the mental health care system (Patel et al.,1, 2013). This does not allow for adequate treatment and can exacerbate problems even further (Patel et al.,1, 2013). The article states that there needs to be integration in regards to primary care facilities and mental health professionals. The next article, Service development for intellectual disability mental health: a human rights approach talks about the population  of people with intelle ctual disabilities (ID) in regards to mental health reform. The authors state that people with intellectual disabilities suffer from major mental disabilities more frequently than their peers (Evans et al., 1098, 2012). Thus, it is imperative to review the current mental health policy and if necessary, change it to better suit the growing need for people with intellectual disabilities (Evans et al., 1098, 2012). The article uses the mental health policies in Australia as an example, appraising the standards set up by the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities. The article demonstrates the need for an in-depth analysis on mental health care on a global scale and must understand the paradigm in which mental health policies are shaped (Evans et al., 1098, 2012). They use the human-rights framework as the perspective in which to base all mental health problems accordingly. Public mental health services must be aware of the ever growing number of patients with intellectual disabilities and plan accordingly to suit the needs of t his population (Evans et al., 1098, 2012). In order to adequately perform these services, great amounts of funding is required to create a stable environment in which to get help for mental disorders (Evans et al., 1109, 2012). This is the problem the authors face and recognize. However, they urge to apply more funding into the mental health system because mental health should be higher on the priority for the population than most would realize (Evans et al., 1109, 2012). They see it as an investment into the well-being of the community. Considering the human-rights approach, it is necessary to improve specialist services and apply better social practice foundations to help these marginalized groups (Evans et al., 1109, 2012). Mental Health Parity: Moving Closer to an Effective National Policy states that mental illness is one of the most leading causes of disabilities in North American’s between the ages of 15-44 (Hebert, 28, 2009). Even with this wide and diverse population, the problem of mental illness still goes u nrecognized in the eyes of the public (Hebert, 28, 2009). Thus, the cost of individuals and families, be it emotional, or financial, can skyrocket if left untreated (Hebert, 28, 2009). As with all the articles, the author advocates for a stronger mental health system for children and adults. They discuss the growing inequity of coverage between mental and physical health, as well as the proportion of insurance coverage in regards to mental health (Hebert,  28, 2009). Therefore, it is important to utilize every resource available to combat mental illness, and the burden should not have to be on the sufferer alone. More resources and a better capacity for understanding mental disorders must be initialized and maintained for proper care of individuals in need (Hebert, 28, 2009). Individuals with dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance abuse disorders are rampant and left untreated by the public, increasing crime and social problems nationwide. The article stresses that â€Å"mental illness is as frightening and debilitating as any major physical disorder† (Hebert, 28, 2009). Social workers and advocates for parity between the mental healthcare system and the physical healthcare system have made great strides within the last decade, however there is still much to be done (Hebert, 28, 2009). Research shows that mental health is directly related to physical health, and the equity between the two systems needs to be further enhanced in order to achieve considerable gains within the community (Hebert, 28, 2009). The article, Cultural Access and Mental Health: An Exploratory Study, talks about the rising rates of depression and other mental illnesses in regards to public concerns. The authors focus on twenty Italian regions and the relationship between health expenditures and hospital discharge rates (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). They cite that mental health disorders are growing in an exponential rate and that proper care must be maintained and development of new programs must be issued in the future (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). Well-being deprivation has been discussed in the article as one of the major causes of mental illnesses among the population (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). This increases the rates of depression and other psychological problems and can stem from factors such as poverty (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). In accordance with the title, the authors believe that culture-related programs can produce positive effects to combat these epidemics (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). Well-being deprivation, in particular, is a preventable problem that results from the lack of attention to oneself. It is important to recognize this as a growing problem and something that the public needs to be aware of in order to maximize prevention and minimize contracting other mental health problems (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). Cultural access allows for empowerment of the self (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). These can include going to concerts, or reading books, and strengthens involvement within the community or within the self. It provides a sense of who we are in this world and how we relate to others in a given timeframe (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). Being involved in these activities can stimulate the ability to take care of one’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Thus, advocacy is important in order to allow a greater number of people to be able to take care of themselves through cultural activities (Crociata et al., 219, 2013). Outlining the Scope of Behavioral Health Practice in Integrated Primary Care: Dispelling the Myth of the One-Trick Mental Health Pony, is an article that addresses integrated primary care practices in conjunction with mental health treatments. The authors indicate that in order to adequately prepare for all aspects of health, primary care facilities must be equipped to handle mental health problems (Miller et al., 2013). They conducted a literature review of several research articles to determine the service of behavioral health practices in regards to primary health care facilities. Depression was the most dominant screening and the most likely to be treated (Miller et al., 2013). However, many other illnesses are lacking in proper treatment by primary care facilities because they do not have the full range of services of other mental health care facilities (Miller et al., 2013). This fragmentation care between the two facilities is apparent in society, as mental health problems are still rampant and left untreated. Therefore, the best option is to have primary care facilities incorporate many of the practices of mental health care and in turn, will help those that need medical treatment (Miller et al., 2013). Allowing a collaboration between healthcare practices is empirically supported to add to the continuity of the primary healthcare system. It will enhance and create opportunities for collaboration in order to improve the prognosis of many mental health patients. It is also seen to have a boosting effect on the economy of the primary healthcare system, as more patients  will utilize these facilities more (Miller et al., 2013). If left fragmented, it will lead to higher costs and poorer outcomes and will eventually exhaust those who are willing to help mental health patients and their families (Miller et al., 2013). The authors advocate for integration and de-fragmentation of services in order to help the public. The next article, International and national policy challenges in mental health, discusses mental health in regards to the global health agenda. The global health agenda is a list of health problems that are being focused on in order to better humanity (Jenkins et al., 101, 2011). These goals are backed by several financial institutions and thus, are more likely to have better research and development against these problems (Jenkins et al., 101, 2011). However, mental health is not specified in the agenda, and therefore, are not fully funded and less likely to have results. The authors talk about the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the World Bank, as key players in the financial and global resources that entail such research (Jenkins et al., 102, 2011). They insist that not much attention is given to mental health because physical ailments such as AIDS, or influenza, take a much more precedent over mental health concerns. It is not specified at all in the priorities of the WHO and the World Bank (Jenkins et al., 102, 2011). The WHO and World Bank created Millennium Development Goals in order to have a structured itinerary on research and development against public health problems (Jenkins et al., 102, 2011). However, there are no goals specifically for the quality of mental healthcare, leaving the mental healthcare system to be on the backend of financial funding and backing by these major organizations (Jenkins et al., 102, 2011). The lack of goals presented by the WHO presents many challenges to mental health, including invisibility and marginalization of people with mental disorders (Jenkins et al., 103, 2011). This is a travesty in its’ own right because many people suffer from these disorders with no help or no treatment  available to them. The final article that I will incorporate to support my argument for a better mental health policy is titled, What kind of evidence do we need for evidence-based mental health policy? The case of the Better Access initiative. This article discusses the Better Access scheme of Australia’s commonwealth on health and aging (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). While being very expensive, the authors state that the new mental health policy by Australia helps many of its’ citizens by becoming one of the most significant advances of mental health policy to date (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). While not perfect by any means, this new policy has helped those with mental disorders attain better prognoses and a higher quality of living as opposed to the previous regime (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). The Better Access initiative has raised many positive evaluations from several governmental sources and while expensive, is projected to help even more in the future (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). The authors, who are both psychiatrists themselves and do not get money from the Better Access Initiative assess the risks and rewards of this system and weighs in on the future outcome of the new policy (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). In summary, they believe that this initiative is a step closer to achieving a better quality of healthcare for those with mentally disabling disorders (Allen & Jackson, 696, 2011). It is important to note that this is a somewhat new system and that there are relatively many problems, however as with any new policy, it is a step in the right direction even with the humongous financial cost to the government. Discussion: I chose the topic of mental health because there are a lack of policies towards such a large problem that affects millions of Americans. I thought that there is no substitution for quality care in regards to mental disorders and disabilities and this is indeed a heavy burden that we place upon ourselves. I am diagnosed with severe major depressive disorder and it took a long time for me to realize what I was doing was out of the norm in  society. Therefore, I have taken great care to advocate for those with mental disorders in order to ensure that they get quality care, myself included, and that we get a chance for a quality of life equitable to those without mental disorders. While major depressive disorder is common among Americans, it is important to note that cognitive behavioral therapy is only available to those who have insurance, and they need a referral to see a specialist in the matter. I know this from experience, and I am deeply saddened to know that not many people are as lucky as me when it comes to medical expenses. I am a United States Veteran, and I am subject to free healthcare services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, if it were not for this, I would not be among those who will be receiving help due to lack of monetary and financial backing. I can only imagine those people who do not receive treatment for their disorders. It is truly sad that we live in a world where families can be torn apart due to lack of healthcare and prevention, and we need to focus on this problem now rather than later. I believe that the new Affordable Care Act within the United States is a step in the right direction, however, we must be sure to maintain a strong foothold in regards to mental health. I agree with many of the articles that call for an integration between primary care and mental health facilities in order to accommodate those with mental health needs. In order to do this, a policy would need to be enacted that would combine both healthcare systems into one, with the backing of the American Medical Association among other groups. Many groups may be opposed to this scenario, as this will place a great amount of financial burden among insurance companies. However, in order to do what is right, I believe that we must make great financial sacrifices to help those in need. We need to make the changes now, rather than later to see results. I may not know much about the entire healthcare system, however, I do know that it we are morally obligated as a society to take care of those who are in need of help. Perhaps the materialistic nature of capitalism has led us astray, but I have to believe that people are generally good. If we start to  implement some of these problems as goals worldwide, we can increase the financial backing and research into solving these mental health disorders. Doing this will increase functionality of humanity as a whole, and we will be better able to tackle problems of other natures. When we look at what is at stake, it is easy to gather than many of our problems in society can be attributed to some sort of mental health problem. Crime, drug addiction, and many other factors can be controlled easily with the right treatment plan. I am not saying that this will be the cure for everything, but I do believe that if we take better care of our citizens, then we will gain greater rewards as well. Financially this will come at a great cost, but I believe the cost can be negated by the potential rewards that a new policy will bring. It is up to us to make sure that this happens, because the problem of mental health disorders will not go away if we ignore it. In fact, it will become widespread and until we can find a way to prevent or contain it, then we are only digging ourselves deeper and we will have to involve more financial backing as opposed to taking care of it in the first place. I see it as an investment to the future, because in reality, people are the future, and whether we like it or not, the more functional a person can be, the greater amount of good that she or he can give to the world. References Allen, N., & Jackson, H. (n.d.). What kind of evidence do we need for evidence-based mental health policy? The case of the Better Access initiative. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 696-699. Anakwenze, U., & Zuberi, D. (2013). Mental Health and Poverty in the Inner City. Health & Social Work, 147-157. Crociata, A., Agovino, M., & Sacco, P. (2013). Cultural Access and Mental Health: An Exploratory Study. Soc Indic Res, (118), 219-233. Evans, E., Howlett, S., Kremser, T., Simpson, J., Kayess, R., & Trollor, J. (n.d.). Service development for intellectual disability mental health: A human rights approach. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 1098-1109. Hebert, A. (2009). Mental Health Parity: Moving Closer to an Effective National Policy. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 63(2), 28-31. Jenkins, R., Baingana, F., Ahmad, R., McDaid, D., & Atun, R. (2011). International and national policy challenges in mental health. Mental Health in Family Medicine, 8(2), 101-114. Miller, B., Levey, S., Payne-Murphy, J., & Kwan, B. (2014). Outlining the Scope of Behavioral Health Practice in Integrated Primary Care: Dispelling the Myth of the One-Trick Mental Health Pony. Families, Systems, and Health, 32(3), 338-343. Patel, V., Belkin, G., Chockalingam, A., Cooper, J., Saxena, S., & Unà ¼tzer, J. (n.d.). Grand Challenges: Integrating Mental Health Services into Priority Health Care Platforms. PLoS Medicine, E1001448-E1001448.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 1

