Thursday, November 7, 2019

Ribena Issues Mismanaged

Ribena Issues Mismanaged Introduction In 2008, GlaxoSmithKline [GSK], which is a well-established global pharmaceutical company, was entangled in a major legal tussle that arose from the ineffective application of strategic management practices. The legal situation involved two 14-year old schoolchildren from New Zealand who challenged the organisation’s marketing campaign.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ribena Issues Mismanaged specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In its advertising, GSK claimed that Ribena Drink, which is one of its products, was enriched with vitamin C. In an effort to ascertain the truth of the firm’s claims, the two girls undertook extensive tests. The results showed that the organisation’s advert was a hoax that aimed at marketing the product to the target customers. The girls raised the issue to GSK through writing, but the organisation did not respond. This aspect prompted the girls to raise th eir concerns via a local media house, which broadcasted the issue through a local television consumer affairs program. The broadcast house raised the issue to the New Zealand Government Commerce Commission, which took GSK to court. Subsequently, the organisation was fined for misleading the public. In addition, the company was ordered to correct the misrepresentation by placing a new advert in major print media [newspaper] in New Zealand. Jaques (2008, p.394) affirms that the action by the two complainants ‘triggered a sequence of events, which led to prosecution, public opprobrium, and international damage to an iconic brand’. This paper entails a case study on the Ribena issue at GSK. The case study evaluates the strategic issues that GSK’s management team should have considered in order to avoid the legal and reputational effect. Secondly, the paper identifies and discusses the possible barriers that might be encountered in addressing the legal and reputationa l impacts. The final part involves an evaluation of the implications of the suggestions identified in organisational and management practices from the risk management perspective. Analysis The situation encountered at GSK was mainly due to poor management practices. Additionally, the management team did not appreciate the magnitude of the issue on the organisation’s corporate reputation. According to Page and Fearn (2005), corporate reputation is an indispensable element in organisations’ pursuit for excellence.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Page and Fearn (2005) further accentuate that the consumers’ perception influences an organisation’s performance. Consumers have noticeably become more concerned with organisation’s behaviour in making decisions on store and product loyalty. This aspect underscores the existence of a st rong correlation between organisational behaviour and consumer behaviour. Since its inception, GSK has managed to penetrate the global market largely due to the extensive investment in product diversification. Consequently, the firm has gained remarkable global reputation. Additionally, GSK global success has also been enhanced by investment in extensive marketing. The firm did not recognise the effect of ignoring the customers’ complaints on brand preference. Hur, Kim, and Woo (2014, p.76) emphasise that achieving ‘brand preference and stimulating demand are particularly challenging for a company with no reputation in a given product category’. Moreover, organisations that do not have sufficient reputation experience challenges in developing credibility for their products. Managing corporate reputation leads to the development of positive moral capital, which protects an organisation from negative encountering negative stakeholder evaluation. GSK should have con sidered a number of issues in order to avoid the legal and reputational situation that occurred. Some of the issues that the firm should have considered are evaluated and discussed herein. Ethical advertising Despite the fact that GSK intended the marketing campaign to be persuasive, the firm failed to adopt effective practices that would have contributed to the attainment of the desired outcomes. Reast, Palihawadana, and Shabbir (2008) affirm that persuasive advertising is focused on establishing a strong bond, hence fostering long-term purchase intention. The organisation’s marketing department should have ensured that it integrates ethical advertising practices (Biegler 2013). In a bid to achieve this goal, the organisation’s management team should have adhered to the stipulated legal and regulatory standards with reference to advertising.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ribena Issues Mismanaged specifically for you for only $16.05 $ 11/page Learn More Countries such as the US have established a Federal Trade Commission, which is charged with the responsibility of regulating advertising practices (Synder 2011). In the event that there are no clear ethical standards for advertising, GSK should have advocated truthful advertising practices. On the contrary, the firm exaggerated the claim that one of the ingredients used in making Ribena included Vitamin C. Thus, the advert was deceptive. Trehan and Trehan (2011) argue that a customer has the right to sue organisations based on deceptive advert. Cramphorn (2014) is of the opinion that developing brand identity depends on the effectiveness with which an organisation nurtures a strong and positive emotional bond. However, ineffective advertising can hinder the development of such strong bond (Trehan Trehan 2011). In a bid to achieve this goal, the organisation should have avoided misrepresenting or omitting material facts on product characteristics i n the marketing communication process. Product characteristic constitutes a critical element in the consumers’ decision-making process. Perry, Cox, and Cox (2013) corroborate that consumers seek product information in order to make a purchase decision that is aligned with their product taste, preferences, and values. By misleading customers to purchase the product through the advert, GSK influenced adversely the consumers’ right to purchase. Koslow (2000, p.248) supports the theory of consumer right by asserting that consumers ‘learn about who, what, where, when, and how to buy through advertising’.