Saturday, December 28, 2019

Barbie s Impact On The Advancement Of The Young Ladies

Since her creation in 1959, Barbie has been a mainstream toy for young people in the U.S. In 1998, generally, young ladies in the U.s. claimed eight of these dolls and give or take two were bought consistently some place on the planet (Turkel, 1998). With every last bit of her notoriety and the determined part she plays in numerous young ladies lives, little research has yet been be carried out on whether she may have a hurtful impact on the advancement of the young ladies who cherish her. Turkel (1998) contends that all dolls are implied as transitional items. They are intended to help kids accomplish some freedom, show youngsters about societal parts, and, at the point when the dolls look more established, speak to how the tyke ought†¦show more content†¦The message that this passes on is that however young ladies can develop up to be specialists, they ought to still be distracted with children and things that are adorable (the bundling says that her extras incorporate two adorable babies). Moreover, Veterinarian Barbie is an adaptation of a veterinarian who just works with little, adorable pets, Pilot Barbie pairs as a flight orderly, and School Barbie s apartment does not have any books (Turkel, 1998) Setting aside the inquiry of whether Barbie is a decent good example on account of her vocations, others have issues with the message she sends to young ladies about their parts in society. Case in point, the Barbie persona concentrates excessively on shopping and she strengthens sexual orientation contrasts in capacity (Turkel, 1998). One talking Barbie said, as one of her few expressions, Math is extreme (Turkel, 1998, 169). This kind of message fortifies convictions that our society has about sex distinction in math capacity despite the fact that a metaanalysis by Hyde, Fennema, and Lamon (1990) indicated just a little impact measure (0.15) of sex on math capacity (as refered to in Helgeson, 2009). Moreover, in a portion of the diversions also stories made around her, Barbie regularly exchanges her childhood and searches for material belonging (Turkel, 1998). An alternate issue is with Barbie s appearance. Some accept that she has an unlikely body and that she isShow MoreRelated`` Playing With Barbie By Lucinda Ebersole And Richard Peabody s Garments Are The Main Fascination Of Barbie1762 Words   |  8 Pages With Barbie having blonde hair, blue eyes and a curvy body, many assumptions have been made because of the way she looks. These assumptions are easily portrayed in Mondo Barbie by Lucinda Ebersole and Richard Peabody, Forever Barbie by M.G Lord, â€Å"Legally Blonde† (2001), Barbie: Mermaidia (2006), â€Å"Barbie-Doll, Icon or Sexist Symbol†, and the Wikipedia article: Barbie. All in all, assumptions shouldn t be made just because they’re really pretty. Jeanne Beaumont poem, â€Å"Playing With Barbie† in theRead MoreThe Role Of Print And Television During The 1950 S4143 Words   |  17 PagesUnited States during the 1950’s. It historically investigates the mass media and the various mediums that contributed to the creation of an idyllic, stereotypical woman. More specifically, the extended essay will discuss print and television as methods of developing this image of women, exploring the question: To what extent did the mass media’s creation of an image of the idealized woman contribute to the change in women’s roles in the United States during the 1950’s? In order to answer the questionRead More Video Games Essay4473 Words   |  18 Pagesselecting the game file name under which they are stored (which has a game file extension specific to the game). Once game play commences, the player undertakes challenges in order to advance. Typically, players are rewarded with points or advancement to more difficult or different levels missions in a serial game. Challenges can take the shape of puzzles, tactical, simulated flight or navigation missions and flight, shooting at moving targets, travel, hand to hand combat, and/or driving. Read MoreAppearance Discrimination in Employment22039 Words   |  89 Pagesappearance, attractiveness, and why companies look to hire those who are considered â€Å"handsome†, â€Å"pretty† and â€Å"beautiful†. Originality/value  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ This is an original and comprehensive paper by the authors. Article Type:    Research paper Keyword(s):    Ethnic minorities; Racial discrimination; Disabilities; Discrimination; Equal opportunities; Gender; â€Å"Lookism†; â€Å"Lookphobia†; United States of America. Journal:    Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal Volume: Read Morepaul hoang answers72561 Words   |  291 Pagessuch cases. Since the Answer Book is 178 pages long, colleagues may find the use of ‘short keys’ useful when searching for answers. By pressing the and keys together, you will be prompted by a pop-up menu. Type in the question number or key word(s) you are seeking answers for (e.g. ‘2.8.3’ or ‘Bausch Lomb’) and press and the answers should appear right in front of you! I hope that you and your students will find the answers (and they are only suggested answers at best) useful in the teachingRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pages 12.4] 10.3.3.1 Lessons learned [8.3.3.4] 9.4.2.2 Individual performance appraisals Chapter 7 Managing Risk Chapter 15 Chapter 16 International Projects Oversight 11.1 Risk management process [F.8] 11.2 Identifying risks 11.3.2.2 Impact matrix 11.4 Risk assessment 11.5 Risk responses (.2–.1.2) 11.6 Risk register 7.1.2.5 PERT analysis 7.1.2.6.3 Contingency reserves 7.3.3.4 Change control management G.7 Culture awareness 1.4.4 Project offices 8.1.2 Continuous improvement 5.1 Requirements