The third book in the Love Story series, 2010 1. Hello Kitty BEING THE JOURNAL OF ABIGAIL VON NORMAL, Emergency Backup Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Night The City of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge, shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public. Which isn't, like, as bad as it sounds, because the general public kind of sucks ass. Still, I think that this battle of dark powers; the maintenance of my steamy, forbidden romance; the torturous break-in of a new pair of red vinyl, thigh-high Skankenstein; platform boots; as well as the daily application of complex eye makeup and whatnot, totally justify my flunking Biology 102. (Introduction to Mutilation of Preserved Marmot Cadavers, with Mr. Snavely, who totally has his way with the marmots when no one is around, I have it on good authority.) But try to tell that to the mother unit, who deserves this despair and disappointment for cursing me with her tainted and small-boobed DNA. Allow me to catch you up, s'il vous plaà ®t. Pay attention, bitches, there will be a test. Three lifetimes ago, or maybe it was like last semester, because like the song says, â€Å"time is like a river of slippery excretions when you're in love†-anyway-during winter break, Jared and I were in Walgreens looking for hypoallergenic eye makeup when we encountered the beautiful, redheaded Countess Jody and her consort of blood, my Dark Lord, the vampyre Flood, who was totally disguised in jeans and flannel as a loser. And I was all, â€Å"Nosferatu.† Whispered to Jared like a night wind through dead trees. And Jared was all, â€Å"No way, you sad, deluded little slut.† And I was all, â€Å"Shut your fetid penis port, you spunk-breathed poseur.† Which he took as a compliment, so that's how I meant it, because while Jared is deeply gay, he's never really gayed anyone up, except maybe his pet rat, Lucifer. Strictly speaking, I think Jared would be considered a rodentsexual, if not for the difficult geometry of the relationship. (See, size does matter!) Note to self: I should totally set Jared up with Mr. Snavely and they can talk about squirrel-shagging and whatnot and maybe I won't have to repeat Bio 102. Anyway, Jared is a fitting support player in the tragedy that is my life, as he dresses dismal chic and excels at brooding, self-loathing, and allergies to beauty products. I've tried to talk him into going pro. ‘Kayso, the vampyre Flood had me meet him at a club, where I offered up myself to his dark desires, which he totally rejected because of his eternal love of the Countess. So he bought me a cappuccino instead and appointed me to be their official minion. It is the duty of the minion to rent apartments, do laundry, and bring the masters a sack with a tasty kid in it, although I never did that last part because the masters don't like kids. ‘Kayso, the vampyre Flood gave me money and I rented a trs cool loft in the SOMA (which is widely accepted to be the best ‘hood for vampyres because there's mostly new buildings and no one would suspect ancient creatures of purest evil to hang out there). But it turns out, it was like half a block from the trs cool loft in the SOMA that they already lived in. ‘Kayso, when I take the key to them, hoping they will bestow the dark gift of immortality upon me, this limo full of wasted college-age guys and a painted blue ho with ginormous fake boobs pulls up. And they're all, â€Å"Where is Flood? We need to talk to Flood. And let us in,† and other demanding shit. And I'm all, â€Å"No way, step off Smurfett. There's no one named Flood here.† I know! I was all, Oh-my-fucking-zombie-jebus-on-a-pogo-stick! She was blue! And I'm not racist, so shut up. She clearly had self-esteem issues that she compensated for with giant fake boobs, slutty blue body-paint, and doing a carload full of stoners for money. I'm not judging her by the color of her skin. Everyone copes. When I got braces I went through a Hello Kitty phase that lasted well into my fifteens, and Jared maintains that I am still perky at heart, which is not true. I am simply complex. But more about the blue hooker later, because right then the Asian guy looks at his watch and says, â€Å"Too late, it's sunset.† And they drove off. Which is when I opened the door into the stairwell to the loft and was confronted by Chet, the huge shaved vampyre cat. (Except, at the time, I didn't know his name, and he was wearing a red sweater, so I didn't know he was shaved, and he wasn't a vampyre yet. But huge.) So I'm all, â€Å"Hey, kitty, go away.† And he did, leaving only William, the huge shaved cat homeless guy, lying on the steps. I thought he was dead, because of the smell, but it turns out he was only passed out from alcohol and partially drained of blood and stuff. But I'm pretty sure he's dead now because, later, Foo and I found his stank-ass clothes on the steps of the loft, full of the gray dust that people turn to when a vampyre drains them. So upstairs I'm all, â€Å"There's a dead guy and a huge kitty in a sweater on your steps.† And the Countess and Flood are all, â€Å"Whatever.† And I'm all, â€Å"And there was a limo full of stoners here who were totally hunting you.† And they were all, â€Å"Whoa.† And they seemed more freaked out than you'd think, for ancient creatures of dark forbidden romance and whatnot. And it turns out they weren't-I mean, aren't. I mean, sure, their love is eternal, and they are creatures of unspeakable evil and stuff, but they are not ancient at all. It turns out that the vampyre Flood is only like nineteen, and he's only known the Countess for like two months. And she's only like twenty-six, which, while a little crusty, is not that ancient. And despite her advanced age, the Countess is beautiful, with long, totally natch red hair and milky skin, green eyes like emerald fire, and a smoking body that could turn a girl totally lesbo if she wasn't already a slave to the mad, man-ninja sex-fu of the delicious Foo Dog. (Foo keeps insisting that he can't be a ninja because he's Chinese and ninjas are Japanese, but he's just being stubborn and goes all Angry, Angry Asian on me whenever I bring it up.) ‘Kayso, in the master's loft I see these two bronze statues, one of this crusty businessman-looking guy, and the other looks like the Countess, except it's totally naked, or in a leotard, and bronze. And I'm all, â€Å"Exhibitionist, much, Countess? Did it come with a pole?† And she's all, â€Å"Help Tommy move furniture, Wednesday.† Like that makes any sense at all. (Turns out that Wednesday is a Gothish character from some crusty movie.) ‘Kayso, later, by virtue of my extensive research and sneaking around and whatnot, I find out that the statues aren't statues at all. That the Countess used to be inside the statue of her, and that inside the crusty businessman statue is the real ancient creature of unspeakable evil, the nosferatu that turned the Countess. And the vampyre Flood, who wasn't a vampyre at all at the time, had bronzed the two of them when they were sleeping the deep sleep of the daytime dead, which is like the deepest sleep you can get. (You should know right now, that there's no yawning, gentle drift into sleepytime for vampyres. When the sun breaks the horizon, they drop rag-doll dead on the spot, and you can pose them, paint them, put their hands on their junk and post the pics on the Web, and they won't know a thing until sundown when they come on like a light and they're wondering why their naughty bits are green and their inbox is full of propositions from elfin_love.com.) I know. Whoa! It turns out that Flood, who was known as Tommy, was chosen by the Countess as her day-minion, blood lunch, and love monkey, because he worked nights at the Safeway. Then, the old vampyre, who had turned the Countess only like a week before, started fucking with them-saying he was going to kill Tommy and generally harsh Jody's reality. ‘Kayso, Flood and his stoner Safeway night crew (called the Animals) hunted down the alpha vampyre, who was sleeping in a big yacht in the Bay, and they stole like jillions in art from the yacht and blew it up with the vampyre in it, which seriously put habaneras in his ‘tude lube, but when he came out of the water, they fucked him up a good long time with spear guns and whatnot. I know! Oh-my-fucking-god-ponies-in-the-barbecue! I know! It just goes to show you, like Lord Byron says in the poem: â€Å"Given enough weed and explosives, even a creature of most sophisticated and ancient dark power can be undone by a few stoners.† I'm paraphrasing. It may have been Shelley. ‘Kayso, the Countess saves the old vampyre from being toasted, but she promises the cops (there were these two cops) to take him away and never come back to the City, but when they go to sleep, Flood, who couldn't bear to lose Jody, took them downstairs to the biker-sculptors and had them bronzed. But when he was trying to explain to the Countess about why he did it, he drilled holes in the bronze by her ears, and she turned into mist, streamed into the room, and turned him into a vampyre. Which totally surprised him, because he didn't even know she knew how to do either of those things. (Misting and turning, I mean.) So then they're like, both vampyres, eternal in their love, but somewhat lame in their night skills. Because Jody had been feeding off of Tommy, she hadn't thought through what they would eat after Tommy turned vampyre. So, first they went to this homeless guy we'll call William the Huge Cat Guy (because that's what people call him) because he used to sit on Market Street with Chet and a sign that said, I AM POOR AND MY CAT IS HUGE. And they ended up renting the huge cat, Chet, to be their shared blood lunch. But it turned out that a large part of Chet's kitty hugeness was fur, so in order to facilitate the biting process, they shaved him. I'm just glad that I wasn't their minion yet, because I think we all know who would have ended up shaving the kitty. But no! It didn't work. I'm not sure why. But William got totally, date-rape-level hammered on the liquor he bought with the huge cat rent money, and they ended up feeding on him. Which is where I, the new princess-elect of darkness, was brought into the fold. (Into the â€Å"fold† means, like, the gang, as in gang of sheep, not fold like in what you do to T-shirts if you're a casual cotton slave at Old Navy.) It was I, who turned Tommy onto the needle exchange program, where he was able to use his pale thinness to convince them he was a junkie and get syringes so they could take William's blood and put it in the fridge for the Countess to have in her coffee. Turns out that the only way the vampyre can tolerate real food or drink is if it has a little human blood in it. (The Countess likes blood on her fries, which is at once trs cool and deeply fucked-up.) So, as soon as the Countess and Flood figured out the deal with blood and food, William the Huge Cat Guy wandered off and the Countess had to go find him, since she has more experience at hunting the night, while Flood and I moved stuff from one loft to the other. But I had to get lice shampoo for my useless little sister, Ronnie, who was plagued by vermin, and Flood sent me home early to spare me the wrath of the mother unit because he didn't want his minion on restriction. (So noble. I think that's when I fell in love with him.) Then he took the bronzed old vampyre down to the water to dump him in the Bay before the Countess got back. It was clear to me that Tommy had jealousy issues with the old vampyre, and wanted to get rid of him. Except he ran out of dark before he got to the Bay and had to leave the old vampyre sitting by the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero and run from the sun for his life. At the last minute, the Animals drive by in their limo with their stupid blue ho an d scoop the vampyre Flood off the street just before he was incinerated by the sun. I know. WTF? (FYI, when I type WTF, you are supposed to read it What the Fuck? Same with OMG, and OMFG, which are Oh My God and Oh My Fucking God. Only a completely lame Disney Channel nimnode pronounces the letters. Even BMLWA, or Bite My Lily White Ass should only be spoken as letters if you are hanging out with nuns or other people who are embarrassed about being told to bite asses.) ‘Kayso, the Animals go back to work at the Safeway, but not before they tie Flood to a bed frame, where the blue hooker tortured him to get him to turn her into a vampyre, because now she had like all the money that the Animals had gotten for the old vampyre's art, which was like six hundred thousand dollars, and she wanted to take her time spending it, so she wanted to be immortal. But Flood was like a complete vamp noob. He'd never even killed anyone and turned them to dust or anything, so he didn't know how to change someone. The Countess didn't tell him that the chosen had to drink the vampyre's blood to receive the dark gift. So the blue ho tortures the shit out of him. I know, what a bitch. Meanwhile, the Countess found the huge cat guy, and I found the lice shampoo, but we don't know where Tommy is. But the Countess was burned from going out on some hot water pipes, so she fed on me, right there in the loft, and I was all, â€Å"Oh shit, I'm going to get the dark gift and I'm, like, wearing my lime-green Chuck Taylors, which are totally not the kicks for becoming a creature of unspeakable power in.