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This aspect underscores the fact that organisations should value advertising as a critical element in facilitating the consumers’ right to choose. GSK denied the target consumers the right to choose. This move led to the development of a negative reaction amongst the consumers. The advertising process was based on different interests, which entailed influencing the consumers to make a purchase decision. GSK should have avoided incorporating misleading facts in the advert. Conversely, the firm’s marketing manager should have ensured a high level of honesty in its full disclosure on product characteristics. This element would have improved the consumers’ ability to make a decision from an informed position. Moreover, adopting this approach would have minimised the negative reaction significantly from consumers. The capacity to influence the consumers positively would have originated from the development of positive perception on the organisation’s approach towards truthfulness in its marketing communication (Gurhan-Canli Batra 2004). Thus, the firm would have succeeded in protecting its reputation. Customer Relationship Management Organisations should not be concerned with profit maximisation only. On the contrary, they should focus on fulfilling the customers’ needs (Bang, Sooyen Lyndon 2014). This case shows that the advertising process was skewed towards generating sales revenue rather than educating customers on the products. GSK should have appreciated the importance of integrating the concept of customer relationship management [CRM]. The firm’s management team should have perceived customers as an essential asset in maximising sales revenue. Leticia, Rodolfo, and Ana (2011) cite customers as a fundamental element in achieving corporate success. The concept of CRM would have enabled the firm to establish a cohesive relationship with its customers (Senn, Thoma Yip 2013). One of the issues that the organisation sh ould have taken into account in its pursuit for CRM entails complaint management. Despite the fact that organisations are concerned with delivering value to customers, the probability of errors occurring, hence hindering the delivery of the intended value cannot be ruled out. Customers may raise product complaints, which the firm must address adequately. Ang and Buttle (2012, p.1021) accentuate that customer ‘complaints are a fact of organisational life’. Past studies show that customers switch service providers due to diverse reasons. Some of the major reasons include the products’ failure to deliver the desired value and unfavourable service encounters from core organisational personnel. In the event that customers do not receive adequate treatment from key organisational personnel such as the top management, they react by voicing their concerns to third parties (Malhotra, Agarwal Ndubisi 2010). This aspect mirrors the situation encountered at GSK. Integrating optimal complaint management minimises the likelihood of customers terminating their relationship with other organisations. Knox and Oest (2014, p.42) affirm that customer complaints ‘are important non-transactional events because they represent a critical turning point in the company’s relationship with its customers’. Organisations can entrench a high level of customer loyalty through effective complaints handling. Ang and Buttle (2012) support this argument by affirming that excellent handling of complaints is critical to pre-empting the occurrence of an undesirable outcome. In order to manage customer complaints successfully, GSK should have integrated the concept of data warehousing using the effective customer relationship-management software. The software would have played a fundamental role in collecting and storing diverse customer complaints and complements. This move would have ensured that that the complaints raised by customers are understood and ma naged easily. In its quest to develop a better understanding of the customers’ complaints, it is imperative for the organisation to appreciate the contribution of social media in developing a strong customer relationship. The emergence of social media has provided customers with an opportunity to share their consumption experiences. Harrigan and Miles (2014) cite Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, and LinkedIn as some of the common social mediums used by organisations in their CRM practices. Consequently, social media has become a critical source of product information that consumers are using. Raj et al. (2012) opine that negative product experiences shared on social media platforms might have a multiplier effect, hence affecting the organisation’s reputation adversely. This aspect might affect the organisation’s ability to generate sales revenue. GSK should have used its CRM practices in apologising to clients. In order to undertake CRM successfully, GSK should have integrated the International Organisation for Standardisation [ISO]. Some of the ISO standards that the organisation should have considered entail ISO 10002 and ISO 9001. Adopting ISO 9001 would have provided GSK with an effective framework for integration in managing diverse organisational processes. Thus, the firm would have ensured that its products meet the customers’ expectations, hence culminating in a high level of satisfaction (Nicklas, Schluter Winzer 2013). Conversely, ISO 10002 provides organisational managers with guidance on how to deal with customer complaints related to products. This goal is achieved through optimal product planning, designing, product improvement, and operation. Potential problems that might arise The above analysis illustrates the magnitude of the issue faced by GSK as substantially high. This assertion arises from the view that the reaction by the two 14-year old girls received global awareness, which affected GSK’s glo bal reputation adversely. However, implementing the above issues may improve the GSK’s capacity to prevent the occurrence of such incidences in the future. Some of the major problems that the firm might encounter in implementing the proposed issues are evaluated herein. Resistance Implementing the above issues means that the organisation will be required to undertake remarkable strategic changes. Thus, the firm’s management team should not rule out the possibility of resistance to change. Wittig (2012, p.23) accentuates that employees ‘resist change because it involves moving from the known to the unknown’. In this situation, GSK employees might resist the proposed strategic changes. For example, the process of implementing ISO standards might require the organisation to change the norm with reference to how its personnel handles and interacts with customers. Some employees might develop the perception that implementing the proposed changes will lead to a significant change in job characteristics. One of the perceptions that the employees might develop relates to an increase in the degree of job strain due to additional job demands (Choi 2011). Job strain increases the level of work-related stress. Such occurrences might stimulate employees not to support the strategic changes. Resistance to the proposed change might not only be limited to the lower levels of management, but also amongst the middle and top levels of management. This assertion arises from the fact that the middle and top levels of management would be required to oversee the implementation of the required changes (Shin, Taylor Seo 2012). Lack of teamwork The process of implementing the above strategic issues will depend on the contribution of all the internal stakeholders. Thus, successful change implementation will be influenced by the extent of organisational learning. Perez and Gutierrez (2013, p.245) define organisation learning as ‘a process of knowledge ac quisition, assimilation, and exploitation’. Therefore, it is imperative for the GSK’s management team to consider the concept of employee collaboration in order to derive the required synergy. One of the strategies that the organisation’s management team should consider entails teamwork. Lack of effective networking amongst