Dichotomies in the Workplace Privacy Issues Essay

There is a genuine divergence of ideas from both the management and employees view on privacy issues. Companies often times say and act differently with regards to workplace policies, and employees also have opposing perspective on privacy expectations and their own actions. Employees should have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and the management should be clear and considerate of those expectations. In context with privacy concerns, there is the difference in stating the policy and acting out the policy, and the expectations of employee’s privacy and how they act. The Thin Line There is no such specification of having â€Å"no expectation of privacy† in the workplace. (Rasch, 2006) If a company intends to provide the technology and services to its employees granting that it should be of and for corporate transactions only, then employees must abide to it. But if there are no policies stated as such, â€Å"personal† transaction or communications must also be respected by companies. The extent of expected privacy differs in purpose. For example, if personal transaction of an employee involves any suspicion on violation of laws, then the management can not protect the privacy of the employee because it can not resist any mandate of the law to perform investigation on the employee. It is also related by the US Supreme Court that employers have the obligation to â€Å"enter offices and desks of employees for legitimate work-related reasons wholly unrelated to illegal conduct†. Lessons on Workplace Privacy Issues It all concludes to proper address of the corporate rules and policies and the implementation of such. Both management and employees must state their expectation on privacy and defy the line on privacy issues as much as possible to avoid the great debate on workplace issues. If policies are made and implemented, then actions should reflect the extent the understanding of the situation.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop Table of contents Introduction  :2 Section A3 A comprehensive strategic analysis of the industry  :3 Question 13 1)The external strategic analysis of The Body Shop3 1. 1 ° Synopsis of the beauty industry: Macroenvironement and trends3 1. 2 ° The competition: immediate industry and competitive environment5 1. 3 °The key success factors of the beauty industry and The Body Shop7 1. 4) The SW(OT) analysis of The Body Shop8 Question 2:8 Applicability and effectiveness of new CEO Patrick Gournay’s strategies8SECTION B10 Question 3:10 Vision and Mission10 Question 4:11 Financial and strategic objectives:11 Question 5:12 Corporate and business strategies12 Question 615 Balanced scorecard for The Body Shop15 References Introduction The cosmetic industry is one of the biggest industries in the world. The worldwide annual expenditures for cosmetics is estimated at U. S. $18 billion. There is a strong competition in this industry all over the world. To compete and obtain a competitive advantage, companies have to invest a lot.They always have to innovate, to invest in advertising campaign in order to be known and to be successful. The Body Shop decided to be different, their products are natural, it is an ethical organisation, associated with environmental friendliness. But how The Body Shop takes part in the cosmetic industry? What are their vision and mission and what strategic directions should be recommended to the Body Shop in order to perform successfully in this industry? Section A A comprehensive strategic analysis of the industry Question 1The cosmetic industry is a very aggressive and challenging market, in order to be more competitive and to gain market shares and customer loyalty, companies as The Body Shop have to understand their environment. After analysing the external environment (major trends of the industry, competitors and driving forces), the key success factors as well as the strategic issues will be evaluate, in order t o provide a SWOT analysis. 1) The external strategic analysis of The Body Shop 1. 1 ° Synopsis of the beauty industry: Macroenvironement and trendsThe PEST model in as interesting tool to understand and study all the components and trends that affect the beauty industry. This environment analysis permits us to understand the strategy of beauty brands as The Body Shop. To identify the importance of each components of the industry, it is necessary to quantify them. In the last column, O will represents â€Å"opportunity† however T will represent â€Å"threats†. Moreover, a number will be associated to see the impact of each element. PESTE model for the Body Shop |Importance of the regulations concerning the launching of new |T 5 | |Political environment (legislation and |products in the markets: (allergies†¦) | | |regulations) | | | | | | | | | | | | |Globalisation (driving force) |T8 | | | | | | |Strong local and foreign competition |T9 | | | | | | |Increas e in prices | | | | |T6 | |Economic and international environments |Increase in the budget bound for beauty | | |(general economic conditions) | |O6 | | |Cosmetic industry: huge market | | | | | | |Alliance groups in the cosmetic industry to attract new customers |O8 | | |(driving force) | | | | |O7 | |Societal environement (societal values and |Growth of the free time: importance to take care of our body and |O6 | |lifestyles) |beauty | | | | | | | |Importance of well being | | | | |O8 | | |Importance of the beauty (driving force) | | | | |O8 | | |Be young and stay young | | | | |O8 | | |Ageing of the population (segmentation of products) (driving force) | | | | |O7 | | |New market for men (new products.. ) (driving force) | | | | | | | |Companies and customers have more and more social responsibility |O8 | | | | | | Different needs and preferences according to the countries and the | | | |skin differences |O7 | |Societal environement (societal values and | | | |lifesty les) |Important demand variations and fashion effects in terms of |O6 | | |cosmetics | | | | | | | |Growth of the worldwide market of cosmetics (driving force) | | | | |O6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |T8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |O7 | | | | | | |Use of internet to buy products (driving force) |O6 | | | | | | Rapid innovation (waterproof †¦) (driving force) | | | | |T7 | | |Need of strong technological capabilities | | |Technological environment | | | | |Strong marketing innovation (driving force) |T7 | | | | | | | | | | | |T8 | | | | | | |Respect the environment |O10 | | | | | |Environmental aspects |Sustainable development |O10 | | | | | | |Fair trade |O8 | | | | | | |Bio market and products (driving force) |O9 | | | | | |Environmental aspects |Ecology | | | | |O8 | After this analyse of the trends, components and driving forces of the industry, it is interesting to see the place of the competitors in the industry. 1. 2 ° the competition: imme diate industry and competitive environment In order to understand the dynamism of The Body Shop, we have to understand the competitive structure of the cosmetic industry.The â€Å"competitive structure† of this market and the â€Å"critical rules of the game set by the industry† can be explained by using the â€Å"Porter’s model of competitive forces† in the cosmetic market. The Porter’s model is composed by five forces, the nature and strengths of the competitive pressures associated with these five forces have to be examined force by force to identify the specific competitive pressure which each comprises and to decide whether these pressure constitute a strong or weak competitive force. (Hough, J et al: 2008:101). It permits us to establish how important the market is to current and potential competition. Porter ‘s model of competitive forces in the beauty market [pic] These forces are explicated in this table: |- High local and internati onal competition | | | | | |- The Body Shop has to face the direct competition in the domestic and international markets | | | | | |- Face the numerous cheaper competitors | | | |Rivalry competition |- Lots of competitors as: supermarket, beauty institutes, hair dresser, perfumery †¦ | | | | |HIGH |- Big brands with strong image: Dior, Yves St Laurent, Estee Lauder †¦ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Rivalry competition | | | | | |HIGH | | | |- Too much brands | | | | | |- Too difficult to obtain a brand image and customer loyalty | |Threats of new entrants | | |LOW |- Numerous regulations | | |- There are not really substitutes products but there are lots of others brands.. | | | | | |- The substitutes products will be : | |Threat of substitute products | | |HIGH |- Cheaper products, no name brands | | | | |- Products tested on animals | | | | | |- Non natural products | | | | | |- Imitative products | | | | |Bargaining power of suppliers |Their impacts ar e not too big | |MEDIUM | | | |- High expectation in terms of quality and services | |Bargaining power of buyers | | |HIGH |- New generation with internet, buyers can compare prices | After this analysis, we can follow with the key success factors of The Body Shop. 1. 3 °the key success factors of the beauty industry and The Body Shop â€Å"Key success factors are the products attributes, competencies, competitive capabilities, and market achievements with the greatest impact on future competitive success in the marketplace. † (Hough, J et al: 2008: 97) In order to succeed and to be competitive, The Body Shop has to manage key success factors. So we can say that cosmetics brands have: – To be innovative and to propose new products – To obtain global distribution capabilities To have strong e-commerce capabilities (friendly website†¦) and the possibility to buy online products – To have an excellent and famous branding image: customers could iden tify them to the brand and its values. – To be different – To maintain high level of quality and services in order to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty In the next part, we can realise a SWOT analysis to evaluate if The Body Shop meets these key success factors. 1. 4) The SW (OT) analysis of The Body Shop The SWOT analysis provides an overview of the firm’s situation and it is an essential component of crafting a strategy tightly matched to the company’s situation. (Hough, J et al: 2008: 138).The SWOT analysis is composed by the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We have already done the opportunities and threats in the macroenvironment analysis that is why we just evaluate here the strengths and weaknesses of The Body Shop (internal environment). | | | |STRENGHTS |WEAKNESSES | | | | |Global business Lack of new products | | | | |Ethical business |To slow to get new market share | | | | |High social responsibility |Stores to o old, need a new design | | | | |Respect of human rights |Unpopularity of the Body Shop in the city and in the business | | |community | |Present all over the world (in 47 countries) | | | |Lack of enthusiasm | |Anti animal testing practices | | | |Failure in different countries: ex France, USA.. |Good manufacturing and wholesale | | | |Big problems with franchises | |Reorganisation to the firm to a management group | | | |Lack of adaptation to the needs and preferences of overseas markets | |Importance of the environmental friendliness |(ex: USA) | | | | |Strong corporate culture in the firm ( involvement of the staffs in |Not a strong retailer | |the campaigns) | | |Important financial losses | |Products naturally made | | | |Products and concepts easily imitated | |Uniqueness of the products in term of its packaging | | | |Too much importance in launching environmental projects and too less| |Strong identity |in running business | | | | |Different suppliers from different ethnics and groups |Followers in cutting prices | | | | |A.Roddick: ethical and strong leader |Prices more expensive than the other competitors | | | | |Importance of staff selection |Lack of advertising | Question 2 Applicability and effectiveness of new CEO Patrick Gournay’s strategies P. Gournay was a business man with experiences. He wanted to create a new strategy for The Body Shop in order to be a unique brand, different to the others. This strategy was focus on different point: – Be faster to launch new products (less than one year). – Redesign the stores to satisfy the customers and to improve the brand’ image. – Cut the number of products by 25%, to be focus on â€Å"heritage† products. – Acquisition with Cosmo Trading for ? 7 million to have more control on European operations – Restructuration New products with a strong Body Shop’ identity: Hemp, differentiated products – New leaders hip – Reclarify the mission and vision of the company: be a strong retailer – Outsource manufacturing and find manufacturing partners in each region – Cut administration costs – Decentralization in 4 main regions – Focus on customer satisfaction Even if some problems were still present in UK and USA, and if some periods were more critical than the others as Christmas for example, the P. Gournay’s 2000 strategy was a new life for The Body Shop. After some mistakes due to bad choices and a lack of experience in the cosmetic industry P. Gournay planed a real revolution in The Body Shop organisation.In a result of this revolution, profits rose by ? 9 million to ? 271 million compared with the same period in 1999 and most of his objectives were achieved. These elements show a very good execution of his strategy. It is always easier to plan a strategy but the implementation of it relieve to strong efforts in leadership and management. The organisa tional changes that is to say the restructuration as well as the decentralization of the company were very good strategic changes. It permits to share the responsibilities and to involve more the employees in this new strategy. P. Gourmay is a strong leader, he had the capacity to believe in The Body Shop future and to be fast to react.It understood the needs of the markets in creating new products as well as new services as home selling. He also wanted to be more customer oriented, improving the brand image thanks to the redesign of the shops and developing marketing tools as customer loyalty program in UK. Even if his lack of experience in the beauty industry was claimed, he was able to refocus the company to be a strong retailer. The results of his strategy have been done by better profits, share value and sales. Gourmay looks to be a good communicant, he explained numerous times his choices and the aim of his strategy, this step is important to create a strategy-supportive cultu re.The applicability and effectiveness of his strategy have been recognized by analysts, by the business community but also by all the company. Section B Question 3 Vision and Mission †¢ A mission statement focuses on current business activities — â€Å"who we are and what we do† The Body Shop is a global business, based on ethics, his products are known and famous for their naturally and because they are not tested on animals. The Body Shop is an organization with strong values and identity. The Body Shop was one of the first organization focuses on social responsibility and fair trade. The Body Shop offers natural cosmetics and personal care products. They have services as home selling and massages in their shops.With ageing of population and the importance of well being nowadays, customers have strong expectations in terms of quality and excellence. The sustainable development is a recent value in our society and customers expect companies as The Body Shop to r espect it. The Body Shop is a good retailer; it has manufacturing partners in each of his four region area. This organization has the capacity to create new 100% natural products and to be involved in social causes. †¢ A strategic vision concerns a firm’s future business path — â€Å"where we are going† The Body Shop should gain market share and extend his leadership position in the cosmetic industry worldwide. They should be more famous and extend their brand awareness all over the world.The Body Shop will follow with his ethical values and develop new products and services in order to be more competitive. In other words, The Body Shop has to create new opportunities to leverage their brand globally. To achieve these goals, The Body Shop has to pursue and to improve the broader corporate goals of profitable growth and continuous improvement. The Body Shop should: – Achieve world-class performance by attaining a strong competitive position in target markets. – Exceed customer expectations for quality and value. – Earn in excess of the cost of capital over a business cycle. These elements can be reaching thanks to: – The distinguished brand The heritage of integrity and teamwork. – The advanced skills – The special relationships that have long existed between the company and the employees, customers, dealers and other business partners around the world The Body Shop has to pursue his natural products based more on well being than beauty. They have to follow their politics about ethics and fair trade and stay oriented by the environmental friendliness. The Body Shop has to be focus on customer satisfaction. The management has to be more profits oriented and be more aggressive