† But no, the Countess just partook of my sanguine nectar so she could heal. That's probably where I fell in love with her. Anyway, she goes asking around about Tommy, and this completely crazy homeless guy who thinks he is the Emperor of San Francisco (you see him and his two dogs in the north end of the City all the time) says that one of the Animals was asking around about Flood. So I'm all, â€Å"Uh-oh.† And the Countess is all, â€Å"Yep.† Next thing you know, we are at the Marina Safeway and the Countess-wearing her black jeans and red leather jacket, but no lipstick-underhands a steel reinforced trash can like as big as a lesbian gym teacher through the big front window, and she just walks right through the falling glass, badass as shit, into the store and starts kicking stoner ass. It was glorious. But she didn't kill anyone, which turned out to be a mistake, as was, in my humble opinion, not wearing any lipstick. For while it was a heroic ass-kicking as has ever been delivered in real life, it would have been that much cooler if she had some black lipstick on, or maybe something in a dark maroon. But they told her that Tommy was tied up at Lash's, the black guy's, apartment. And their shit was all busted up, and I was like, â€Å"You bitches have been powned!† And the Countess was like, â€Å"That's cute. Let's go get Tommy.† She can be kind of a bitch sometimes. Anyway, we go to the apartment where Tommy is being held, but when we get there, he's still tied to the bed frame, but stood up against a wall, all naked and covered in blood, even his junk. And the blue ho is dead on the floor. And I'm all, â€Å"Uh-oh.† And the Countess is all, â€Å"Yep.† And she says something about how the blue ho must have broken her neck or something, because if Tommy had drained her, she would have turned to dust and there would have been no body. Anyway, the cab ride back to the loft was trs awkward, you know, with Flood naked and covered with blood and the two of them all, â€Å"Oh I love you† and, â€Å"Oh I love you, too.† And I was being kind of a mopey little emo queen because I was jealous of both of them because they had their dark and eternal love for each other and I had like my lime-green Chucks and Jared the gay-bait rat-shagger. So that was good. The rescue and whatnot. Because we found the old vampyre art money that the Animals had paid to the blue ho, which was like a half a million dollars. But then we found out that the blue ho was not dead, but somehow had accidentally drunk some of Tommy's blood when she kissed him during his torture and now she was nosferatu. And she turned all the Animals. Which, you know, was bad. And not in the good way. And the old vampyre had somehow escaped his bronze shell, and he was coming after Tommy and Jody, and even me? He even shook the living shit out of William the Huge Cat Guy while Jared and I watched from an alley across the street. I know! We were all, â€Å"Whoa?† So it's like, Christmas night, and Jared and I are watching the midnight show of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Metreon. And we're all traumatized and whatnot from watching the vampyre pound the huge cat guy, and the Countess calls us. And she and my Dark Lord Flood meet us for coffee at this Chinese diner, which is like the only thing open because the Chinese totally blow off Christmas because there are no dragons or firecrackers in the story. Note to self: Write narrative poem exploring Christmas if the three wise men had given baby Jesus firecrackers, a dragon, and mu-shu pork instead of that other crap. So, after all night drinking coffee laced with Jared's blood and getting the story on the old vampyre from the Countess and Flood, we go back to the loft and there, in the stairway, is the old vampyre, naked. And he's all, â€Å"I had to do some laundry. That guy peed on my tracksuit.† (He was wearing a total gangsta yellow tracksuit when we saw him shaking the huge cat guy.) So we like ran, and we had to hide my masters in some rafters under the Bay Bridge when they went out at dawn. No yawning or anything-they just became dead. Well, undead. So we wrapped them in trash bags and duct tape and moved them to Jared's basement lair in Noe Valley. (His basement lair is sacrosanct-his father and stepmother are afraid that they might walk in on him wanking to gay porn-so it was safe for the masters.) Meanwhile, I went back to the loft to feed Chet the huge shaved cat and decapitate the old vampyre with Jared's dagger so I could get extra-credit points with the masters, but it turned out that I had not calculated sundown quite right. Since when does the sun go down at like five o'clock? That's just fucking juvenile. Anyway, when I'm on the steps I hear the old vampyre moving around upstairs. And I'm all, â€Å"Awkward.† Then I hear a car pull up and I run out, right into the arms of this blond ho, who it turns out is the blue ho, who is now nosferatu, along with three of her vampyre minions who used to be the Animals. I know, â€Å"Uh-oh.† So she grabs me and is just about to tear my throat out, when the old vampyre grabs her by the neck and puts her face print in the hood of a Mercedes. He's all, â€Å"You're breaking the rules, ho. You can't just go turning people willy-nilly.† So I was doing a minor booty-dance of ownage at the blond ho, when they all turned on me. So I pull out Jared's dagger, but just the same I know they are going to have a huge group suck on my pale frame, when this totally fly, race-pimped Honda comes tearing out of the alley, and everything goes white light around the car. And my manga-haired love monkey, Foo, is totally in hero shades, and he's all, â€Å"Get in.† ‘Kayso, he swept me away in his magic nerd-chariot, which he had rigged with ultraviolet floodlights that totally toasted the vamps with simulated sunlight. I know! I'd have done him right there in the car if I was not trying to maintain my detached aura of aristocratic chill. So instead I kissed him within an inch of his life, then slapped him so he didn't think I was his personal slut, which I totally was. Would be. It turns out that Steve, which is Foo Dog's day-slave name, had totally been staking out the Countess Jody's apartment for like a month, since he figured out that she was a vampyre when some blood from one of the old vamp's victims turned up in his hemo-lab at Berkeley. Foo is like some kind of biotech ber-genius, in addition to having mad ninja-driving skills. Then Foo dropped me off at Tulley's on Market, where I met Jared and Jody, who sneaked by Jared's parents by pretending to be lovers, which is disgusting in so many ways I kind of gagged a little when I typed it. (Jared is my emergency backup BFF, but he is a pervy little rat-shagger, as the Countess affectionately refers to him.) So the Countess is all, â€Å"I'm going back to the loft to get the money.† And I'm all, â€Å"No, the old vampyre.† And she is all, â€Å"He is not the boss of me.† (Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing.) And I'm all, â€Å"Whatever, make sure you feed Chet.† So we go back to Jared's, and when we get there, the vampyre Flood is all fucked up from trying to climb face-down a building in the Castro after a delicious drag queen, like Dracula does in the book (only in the book it's not in the Castro and Dracula isn't after a drag queen). Note to self: When I am finally made nosferatu, do not try to climb face-down a wall. So then my sweet love ninja Foo shows up. And he's all, â€Å"I couldn't leave you out here, unprotected.† And secretly I was all, â€Å"You rock my stripy socks, Foo,† but publically I just kissed him and tastefully dry humped his leg a little. So we all got in his fly Honda and went back to the loft. When we got there, the second-floor windows were open, and Flood could hear that the old vampyre was up there with Jody. And Foo was all, â€Å"Let me go.† And out of the hatchback, he pulls this long duster that's covered with little glass warts. And Foo is all, â€Å"UV LEDs. Like sunlight.† The street-level fire door was locked, so Flood was all, â€Å"I'll go.† But Foo was all, â€Å"No, it will burn you.† But they covered Flood all over, gloves, hat, and a gas-mask that Foo keeps around in case of emergency biology and whatnot, then he put on the duster. Foo gave him a rubber tarp and a baseball bat, and Flood starts working the street like a half-pipe, running up a building on one side, then up the other, until he goes feetfirst through the upstairs window. Personally, I think the Countess could have just jumped up there, but she's been a vampyre longer than Flood and has better skills. ‘Kayso, there's this blinding white light from the windows, and next thing we know, the old vampyre comes crashing through the window like a flaming comet and hits the street right by us. And he gets up all blackened and snarly and whatnot, and Foo holds up his UV floodlight and he's all, â€Å"Step off, vampyre scum.† And the old vampyre ran off. Then Flood comes out the door carrying the Countess, who is looking way more dead than usual, and we took them to a motel to hide them until we could figure out what to do. Foo stole some donor blood from the lab at his college and gave it to Flood and the Countess so they could heal. And Foo's all, â€Å"You know, I've been working on the blood I found on the victims, and I think I can reverse the process. I can turn you human again.† Which is totally why he had been stalking the Countess when I met him. So Tommy and Jody were all, â€Å"We'll think about it.† ‘Kayso, Flood is holding Jody on the bed, and they're talking softly, but I can hear them, because I'm just by the door and the room's not that big. And it is clear that their love is eternal and will last for eons, but Flood doesn't like being a vampyre because the hours suck and whatnot, and Jody likes being a vampyre because of the power she feels after feeling like a little wuss-girl for many years, and they more or less say that they are going to split up just as the sun rises and they go out. And I was all, â€Å"Oh, hell no.† So I had them bronzed. I'm looking at them now. We posed them like Rodin's The Kiss and they shall be together unto the end of time, or at least until we figure out how to let them out and not have them tear out our throats and whatnot. Foo says it's cruel, but the Countess told me that they could go to mist, and when they are mist time passes like a dream and it's all good. But Foo did figure out his serum thingy. We lured the Animals to our love nest and while I was wearing the fly leather jacket that Foo made me, complete with the UV LED warts, which is very cool and cyber, I drugged them and Foo changed them back to human. And the crazy old Emperor guy said he saw three young vampyres take the old vampyre and the formerly blue ho away on a ginormous yacht, so we don't have to worry about them anymore. Foo wants to cut Flood and Jody out of the bronze statue during the day, while they are sleeping, and turn them back to human. But the Countess doesn't want that. So I think we should just wait. We have this trs cool apartment, and all of the money, and Foo almost has his master's in bio-nerdism or whatever, and I only have to go home like twice a week so the mother unit still thinks I am living there. (The key was to condition her from age twelve that sleepovers are normal. Lily, my former sleepover BFF, calls it slowly boiling the frog, which I don't know what it means, but it sounds darkly mysterious.) So, we are secure in our love nest and as soon as Foo gets home I am going to reward him with the slow booty dance of forbidden love. But something is screeching outside. BRB. Fucksocks! It's Chet the huge shaved vampyre cat, down on the street. He looks bigger, and I think he ate a meter maid. Her little cart is running and there's an empty uniform on the curb. Bad kitty! GTG L8erz.