the organisation’s employees will affect GSK employees’ ability to share ideas and information (Ulrich et al. 2013). Thus, its application to the organisation’s needs, which entail the application of ethical advertising and the adoption of a customer-focused approach in the organisation’s operation in order to minimise occurrence of complaints, will be affected adversely. The capacity to improve an organisation’s competitive advantage entails the understanding that is effectively applied to the already existing knowledge. Lack of vision and ineffective planning The effectiveness with which GSK implements the proposed issues will greatly depend on the extent to which the employees have developed a clear vision. Palmer (2015) asserts that successful implementation of change is determined by the degree to which all the directly affected stakeholders by the change have developed a ‘shared-need-for-change’. The majority of the organisational employees might not appreciate the significance of the proposed approaches in restoring the organisation’s global reputation. Such aspects highlight the existence of lack of clear vision. Moreover, the implementation of the issues identified will depend on the efficacy of the organisation in planning the implementation process. The organisation’s management team has an obligation to ensure that the vision is well articulated by all the internal stakeholders. Huyer (2014, p.19) asserts that a ‘well-articulated vision paints a visual picture of what it looks like when complete and it has a clearly set direction and purpose ’. Implication of the suggestions From the above analysis, it is evident that GSK could have avoided the occurrence of the negative publicity by implementing the proposed suggestions. However, the organisation’s management team can derive a number of lessons. First, by integrating ethical organisational practices, the organisation’s management team would have protected the firm’s corporate reputation. This assertion means that the firm would have improved its effectiveness in managing crises that arise from the external environment. Hearit (2008) cites reputation as a fundamental strategic resource in an organisation’s operation. Moreover, Hearit (2008, p.319) affirms that reputation ‘is valuable because it informs us about what products to purchase, what companies to work for, or what stocks to invest in’. This aspect means that investing in ethical practices will play a fundamental role in improving the GSK’s market position. Consequently, the organisation will evade the occurrence of human capital crisis. For example, the firm will be in a position to attract valuable job candidates from the global labour market because of the positive reputation. Additionally, the likelihood of the organisation optimising its performance, hence its competitive advantage will be improved substantially. Sohn and Lariscy (2012) accentuate that reputation is a rare resource that most organisations experience in their quest to develop a strong organisational culture. Providing truthful and material facts in the marketing communication process would have promoted the organisation’s ability to develop a strong customer base. This assertion arises from the view that customers would have been in a position to make optimal purchase decision. Consequently, the likelihood of the firm maximising its sales revenue will be improved considerably. Furthermore, integrating the concept of customer relationship management [CRM] wil l play a considerable role in improving its crisis communication. Through effective crisis communication, GSK will be in a position to gain insight on how to manage crisis due to the integration of collaborative communication between the organisation and its customers. Furthermore, CRM will enable the organisation to be proactive in identifying issues that might affect the organisation’s corporate reputation adversely. In addition to the above aspect, investing in CRM will improve the organisation’s capacity to undertake crisis management. For example, the firm will entrench different communication approaches such as impression management, image restoration, and apologia (Kim 2014). According to Riddell (2013), apologia entails a compelling and vigorous defence mechanism used in organisational management in order to restore corporate reputation. One of the elements in entrenching the concept of apologia includes admission of guilt. In this case study, GSK did not admit guilt for the inclusion of false information in its advert. Consequently, the complainants were forced to take extreme measures by raising the issue to third parties. Conclusion Marketing communication constitutes one of the essential elements in organisations’ quest to optimise their performance. However, in their marketing communication process, it is imperative for organisations’ management teams to recognise their capability of influencing the consumers’ purchase decisions. Thus, organisations have an obligation to give truthful and material facts of their products. This approach improves the consumers’ ability to make effective purchase decisions, hence attaining a high level of satisfaction. For example, customers base their product preference on product information offered through the marketing communication process. In this case, GSK erred in its market communication through the falsification of the product characteristics. Consequently, the firm ’s global reputation was affected adversely. Apart from the reputation impact, the organisation suffered remarkable legal implications. However, the organisation would have been in a position to avoid such situations by implementing effective strategic management practices. Amongst the issues that the organisation’s management team should consider include ethical practices and customer relationship management. The firm should ensure that all its operations adhere to ethical practices. Currently, consumers are increasingly becoming concerned with how ethical an organisation is in its operations. This trend is influencing the consumers’ product choice and preference. Therefore, it is imperative for organisations to ensure that they give truthful information. The adoption of ethical practices will culminate in the development of a strong level of customer loyalty. Moreover, the case study indicates the importance of integrating effective customer relationship manag ement in order to gain insight on diverse customer concerns. Thus, the organisation will be proactive in dealing with emergent issues. The case study further underscores the likelihood of challenges occurring in implementing the proposed suggestions. However, the firm should consider integrating effective leaders, planning, internal communication, and teamwork. These elements will improve the likelihood of the organisation transforming its global reputation successfully. Moreover, the organisation’s effectiveness in crisis management will improve considerably. Reference List Ang, L Buttle, F 2012, ‘Complaints-handling processes and organisational benefits; an ISO 10002-based investigation’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 28, no. 28, pp. 1011-1022. Bang, N, Sooyen, N Lyndon, S 2014, ‘The customer relationship management paradox; five