in order to survive. †¢ Types of business , the body shop should be in: The Body Shop should open his shops to new customers.Nowadays there is a new market with men and old people. They should segment their products an d adapt them to new consumers’ needs and expectations. They also should create and develop a friendly website where customers could see all of their range of products and buy them online. Question 4: Financial and strategic objectives: Financial objectives: Outcomes focused on improving financial performance ? Achieve revenue growth of 10% per year This objective is important and it is achievable. Indeed, thanks to P. Gourmay they have reached very good performances in term of profits and sales. This objective will be the consequences of the new strategy implementation.It also will be the results of a better customer satisfaction and brand awareness. This objective can be reach thanks to an internal growth as I said before but also thanks to an external growth. It will be interesting for The Body Shop to realize alliances with big actors of the cosmetic industry. ? Increase net profit margins from 2% to 4% As we can see in The Body Shop case, that during Christmas period they have interesting margins. This objective can be the results of scale economies, and costs reductions. Strategic objectives; Outcomes focused on improving long-term, competitive business position. Different strategic objectives could be developed: ? Have more attractive products than rivals Be more focus on customer satisfaction ? Gain customer loyalty ? be more innovative ? Gain recognition as a leader in natural products We are going to focus on 2 main objectives: ? be more focus on customer satisfaction This element is key point to ensure the future of the Body Shop, they have to be more customer oriented, to understand their needs and expectations. If customers are satisfied and feel considered, they will be naturally more loyal. As we know, a loyal customer is cheaper than a new customer. Different tools will be developed in the new strategy in order to reach this objective. Moreover, The Body Shop will have a new strategy to obtain new customers. Gain recognition as a leader i n natural products The core competency of The Body Shop is his capacity to create natural products. To gain market share, they should use this element and work on it in order to be recognize as a leader in the natural cosmetics industry. This element will give to the Body Shop an excellent and famous branding image. The Body Shop will have an image of â€Å"specific† companies, with strong skills and know-how. Question 5 Corporate and business strategies In order to reach the financial and strategic objectives gave above, The Body Shop has to realise some actions to be more and more competitive during the five next years: The Body Shop has to follow his strategy of differentiation by launching natural Products with elements from all over the world. â€Å"The essence of a broad differentiation strategy is to be unique in ways that are valuable to a wide range of customers. † (Hough, J et al: 2008: 152) To be very effective, The Body Shop has to study consumers ‘ne eds and behaviours to understand what they consider important, what they think has value and what they are willing to pay for. This buyers study will help them to create new products and services perfectly adapted to consumers’ expectations. It they follow this strategy and tried to be totally different, the consumers will accept to paid more and will be able to identify them to the brand.This strategy needs also to have a strong corporate culture based on innovation, the human resources have a strategic role, they have to recruit creative employees. The employees have also to be trained in order to be innovative and creative. – Have a bigger brand awareness is necessary for the Body Shop. That is why they have to invest more in marketing. They already have a strong identity but they have to diffuse it thanks to new media opportunities. The communication is an important element, more advertising campaign will add value and increase brand awareness. A powerful world adv ertising campaign will be interesting. As the Body Shop is a brand with strong values and politics, they should realise a different campaign as â€Å"Benetton† has done few years ago.In this campaign, they have to be different and to communicate about their natural products, that is to say their specific skills, their high quality and excellence. The campaign will be a â€Å"paper† campaign or a TV one, if the budget allows these expenditures. – As I said before, The Body Shop has to be customer oriented. They should realise a friendly website where customers will be able to see their range of products and services and where they would be able to buy online products. It will permit to customers to have good references and to be easily found on the world wide web. The website will permits to the organization to be more attractive and to attract a maximum of internet users. The organization should develop his customer loyalty programs all over the world. People li ke to be considerate as a specific customer and expect to have a â€Å"specific treatment†. The loyalty card encourages consumers to be loyal in order to receive presents and special offers. – They also could extend their services: Selling at home should be proposed in numerous countries. Customers love being the main interest of the companies. With this service they feel caring and have the feeling to have customized services. We have also seen that additional services as massages have increase the sales. People after having a nice moment want to buy the products used during this time.The Body Shop should propose services as sauna and hammam for example. – The Body Shop should not stay a niche market. The new trends and lifestyles give them big opportunities. They should realise a segmentation of their products that is to say they should have specific products for men and old people for example. They have to innovate and to adapt them to the changes. – T he Body Shop is already a global company but they should be present in other market as India, an emerging market. The beauty is an important value on this country, and the Indian beauty is known all over the world thanks to L’Oreal’s muse. This new market can ensure new sales and market shares, it is a new opportunity. The Body Shop should adopt a more aggressive strategy; the competition should not be underestimating. The company has to be more profit oriented. To reach their objectives, they can realise some alliance with a big brand as L’Oreal. Indeed, this alliance will permit them to shares their resources and capabilities in technology and innovation for example. It will help them to realise new products. – The creation of new products will also be strategic elements in specific period as Christmas. The Body Shop should realise limited products to give exclusivity to some customers. With specific range of products for this specific period, The Body Shop will improve his differentiation.All these changes require strong involvement of the management and employees, The Body Shop has to be more reactive, and they have to adapt them of their environment: lifestyles etc. As Gourmay done, the company has to change its structure when it is not adapted in order to be profitable and to promote innovation in the company. The culture has to be supportive and be oriented on differentiation and creativity. The resources are necessary to invest on an advertising campaign for example, but these marketing tools can lead to an increase on sales, market share and profitability. The company has to think regionally and globally in order to be present in new market as emerging market.The control is an important step, it is important to evaluate the actions done and to learn from the mistakes. The evaluation permits to have a continuous improvement, The Body Shop should be more control oriented. Question 6 Balanced scorecard for The Body Shop |THE B ODY SHOP | |HEAD OFFICE | |MAIN OBJECTIVE: | |Increase their market share all over the world, be a leader in natural products and have a better brand awareness | FINANCIAL |CUSTOMERS |INTERNAL |LEARNING AND GROWTH | | | | | | |- Refocus on retailing |- Increase their satisfaction |- Reinvention of The Body Shop |- Training of employees to be | | | |brand |more creative and innovative | |- New market shares: |- New products and services | | | |Selling in new market: India |(massages.. |- New structure |-Profiling the staff | | | | | | |- Revenue growth of 10% per year |- Better adaptation to each |- New strategy, plans and |- New staff: recruitment | | |countries’ needs and preferences |leadership | | | | | |- Innovative culture | |- Increase of the share price |- Better communication |- Products line and distribution | | | | |channels rationalized | | |- Selling new products |- Customer retention | | | | | |- Decentralization of the | | |-Selling to new consumers |-Customer acquisition |management | | | | | | | |- Alliance with cosmetics |- Redesign the stores, better |- New values: quality and | | |companies: L’OREAL for example |brand image |excellence | | | | | | | | |- More customer information |- Regulatory control | | | | | | | | |- More prominently |- Be a good corporate citizen | | | | | | | | |- More loyalty programs | | | References – Hought, J. Arthur, A. Thompson, Jr. Strickland III, A. J & Gambie, J. E. 2008. Crafting and Executing Strategy. McGraw Hill International Edition. – Piercy, N. The Body Shop. A case for burial or rising from the grave? – The Body Shop values report. 2007. The Body Shop The Body Shop Table of contents Introduction  :2 Section A3 A comprehensive strategic analysis of the industry  :3 Question 13 1)The external strategic analysis of The Body Shop3 1. 1 ° Synopsis of the beauty industry: Macroenvironement and trends3 1. 2 ° The competition: immediate industry and competitive environment5 1. 3 °The key success factors of the beauty industry and The Body Shop7 1. 4) The SW(OT) analysis of The Body Shop8 Question 2:8 Applicability and effectiveness of new CEO Patrick Gournay’s strategies8SECTION B10 Question 3:10 Vision and Mission10 Question 4:11 Financial and strategic objectives:11 Question 5:12 Corporate and business strategies12 Question 615 Balanced scorecard for The Body Shop15 References Introduction The cosmetic industry is one of the biggest industries in the world. The worldwide annual expenditures for cosmetics is estimated at U. S. $18 billion. There is a strong competition in this industry all over the world. To compete and obtain a competitive advantage, companies have to invest a lot.They always have to innovate, to invest in advertising campaign in order to be known and to be successful. The Body Shop decided to be different, their products are natural, it is an ethical organisation, associated with environmental friendliness. But how The Body Shop takes part in the cosmetic industry? What are their vision and mission and what strategic directions should be recommended to the Body Shop in order to perform successfully in this industry? Section A A comprehensive strategic analysis of the industry Question 1The cosmetic industry is a very aggressive and challenging market, in order to be more competitive and to gain market shares and customer loyalty, companies as The Body Shop have to understand their environment. After analysing the external environment (major trends of the industry, competitors and driving forces), the key success factors as well as the strategic issues will be evaluate, in order t o provide a SWOT analysis. 1) The external strategic analysis of The Body Shop 1. 1 ° Synopsis of the beauty industry: Macroenvironement and trendsThe PEST model in as interesting tool to understand and study all the components and trends that affect the beauty industry. This environment analysis permits us to understand the strategy of beauty brands as The Body Shop. To identify the importance of each components of the industry, it is necessary to quantify them. In the last column, O will represents â€Å"opportunity† however T will represent â€Å"threats†. Moreover, a number will be associated to see the impact of each element. PESTE model for the Body Shop |Importance of the regulations concerning the launching of new |T 5 | |Political environment (legislation and |products in the markets: (allergies†¦) | | |regulations) | | | | | | | | | | | | |Globalisation (driving force) |T8 | | | | | | |Strong local and foreign competition |T9 | | | | | | |Increas e in prices | | | | |T6 | |Economic and international environments |Increase in the budget bound for beauty | | |(general economic conditions) | |O6 | | |Cosmetic industry: huge market | | | | | | |Alliance groups in the cosmetic industry to attract new customers |O8 | | |(driving force) | | | | |O7 | |Societal environement (societal values and |Growth of the free time: importance to take care of our body and |O6 | |lifestyles) |beauty | | | | | | | |Importance of well being | | | | |O8 | | |Importance of the beauty (driving force) | | | | |O8 | | |Be young and stay young | | | | |O8 | | |Ageing of the population (segmentation of products) (driving force) | | | | |O7 | | |New market for men (new products.. ) (driving force) | | | | | | | |Companies and customers have more and more social responsibility |O8 | | | | | | Different needs and preferences according to the countries and the | | | |skin differences |O7 | |Societal environement (societal values and | | | |lifesty les) |Important demand variations and fashion effects in terms of |O6 | | |cosmetics | | | | | | | |Growth of the worldwide market of cosmetics (driving force) | | | | |O6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |T8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |O7 | | | | | | |Use of internet to buy products (driving force) |O6 | | | | | | Rapid innovation (waterproof †¦) (driving force) | | | | |T7 | | |Need of strong technological capabilities | | |Technological environment | | | | |Strong marketing innovation (driving force) |T7 | | | | | | | | | | | |T8 | | | | | | |Respect the environment |O10 | | | | | |Environmental aspects |Sustainable development |O10 | | | | | | |Fair trade |O8 | | | | | | |Bio market and products (driving force) |O9 | | | | | |Environmental aspects |Ecology | | | | |O8 | After this analyse of the trends, components and driving forces of the industry, it is interesting to see the place of the competitors in the industry. 1. 2 ° the competition: imme diate industry and competitive environment In order to understand the dynamism of The Body Shop, we have to understand the competitive structure of the cosmetic industry.The â€Å"competitive structure† of this market and the â€Å"critical rules of the game set by the industry† can be explained by using the â€Å"Porter’s model of competitive forces† in the cosmetic market. The Porter’s model is composed by five forces, the nature and strengths of the competitive pressures associated with these five forces have to be examined force by force to identify the specific competitive pressure which each comprises and to decide whether these pressure constitute a strong or weak competitive force. (Hough, J et al: 2008:101). It permits us to establish how important the market is to current and potential competition. Porter ‘s model of competitive forces in the beauty market [pic] These forces are explicated in this table: |- High local and internati onal competition | | | | | |- The Body Shop has to face the direct competition in the domestic and international markets | | | | | |- Face the numerous cheaper competitors | | | |Rivalry competition |- Lots of competitors as: supermarket, beauty institutes, hair dresser, perfumery †¦ | | | | |HIGH |- Big brands with strong image: Dior, Yves St Laurent, Estee Lauder †¦ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Rivalry competition | | | | | |HIGH | | | |- Too much brands | | | | | |- Too difficult to obtain a brand image and customer loyalty | |Threats of new entrants | | |LOW |- Numerous regulations | | |- There are not really substitutes products but there are lots of others brands.. | | | | | |- The substitutes products will be : | |Threat of substitute products | | |HIGH |- Cheaper products, no name brands | | | | |- Products tested on animals | | | | | |- Non natural products | | | | | |- Imitative products | | | | |Bargaining power of suppliers |Their impacts ar e not too big | |MEDIUM | | | |- High expectation in terms of quality and services | |Bargaining power of buyers | | |HIGH |- New generation with internet, buyers can compare prices | After this analysis, we can follow with the key success factors of The Body Shop. 1. 3 °the key success factors of the beauty industry and The Body Shop â€Å"Key success factors are the products attributes, competencies, competitive capabilities, and market achievements with the greatest impact on future competitive success in the marketplace. † (Hough, J et al: 2008: 97) In order to succeed and to be competitive, The Body Shop has to manage key success factors. So we can say that cosmetics brands have: – To be innovative and to propose new products – To obtain global distribution capabilities To have strong e-commerce capabilities (friendly website†¦) and the possibility to buy online products – To have an excellent and famous branding image: customers could iden tify them to the brand and its values. – To be different – To maintain high level of quality and services in order to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty In the next part, we can realise a SWOT analysis to evaluate if The Body Shop meets these key success factors. 