The Graduate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Graduate - Essay Example The Graduate supports these arguments by ignoring all the political upheavals and concentrating on the topics of adultery and sex as the major themes of his work. The Graduate movie ignored the political movements that were taking place in the1960s. This was a time when many of the European wars were coming to an end. There were many political activists, civil rights advocates, feminist movements among others. Example of these movements included the Vietnam anti-war movements. The Graduate focuses on issues other than the political culture. It concerns with the generational gap while ignoring the counterculture movements. It attacks the film race by applying the Hollywood style; thus, causing the youth of a generation to re-examine their future by altering their course of lives. The Graduate also ignored the activist movements such as anti-racism; this indicates that the author was explicitly interested in issues of sex and adultery (Schuth 47). Dr. Benjamin argued that America had entered into a period of middle-class affluence that gave parents a chance to raise their children with greater permissiveness than before. The Graduate movie focused on the adult race. Its main focus is to criticize the adult insensitivity to the graduate. The adults are portrayed as vulgar and crass. It condemns the parents’ inability to raise their children in a pervasive way. The upper social class is portrayed as stereotyped and corrupt beyond their understanding of the meaning of true love. This is further illustrated in the movie by the character of Mrs. Robinson. When Benjamin runs away with Ms. Robinson on the wedding day, Mrs. Robinson is cross with her and openly tells her daughter that her decision is wrong. However, the love that Elaine is big enough to blind her from her mother’s arguments. This argument results in Mrs. Robinson’s slap on her daughter. On the