steps to create a fairer organisation’, Social Business, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 207-230. Biegler, P 2013, ‘P lacebogenic potential is no reason to favours pharmaceutical advertising’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 123, no.8, pp. 145-155. Choi, M 2011, ‘Employees’ attitude towards organisational change; a literature review’, Human Resource Management, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 479-500. Cramphorn, S 2014, ‘The quest for persuasive advertising ‘, International Journal of Market Research, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 571-590. Gurhan-Canli, Z Batra, R 2004, ‘When corporate image affects product evaluations; the moderating role of perceived risk’, Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 197-205. Harrigan, P Miles, M 2014, ‘From e-CRM to s-CRM; critical factors underpinning the social CRM activities of SMEs’, Small Enterprise Research, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 99-116. Hearit, K 2005, ‘Crisis management by apology’, Business Communication Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 261-270. Hur, W, Kim, H Woo, J 2004, ‘How CSR lead s to corporate brand equity; mediating mechanism of corporate brand credibility and reputation’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 125, no. 3, pp. 75-86. Huyer, D 2014, ‘Leading change through vision; 4 strategies for implementing change’, Leadership Excellence, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 19-20. Jaques, T 2008, ‘When an icon stumbles- the Ribena issue mismanaged’, An International Journal, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 394 406. Kim, S 2014, ‘What’s worse in times of product-harm crisis; negative corporate ability or negative CSR reputation’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 157-170. Koslow, S 2000, ‘Can the truth hurt? How honest and persuasive advertising can unintentionally lead to increased consumer scepticism’, The Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 245-268. Knox, G Oest, R 2014, ‘Customer complaints and recovery effectiveness; a customer base approach’, American Marketing Association, vol . 78, no. 23, pp. 42-57. Leticia, S, Rodolfo, V Ana, M 2011, ‘Analysis of the role of complaint management in the context of relationship management’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 27, no.1/2, pp. 143-164. Malhotra, N, Agarwal, J Ndibisi, N 2010, ‘What are your customers saying about you’, Marketing Research, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 20-25. Nicklas, J, Schluter, N Winzer, P 2013, ‘Integrating customers’ voice inside network environments’, Total Quality Management, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 980-990. Page, G Fearn, H 2005, ‘Corporate reputation; what do consumers care about’, Journal of Advertising Research, vol. 3, no.2, pp. 305-313. Palmer, B 2015, ‘Making change work; a model for overcoming human resistance to change’, The Journal for Quality Participation, vol. 2, no.2, pp. 81-92. Perry, J, Cox, A Cox D 2013, ‘Direct-to-consumer drug advertisements and the informed patient; a legal, ethical and conten t analysis’, American Business Law Journal, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 729-778. Perez, V Gutierrez, L 2013, ‘External managerial networks, strategic flexibility and organisational learning; a comparative study among non-QM, ISO and TQM firms’, Total Quality Management, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 243-258. Raj, A, Kothandaraman, P, Kashyap, R Singh, R 2012, ‘Bringing social into sales; the impact of sales people’s social media use on service behaviours and value creation’, Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 333-348. Reast, J, Palihawadana, D Shabbir, H 2008, ‘The ethical aspects of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United Kingdom; physician versus consumer views’, Journal of Advertising Research, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 450-464. Riddell, P 2013, ‘Comment rallying the troops; crisis communication and reputation management in financial services’, Journal of Brand Strategy, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 222-227. Senn, C, Thoma, A Yip, G 2013, ‘Customer-centric leadership; how to manage strategic customer as assets in B2B markets’, California Management Review, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 27-59. Shin, J, Taylor, M Seo, M 2012, ‘Resources for change; the relationship of organisational inducements and psychological resilience to employees’ attitudes and behaviours toward organisational change’, Academy of Management Change, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 727-748. Sohn, Y Lariscy, R 2012, ‘Resource-based crisis management; the important role of the CEO’s reputation’, Journal of Public Relations Research, vol. 24, no.5, pp. 318-337. Synder, W 2011, ‘Making the case for enhanced advertising ethics; how a new way of thinking about advertising ethics may build consumer trust’, Journal of Advertising Research, vol. 3, no.2, pp. 477-483. Trehan, M Trehan, R 2011, Advertising management and sales management, FK Publishing, New Del hi. Ulrich, D, Young, J, Brockbank, W Ulrich, M 2013, ‘The state of the HR profession’, Human Resource Management, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 457-471. Wittig, C 2012, ‘Employees reaction to organisational change’, Organisational Development Practitioner, vol. 44, no.2, pp. 23-28.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Write a Perfect Cashier Resume (Examples Included)

How to Write a Perfect Cashier Resume (Examples Included) in our retail-obsessed society, cashiers are the gatekeepers for all of that activity. to be a cashier, you need a range of solid skills: handling money, handling people, troubleshooting tech or people issues on the fly, being a good ambassador for the store, etc. it’s a lot- and if you’re updating your resume, it’s important to make those skills shine. let’s look at the cashier resumes of three different cashiers: one entry-level, one restaurant cashier, and one retail cashier. first up is jamie, who is just out of school, and is looking for a cashier position as a way to build retail experience.download this resume in ms wordjamie just graduated from high school, and so doesn’t have a ton of experience yet. however, lack of experience should never stop you from writing a full resume. instead, it’s about shining up the experience you do have, and making sure it emphasizes the skills you’ll need for the job you’re applying for. in jamie’s case, that means playing up his summer experience working in food service. it may not be a one-to-one match with the retail cashier job he’s hoping to get, but it demonstrates that he has a baseline of customer service and money handling skills. the bullets don’t need to list everything you did at your previous job- just the parts that will translate the best for your new, hoped-for job.jamie also includes his volunteer experience as a treasurer, because it shows two things: he is likely responsible enough to be trusted with money, and he has experience being accountable with a bottom line. that’s a very important skill to show in your resume, even