1. 4) The SW (OT) analysis of The Body Shop The SWOT analysis provides an overview of the firm’s situation and it is an essential component of crafting a strategy tightly matched to the company’s situation. (Hough, J et al: 2008: 138).The SWOT analysis is composed by the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We have already done the opportunities and threats in the macroenvironment analysis that is why we just evaluate here the strengths and weaknesses of The Body Shop (internal environment). | | | |STRENGHTS |WEAKNESSES | | | | |Global business Lack of new products | | | | |Ethical business |To slow to get new market share | | | | |High social responsibility |Stores to o old, need a new design | | | | |Respect of human rights |Unpopularity of the Body Shop in the city and in the business | | |community | |Present all over the world (in 47 countries) | | | |Lack of enthusiasm | |Anti animal testing practices | | | |Failure in different countries: ex France, USA.. |Good manufacturing and wholesale | | | |Big problems with franchises | |Reorganisation to the firm to a management group | | | |Lack of adaptation to the needs and preferences of overseas markets | |Importance of the environmental friendliness |(ex: USA) | | | | |Strong corporate culture in the firm ( involvement of the staffs in |Not a strong retailer | |the campaigns) | | |Important financial losses | |Products naturally made | | | |Products and concepts easily imitated | |Uniqueness of the products in term of its packaging | | | |Too much importance in launching environmental projects and too less| |Strong identity |in running business | | | | |Different suppliers from different ethnics and groups |Followers in cutting prices | | | | |A.Roddick: ethical and strong leader |Prices more expensive than the other competitors | | | | |Importance of staff selection |Lack of advertising | Question 2 Applicability and effectiveness of new CEO Patrick Gournay’s strategies P. Gournay was a business man with experiences. He wanted to create a new strategy for The Body Shop in order to be a unique brand, different to the others. This strategy was focus on different point: – Be faster to launch new products (less than one year). – Redesign the stores to satisfy the customers and to improve the brand’ image. – Cut the number of products by 25%, to be focus on â€Å"heritage† products. – Acquisition with Cosmo Trading for ? 7 million to have more control on European operations – Restructuration New products with a strong Body Shop’ identity: Hemp, differentiated products – New leaders hip – Reclarify the mission and vision of the company: be a strong retailer – Outsource manufacturing and find manufacturing partners in each region – Cut administration costs – Decentralization in 4 main regions – Focus on customer satisfaction Even if some problems were still present in UK and USA, and if some periods were more critical than the others as Christmas for example, the P. Gournay’s 2000 strategy was a new life for The Body Shop. After some mistakes due to bad choices and a lack of experience in the cosmetic industry P. Gournay planed a real revolution in The Body Shop organisation.In a result of this revolution, profits rose by ? 9 million to ? 271 million compared with the same period in 1999 and most of his objectives were achieved. These elements show a very good execution of his strategy. It is always easier to plan a strategy but the implementation of it relieve to strong efforts in leadership and management. The organisa tional changes that is to say the restructuration as well as the decentralization of the company were very good strategic changes. It permits to share the responsibilities and to involve more the employees in this new strategy. P. Gourmay is a strong leader, he had the capacity to believe in The Body Shop future and to be fast to react.It understood the needs of the markets in creating new products as well as new services as home selling. He also wanted to be more customer oriented, improving the brand image thanks to the redesign of the shops and developing marketing tools as customer loyalty program in UK. Even if his lack of experience in the beauty industry was claimed, he was able to refocus the company to be a strong retailer. The results of his strategy have been done by better profits, share value and sales. Gourmay looks to be a good communicant, he explained numerous times his choices and the aim of his strategy, this step is important to create a strategy-supportive cultu re.The applicability and effectiveness of his strategy have been recognized by analysts, by the business community but also by all the company. Section B Question 3 Vision and Mission †¢ A mission statement focuses on current business activities — â€Å"who we are and what we do† The Body Shop is a global business, based on ethics, his products are known and famous for their naturally and because they are not tested on animals. The Body Shop is an organization with strong values and identity. The Body Shop was one of the first organization focuses on social responsibility and fair trade. The Body Shop offers natural cosmetics and personal care products. They have services as home selling and massages in their shops.With ageing of population and the importance of well being nowadays, customers have strong expectations in terms of quality and excellence. The sustainable development is a recent value in our society and customers expect companies as The Body Shop to r espect it. The Body Shop is a good retailer; it has manufacturing partners in each of his four region area. This organization has the capacity to create new 100% natural products and to be involved in social causes. †¢ A strategic vision concerns a firm’s future business path — â€Å"where we are going† The Body Shop should gain market share and extend his leadership position in the cosmetic industry worldwide. They should be more famous and extend their brand awareness all over the world.The Body Shop will follow with his ethical values and develop new products and services in order to be more competitive. In other words, The Body Shop has to create new opportunities to leverage their brand globally. To achieve these goals, The Body Shop has to pursue and to improve the broader corporate goals of profitable growth and continuous improvement. The Body Shop should: – Achieve world-class performance by attaining a strong competitive position in target markets. – Exceed customer expectations for quality and value. – Earn in excess of the cost of capital over a business cycle. These elements can be reaching thanks to: – The distinguished brand The heritage of integrity and teamwork. – The advanced skills – The special relationships that have long existed between the company and the employees, customers, dealers and other business partners around the world The Body Shop has to pursue his natural products based more on well being than beauty. They have to follow their politics about ethics and fair trade and stay oriented by the environmental friendliness. The Body Shop has to be focus on customer satisfaction. The management has to be more profits oriented and be more aggressive in order to survive. †¢ Types of business , the body shop should be in: The Body Shop should open his shops to new customers.Nowadays there is a new market with men and old people. They should segment their products an d adapt them to new consumers’ needs and expectations. They also should create and develop a friendly website where customers could see all of their range of products and buy them online. Question 4: Financial and strategic objectives: Financial objectives: Outcomes focused on improving financial performance ? Achieve revenue growth of 10% per year This objective is important and it is achievable. Indeed, thanks to P. Gourmay they have reached very good performances in term of profits and sales. This objective will be the consequences of the new strategy implementation.It also will be the results of a better customer satisfaction and brand awareness. This objective can be reach thanks to an internal growth as I said before but also thanks to an external growth. It will be interesting for The Body Shop to realize alliances with big actors of the cosmetic industry. ? Increase net profit margins from 2% to 4% As we can see in The Body Shop case, that during Christmas period they have interesting margins. This objective can be the results of scale economies, and costs reductions. Strategic objectives; Outcomes focused on improving long-term, competitive business position. Different strategic objectives could be developed: ? Have more attractive products than rivals Be more focus on customer satisfaction ? Gain customer loyalty ? be more innovative ? Gain recognition as a leader in natural products We are going to focus on 2 main objectives: ? be more focus on customer satisfaction This element is key point to ensure the future of the Body Shop, they have to be more customer oriented, to understand their needs and expectations. If customers are satisfied and feel considered, they will be naturally more loyal. As we know, a loyal customer is cheaper than a new customer. Different tools will be developed in the new strategy in order to reach this objective. Moreover, The Body Shop will have a new strategy to obtain new customers. Gain recognition as a leader i n natural products The core competency of The Body Shop is his capacity to create natural products. To gain market share, they should use this element and work on it in order to be recognize as a leader in the natural cosmetics industry. This element will give to the Body Shop an excellent and famous branding image. The Body Shop will have an image of â€Å"specific† companies, with strong skills and know-how. Question 5 Corporate and business strategies In order to reach the financial and strategic objectives gave above, The Body Shop has to realise some actions to be more and more competitive during the five next years: The Body Shop has to follow his strategy of differentiation by launching natural Products with elements from all over the world. â€Å"The essence of a broad differentiation strategy is to be unique in ways that are valuable to a wide range of customers. † (Hough, J et al: 2008: 152) To be very effective, The Body Shop has to study consumers ‘ne eds and behaviours to understand what they consider important, what they think has value and what they are willing to pay for. This buyers study will help them to create new products and services perfectly adapted to consumers’ expectations. It they follow this strategy and tried to be totally different, the consumers will accept to paid more and will be able to identify them to the brand.This strategy needs also to have a strong corporate culture based on innovation, the human resources have a strategic role, they have to recruit creative employees. The employees have also to be trained in order to be innovative and creative. – Have a bigger brand awareness is necessary for the Body Shop. That is why they have to invest more in marketing. They already have a strong identity but they have to diffuse it thanks to new media opportunities. The communication is an important element, more advertising campaign will add value and increase brand awareness. A powerful world adv ertising campaign will be interesting. As the Body Shop is a brand with strong values and politics, they should realise a different campaign as â€Å"Benetton† has done few years ago.In this campaign, they have to be different and to communicate about their natural products, that is to say their specific skills, their high quality and excellence. The campaign will be a â€Å"paper† campaign or a TV one, if the budget allows these expenditures. – As I said before, The Body Shop has to be customer oriented. They should realise a friendly website where customers will be able to see their range of products and services and where they would be able to buy online products. It will permit to customers to have good references and to be easily found on the world wide web. The website will permits to the organization to be more attractive and to attract a maximum of internet users. The organization should develop his customer loyalty programs all over the world. People li ke to be considerate as a specific customer and expect to have a â€Å"specific treatment†. The loyalty card encourages consumers to be loyal in order to receive presents and special offers. – They also could extend their services: Selling at home should be proposed in numerous countries. Customers love being the main interest of the companies. With this service they feel caring and have the feeling to have customized services. We have also seen that additional services as massages have increase the sales. People after having a nice moment want to buy the products used during this time.The Body Shop should propose services as sauna and hammam for example. – The Body Shop should not stay a niche market. The new trends and lifestyles give them big opportunities. They should realise a segmentation of their products that is to say they should have specific products for men and old people for example. They have to innovate and to adapt them to the changes. – T he Body Shop is already a global company but they should be present in other market as India, an emerging market. The beauty is an important value on this country, and the Indian beauty is known all over the world thanks to L’Oreal’s muse. This new market can ensure new sales and market shares, it is a new opportunity. The Body Shop should adopt a more aggressive strategy; the competition should not be underestimating. The company has to be more profit oriented. To reach their objectives, they can realise some alliance with a big brand as L’Oreal. Indeed, this alliance will permit them to shares their resources and capabilities in technology and innovation for example. It will help them to realise new products. – The creation of new products will also be strategic elements in specific period as Christmas. The Body Shop should realise limited products to give exclusivity to some customers. With specific range of products for this specific period, The Body Shop will improve his differentiation.All these changes require strong involvement of the management and employees, The Body Shop has to be more reactive, and they have to adapt them of their environment: lifestyles etc. As Gourmay done, the company has to change its structure when it is not adapted in order to be profitable and to promote innovation in the company. The culture has to be supportive and be oriented on differentiation and creativity. The resources are necessary to invest on an advertising campaign for example, but these marketing tools can lead to an increase on sales, market share and profitability. The company has to think regionally and globally in order to be present in new market as emerging market.The control is an important step, it is important to evaluate the actions done and to learn from the mistakes. The evaluation permits to have a continuous improvement, The Body Shop should be more control oriented. Question 6 Balanced scorecard for The Body Shop |THE B ODY SHOP | |HEAD OFFICE | |MAIN OBJECTIVE: | |Increase their market share all over the world, be a leader in natural products and have a better brand awareness | FINANCIAL |CUSTOMERS |INTERNAL |LEARNING AND GROWTH | | | | | | |- Refocus on retailing |- Increase their satisfaction |- Reinvention of The Body Shop |- Training of employees to be | | | |brand |more creative and innovative | |- New market shares: |- New products and services | | | |Selling in new market: India |(massages.. |- New structure |-Profiling the staff | | | | | | |- Revenue growth of 10% per year |- Better adaptation to each |- New strategy, plans and |- New staff: recruitment | | |countries’ needs and preferences |leadership | | | | | |- Innovative culture | |- Increase of the share price |- Better communication |- Products line and distribution | | | | |channels rationalized | | |- Selling new products |- Customer retention | | | | | |- Decentralization of the | | |-Selling to new consumers |-Customer acquisition |management | | | | | | | |- Alliance with cosmetics |- Redesign the stores, better |- New values: quality and | | |companies: L’OREAL for example |brand image |excellence | | | | | | | | |- More customer information |- Regulatory control | | | | | | | | |- More prominently |- Be a good corporate citizen | | | | | | | | |- More loyalty programs | | | References – Hought, J. Arthur, A. Thompson, Jr. Strickland III, A. J & Gambie, J. E. 2008. Crafting and Executing Strategy. McGraw Hill International Edition. – Piercy, N. The Body Shop. A case for burial or rising from the grave? – The Body Shop values report. 2007.