Have alook at the ttachments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Have alook at the ttachments - Essay Example Nonetheless, SMEs are defined differently from one country to another. However, most of the time, these are defined in accordance with the number of employees a business has, the turnover, and the economic scale of the business. Furthermore, electronic business (e-business or e-commerce) is defined as any type of businesses that serve or sell using the digital medium or with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Moreover, an e-business can have three main classifications, and these are the consumer-to-consumer (C2C), the business-to-business (B2B), and the business-to-consumer (B2C) (MacGregor & Vrazalic, 2007; Khosrow-pour, 2006). In line with the globalisation, many governments suggest that SMEs incorporate e-business in order to promote advantageous economic activities (Taylor & Murphy, 2004). On the other hand, prior to integrating a business or a company with ICT, it is necessary to look over the e-economy of a country or a market. E-economy is defined by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton (2002 cited in Oliver & Sanders, 2004, p. 120) as â€Å"the dynamic system of interactions between a nation’s citizens, business, and government that capitalize upon online technology to achieve a social or economic good.† In order to guarantee readiness in the e-economy, e-readiness is being created with the following indicators: network access, network society, network economy, and network policy (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Access and Usage of the ICT or Network In assessing the network, questions, such as the accessibility, the cost, and the quality of the ICT must be answered. Also, the equipment, network, and services within a given economy or market must also be determined (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Furthermore, SMEs are considered as a vital part for the UK economy because almost 99% of the business enterprises in UK are SMEs with almost 60% are employed in this economy. In relation to access and usage of the network, th e most commonly used technology is the website of the company, electronic mail, and the Internet. Most of the SMEs, which had employed 10 or more staffs, had already set-up their own intranet. Also, most of these businesses had used wireless technology and electronic data interchange, which depend on the capacity and size of the SME. Furthermore, in the process of automated record-keeping of sales and orders, most of the SMEs use ICT accounting and finance activities. Moreover, the automation of business designs, enterprise resources planning, human resource management tasks, and the production control was also used by SMEs. The shift to the usage of ICT of SMEs has been due to the efficiency that the automation results to, the highly technologised competition in the market, and in order to enhance customer service and employee satisfaction (Dyerson, Harindranath, & Barnes, 2008a). Furthermore, in relation to skills needed in the usage or integration of ICT to SMEs, technical skills are not enough. The ICT department or staff must also have excellent communication skills and customer service skills. Also, the ICT staff must be capable of transferring theories into knowledge that can be sued in practice (Lowry & Turner, 2007). Network in the Society In this aspect, a

What do you understand by the term epistemology How can different Essay

What do you understand by the term epistemology How can different epistemological understandings influence choice of research method - Essay Example Epistemology seeks to explore or evaluate how knowledge is acquired, how much knowledge is understood, and knowledge is constructed within the realms of human mind. Epistemology tries to explain the relationship between depth of human understanding about a particular subject and the reliability of that understanding. It seeks to answer the question how what is known can be measured. Research aims at analyzing objects of nature in order to come up with a helpful conclusion. The researcher is thus at the discretion of using personal beliefs, understanding, and justification to influence the outcome of the research findings. A report by University of Oulu claims that the researcher is in a position to â€Å"influence directly only the epistemological basis of the research, not the evaluator’s bias, but of course clear criteria stated by the researcher makes it more valid for the reader to evaluate the trustworthiness of the research† (University of Oulu, 2003, p. 1). Seale echoes the same sentiments â€Å"it is true that certain epistemological and theoretical positions have influenced the character of both quantitative and qualitative research† (Seale, 2004 p. 506). Truthfulness of research is very important especially in the field of public health. For instance, I intend to use Quantitative analysis for my dissertation that aims at investigating public’s awareness of thalassemia syndromes in Jordans Capital – Amman. The study will collect information in form of questionnaires. Certainly, the questionnaires will be a reflection of my epistemological foundation. The questions will be formulated based on understanding of the topic. Although a lot of work on literature review will be done, interpretation of the literature work will depend on two main factors. First, it will depend on the line of thought of authors of the literature that I will review. Secondly, it will depend on my own interpretation of the literature work, which in turn will depend on personal

Value of Planning in the Urban Development Essay - 2

Value of Planning in the Urban Development - Essay Example Traditionally, planning concentrated on improving the physical conditions of the houses and streets with response to prevailing circumstances whereby this contrasted with the new aspects of urban planning. City planning process is highly a complex matter, as it must put into account characteristics together with the long-range welfare of people of that particular urban area or city (Barney, 2006). It follows a systematic process that involves series of studies and surveys, land-use development plan, transportation system plan, budget preparation, not forgetting that it has to receive a unified master plan approval from several agencies or legislative bodies. The history of urban development is a controversial subject in the States. Many planners at the beginning of 19th century used to consider total costs of urban planning as opposed to its benefits and this drew a very different picture. However, as time went by, urban community planning took a turning point with a progressive approach where planners concentrated on maximizing the difference between costs and benefits and did not necessarily consider minimizing costs. This was in response to the fact that minimizing costs and at the same time minimizing benefits was of no value, not to the planners nor the country. The history of America reveals that American cities increased and expanded in the early decades of the 19th century. Due to their expansion, geography born rise to city planning as most of the vital roads by then existed for two centuries earlier. As a result, they winded up in erratic areas in local ways and around topographic areas. Afterward, the presence of equipment for construction permitted straighter roads hence planners persisted in establishing a good framework for developing the urban community transportation network (Weiner, 2008).  