if you don’t have a lot of cashier-ing experience under your belt yet.next up is joann, who is a more experienced restaurant cashier.download this resume in ms wordjoann has a lot of experience in her field, but she wants to set up a specific narrative with her resume: that she’s great with customer service and problem solving, and brings a professional approach to her job. so she uses a summary statement, rather than an objective, to set up that theme. that way, when she launches into her work experience, the reader knows what kind of information to expect. it also helps her refine her experience- she doesn’t need to list every customer she’s helped, or every small task she handles as part of her busy day. rather, she focuses on bigger themes of customer service and handling the ins and outs of restaurant transactions with her bullets.as she starts to close out her resume, she revisits those ideas with a quick summary in the skills section, reminding the reader about her strong points as a restaurant cashier.next, we have penny, who is experienced on a different cashier path: retail. like joann, penny has a good deal of experience, and wants that to be her main point in the resume as she looks to advance in the retail business.download this resume i n ms wordpenny’s resume is a solid one based on her decade-plus of experience, but it also has an eye toward what comes next for her. she’s currently a college student, studying business and accounting. this suggests that she may not want to be a cashier for the rest of her career, so what she wants to achieve here is showing her strong base of retail/business skills. her professional summary is kind of a combined objective/skills section, listing what she sees are her strongest qualities, setting the tone of the rest of her resume.rather than saying â€Å"i’m a self-starter,† penny is savvy about inserting that into her experience bullets, showing rather than telling. she mentions busting a shoplifter (and being acknowledged for it), and also her success in taking initiative to sell customers on applying for credit cards and rewards programs. it’s important not to use vague, general phrases that aren’t backed up in the rest of your resume. if you say you’re a self-starter, show how you’ve done that. if you are detail-oriented, use brief examples about how you’ve applied that in your job (like in the shoplifting bust that penny mentions. you can talk more about specific examples in your interview, but on the resume it’s important to present information that you can back up in a very specific way.so how about you? are you ready to push your career as a cashier forward with a rocking resume? thejobnetwork has listings for all levels of cashier positions around the country.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Reflections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reflections - Assignment Example Personally, I agree with Lewis’s saying that the ultimate price that we pay for losing those we love is pain and grief (Tesiik, 2001). I saw my mother, G.M struggling with the pain of losing my stepfather. Thus, she was paying a price for the commitment and love that she accorded my stepfather. Connection to saying. The saying relates well to the scenario of my mother, G.M. As pointed by Lewis, one can go through a series of pain if she loses the object of her love. G.M was indeed in deep love with my stepfather. She went through series of pain and episodes of depression attributable to cognitive response. As a result, she is suffering from Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. Description of manifestations of grief. Grief manifests itself in four different ways including feelings, physical sensations, cognitions, and behaviors. Feelings are often diverse and take different turns. Sadness is a feeling that many individuals experience after losing the persons that they love or have a close attachment (Loos, Willetts, & Kempe, 2014). My mother, G.M experienced this when she lost my stepfather. Individuals often demonstrate sadness by crying. Crying is a gesture that arouses a protective or sympathetic reaction from other individuals. Complicated grief may result if individuals fail to express sadness with or without the accompaniment of tears. I felt sad when I watched G.M writhing in pain. Anxiety is a common feeling that relates to the loss and it often originates from the fear that the bereaved may not be in a position to take care of themselves. There are different ranges of anxiety and can extend from mild to extreme forms of panic attacks. Grief also manifests itself through cognition. In most cases, a cognitive response often occurs after an individual develops varied feelings. As I have outlined above, my mother G.M experienced different feelings of sadness, and anxiety after the loss of my stepfather. It is through this happening that I realized

Thursday, October 31, 2019

E-Business Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

E-Business Case Study - Essay Example The internet that has now emerged and matured, presents a paradigm shift in its very ideation. The infrastructure has acquired a business character, a transcontinental personality and a vending framework of wide-ranging, business, educational, scientific and personal data. Now its use covers real-time computer conferencing, audio broadcasting, video broadcasting, real time telephony and of course real-time business. E-business in its simplest form can be described as doing business in electronic form. Electronic business is the extensive use of computers, communication technology, networking technology and computerized data to perform business processes. In other words, e-business is any system of suppliers, distributors, or customers that use the Internet as the basis for their operations. It can range from using e-mail to communicate with customers and/or conduct business to a web page promoting a company, from a full e-commerce retail site to the integration of procedures and proc esses using Internet based technology. It takes its cue from terms like e-mail, e-commerce, e-governance etc. The term "e-business" was coined by Lou Gerstner, CEO of IBM. Today leading online stores and companies have moved beyond the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to internet relationship. It is an electronic commerce application used for B2B or B2C. Online shopping has become popular mainly because of its speed and ease of use. Initially users were mostly computer literates, but now the universality of access marks a paradigm shift in e-business operations. E-business is more than just e-commerce. It involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business partners. Now the internet e-business portals greet each customer by name and present targeted information and services that correspond to each visitor's unique preferences and requirements. This type of personalized attraction increases customer loyalty, enhances revenue for the company and helps in establishing a valuable database of customers. The internet may be changing the way we do business, but it hasn't altered the fundamentals of human nature. People still respond to personalized services. They want to be treated as individuals and they appreciate