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Earning management and cookie jar - Coursework Example There are various business ethics as well as rules and regulations, which are compulsorily to be followed by every business organization. Many of these rules aim to protect the interest of the customers. Any trade practice that is against the ethics, will lead to legal proceedings and penalties. As per the various sections under the Consumer Protection Act, these entities can be punished if they breach any laws and bring harm to the customers. Earnings management can be defined as â€Å"a purposeful intervention in the external financial reporting process, with the intent of obtaining some private gain†. (Earnings Management Incentive and Techniques, n.d) Instead of doing business in a proper and sincere way, sometimes the management team may be forced to carry out business illegally due to various reasons. This is due to the fact that human beings are always keen on finding shortcuts for every task and, therefore, they always prefer these types of extreme earning management techniques. The common extra earning techniques followed are â€Å"cookie jar reserve technique, big bath techniques, big bet on the future technique, flushing,† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d) stuffing the channel etc. In cookie jar reserve, the accounting rule GAAP is not followed properly. Here the profits made in the current year are used to cover for losses made in some other year, in order to ensure the profitability of the firm by meeting its margin. Big bath is used by companies when stiff competition arises, the company will plan on â€Å"restructuring† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d.) the existing system and policies. Then, instead of recording the cost of such changes made in the organization, this loss is â€Å"reported as a non-recurring charge against income† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d.). This is done for the purpose of maintaining the market