Evaluating Team Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluating Team Performance - Assignment Example In this evaluation both technical and interpersonal abilities of the team members were taken into consideration. One factor that is always of high importance when evaluating a cross-functional team is the expertise contribution of the members. The team was comprised of members of the marketing, accounting, sales, human resource management, public relations, technical, and engineering departments. All the members were expected to represent the concerns of their various departments with regard to the organization’s culture and potential changes (Stewart, 2006). All the members were able to bring in their expertise with all members basing their reasons on researches that were carried out with regard to the matter. The marketing department asserted that the culture should not change the public’s perception of the organization. As for the engineering department representatives, the most important thing was to make sure that the culture encourages a technical productivity of the organization. It is no doubt that at the end of the day all the departments’ perspectives were proper ly reviewed and an eventual conclusion reached (Dyer,Dyer & Dyer, 2013). When asked about the team’s goal, all the members were able to identify what the goals. This is helpful because it enables a team to work as a single unit with a single focus and goal. However, it is also notable that the team would not have been able to work together for a common purpose if they do not share the same opinion with regard to the group’s goal (West & Markiewicz, 2004). Therefore, the leader saw that it was appropriate to let all the members give their opinion about the goals of the team (Franz, 2012). Different members gave different opinions on how the goal will be reached. Some of the members suggested that the start-up style labs should be left to operate for a while so that they could observe the changes in organizational culture and whether there will be a necessity for any change in

Arnold Kling Competition in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arnold Kling Competition in Education - Essay Example y talked about Google as being the new instructor, which answers all the questions that students have to ask and so when learning programming many people refer to Google and browse through some of the videos and get a good grasp of the subject. They also argued that no matter which way students find to study and educate themselves, nothing can actually replicate the original class environment. Whether there be an online lecture or an online study program, the things that students learn from going to college cannot be learnt through these things. They also talked about the demand and supply of college students, Arnold said that there is an increasing demand of post graduates but since many students don’t graduate and drop out of college, the supply is unable to meet this demand. This is the reason why now many people are hiring employees from other countries, giving them an unmatched opportunity. It was also discussed that many students who reach colleges are also not of the college level and need to work very hard to pass college, which is also one of the reasons for leaving college. If students start passing out, the demand is able to meet a potential supply; US can achieve economic benefits on a macro level. When majority of the people will work and US will not have to outsource workers from outside, the total GDP will raise. Since this not the case right now, and if this continues to happen then soon US will have international workers at all good posts and its own youth will be working under them, this is expected within the next 20 to 30 years. Arnold Kling also suggested some good ways of teaching students which will not de-motivate the students from studying itself. He suggested that students should not be lectured but instead should be taught in a way that they are able to understand the course well without thinking that it’s not necessary to study it. They should also be assessed properly through quizzes which should not be very easy that people think

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C Essay

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C - Essay Example â€Å"A virtual organization is a group of individuals whose members and resources may be dispersed geographically and institutionally, yet who function as coherent unit through the use of cyber infrastructure (CI)† (Beyond Being There p.3) This paper tends to discuss the multifaceted effects of virtual organizations in business, organizational structure, and career. Tremendous changes have been visible in the area of organizational management for the past few decades. Unlike traditional organizations, modern companies are able to store every valuable data in their specially designed software. This information system is highly integrated with the enterprise planning (ERP) of a company. Technological advancement has enabled business operators to focus more on the advantages of outsourcing. It enables them to reduce labor cost and time for the accomplishment of intended tasks. Coordinated resource/knowledge sharing is the main facet of virtual organization. Not only VOs but also many of the traditional organizations also take advantage of the broad information technology to strengthen the area of their service. Technology helps big organizations to collaborate and coordinate their resources and people from all around the globe. Computer and computer-based communication facilities are the inevitable requirement for virtual management. Cyber infrast ructure helps organizations to integrate the whole system and enable easy access to resources and information. According to the writers, â€Å"VOs enable system-level science, facilitate access to resources, enhance problem-solving processes, and are a key to national economic and scientific competitiveness.† (Beyond Being There p.5). Virtual Organizations primarily have document processors for storing organizational data. It ensures instant access to organization’s HR information. This is normally known as Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which is highly useful in HR

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing - Essay Example The particular product selected for the research was nothing but a big-name energy drink ‘Red Bull’. To study this impact, the research approach used was ‘experimental’ and subjects were ‘personally’ contacted by the experimenter. In the experiment, the subjects were made to play a car racing video game where each was assigned a racecar which was functionally identical yet differing in terms of brand logos and color schemes including the logos of Guinness, Tropicana, Coca Cola, and Red Bull. The different brands were actually reflecting different brand identities. This experimental research found that the players racing the Red bull car competed with speed, recklessness, power, and aggressiveness – attributes that have been identified with the brand throughout its marketing programs. The players raced either inspiringly by winning or horribly by crashing, reflecting the associated extreme dimensions confined in the brand’s attribut es. In this way, the performance of Red Bull car racers was revealing the brand’s attributes among the racers even this impact was unknown to them. This finding can also be generalized to the behavioral influence of other energy drinks on consumer behavior or even to brands having an established, prominent personality.

international business environment Legal considerations Essay Example for Free

international business environment Legal considerations Essay The legal aspects are important for the business choice. Laws are different in every country. Laws would regulate business practice, define the manner and set down the rights and obligations. This made business have to run within the border set by law and definitely affects the efficiency and profitability when running business in that country. The type of legal system. The legal system in Spain and Korea is based on civil law, while court precedents are not granted official status as law. The Spanish legal system is based on comprehensive legal codes and laws rooted in Roman law, as opposed to common law, which is based on precedent court rulings. Because Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945, the Korean legal system resembles the Japanese system. After the occupation however, there were attempts to adopt many aspects of the American legal system. It must be remembered that the first civilian government commenced only in 1992, and thereafter, increasingly more democratic reforms have taken place.1 Both countries use contracts and they are important for doing business in both countries. Neither Korea or Spain has advantage to the type of legal system. The protection of property right The definition of property right: In economics, property usually refers to ownership (rights to the proceeds of output generated) and control over the use of the means of production. They may be owned privately, by the state, by those who use it, or held in common by society.2 The world property right index 2012 shows the differences between the countries and the country’s world ranking. South Korea and Spain are both in the top 40 of the index. Spain ended this year on the 35th place and South Korea on the 40th place. The overall score off all the points together we can say that Spain compared with Korea is better in protection of property rights. In the figure on the next page we compare South Korea with Spain. The higher the score the better protection of property right. Property right is important for running a business because the better protect the better is the stability of the company. Overall score South Korea vs. Spain in the international world index 2012 The protection of intellectual property Intellectual property is a juridical concept which refers to creations of the mind for which exclusive rights are recognized. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property rights include copyright, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and in some jurisdictions trade secrets. 4 South Korea has an government organization called KIPO. This is the governmental authority in charge of intellectual property in Korea. The mission of KIPO is to help Korea become an advanced country by providing legal and institutional administration for the creation and utilization of highly creative, value-added intellectual property and by promoting technological innovation and industrial development. In Spain the main law regulating intellectual property protection is the 1996 Int ellectual Property Law. With regard to industrial property, no single law covers all aspects. Instead, this is regulated by a package of different laws, including the Patent Law, trade mark law and the law on the legal protection of industrial designs5 In the international property right index, South Korea and Spain score exactly the same and ends on the 27th place. There are 130 countries in the index so the both are trustful countries. Corruption A country where corruption is low is a really important factor to choose for a country. Corruption costs a lot of money and affects the company negative. Korea has an independent commission against Corruption. The Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption is an independent commission that reports to the President in its fight against corruption and the consequent promotion of the clean administration of South Korea. In a coordinated  effort with other monitoring agencies, also known proverbially as watchdogs, the KICAC is involved in producing policies and orchestrating preventive activities.6 Spain has different organisations to fight against corruption. The Special Attorney General’s Office for the Repression of Economic Offences related with Corruption(ACPO) is the biggest and well known organisation in Spain. 7 According to the Corruption perception index Spain scores better than South Korea. The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index, drawing on corruption-related data from expert and business surveys carried out by a variety of independent and reputable institutions. The difference between the two countries is not that big but Spain would be a saver option. Labour law Spain and South Korea have both a minimum wage8. The minimum wage in Korea is lower than in Spain which is positive for the production costs. The maximum and average working hours in Spain are also lower than in South Korea. The maximum working hours in Spain are 40 hours a week and in South Korea 48. This is positive for the production because you can have longer days and the costs are lower as well. Forced labor and child labor are prohibited in both countries. In Korea children under the age of 18 may work under certain conditions. In spain the minimum age is 16. To do so, in Korea they require a special employment certificate from the Labor Ministry, which is rarely issued because education is compulsory until the age of 14. Children under the age of 18 who wish to work require written approval from their parents or guardians. Environmental law South Korea is connected with the AECEN. This is the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network and there is an agreement between 16 Asian countries dedicated to improving cooperation with environmental laws in Asia. The mission of the Ministry of Environment in South Korea is to protect the national territory from threats of environmental pollution and  to improve the quality of life for the public. This includes ensuring the people of South Korea can enjoy the natural environment, clean water and clear skies. Furthermore, the Ministry aims to contribute to the global efforts to protect the Earth. In February 2008, the Korea Meteorological Administration became an affiliate of the Ministry of Environment to facilitate countermeasures against climate change In Spain the central government represents Spain in the European Union and transposes European legislation into Spanish law. It is responsible for adopting national legislation on the basic and common aspects of the environment. Both countries take the environment more than serious because it can effect business and people. The better and stricter the environmental law in the country the better and more effective you can produce your products. Nowadays the mission of most companies is to be green and fight against global warming. The regulations in Europe / Spain are more strict than in Asia what can be a reason to choose for Spain. The investment in expensive machinery and products to produce is maybe higher at the start but with better machinery companies can produce more cleaner and more effective. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_of_Spain http://www.korealaw.com/sub/information/boardView.asp?brdId=overviewbrdIdx=1gotopage=1search=search_string= http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Korea-South-WORKING-CONDITIONS.html