intelligent assistance in finding products and services that meet their unique needs. Businesses that understand their customers and cater to their individual preferences benefit in two k ey ways. In the short term, they increase the sales potential of every customer interaction. In the long term, they establish a more loyal customer base. Corporate investments in e-commerce sales and marketing applications continue to climb steadily. With a personalized e-business solution, a company can customize the online experience for every visitor who comes to its internet, extranet, or intranet site. The process is relatively straightforward. Visitor information is accumulated through a registration process and by observing online behavior. Patterns can be analyzed and compared. Market segments can be defined and reliable predictions can be made about the products or services that interest a particular individual or group. Based on this analysis, a unique combination of information and promotions are presented to each user. The click stream behavior of each visitor can be monitored and feedback gathered accordingly. Personalized services can improve efficiency and communication throughout the e-business value chain. Companies can also push targeted content depending on the user's business role and personal preferences, further adding value to the user and strengthening the key business objectives. As is the case with the p ersonal business-to-consumer environment, in this case also the tangible and intangible benefits are quite comprehensible. Information flow can be optimized, so that right information gets to the right person at the right time delivering the right content.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Zinc finger proteins Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Zinc finger proteins - Research Paper Example folding characteristics but the most abundant and well studied is the classical â€Å"Cys2–His2† (Laity, Lee, and Wright 39) The nature of ZFP is such that they conveniently act as building blocks for many molecules and often occur in clusters. As such, their molecular nature permits them to be easily shuffled, duplicated or even altered through evolution. In the contemporary biotechnology world, they fit perfectly into re-engineering purposes and technology for numerous binding properties that find important use in research (Chang, Jiao, et al. 1426). ZFP and its high affinity for binding DNA is involved in binding of repressors and transcription activators which are very important in regulating expression of genes in a cell. These ZPF have varied protein folds that dictate DNA binding of specific sequences like the helix-helix-turn which arouses the need to use them in therapy or research. ZFP have structural independence that are conserved and interconnected by linkers (Guo, Gaj and Barbas 96). These linkers are HC and named so because the first and last units are hystidine and cysteine residues. The hallmark radius and pitch of ZFP is gotten from H-C residues perfect interaction leading to right handed helix formation. Zif268 which is a transcript factor contains triple finger domains where the ÃŽ ±-helix interacts with the major groove of DNA (Mandel-Gutfreund, Baron and Margalit 141).Three consecutive DNA bases interact with all the three fingers through hydrogen bonds. Specificity of the interaction is derived from the inte raction of the second positioned amino acid residue on the ÃŽ ±-helix with the triplet of the secondary strand. In the end, the conserved residues undergo tertiary folding while each domain’s specificity is brought by the variable domains (Sumedha, Roy et al. 484). Control and regulation of gene expression has been shown to be an important aspect of ZFP through using specific selected three ZF peptides. This was initially undertaken in

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The erik erikson theory of development

The erik erikson theory of development Erik Erikson theory of development stipulates the physical, psychological as well as emotional milestones and how they relate to specific developmental tasks in each stage. The personality traits exhibited by individuals are inborn temperament traits while others are learned by a person as he or she develops in regard to the challenges as well as support received in the course of development. Erik Erikson is credited due to the exemplification of the concept of personality development since he believed that the existence of the ego has its roots from birth and behavior exhibited by an individual is not completely defensive (Crandell et al, 2009). Studies advanced by Erik Erikson indicated that the development course of an individual is determined by a three fold interaction between the genetic biological programming of the body, psychological influences as well as ethos or cultural influences. Erik Eriksons developmental theory stipulates eight stages extending from infancy to adulth ood in which different developmental milestones are explained. The first stage from birth to about 18months is referred to as infancy where the Ego development outcome is known as Trust vs. Mistrust. This is the oral sensory stage where major emphasis is laid on the childs mother ability to provide loving care to the child. Through visual contact as well as touch a child is able to trust that life is satisfactory and considerable confidence in the future is achieved. On the contrary, when a child fails to achieve trust and consistent frustrations befall on a person, a deep seated feeling of worthlessness may develop as well as a pronounced mistrust of life in general. Basically during my infancy I was accorded the right treatment which gave me the belief that the world we live in is trustworthy and that every individual has an outmost right to live here. The early childhood stage is from 18 months and extends up to 3 years. The Ego development outcome during this stage refers to Autonomy vs. Shame. The basic strengths which a child ought to develop is will, courage as well as self control. Individuals at this stage learn to master important life skills for themselves. Children not only learn to feed, walk, talk, toilet train but they develop fine motor skills. As the developing child continues to gain control over their bodies through acquisition of new skills and differentiating the right from the wrong, feelings of autonomy and high self esteem are realized. During this period, children largely refuse to undertake the tasks stipulated by the most significant and/ constant caregiver that vital skills of will are developed. However, during this period children tend to be massively vulnerable. This is because children who are unable to learn important skills as well as fail in toilet training experience massive shame and doubt thereby resulting to low self esteem. Relationships with ones parents are very significant. During the Play age from 3 to 5 years a desire to imitate adults is established as well as an inborn want to take the initiative in coming up with ideas during plays. Playing is paramount during this stage as children are involved in playing out roles as well as experimenting in the ideas they believe in. The ego development outcome at this stage is referred to