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Business ethics - Essay Example The action would be wrong if the result involved the suffering of the party and would be right if the outcome was good. This was based on the utilitarianism. The argument put the Newspaper Company on the safer side if its actions were for its good. The company paying various parties to prevent its economic figure from spoilage could make it right (Mill 1861). The action would be wrong if the result involved the suffering of the party and would be right if the outcome was good. This was based on the utilitarianism. The argument put the Newspaper Company on the safer side if its actions were for its good. The company paying various parties to prevent its economic figure from spoilage could make it right (Mill 1861). It is also argued that the measure of suffering may determine the claim the right of equality. This pointed out clearly by a philosopher of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham (Singer 1976). In the event of the company seeking to maintain its economic position, the scandal will lead to its economic sabotage. The editor causes the company to suffer socially and economically. Therefore, the argument gives the company a lot of strength to demand for its compensation for the lost trust from people and spoilage of its image worldwide. As a result, the editor is ethically wrong due to the inconveniences caused. On the other hand, the people whose affairs have been interfered with will want to enjoy their privacy. They have been denied their right. The argument of Jeremy Bentham becomes the basis on which the people will claim their rights. This will eventually make the company and the editor liable for the inconveniences they have caused to the people despite the payments made to them by this company. These may have caused the people to lose their trusted customers and will also be seen as those who have no proper security over their information system. This shows that all the parties have a right to privacy. The editor on the hand did the publishing of the info rmation since it was part of his work as an employee. According to the ethic duty, the argument will be based on his moral behavior as an employee. His action was his duty to execute the duties as required by his employer and this was being obedient and being honest. He was expected to observe workplace ethics as argued in this theory. Therefore the editor was right in this case. In addition, Kamm, F.N. (1996) argues that if the motive of the action was to prevent suffering of parties, the action is ethically correct (Kamm 1996). The editor may have had an interest to know the limitations and some information about that would lead to the safety of others. The theory allows this if that is the motive. The editor is not punished for his action. The company wants to protect its employees and customers from the scandal by bribing the concerned parties that would interfere with their being. According to the argument, this is ethically allowed. Contrary to this, utilitarianism says ethics will on be good since these resulted in the bad end to the parties. The resigning of the editor form the work was the outcome. Also as the requirement of the human resource management, the company exercised the right to employ the workers, the editor in this case. This has an advantage to the company since it has the manpower, which is the pleasure it gets. The utilitarian ethic therefore argues that the company is right basing on the main intension of this party which has resulted in its

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Marijuana Legalization - Essay Example The most important reason for anyone to debate on the subject of marijuana legalization is because of its relevance to young people. Advocates of marijuana legalization in Washington, DC have voted on the legalization of marijuana and approved the move by an overwhelming majority. Kleiman mentions in his article that the district officials of the states are now looking to create a market for buying and selling of marijuana which was previously prohibited from selling under the ‘grow and give’ framework. In the article, Kleiman points out his argument against the creation of a profit motivated market for marijuana. It is true that commercialization of marijuana is disadvantageous. For one, it can cause many problems for states where marijuana is still illegal. Legalization of marijuana in Washington alone is likely to have its repercussions on other states where the drug is prohibited, a risk which also pointed out by Kleiman. Creation of an official market for marijuana will spark its trafficking to other states through underground channels. The most obvious impact is the rise in inter-state travelling in Washington for recreational usage of the drug. As such, there is a great likelihood that marijuana availability in Washington will result in easy acquisition and trafficking of the drug to other states. In his article, Mark Kleiman has argued against the commercialization of marijuana. Marijuana legalization comes at great social costs especially for the young user base of the illicit drug.