Business and administration Essay Example for Free

Business and administration Essay You should use this file to complete your Assessment. The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference Then, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 5 pages and is made up of 4 Sections. Name: Section 1 – Understand the purpose of information technology in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with), identify at least two different types of information technology that may be used when completing work tasks. Bookings/Appointments Clients details, address, phone number, name 1. Presentation software 2. Databases 2. What are the benefits to businesses (and others) of using information technology for doing work tasks? Two main important aspects to information exchange using IT are; Sending and receiving, emails are useful as the sender can attach documents to the email they sent. These can be word documents, spreadsheets, sound files or images. Bearing in mind when sending an email its important to know the competence of the recipient for that email there is no point in sending email if the person receiving it can’t understand or doesnt know how to open it! Using the Internet to find information, its important to use a search engine to find the information that you need on the Internet. Search engines look for websites based on the criteria a person enters into the search box. The best-known search engine is Google, other popular search engines include Yahoo! search, Bing and Ask Jeeves. Always be specific when you do Internet research as this will help you to get the correct information more quickly, if you are not specific you might end up with the results that are meaningless or lead up to the wrong path. Whenever using your search engine be precise in your search criteria. Section 2 – Understand how to manage electronic and paper-based information 1. Explain the purpose of agreeing objectives and deadlines when researching information. If possible, refer to specific examples from research tasks you have worked on to support your answer. Research is very important in a business, and to provide information that will inform business decisions. If any information is not collected or is only partially collected, and this can lead to poor-quality decisions being made. Getting research right can be tough but it helps to have objectives and deadlines for what you want the research to achieve. Getting research rights can be tough it helps to have objectives and deadlines for what you want the research to achieve. When I was working at the salon I was asked to research a few different companies that sold products that we used, I had to write down the information for my boss so that he could decide who to go with and who was the best prices. Meeting deadlines is very important, as you could potentially lose clients. 2. Identify the different ways of researching, organising and reporting information. Organising When conducting research it is important that the information being collected is kept well organised, I do need the information should be kept in clearly marked files. Information can be organised in a few different ways, this can be done by sorting alphabetically or numerically, the most important thing is that the research is able to find the information that they need quickly, it helps to have an idea of the information that will be reported. Reporting There are several types of documents listed that may be used to report information such as, business letter, email, fax, formal report, informal reports, memo, notes, text. If a member of staff has a clear brief on what is to be researched and how it is to be presented, then it is possible to organise the research appropriately. Researching When researching information, there are a few things that needs to be done if the research is to be successfully completed. These are as follows: Ensure the researcher knows what they are looking for Discover how the information should be presented Source the correct document Confirm the document is up to date Use documents efficiently Read relevant information carefully. 3a) for your own organisation (or one you know well), describe the procedures that need to be followed when archiving, retrieving and deleting information. Your answer should cover procedures for both electronic and paper-based information. When something is our achieved is put into storage, this is associated with paper based files. Finding these documents often has problems. To avoid storage problems, a business can periodically review its information systems and take appropriate actions such as, removing and deleting duplicate documents and leave in a single copy, removing and deleting unimportant documents that will never be used again or are achieving files that have to be retained. Most businesses will specify in their procedure is when I achieving and deleting can take place and who is able to do this. When i worked in the salon we never used to our achieve we mainly stored addresses, names, appointment dates and phone numbers, we would only delete information if asked by a client is not the clients information would be stored correctly this helps with marketing services so if your client havent come back for a while youre able to collect the information i. e. telephone number so you can contact your client to maybe offer them a discount to bring them back to your salon. if a client wanted their information to be deleted this is easy enough all we have to do with On the delete button and then their information would be erased and if we had any paper information on them i. e. colour codes for their hair or information on manicures etc. then this will all get shredded. 3b) When following the procedures outlined in Question 3a above, are there any legal requirements to consider? When storing information there are some important legal requirements to consider such as, the data protection act 1998, retention periods or industry-specific legal requirements. All businesses must carefully consider the way information is managed. The requirement to keep important records and respect the privacy of people places considerable responsibility on businesses and organisations. Failure to get it right may result in the business breaking the law. The only legal requirements really to consider when I was working in the salon was to never ever give out the clients information to anybody ringing up or asking for this in person. 4. Why is confidentiality critical when managing information? Most businesses keep a lot of information, some of this information is sensitive or confidential, and so it can be viewed or accessed by everyone in the business. Access to confidential information should be strictly limited and secure. You can differentiate between levels of confidentiality such as, confidential contracts, confidential negotiations, business secrets or internally sensitive documents. Information concerning individuals can also be confidential. This includes things like medical records, personnel files and employment contract details. There is certain information that is kept confidential for several reasons. These include: Legal requirements, including complying with legislation such as the data protection act or the content of legally enforceable contracts. Commercial requirements, such as keeping confidential information secret. A lack of confidentiality can show a lack of competence and/or trust. Moral requirements, there is a strong moral obligation to respect people’s privacy and confidentiality. If this is broken and then people will withhold information and lack of trust. People need to know what they can and cannot access and the repercussions that may follow if confidence and trust are broken. Section 3 – Understand the purpose of producing documents that are fit for purpose 1. Identify at least two reasons for producing documents that are fit for purpose. The information that goes into a document can make all the difference in the effectiveness and efficiency of a business. You should agree in advance with all who is involved what the document should contain within it. 2. Use the table below to describe some of the different types and styles of documents that are produced in a business environment, and then explain when these different options may be used. Documents When they are used Email Less formal, Documents easily attached, Can be sent instantly worldwide Fax Faster than letters, Once good for sending graphics and images, Being superseded by emails, Cumbersome if large quantities of information are being delivered Formal Report Can give clear account of things, Can present more complex and linked information Text Immediate, Best suited for small chunks of information Section 4 – Know the procedures to be followed when producing documents 1. In most organisations, time is taken to agree the purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for the production of documents. What are the reasons for doing this level of planning? It’s very important that you know exactly what your clients want – both internal and external. If this information is unknown or guessed, its likely that customers will not get what they want. Time should be taken to agree on the specification of a document. This way, many potential problems can be avoided. A failure in one or more areas may significantly undermine all the work that has been done in other areas. For example, an ‘outstanding’ report that delivers on purpose, content, layout and quality standards but is three weeks late (poor on deadlines) may be worthless. Likewise a document that is fine on purpose, layout, and quality standards and deadline but misses some key content would also be of very little or no use. 2. Businesses will spend time checking finished documents for accuracy and correctness. a) How is this done? A finished document will always have to be checked in some way or another for accuracy and correctness before it can be given to the customer. If the document doesn’t get done or completed then mistakes may happen. b)Why is this done? This is done to ensure the document is fit-for-purpose. If the checking phase is not completed, then there is a good chance that mistakes and incorrect or insufficient information may make their way in to the final document. This could result in inefficiencies and dissatisfied customers. 1. Have a copy of the final draft document awaiting approval. 2. Have the document specification available. This may be the business specified way for producing documents such as letters or minutes. Or it may be the specification agreed between a supplier and a customer. 3. Compare the document with the specification agreed between a supplier and customer. 4. Check the spelling and grammar in the document. The first person to check the document is likely to be the author. But best it’s to have someone else to have a look over the document as they wouldn’t have been working with it as closely as the author has been. On word processing systems they have a spell checking and grammar checking facilities, which can be used to check over the accuracy of what has been written. However, these spell checkers dont pick up everything and its best to use them as well as with reading a printed version of the document 3. Explain the purpose of following confidentiality and data protection procedures when preparing documents. In all businesses should have clear procedures on data protection and confidentiality when producing document. They are required by law to do so and it is also good, ethical business practice. If people thought that a business could not respect their confidentiality, they would withhold information or look for an alternative business. The business should make it very clear to their clients who has access to which items of data and for which purposes. The issues of access may apply to people other than staff – it can apply to people outside the organisation. 4. In business environments, there is often a requirement to use notes as the basis for text and documents. a) Compare the different types of documents that can be produced from notes and include a description of the format of each document. Notes that have been taken down tend to be, key points of information, key dates/times and also key names. MEMO -The format will include, To, From, Reference, Date and then the relevant information being communicated. LETTER Printed on company headed paper, listing ref, date, name, address, subject, letter content, yours faithfully/yours sincerely, signature, name ; job title. Also if the letter is confidential this must be stated. REPORT Title, introduction, body of report, a conclusion, consistency of format is essential i. e. using the same paragraph spacing and font style/size throughout content of report. b) Explain the procedures to be followed when preparing text from notes. 1. Establish the purpose for why you are note-taking. 2. Establish the format for the document needed. 3. Check that all the notes for clarity and make amendments if you feel its necessary. 4. Check that the detail in the notes is sufficient for producing the document. 5. Check over all the facts. 6. Produce the document. 7. Check the final document. 1. Don’t write down everything that you read or hear. Be alert and attentive to the main points. Concentrate on the meat of the subject and forget the trimmings. 2. Notes should consist of key words, or very short sentences. As a speaker gets side-tracked you can go back and add further information. 3. Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words, but try not to change the meaning. If you quote directly from the author, quote correctly. 4. Think a minute about your material before you start making notes. Don’t take notes just to be taking notes! Take notes that will be of real value to you when you look over them later. 5. Have a uniform system of punctuation and abbreviation that will make sense to you. Use a skeleton outline, and show importance by indenting. Leave lots of white space for later additions. 6. Omit descriptions and full explanations. Keep your notes short and to the point. Condense your material so you can grasp it rapidly. 7. Don’t worry about missing a point. Leave space and try to pick up the material you miss at a later date, either through reading, questioning, or common sense. 8. Don’t keep notes on oddly shaped pieces of paper. Keep notes in order and in one place. 9. Shortly after making your notes, go back and rework (not recopy! ) your notes by adding extra points, spelling out unclear items, etc.. Remember, we forget quickly. Budget time for this vital step just as you do for the class itself. 10. Review your notes periodically. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory. Once you have completed all 4 Sections of this Assessment, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Business analysis of Procter and Gamble