as Initiative vs. Guilt while the basic strength exhibited is purpose. According to Erikson, the child largely struggles with the oedipal struggle as he tries to establish his gender through use of social role identification formalities (Berger, 2004). A child frustrated in regard to natural desires and goals experiences guilty feelings. The school age period between 6 to 12 years is referred to as latency and the ego development outcome attached to it is industry vs. inferiority. The childs ability to learn and acquire new skills as well as knowledge and develop massive accomplishments helps a child develop a sense of industr y. This is a largely social stage during the development where basic strengths of method and competence are made manifest. In case a child experiences inadequacy and inferiority in the midst of his peers competences as well as self esteem problems results. The most important relationships during this period are those found in the school as well as the neighborhood. Gender influences are exhibited during development especially in communication styles, aggression as well as social relationships. Many sociolinguists agree that females largely prefer private talks which are geared towards forming relationships. Since I grew up in an environment with males as all my siblings are boys, my communication was primarily based on report talk with such verbal performances as lecturing information, joking as well as story telling. The kind of plays undertaken by children is based of gender and cultural influences. For instance the boys plays have a leader who directs the course of action and the losers as well as winners are identified. Girls on the other hand girls play in pairs and turn taking is more evident. According to Erikson, the above developmental stages largely depend on what is done to an individual. From adolescence stage which begins from 12 to 18 years, Identity vs. Role confusion is the developmental outcome which seeks to be achieved. Development largely depends on what an individual does. Adolescence is an indeed complex stage in which an individual is neither a child nor adult therefore individuals struggle to forge their identity in social interactions as well as establishing moral issues which to adhere to. Erikson states that individuals are expected to discover who they are. If this is not done adequately, the concerned individuals experience role confusion as well as upheaval. A period known as moratorium is witnessed by individuals who opt to withdraw from responsibilities. Adolescents identify most with their peers and due to lack of experience individuals tend to think in terms of ideals rather than reality hence the reason why massive conflicts are always witnessed during this stage (Berger, 2004). In young adulthood, between 18 and 35 years, the basic strengths t o be achieved are affiliation and love. According to Erikson, during the initial stages of becoming adults, individuals largely seek for love and companionship. Through marriage and establishing friendships, individuals seek to acquire mutually satisfying relationships. Individuals who negotiate through this stage successfully get to experience intimacy at the deepest level possible while those that fail isolation and distance from other people result. In my case, I married in the year 1999 and experienced deep intimacy. The significant relationships are those established with friends as well as marital partners. Middle Adulthood sets in from age 35 to 55 or 65. The ego development outcome involves generativity vs. stagnation. According to Erikson, during this stage individuals are largely occupied with their careers as well as creative works while at the same time involved in family obligations. Individuals expect to be in charge of their affairs. The basic strengths to demonstrate are protection and care. This is achieved through undertaking the significant task of perpetuating culture as well as transmitting values to the lives of the children. The parents should tame their children through providing a stable environment in which the children grow up in. According to Erikson, Generativity is achieved when an individual demonstrates care of other people especially children thereby resulting to production of something which significantly contributes to the betterment of the society (Kail Cavanaugh, 2008). This is the stage where ones children gradually leave home. This move largely results to major life changes thus resulting to mid life crises. Self absorption and stagnation is experienced by people who fail to go through this stage successfully. During this period, relationships which matter the most are those existing in the workplace, family and the community at large. Late adulthood which is witnessed from 55 or 65 years up-to death requires comprehensible demonstration of the vital strength in wisdom. According to Erikson, the ego development outcome at this stage is integrity vs. despair. Since individuals have spent substantial amount of time preparing their lives during middle adulthood, late adulthood presents an opportunity to recover from the challenges of life. As older adults, individuals have an opportunity to look at their lives with happiness as well as contentment. Recognition of the contribution made by an individual in life is what brings satisfaction and Erikson refers to it as integrity (Berk, 2004). Contrary, there are individuals who get to this stage and exhibit feelings of despair owing to the misgivings and perceived failures they have witnessed in their lives. Kohlbergs theory of moral development compares significantly with Eriksons developmental theory since the moral milestones achieved by an individual throughout his lif etime are stipulated. According to Kohlberg, moral reasoning is what determines the ethical behavior to be achieved by an individual. While expanding on Piagets work, Kohlberg established that moral development is primarily concerned with the need to demonstrate justice and continues throughout the life of an individual (Kail Cavanaugh, 2008). Through analyzing moral reasoning displayed by individuals in such cases as Heinz dilemma, Kohlberg managed to classify the actions and morals of various individuals into six distinct stages. The levels advanced by Kohlberg are classified into Pre-conventional, conventional as well as post-conventional with each level having two other stages. The pre-conventional stage is commonly exhibited by children although there are instances when even adults get to associate with this stage. The morality of an action is determined by the direct consequences exhibited by a particular action. Since a child has not fully conceptualized the societal conventions in regard to what actions are right or wrong, he or she focus on the kind or rewards or punishments a particular action is likely to elicit. The obedience and punishment orientation makes an individual to focus on the punishment advanced thus if the punishment is bad, the action is equally bad. This view is largely egocentric. Stage two in pre- conventional level is driven by self interest concerns whereby an individual seeks to determine the benefit he or she will derive from an activity. Thus, concern for other peoples interests is not as a