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Lateral Epicondylitis - Article Example The therapists decided to use their common program for treating the condition, which entailed the use of US, wrist extensor muscle progressive resistance exercise, stretching and cross friction massage (Hoppenrath & Charles 136). Ultra sound was included because two studies in a systematic review with placebo comparison had shown that US had significant clinical improvements in treating lateral epicondylitis. Since the therapists would e using US, they also decided to find out whether they could use US to transdermally administer anti-inflammatory drugs through the process known as phonophoresis (Hoppenrath & Charles 138). The therapists were interested in determining whether phonophoresis is better than US or whether the addition of some other drug through US treatment (phonophoresis) may help reduce pain in lateral epicondylitis. The studies reviewed in the systematic review revealed that there was no enough evidence to support the alluded fact that adding anti-inflammatory drugs t o the coupling medium in phonophoresis would produce additional positive results in treating lateral epicondylitis (Hoppenrath & Charles 139). As such, the therapists decided to use their common program for treating the condition, which entailed the use of US, wrist extensor muscle progressive resistance exercise, stretching and cross friction massage. In view of this systematic review, I opine that since that there is no strong evidence to support the fact that adding anti-inflammatory drugs to US-phonophoresis-improves care outcomes there is no need to use it. Instead, further research should be conducted to determine whether phonophoresis can actually improve care outcomes in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis through controlled studies. Hoppenrath, T. and Charles, D.C. â€Å"Is there evidence that phonophoresis is more effective than ultrasound in treating pain associated with lateral

Should Americans have free universal health care Essay

Should Americans have free universal health care - Essay Example Also, deeper evaluation of why the government should consider a free universal health care has been explained well. The opposing viewpoints have been revealed and were corrected with a brief explanation too. Both sides of the coin have been weighed with various studies to explain the efficiency or importance of the program. A Position paper to the issue: â€Å"Americans Should Have a Free Universal Health Care† There are many people who long to have freebies in life such as free food, free key chain, free shirts, and even free gift certificate in salon and spa. Some makes fun of it and some do not. Every laughs that these freebies bring has some â€Å"real thing† accompanied with it. It is pretty obvious that every man who wants freebies in life lacks for something. And that is the issue: if there is someone who cries for some â€Å"freebies† and it seems to bring goodness on the other side if evaluated well, would the authority listen? Health is one the most imp ortant things that people do consider. If they are not having a good lifestyle, their health would be on the peak of harm. They would experience illness and worst, even death. Health has become a big issue in the United States making universal health care to be the answer for these health issues. According to Torrey (2008), universal health care is a view where everyone, who belongs to a certain place, is covered with basic health amenities and would not be denied of any health related needs. Today, there are several debates that discuss whether the Americans should have a free universal health care or not. Julie Sykora (2010) listed a few countries that embrace the universal healthcare system such as Canada, Germany and Japan and compared their health services with the United States of America. According to the writer, the United States is the only industrialized nation whose citizens are not guaranteed health care rights. As a result, as many as 45 million citizens are uninsured. Sykora (2010) also criticizes the unnecessary paperwork included in the American medical care system and considers them repetitive and unnecessary. Also, according to Avery Johnson (2010), a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, it was showed that the data and statistics of the rising uninsured, based on the 2010 Census Bureau, are dramatically increased in a year’s time. Most of the drop is seen in employer sponsored insurance, while people are found moving to government funded health insurance that can be seen with a significant increase in number. The Democrats use these findings to support their health care reform, and, on the other hand, Republicans representatives also want to get every American covered under health insurance. It is obvious that literally, people value their health and always make it a point to work with it. The government should consider their cries. Health is a valuable thing that one should always consider. It is a good point if the government would l et the universal health care to be freed. All Americans should have free universal health care. This is because free universal health care would encourage them to start preventive medicines and avoid major health problems. Also, it would let people work part-time or be stay-at-home parents without worrying about the health

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Short articles about sex, gender and society - Essay Example Vampirism, as a category akin to femininity, continues to assert itself in what underpins relationships between the main characters, focusing on understanding and sympathy that is most often attributed to the female persona. This same feminine-like persona is also illustrated in a situation where Sonny and Eric have a physical altercation when Sonny describes Eric’s love interest as a woman with big tits. For showing this type of disrespect for women, Sonny receives a quick blow and a reprimand for his insensitivity and callous actions. Furthermore, when Sookie and Bill are having a sexual experience, Sookie compares the love-making activity to I am woman, hear me roar, illustrating that the vampires are sensitive to their needs of their sexual partners, another attribute mostly attributed to female personality. There is a type of communal obligation to ensure that any member of vampire cliques do not maintain emotional distress and that their needs are fulfilled. This, to me, should be viewed as being more attributable to feminine characteristics and this gender is exemplified in the closeness and intimacy that underpins all relationships, something much different than masculinity as it is perceived in the stereotypical sense. Riker’s relationship with the androgynous alien shows that the bonds of legitimate love transcend gender stereotypes. When Riker confides to his ex-lover, Deanna, that he is falling for the alien, he receives ample emotional support, though advised to proceed cautiously. Riker is willing to explore sexual relationships with this androgynous being because he feels a deep emotional love for the creature, which illustrates that love and sex, under traditional views of romance and relationships, go hand-in-hand and are absolute necessities to ensure intimacy and closeness. Sex as a component of romantic love assists in our understanding of

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Research Proposal a Study on Web Portals - Essay Example Web portals enable people to connect with each other on the internet and share ideas, access useful information and other resources online. Portals are usually available throughout and can be accessed at any time by users. The databases are often updated regularly with the latest information. This study seeks to find out more information about web portals, their use and role in education and business as well as their impact on human communication. A Study on Web Portals Introduction The World Wide Web has been experiencing unprecedented growth since its inception and has been reinvented regularly to meet new demands and requirements of the business and social life making it to become the leading internet application (Erl, 2005). To many people, the World Wide Web has even become synonymous with the internet. One of the biggest reinventions of the World Wide Web is the introduction of web portals. Web portals have had a huge impact on creation of web pages for both corporate businesse s and education institutions such as universities and colleges (Hazra, 2002). Web portals have also greatly altered the way people access information on the internet through the web pages. There are various types of web portals, each serving a different purpose. The most common types of web portals include corporate portals, vertical and horizontal portals, regional and government portals, hosted and domain specific portals. Horizontal portals are those that cover a wide area while vertical portals are only based on one functional area. Regional portals are used for accessing local information about a place such as the weather forecast. Government portals on the other hand are used for storing government records Businesses can use web portals to interact with their clients and customers, or let their customers interact with one another, sharing information about available products. Clients and customers can easily access the businesses website and make enquiries about products and s ervices, place orders or make recommendations to the business (Erl, 2005). This has made online businesses easier to manage and helps corporate organizations interact with the outside world. The fact that web portals are available on the internet gives businesses an edge in that their customers and clients will still be able to access business information beyond working hours. The government can also use the web portal to keep its records and make them available to the public, especially in this era of democracy where people feel the urge to access government information. Government records can safely be stored online and accessed by interested individuals. Another area where Web portals have had a huge impact is in education. Web portals are very effective tools for inculcating scientific knowledge and other information in schools. Users can connect with one another on web portals to form learning communities where they can access relevant information, resources and expert knowledg e and assistance. Web portals also allow users to share and exchange ideas, engage in useful discussions and conduct activities that promote their learning. Online libraries and catalogues are often regularly updated with the latest information. Web portals have made simulation of education in real life much easier as compared to other types of web pages. A web portal can serve as scientific as well as an educational tool for its uses. It provides a platform whereby resources, information, and experts in science can meet and exchange ideas. Moreover, it will create an online opportunity for researchers to further their fieldwork and establish a bridge between class work and field work. The web portal is aimed at enriching its information through accepting contributions from people

Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Essay Example for Free

Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Essay T. C. Boyle’s â€Å"Carnal Knowledge† narrates about the life of Jim, his character and feelings. The use of irony indicates about the real life events and how Jim encountered them. Use of Irony shows how Jim faced tyranny and revealed about his character. Irony is used at different points in the story. Thesis: The use of Irony in this story depicts how man tries to gain love and other materialistic things in life but how events lead to misfortunes and undesirable results. Normally true relations never develop if they’re based on lies and fake attitude. The narrator describes about the meat in the supermarket and it is the first point when Irony is used. He desperately describes the delicious ways in which meat is consumed and an indication how he loves meat and he’s not a vegan. Jim is totally inclined towards the taste and not worried about how the animals are killed. In another instance irony is used when he meets with Alena and Alf. When Jim in out on dinner with Alena, again he had no meat to eat because of Alena’s involvement in animal protection. Irony usually results from person’s own faults in character. Alf peed on Jim. There is he met Alena. Appearance of Alf was another point of irony for him as the dog peed on him. Then later dog tried to attack on him. Jim is not very caring about animals. But when he meets Alena, he does care but not for animals but only for Alena and to prove to be ‘so good’ that he cares. Though he loved to eat meat but he decline to admit in front of Alena that he eat meat and pretended that he’s a vegetarian. It was his irony that he was deprived of having meat in meal in order to show Alena that he’s the same like her and she might got interested in him seeing all these characters. The narrator is also left in irony when he was in turkey farm. Irony was used at this point when Jim’s feelings were hurt as he was left in the farm. Jim tried to save turkeys. Though he did his best to become a good heroic image in the eyes of Alena, but still she did not pay any attention to him and cleared this point to him that there is â€Å"no’ relation between us and our purpose is only to save animals. While saving turkeys he felt more like hungry then wanting to save them. At farm Jim had to handle all the core tasks while his beloved was away with other cores. Though Jim tried to impress Alena with his lies but did not succeed. It was Alena’s love for animals and that’s for she cared. She never thought about meat and the taste. But Jim’s focus was meat and the taste it gives in different forms. Jim’s irony was that he never got what he wanted to be in Alena’s eyes. Conclusion In the â€Å"Carnal Knowledge† irony is used in terms that despite his all efforts to become so good in the eyes of Alena his endeavors were wasted. His character does not seem to be realistic. He lied to prove himself good. He was not really a good person but he tried to be good just to have more attention from Alena, and finally all his efforts were wasted. Works Cited T. C. Boyle’s â€Å"Carnal Knowledge† In Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, Seventh Edition, p. 267