Business analysis of Procter and Gamble William Procter and James Gamble form Procter and Gamble, a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, to manufacture and sell candles and soap. He established Procter and Gamble in 1837 in united States of America. The leading maker of household products in the United States, PG operate in nearly 80 countries around the world and markets its nearly 300 brands in more than 160 countries, more than the half of the companys revenue are derived overseas. Among its products, which fall into the main categories like: Fabric care Beauty care Family care Health care Baby care Home care and beverages Are 16 that generate the more than $1 billion in annual revenues, actonel (osteoporosis treatment), Always (feminine protection), Ariel, and also Tide (laundry care), bath room tissues and also crest products, shampoos like Head Shoulder, pampers, Pringles etc. PG provide the branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the worlds consumers. As a result consumer will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation allowing our people, our shareholders, and the communities which will make the beginning of the marketing of branded products. PG buying Raw materials and converted into the finished goods to sell in the market. PG is a multinational company which was formed in 1837. PG 1837 Launch: Maker of Candles and Soap. Both men had emigrated from the United Kingdom. William Procter had emerged from England in 1832 after his woollens shop in London was destroyed by fire and burglary. The suggestion for the partnership apparently came from their mutual father- in- law. Alexander Norris, who pointed out that Gambles trade, soap making, and Procters trade, candle making, both required use of lye which was made from animal fat and wood ashes. PG is one of the worlds leading suppliers of fast moving customer goods. PG is a well reputed company all around the world which is satisfying its customers by proving fast moving consumer goods. PG is public limited company and also listed on the NYSE. PG has operation nearly about 80 countries around the world and its market is nearly 300 brands in more than 160 countries all over the world. They deal in all kinds of products from animal foodstuff to foods and detergents plus other personal and consumer products, to which it spreads its vast knowledge and resource. PG Corporate Strategies: Growth Strategy: After 1857 the company go into new market and decide to expand and update its facilities. In 1869 the transcontinental railroad linked the two coasts and opened still more markets to PG. In 1875 the company hired its first full-time chemist to work with James Gamble on new products, including a soap that was equal in quality to expensive castile soaps, but which could be produce less expensively. In 1878 PG white soap hit the market and catapulted PG to the forefront of its industry and sales were twice in detergents, personal products and packaged foods. The success of Ivory and the ability of PG to spread its message further through the use of national advertising caused the company to grow rapidly in the 1880s. In 1886 PG opened its new Ivorydale and improve the quality and consistency of PG products. PG soon introduce another successful brand: Lenox soap. Marketed as a heavier-duty product, the yellow soap helped PG reach sales of more than $3 million by 1889. Restructuring Strategy: In 1990 PG restructured its brand management system into a matrix system. PG that year launched a major restructuring effort aimed at making the companys brand name products more price competitive with private label and generic brands, brining products to market faster and improving overall profitability. The program involved severe cost-cutting, including the closure of 30 plants around the world and elimination of 13,000 jobs, or 12 percent of PG total workforce. Category managers became responsible for several brands, making them sensitive to the profit of other PG products in their areas. PG continued to compete against one another, but far less activity. The restructuring also eliminated certain layers of management, quickening the decision making process. PG core businesses were foods, soap, and detergents, toilets etc. Harley Procter develops a new soaps potential. Harley Procter was inspired to rename the soap by Psalm 45, all thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassi a, out of the Ivory places where they have made thee glad. Procter, committed to the excellence of the companys products, had them analyze and improve even before they went to market. This was the origin of PGs superior product development Divestment and Retrenchment: PG invest a lot of money on the advertisement for his product but the return is not enough from the product and they dont capture the large part of the market. So the management of the PG decides that they only focus on their core brands and it ended the 20th century with a strategic plan, later called the Path to Growth that included a focus on the top brands within core sectors and an emphasis on growth within developing countries. PG redirect the money it saved from trade promotion for direct marketing efforts that helped bring coupon and sample programs to targeted groups for brands with narrow customer bases such as Pampers, Clearasil, and Oil of Olay. Branding Strategy: PG launched a shampoo (Pantene Pro V) in 1992 in the United States, this product capture the huge market in the US. In 1994 PG entered the European tissue and towel market through the purchase Vereingte Papierwerke Schickedanz AGs European tissue unit. That year also saw PG reenter the South African market following the lifting of US sanctions. Among new products introduce in 1999 was swiffer also an electrostatic dusting mop that was part of new category of household product (quick cleaning). The Swiffer line went on to become one of PGs fastest-growing brands of the early 2000s. Innovation Strategy: PG introduce first detergent (Tide) product 1946 in the United State. Within two year tide backed by a $21 million advertising budget, was the number one laundry detergent. Tide remained the number one laundry detergent into 21st century. In 1950 cheer was introduced as bluing detergent and over the years other laundry products were also marketed: Dash in 1954, Downy in 1960, Bold in 1965, Ariel in 1967 was the number one detergent. 1950 is highly profitable for the company. After five year another innovation of the PG establish itself in the toilets business with crest toothpaste. In 1960 American Dental Association endorsed crest, and the product was on its way to becoming the countrys number one toothpaste nudging past Colgate in 1962. Merger Acquisition Strategy: In 1980 PG acquire the grocery business through a number of acquisitions, including Ben Hill Griffin citrus products. The company also entered the over-the-counter drug market with the 1982 purchase of Norwich-Eaton Pharmaceuticals; the company completed its biggest purchase in 1985 with the acquisition of the Richardson-Vicks company maker of Vicks respiratory care products, cold remedies and oil of Olay skin care products, this purchase make the PG a leader in over the counter drug sales. In 1988 PG made its first move into the cosmetics and planned to further develop its international operation. 1955 there was a rapid economic growth in the Western World. During that time PG strategy was to takeover or acquires new companies in new geographical areas. PG strategy was to acquire those companies who were in the food and chemical manufacturing. In March 2001 PG reached an agreement with the Coca-Cola Company to create a $4 billion joint venture designed to join Cokes Minute Maid bran d and distribution network with PG Pringles chips and Sunny delight drink brands. PG also acquired in 2001 was Dr. Johns SpinBrush, maker of a battery-powered toothbrush featuring spinning bristles that at $5 was much cheaper than existing electric toothbrushes. Soon thereafter, the newly named crest SpinBrush was successfully launched. In 2001 PG also were crest Whitestrips, a tooth whitening product. These two new products helped increase global sales of the Crest brand by 50 percent, propelling it past the $1 billion mark during fiscal 2002. Business Strategy Growth Strategy: In 1902 PG to expand its business in the cleaning industry in the market, for this purpose PG opened a new plant in 1904 in Island, New York. After this PG also introduce a beauty soap Camay in 1920, company started to expand its product lines and also the market capacities. In 1946 it had made a synthetic detergent. The PG business strategy also include the acquiring the small firms within the geographical areas, and in the mid 1950 PG also acquired a Kentucky food company. The 1950 is highly profitable for the company because in this year company make a lot of acquiring small companies and also establish new business like detergent through which company earn a huge profit and also entered in the cosmetics business. They opened different market throughout the European market. Cost Leadership: In 1980 company mainly focus on its production setup. To open new market throughout Europe, these things for the PG can go anywhere it thought that production cost will be minimum. PG started their business in those areas where the production cost, labor cost, raw material cost is minimum, because these areas were best economically for the company point of view. Diversification: PG diversified in many businesses like in 1946 in detergent and also diversified in the cosmetic business, to open the market throughout the Europe. In 2001 PG also make a joint venture with the Coca-Cola Company to create a $4 billion joint venture designed to join Cokes Minute Maid brand and distribution network with PGs Pringles chips and Sunny Delight drink brands. Operational Strategy: Research Development: PG doing a lot of research to improve the quality of its product, domestically and also internationally, PG flexible management structure and diverse product range play an important role in the rapidly changing international market. PG broad product range directed to overall profit increases in the company. In 1886 PG opened its new Ivorydale plant on the edge of Cincinnati to keep up with demand. In 1890 James N. Gamble hired a chemist, Harly James Morrison, to set up laboratory at Ivorydale and improve the quality and consistency of PGs products. PG soon introduce another successful brand: Lenox soap. Marketed as a heavier-duty product, yellow soap helped PG reach sales of more than $3 million by 1889. 2. Current Strategic Situation of PG SWOT Analysis of PG (S)trengths: PG has a strong brand name and it is a multinational company because it is a fast moving international consumer goods company which is operating more than 160 countries all over the world. PG is a well known reputable global organization and is well known all over the world and have big brand impact on the market all over the world. It has created goodwill in the mind of the customer and PG have more 300 brands all over the world with and 138,000 employees across the world. Research and development is the key department for the PG for the innovation of the products and also the advertising and marketing is the key thing for the PG. Strong research and development network helps it to develop new products and entre into new markets. PG invest greatly in its research and development to about $2 billion are invested every year by PG for improving and introducing new products PG is a global leader in different product like fabric, home, and beauty care in different countries. Strongest brand in the world is the biggest strength of the PG. PG is tightly integrated with some of the largest retailers in the US as well as world around and also around the world the world have distribution channels. ÂÂ   (W)eaknesses: PG acquired Clairol business in year 2001; it was unable to grow this business. The Clairol herbal essence brand failed to enter new markets as the market had access to better and innovation products. So many top brands of the PG are losing their share market rapidly PG has a lack on focus on advertisement of its brand because people do not have clear idea about the products of PG. People mostly not aware about the brand of the product like Pantene Pro V and other cosmetics and detergent products. (O)pportunities: Opportunity for the PG is health and beauty products for men, with the acquisition of Gillette; the company now has several growth opportunities in this market segment. PG has doubled its environment goals for the year 2012 and thus promises more value for the environment concerned customer today. Almost in all over the world growth rate is increasing which in turn increases the demand of products and necessities and especially in Asia the market is growing at a faster rate as compare to other continents so they have a to attract new entrants. (T)hreats: There is big threat for the PG is in the fast moving consumers goods market today. Companies like Unilever and Kimberly Clark, Johnson Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive etc pose a serious threat for the PG in different countries. Political condition is the biggest threat for any company because each country has their own rule and regulation of taxes and other things. This is the biggest threat for the PG PESTLE Analysis: (P)olitical Factor: Political factors some time make a very big impact on the companies; every country has different condition and rule of the taxes within the business sector. In some countries there are heavy taxes and there are some countries like in Europe where taxes are not so much. (E)conomical Factors: PG also affected by the economical factor because every country has different economical condition, for example like in Asia people have only average scale jobs and earn average money in a month, so they do not afford costly products and also affected by the inflation rate. But PG has the biggest brand all over the world they set the price according to the area point of view and target the customer according to geographical location. So it can get easily to finance and earn money in the every part of the world and also PG has the biggest strong brand image in the world (S)ocio cultural factors: Today world is very fast and technological world; people are very well educated and have different life style according to their value and beliefs. They have well known knowledge about the products that they use and they know each and every thing of the world. (T)echnological Factors: PG spending a lot of money on their research and development department and always looking for the new innovation in the world. Porters Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of customer: Bargaining power of the customer is high because there is a lot of same product of the different companies available in the market at the almost same prices. PG is produce the consumer product and its customer are individual or large number of individual in the different geographical areas, thats why bargaining power of the customer is high. Due to the fast and the technological world people is very much awareness about the product and its brand. Mostly today people are very price conscious and health conscious. This thing affect PG and increase the buyer power of purchasing. Threat of new entrants: There is a lot of existing competitors in the market and they have low cost while if new competitors want to enter in the market, the cost will be high for them, and the cost like property, land, equipment, transportation cost, fixed cost. These all costs recover, if you have high sales in the market and the production of the products. But the PG multinational company and has the big brand name in the market to meet the customer needs. So it does not face any difficulty to produce the product in the market, it is difficult for the new player which enter into the market first time. But in some countries the government asks the investor to come and invest money in the tax free industrial zone. In that area it is possible for the new entrant to enter into the market. Bargaining power of suppliers: Bargaining power of supplier of the PG is that, if PG rely on the few suppliers with a large volume it can create a problem for them. In order to reduce their supplier power, they have a good supply system, due to which their switching cost is low. PG As Unilever is getting fresh milk on a much lower rate as compared to its processed milk rate, and also fresh milk is a commodity, so it does not cost much to Unilever. Here power remains with the UnileverUnilever do not have any threat from their suppliers of forward integration as it is a high capital requirement industry and their suppliers are small and do not have ability to forward integrate. Threat of substitute: As people are well educated and they know the other substitute in the market like local seller, through internet buying. But Unilever has created a brand image because it is supplying quality products. So the switching cost is low.The prices of substitutes are lower when we compare them with other substitutes. But the quality which Unilever is providing is not the same. And convenience because Unilever products can be purchased from anywhere. So buyers can easily switch to substitutes whenever they want to switch. So, the threat for substitute is low. Degree of Rivalry: The major competitors are Procter and Gamble, Kraft and Nestle.As it is a fast moving consumer goods industry. So the growth in this industry is so high. So there is a big gap mean competition is low.These businesses need high fixed costs, including their costs for distribution and advertisement.The switching cost is high because there is high fixed cost. Exit barriers also very high because the are performing their duties all over the world.So it is not easy to exit from the industry. Organization: Unilever is a multinational company which is doing its business in different parts of the world.Unilever recruit the local people of that region for their management and employees and then it train those people so that they can perform their jobs efictivelyfinall. Structure: Internal and external resources: Intangible Resources: Employees of Unilever are its intangible resources.It has brand awareness. It is a multinational company so its goodwill count. Outlook of their plants and their products. Research and development and good relationships with their customers. Tangible recources: Unilever has 500 plants in different countries.It has trained and skilled labour.It has a better transportation network. The products that they are providing. Capabilities: Unilever is doing its business in more than 170 countries.It has production 500 production plants in different.There are 400 core products of Unilever from which it is getting 100% return.It has 13 such products from which it is getting 75% of total sales.Unilever has grown 2.3% and its sales has been increased by 3.5% in 2009. Shareholder Powers: Unilever has shareholders from both Unilever PLC and Unilever NV. Shareholders of both companies has made the decisions which are implemented Unilever Global. Future Strategies: Corporate Strategy: Our future corporate strategy is to become No1 Globally in Fast Moving Consumer Goods by delivering innovative products and by fulfilling and satisfying consumer preferences. Business Strategies: Our business strategy is Market Penetration. We will emphasize on those products which are already in the local markets like lux, Knorr, Sunsilk, Omo, and Dove. We will go for Market Development by doing this we will introduce existing products in the new Geographical areas. Our strategy is cost Leadership strategy. In cost leadership strategy we will make plants in those geographical areas where the land cost, labour and cost as minimum and where are tax free zones. We will go for Asians and European countries where the people are more prices conscious. On the basis of my analysis as I have done earlier the bargaining power of buyer is low, Threat of substitute is low, Threat of new entrant is low, Bargaining power of supplier is low and competitiverivalryishigh.I recommend that Unilever will go for Marketing Ddevelopment.Unilever will increase its market share by expanding its products and by going in those areas in which it had not gone by doing this it can become better than its competitors. It is multinational company and financially it is so much strong Because its competitors are also very strong like Procter and Gamble and Kraft. As unilever is a multinational company so it has brand awareness in the customers mind. It will further develop its business in Asia countries Nepal and Bahrain. It will develop its plants in these countries. By going in these countries it can grow its business .As the per capita income of Bahrain is $27068 in 2009 and the GDP is $28.124 billion. Those areas where the people are not aware so much abo ut its brands it will go in those markets with new things. I recommend Unilever that it will go for market penetration in those areas where it is doing its business but its products are not so much accepted by the people. It means that people do not believe much on Unilever products because they think that its competitors Kraft, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle are providing better quality products. It will give a message to its customers by promotions that its products are unique as compare to its competitors. It will increase brand awareness. It will built trust in the customer mind about Unilever products. It will also attract customers to switch from its competitor products to its products. It will advertise more and more to gain the attention of its customers. Because by doing this it will retain its potential customers. It will also attract those customers which have been used its products but not retain with its. It will give use sales promotions for achieving the confidence of those customers. For example it will give options like by one g et one free. It will give the price discounts. It will give the points on purchasing more. It will also attract those customers who have not used its products before because they think they their competitors are giving more quality as compared to its products. It will also do personal selling means that it will build a strong relationship with its customers by giving free trials of its products and it will collect much and much information about its customers it will know the exact needs that what its customer wants.Unilever will increase its penetration by training of their distribution teams. It will invest more in its distribution network so that its products easily approach to its customers. I recommend that it will use Low cost strategy. For a new company that is going to enter in this industry the economies of scale is not easy and possible. A successful entry requires the company to have significant experience to stay in economies of scale. On the other side as fixed costs are high, so in order to recover its fixed costs a company has to produce in bulk thats required a huge market share. So in the end we can say that it is not easy for new entrants to enter the industry if they are not backed by huge financial investments and with a competent management, and product differentiation. In the end, we can conclude that threat of new entrants is minimum. Unilever has gain Economies of Scale and it is using New Technology. It will take a look on the prices of those products whose prices are too high because there are many countries where the economic conditions is not good like Pakistan where people cannot easily buy Unilever products because these products are costly than its competitors. So people give more preference to those products which are cheaper and which products are costly people shift to the competitors brands. Unilever should offer low price to their customers and by doing this it will win the confidence of those poor peoples who cannot afford Unilever brands. in those areas where the operating costs is too low. I recommend that Unilever will perform its functions as a single business unit. As It a part of two different companies one is Unilever PLC Listed on London stock exchange and the other is Unilever NV which is listed in the Netherland Stock exchange. Both companies are form a single financial report. Due to leadership structure it is not looking like a multinational. Because two different companies are holding one. It reduces the performance of the company. The conflicts between the Leadership and management are creating difficulties for the performance of the overall business. Because the decisions are made by the two different leadership authorities. Its structure should be simple. It will work like one Unilever and there will be cross functional management structure. Each department will emphasize on their responsibility. By doing this their performance will be increased. It will show the clarity of the leadership. Each department will be responsible for their assigned tasks and d uties. It will help Unilever to focus on the demand of the their customers. It will provide the balance of operations. I recommend that Unilever will do research and will do advertising for its core brands to click the mind that it is providing best quality product. It will show through the advertisement that it cares of its customers. It will emphasize on those products which are healthy for the customers. By introducing innovative products and knowing the needs of the customers it will increase its sales. I recommend that Unilever should emphasize and concrete more on its core brands like Knorr, Lipton, lux, omo, blue band, dove, sunsilk. And it will provide Good quality products those will be healthy and convenient for its customers. It will change the customers preferences by giving innovative products and by maintaining the quality of its products. I recommend that it will make its own selling stores where people can easily get its products. Like it will make franchises where the people easily get Unilever products.Unilever will also clear people perception about the Unilever products