result of respect or loyalty. The conventional level is typically demonstrated by adolescents as well as adults. People who reason in conventional ways base the morality of action in regard to the societal views as well as expectations. Conventional morality thus requires an individual to make a deliberate move to accept the societal conventional in regard to what is right or wrong. Thus an individual follows the stipulated societal laws and guidelines without c onsidering the consequences of the actions. In stage three referred to as interpersonal accord and conformity motivated an individual seeks to fill social roles available in his society thus the emphasis lies in trying to live up to the expectations of the society. Thus stage three reasoning constitutes judging the morality of an action by considering the kind of effect that an individuals relationship will demonstrate. When respect and gratitude sets in, people feel the need to fit in social roles since they want to be liked by other members of society owing to the good behaviors they demonstrate. According to Kohlberg, stage two of conventional morality is authority and social order obedience motivated. The importance of obeying the stipulated laws, social conventions as well as dictums lies in the massive need to maintain a society which is functioning well (Lerner Weiner, 2003). Thus society needs transcend individual approval when making any moral reasoning. It is a central id eal which is present in the society which makes people want to follow the stipulated rules and regulations. Majority of the active members of the society remain in this stage of moral judgment. The post conventional level of moral development is known as the principled level. According to Kohlberg, it is the realization that individuals are separate from society which makes individual perspectives to be considered before making decisions. People in this stage make decisions owing to the abstract personal principles they uphold. In stage one of post conventional level known as social contract driven, the world is considered to hold varied rights, values as well as opinions which must be respected by all people in the society. In this stage, laws are not considered as rigid dictums rather rules are considered as social contracts which need be changed in order to address the good on all people in the society. Various decisions as well as inevitable compromises come into interplay when such actions are being undertaken. The final stage is universal ethical principle motivated and it encompasses abstract reasoning during moral reasoning processes. The validity of laws is based o nly on their ability to uphold justice thus laws without an obligation to justice need be fully disobeyed. Since decisions are not arrived at hypothetically, a completely absolute method need be developed to come up with such conclusions. Kohlberg emphasizes the fact that the individuals, who have reached this level of moral development, put themselves in another persons situation if at all they believed the truth of another persons action (Lerner Weiner, 2003). The consensus which results from such an action is the decision undertaken. Thus individuals act not because an action is legal, instrumental, or expected but rather because the action is right. It is quite difficult to determine individuals who operate in this level. The cultural background of an individual plays a major role in determining the moral milestones achieved during the development process. Since culture encompasses the total communitys social, economic as well as political structures which shape the total outlook of an individual. It is the culture which determines the sensibilities, attitudes, skills as well as dispositions which in turn make an individual morally mature in all spheres of life. In case a cultural setting lays much emphasis on punishment, individuals will primarily remain in the pre- conventional stage of moral authority where actions are determined by the kind of punishment which will be accorded. Differences in sex exhibit different moral development of women and men. Women typically remain at stage three of moral development since they primarily encompass interpersonal feelings during decision making process. Men are largely stationed at stage five and six since they reflect mostly on abstract perceptions of societ al organization during decision making process (Lerner Weiner, 2003). This can be further explained by the fact that women do not undertake their responsibilities in regard to the conventionally accepted norms but rather on their own individual insights in regard to care and responsibilities of their children.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Free Bird :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Road of Life Today we pause, to look into our past as well as our future. We remember when we were young, starting our trek down the Road of Life. The first place on this long and winding road was the Meadow of Childhood. This is where we met many new people and formed numerous friendships; most of which still exist today. However, we were unable to stay here, and so continued on our journey through the doors of Quabbin Regional, becoming some of the mightiest Panthers in all the land. Stepping through those doors also marked our emergence into the Desert of Adolescence, where many of us became tangled in the thorn bushes along the way. But we made it out, and from there we took our swim across the River of Wisdom. When we reached the opposite bank we paused in the Forest of Enchantment, which is where we stand together today. Looking back we can no longer see the Meadow of Childhood, for it is nothing but a faint memory to us now. The only thing we can see from here is the Valley of Adulthood, and the long-awaited climb to success. And although most of us are sad, somehow we know that the hardest part of our journey has come to an end. For we have sipped from the Water of Morals, Climbed the Rock of love, Swum the Sea of Knowledge, And ascended the Mountain of Truth. And as we continue on our journey, and say our last good-byes, I would like to congratulate you mighty Panthers from Quabbin Regional High. -Jason Holihan Senior Class Poem, Class of 2001   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lynrd Skynyrd once asked, â€Å"if I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me.† There were only a few days left before high school was finally over, and I couldn’t help but wonder who would remember me when I left Quabbin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last page was finally ripped off of the â€Å"Senior Class Countdown,† displaying the huge, colorful â€Å"0.† While most of my classmates sat in the hallway cleaning out their lockers, I was scurrying to room H121; Graduation Committee meeting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There we sat in the most uncomfortable chairs in the world putting the final touches on everything when it came time to decide whose poem would be chosen to represent our class at Baccalaureate. A vote had been taken at the previous meeting, and I waited uneasily for the results. With a unanimous vote, it was mine. My head began to spin and I thought I was going to throw up.