The Globalization of Service Marketing Essay Example for Free

The Globalization of Service Marketing Essay Nowadays, the globalization pushes the service marketing into the fierce competition. Furthermore ,we can not avoid it ,because it influence every aspect of our lives. So many people think whether it is an opportunity or a challenge in this fierce competition? How Can they take use of the service to dominate the marketplace. This essay will discuss how does the globalization affect the service marketing, how do the companies manage the service in the globalization? The overview There is no doubt that the rapid progress in science and technology improve the quality of the products. but because of the sharing technology, there is not much difference between the products. And with the change of demand,the service marketing are playing an important role in the market . Furthermore , with the development of the globalization,no one can say that goods can live without service. The basically and most important is that the services are driving the development of the economy and provide jobs for many people. For example, in the USA, services now services now accounted for 74 percent of US gross domestic products. And in 1970s service jobs accounted for 55 percent of all jobs, today it account for 82 percent of total employment . The idea in tangible The impact of globalization on service marketing is very obvious ,such as Wall Mart ? Carrefour ? McDonald ? Kentucky , they are affected by the globalization. Now they open the branches all over the world, in our Mian Yang we also can see their branches. So their service around the world Therefore, other companies should know how to manage the service in the globalization, and improve the quality of service to meet the customer. Firstly, the company must know that the globalization of service marketing brings risks and opportunities. They must to be familiar with the new market. furthermore,In order to satisfy the customers, maintain the customers and their loyalty , the company must identify the potential customers and their different services demand, especially those 20% customers which can bring 80% of a company’s profits. Secondly ,different people have different demand,different people from different places have different culture . That is to say, the company must develop a service delivery system that standardizes the service offering. Thirdly, the company will be given greater in the use of promotional techniques to development the new market, so the advertisement and the internet can do it. The ads as a medium can give information with clear and definite objectives. It also can transmit message about the products. Above all ,the ads create a good image of the company and attract the customers to buy products. As for the internet, it always plays an important role in the service. The internet provides a very convenient way in the service marketing, No matter where and when, the internet service marketing can do it, it make the service more efficiency . For example, Tao Bao is good online shopping platform, we are glad to buy on the Tao Bao . The Payoff It is obviously that the globalization affects the service marketing greatly. The companies focus on the technical in the product, it can promote the sales, at the same time, it also improves the quality of service. And for the service delivery system, it meet different demands, make the customers feel well, in the long run ,those customers is our honest customers . he ad and internet is very important two parts in the service ,it make the service more convenient and efficiency. The customer satisfaction become the key in industry, and all the companies have to know, it is more important to focus on the customers, and the company must pay more attention to the quality control? technical resources, The Close Economic globalization lead to the service marketing becomes a great global market; the most important is that the service marketing has a huge market with big potential and wide prospect. The companies do not only care about the products they sell, but also concern about the customers, and they must care about the whole service process. All companies should size the opportunity of globalization to make use the technical resources to improve the quality of product. Besides the ad and internet must use for improving the image of company. In a word, the globalization influences the whole service process. The globalization makes the companies open their branches from here and there, the product spread the global, so the service around the world too.

The Anxiety Of Death In The Elderly Sociology Essay

The Anxiety Of Death In The Elderly Sociology Essay The essay below is on the death anxiety of the elderly persons who are independent and those who are dependent on others in life. Anxiety of death is defined by the British National Health Service as a feeling of apprehension, or dread that an individual encounters when thinking of the process dying. On the introduction part of the essay, there is a brief discussion of death anxiety in the society. The literature review of the essay has tackled two major aspects of death anxiety. The first aspect is the general discussion of death anxiety among the elderly persons. Many people in the society have a perception that at old age people tend to have anxiety of death as compared to the youngsters, which many psychological scholars oppose. The second aspect includes the two main variables that affect the level of death anxiety in old age. These variables include being independent in life, and being dependent on others in life. It has been argued that elderly persons who are dependent on oth ers have high levels of death anxiety as compared to the individuals who are independent. The essay was based on the methodology and findings of a study conducted by Dr.Bharat H.Mimrot on A Comparative study of Death Anxiety of Old Persons in the year 2011. The sample size was 200 respondents who were randomly selected. The respondents were residents of Aurangabad city, and were selected from those living in institutions and those living with their families. Introduction Anxiety of death is considered as an abnormal or relentless fear in an individuals mind of death. Anxiety of death is defined by the British National Health Service as a feeling of apprehension, or dread that an individual encounters when thinking of the process dying (DePaola, Griffin, Young, Neimeyer, 2003). In the field of psychology, anxiety of death is considered as a psychological problem that is affected by a number of variables. Among the variables that affect anxiety of death, include the environment that one lives in, the age of an individual, the ego integrity, the religious faith of an individual, the personal sense that an individual has for self-worth. In studying death anxiety of an individual, majority of studies have indicated that the difficult part is the measuring of the anxiety an individual has in relation to other variables (Cicirelli, 2006). The below essay seeks to address the anxiety of death of the elderly individuals who are independent and those who are dependent on other people. For instance, the essay focuses on the age and the environment in which the individual lives as the main variables for the anxiety of death. Majority of studies have indicated that as people age, regardless of them being independent or dependent on others, they become less anxious about death. The essay will be supported by a study conducted by Dr.Bharat H.Mimrot on A Comparative study of Death Anxiety of Old Persons in the year 2011. This article has been extracted from the Indian Streams Research Journal. Literature Review Anxiety of death in old age In the current society, the anxiety of death among individuals is a rampant psychological issue, especially the younger generation that should not be ignored. Many people in the society have a perception that at old age people tend to have anxiety of death as compared to the youngsters, which many psychological scholars oppose. When dealing with anxiety of death in old age, it is very important for one to understand old age in general (Banck, 1976). Generally, old age is considered to be consisting of ages that are nearing the average life span which human beings are expected to live. Majority of psychological studies on issues that affect individual at old age referred old age as a late adulthood stage that tend to begin at 60s and lasts until death. In her definition of death anxiety, a renowned psychologist Janet Belsky, considered death anxiety as the emotions, fears, as well as thoughts about the final event of life that an individual may experience under more normal conditions of life. In old age, people must deal with the possibility of their own death as well as the death of loved ones (Chernick, 1990). Death may also be looked into in terms of statistics, which supply us with significant figures and facts. Even though death most commonly occurs in later years, it may happen at any stage in life. As a common phenomenon in the current society, majority of people are afraid of dying, especially the elderly who know that lifetime in world is ending. For instance, many perceive that death is always near when one is in old age; therefore, their perceptions make them believe that anxiety of death is a common condition for the elderly persons in the society as compared to the youngsters (Dever, 1998). On the contrary, most studies are against this particular perception in the sense that any person can be anxious of death due to the living conditions. According to a psychological theory done by Erickson, it is indicated that in the later stages of life, individuals experience what is known as ego integrity. In his theory, developmental psychologist Erickson pointed out that this particular theory explained that as people grow older in life, they go through a series of crises in life. The psychologist argued in his theory that a person tends to engage in life review when they reach th e old age (Epstein, 1979). Ego entry according to Erik Erickson is a state when an individual comes to term with his or her life and accepts it. On the other hand, when a person reviews his or her life in old age as a series of failed events and opportunities, then such individuals never reach the stage of ego integrity. This is when one becomes anxious of death at old age, whether they are dependent on other people, or whether they are independent in life. The elderly people who find life worth continue living tend to have less anxiety on death. In Erickson theory of psychology concerning anxiety of death, elderly individuals tend to have less anxiety of death when they reach the ego integrity level because, when they look back on their lives, they find meaningfulness in their lives, hence have a purpose to continue living (Langs, 1997). It is with no doubt that anxiety of death is minimal to individuals who are elderly because majority of studies support the psychological theory done by developmental psychologist Erik Erickson. In a certain study, the Templer Death Anxiety scale was used to measure the level of death anxiety among individuals from 16 years to 83 years. N the study, it was found that the individuals who were 60 years and above had lower scores of death anxiety while the younger individuals had higher levels of death anxiety. This particular study was proved that the psychological theory of Erickson was true (Rheingold, 1967). Another study still indicated that anxiety of death is minimal during old age. In the research study, it was found that anxiety of death normally begins to be prevalent in ones life during their years of young adulthood. This is during the ages of 20 years to 40 years. During the next age phase, anxiety of death reaches its peak. This is between the ages of 40 to 64 years. At old age, that is 65 years and above, it was indicated that the anxiety of death tends to lower. Form the findings of this particular study; it is evident that the psychological theory done by Erickson is supported. This particular study tends to contradict with the expectations that people have towards anxiety of death at old age. As indicated in the previous text of the essay, many individuals in the society think that old people are always anxious about death due to the process of aging (Neimeyer, 1994). Anxiety of death in the elderly who are dependent on others and those who are independent in life As discussed above, death anxiety tends to lower when individuals become elderly. Though it lowers as one ages, there are two main variables that may affect anxiety at old age. The two variables include whether the elderly person is dependent on other people in life, or whether the individual is independent in life. Being dependent on other [people may entail receiving life support such as food, laundry activities, medication, house cleaning, and many other important activities that are crucial in life. On the other hand, when one is independent in life, it means that the individual supports him or herself in carrying out the crucial activities of life such as paying for their own bills, buying for himself or herself food, taking themselves to entertainment joints and many others (McCarthy, 1990). For instance, majority of studies have indicated that elderly individuals who are dependent on other individuals in life tend to have higher levels of death anxiety as compared to their counterparts who are independent in life. This is because the elderly who are dependent on others tend to review their lives and find no meaning in living. They tend to reach this point especially when they feel that they are a burden to those who pay their bills, buy them food, as well as looking after them. They find no worth in continue living because they do not add any value to the society they live in but rather consume that available resources without replacement. They have a perception that when they die, the people they depend on would be free at last (Lonetto Templer, 1986). On the other hand, elderly individuals who are independent in life tend to have lower levels of death anxiety. As it is stated in Ericksons psychological theory, as individuals reach their old age, they tend to sit back and make a review of their lives. When they reach the ego integrity level, they tend to find meaningfulness in their lives hence they find it worth continue living. This is because of the achievements they may have made in their entire lives. Therefore, they feel that they should continue living in order to enjoy whatever they achieved in their entire lives. This is unlike the elderly individuals who feel that they failed in life after they review their lives. For instance, elderly individuals who are independent in their lives tend to find the meaningfulness in living after they review their lives. This is because; when they review their lives they find that they have achieved so much in life that they should continue living to enjoy their prosperity (Mahabeer, 1980) . They find no problem with them continuing living because they pay their own bill, look after themselves, as well as buy themselves food and many others. As opposed to their dependent counterparts, the elderly independent individuals fail to have the feeling of being a burden to other people in the society because they do not depend on them for survival; hence they find it worth living. It is therefore evident that elderly individuals who are independent in life have lower levels of death anxiety as compared to those who are dependent on others in life. This is so since it is supported by a majority of studies conducted on anxiety of death in the elderly persons (Langs, 1997). Methodology of the study The study was specifically for the old person living at Aurangabad city. The study included institution sector units as well as family sector units. The hypotheses formulated for the purposes of the study were to be tested by collecting relevant data from the participants who took part in the study. One of the hypotheses tested by the study that is relevant to this particular essay is that the elderly individuals who live in institutions tend to experience more anxiety of death as compared to those who live in the family. The study included both the females and the males; it did not sideline participants from a certain gender (Mimrot, 2011). The sample for the study included 200 old persons. These 200 old persons belong to both the sexes to various families and institutions, of Aurangabad city. Of the 200 people, 50 were male who lived with family, and 50 females who lived with family, as well as 50 males who lived in institutions and 50 females who lived with family. The sample for the study was selected by the use of random sampling technique. In addition to the selection of the sample for the study, the tool used for the methodology was Death Anxiety Scale. The scale was made up of 10 units and was constructed and developed by Upinder Dhar, Savita Mehta, as well as Santosh Dhar. The split-half reliability coefficient was = 0.87. The scale reliability was determined by calculating split-half reliability coefficient, corrected for full length, on a sample of 200 subjects (25-55 years) Besides face validity, as all items of the scale are concerned with the variables under focus, the scale has high content validity. The reliability index was calculated by the reaserchers for purposes of establishing validity from the coefficient of reliability Norms for the scale were available on a sample of subjects belonging to the age range of 25-55 years (Mimrot, 2011). The data analysis for the study was carried out with the help of descriptive statistics including Means, Standard Deviation, and multiple univariate 2 x 2 ANOVA for Death Anxiety. Discussion There are significant differences between mean scores of old people living in the family and institutionalized old people on death anxiety. (F = 11.875, df1 = 1, df2 =196 P Based on the analyses that were interpreted in the study, there was a major difference between old age people living in family and old age institutionalized people in terms of their anxiety of death. Based on the mean value interpreted from the study, the elderly people living in the family have high death anxiety (6.00) than institutionalized old people (5.44). this is an indication that those living with their families are highly dependent on their family members as compared to those living in institutions since they have no family member to depend on. This particular interpretation of data from the study failed to support the hypothesis that old age people living in the institution would experience more death anxiety than old age people living in the family (Madnawat Singh, 2007). The hypothesis was therefore rejected for the study. In connection with the above-mentioned findings, some of the psychological scholars found the ageing process is associated with a number of factors like economic independence, health status, their role expectation in the family and status accorded to the elders in the family. From the results of the study conducted by Dr.Bharat H.Mimrot, it is clear that elderly individuals who are dependent on others have higher levels of anxiety of death as compared to the elderly individuals who are independent (Ens Bond, 2005). In this particular case, the independent old people were represented by individuals who were living in institutions whereas dependent elderly persons on others in life were represented by those who were living with their families. In support of Erickson psychological theory that states that the death anxiety of an elderly person tends to lower down suppose the individual reaches the ego integrity level. As discussed in the previous paragraphs, such a level is usually reached when an individual takes a full review of his or her life and finds that it is worth living. For instance, the elderly persons living with their families in this particular study were found to be having a higher level of anxiety of death as compared to their counterparts since they failed to find the essence in continuing living. The fact that they fail to have the urge of continuing living is due to them relying on their families for their upkeep. The individuals feel that at their age they are supposed to have made enough in their entire lives that would support them during their old age instead of being a burden to their family members (Epstein, 1979). On the other hand, the results of the study indicated that the elderly individuals who live in institutions have a lower anxiety of death. This is according to their ego integrity level. These particular individuals find the sense of continuing to live after they review their entire lives. In the institutions where these elderly persons live, they do not rely on others for their upkeep but rather pay for the services that are offered to them, which is unlike the individuals who live with their families. They find the essence of continuing living because they feel that they are not a burden to any individual and that they achieved much in their entire lives that is worth continuing living. This particular discussion is supported by the psychological theory of Erik Erickson (Mimrot, 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, anxiety of death not only affects the elderly persons, as many in the society perceive, but can also affect children and the young adults. Among the variables that affect anxiety of death in ones life, age seems to be the principle variable. The elderly persons are less anxious of death while the youngsters are highly anxious of death. As discussed in above essay, it is clear that the elderly who are dependent on other people in life have a higher level of death anxiety as compared to those who are independent in life.

Investigating Theft in Retail Organizations Essay -- Stealing Thieves

Investigating Theft in Retail Organizations In an industry where a 1% change in gross margin can mean millions of dollars, retailers have begun focusing greater energy on mitigating losses caused by employee theft. Employee theft has become a problem of increasing significance for retail organizations over the past few decades. In 2004, the European Theft Barometer report showed an increasing prevalence of employee theft in retail organizations, up 1% from 2003 (Technology Tackles Employee Theft, 2005). It’s been estimated that â€Å"the outcome of employee deviance and delinquency accounted for between $6 and $200 billion of organizational loss annually† (Lau, Au, & Ho, 2003). Employee theft can be loosely defined as any behavior by an employee of an entity that is intended to produce detrimental financial outcomes for the employer. This includes pocketing cash, stealing inventory, using company resources for personal gain, and other deceptive tactics. Most modern day retailers are at some level of risk as moti vation and opportunity make theft an attractive choice for many employees. While large organizations have focused on this problem for several years, many small businesses have not devoted the time and resources to addressing this problem. Small businesses may be at particular risk due to a lack of high-tech internal controls that larger organizations may have. Additionally, small businesses often â€Å"frequently deal in cash – the easiest temptation of all to a dishonest worker† (Biddick, 2004). Consequently, small businesses must pay special attention to this problem in hopes of diminishing the risk (Biddick, 2004). Understanding the motivations of an employee that engages in theft can be an essential means to changing the circumstances and situations that might encourage these harmful activities. Employee motivations can be classified into three main categories: personal, organizational, and economic factors. Personal factors include such items a person’s individual viewpoint on and reactions to such items as job satisfaction, relationship with co-workers and employer, and one’s perceptions of the work environment (Lau, Au, & Ho, 2003). These are all factors that will differ based on the employee. Organizational factors refer to the controls placed in the work environment. These include the broad â€Å"Control Environment†, as referred to by the COSO fra... ...he situation. When investigating the theft, they should perform a cost-benefit analysis, and then use both physical and testimonial fact gathering to uncover the culprit. Works Cited: Bassett, J. W. (2003). Solving Employee Theft Cases. The Internal Auditor, 60(6), 23. Retrieved May 11, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online Biddick, K. (2004). Think big when protecting small business from employee theft. Nation’s Restaurant News, 38(36), 26. Retrieved May 10, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online Lau, V., Tung Au, W. & Ho J. M. (2003). A Qualitative and Quantitative Review of Antecedents of Counterproductive Behavior in Organizations. Journal of Business and Psychology, 18(1), 73-100. Retrieved May 15, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online Shoplifting, employee theft and check fraud top retailers’ concerns. (2005). NPN, National Petroleum News, 96(11), 12. Retrieved May 11, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online Technology Tackles Employee Theft. (2005). Retail World, 58(3), 41. Retrieved May 10, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online Tryon, G. & Kleiner, B. H. (1997). How to investigate alleged employee theft properly. Managerial Auditing Journal, 12(1), 19. Retrieved May 15, 2005, from ABI-Inform Online