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee Essay - 1560 Words

Recently, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) strongly floated the idea of another interest-rate hike, with the last one being a very minor one after seven years of 0% short-term interest rates. (CITE) While the decision to raise rates may be a foregone conclusion, it is important to note the various effects such a hike will have on the economy as a whole. Everything from the housing market to debt markets to emerging markets will be affected. The ripple effect from such a decision could affect the economy for years to come. With all of these factors in mind, I believe that the Federal Reserve should raise interest rates now. Simply put, the level of interest rates affect economic decisions at every level, whether by the individual consumer, or a major corporation, or entire countries. First, we must look at the residential and commercial real estate market. Homeowners had a golden opportunity to purchase or refinance their homes between 2008 and 2015, when 30-year rates were at unusual lows. (CITE) This was of particular help when many homeowners suffered through â€Å"underwater mortgages† on homes worth less than the mortgages owed. Refinancing at a lower interest rate ensured millions of afflicted homeowners would be able to reduce their interest payments during such a troubling economic period. (CITE) But given the Federal Reserve’s likely decision to raise rates, homeowners will be at a disadvantage. The most recent (as of 12/9/2016) average 30-year fixedShow MoreRelatedThe Federal Open Market Committee1571 Words   |  7 Pageswill happen if the Federal Open Market Committee brings back up the interest rates that have been down? Since the interest rates have been down, great things for businesses and employment have been happening. If interest rates go back up, corporate finance is going to be challenged. About the FOMC The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the monetary policymaking body of the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Open Market Committee is composed of 12 members: five of the 12 Reserve Bank presidentsRead MoreThe Effect Of Aggregate Demand On The Economy1048 Words   |  5 PagesAs supported by the minutes released from the November meeting of the Federal Open-market Committee, the economy continues to strengthen and looks as though it will remain healthy through the foreseeable future. The economy has returned to normalcy in terms of Consumer Price since the hurricanes hit Florida and Texas, as evidenced by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Gasoline(all types) which is portrayed in the graph below. The FOMC has also reported that inflation is projected toRead MoreThe Federal Reserve Board Is A Regulating Body That Determines How United States Will Lend Money Essay957 Words   |  4 PagesThe Federal Reserve Board is a regulating body that determines how United States will lend money by coordinating the banks and defining the value of the dollar. A Governor on the Federal Reserve board communicates with the twelve region s bank presidents, economic analysts, and their regional directors, and collectively define the dollar by selling long-term and short-term bonds that advance a percentage of the worth. Once an agreement has been made upon fraction percentage, banks are required toRead MoreFederal Funds On The State Of The Economy Essay1227 Words   |  5 Pages10/12/2016 Federal Funds Rate The Federal Funds Rate plays a huge role on the state of the economy in the United States. For something that has such impact on the whole economy in the United States, it is very little known and understood. The Federal Funds Rate may be the most important rate in the country. So what is the Federal Funds Rate? It is an interest rate that is used when banks lend to other banks or other depository institutions from â€Å"funds that are maintained at the Federal Reserve† (TargetRead MoreA Brief Note On The State Of Bureaucracy1094 Words   |  5 Pagesbureaucracy as so many groups within the government are involved with one issue and there is a lack of follow through on responsibility. Management between different government groups has not been the most efficient. Between the House Oversight Committee, investigators, Congress, and the IRS, the scandal has still not been resolved. As a result of too many hierarchy groups, the process of resolving the issue has been long and ted ious. Example 4: Keystone XL pipeline http://www.bloomberg.com/nRead MoreInterest Rate Hike : A Reflection On The Present And Future1583 Words   |  7 Pages 2015, the market witnessed the first time that the Fed hiked the interest rates since 2006. Federal Open Market committee (FOMC) lifted the target range for the Federal funds rate to  ¼ to  ½ percent. Initially, this paper outlines the core marks from December 2015 meeting statement and compares them to the one from January 2016 meeting statement. Later, this paper acclaims Fed’s decision and illustrates appurtenant reasoning, based on multiple data sections ranging from labor market, price levelRead MoreUnited States : Interest Rate Hike1202 Words   |  5 Pagespace of the Federal Reserve s normalisation of monetary policy EVENT The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve (Fed) meets on September 16 and 17, in what will be one of the most awaited meetings in recent years. SIGNIFICANCE The chance of a rates lift-off at this meeting has receded recently and currently stands at 32%, as anticipated by the Fed Funds futures ***THIS SHOULD BE CHECKED DAY OF BY APPROVER OR FRANCESCA*****, due to heightened financial markets volatility andRead MoreCompany s Stock Movement And My Personal Opinion Essay807 Words   |  4 PagesStock Market game, i chose four companies as my targets(Apple, Google, Pandora and Fitbit inc), but this time i added two more companies:KBH and SONS. In this financial journal,i will record each company’s stock movement and my personal opinion. On my research(from marketwatch.com), Treasuries prices rose for a fifth straight session on Friday, in line with gains in European sovereign markets, as investors continued to snap up U.S. government bonds with the expectation that the Federal ReserveRead MoreFomc Members Keep March Rate Hike Alive. Market-Based Probabilities1719 Words   |  7 PagesFOMC Members Keep March Rate Hike Alive Market-based probabilities for an increase in the federal funds rate at this month’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting have recently surged. Originally, the emergence of hawkish views from two regional Federal Reserve Bank Presidents, namely John Williams (San Francisco) and William Dudley (New York), along with, more recently, Fed Chair Yellen have produced a significant resetting of expectations. The FOMC has become an extremely democratic institutionRead MoreProspects For The Us Economy1294 Words   |  6 Pagesthe recent softness in high-frequency data, the economy is close to full employment and growth is likely to average 2.4% in 2015. It should accelerate slightly in 2016, as the buoyant labour market will boost private consumption, offsetting some of the weakness in the industrial and trade sectors. Federal Reserve (Fed) officials have highlighted the external headwinds posed to the US economy by slowing growth in emerging countries and a continued debt ove rhang from the financial crisis. What next

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Concept of the BidTaxi-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Concept of the BidTaxi. Answer: Introduction: The report discusses about the concept of the BidTaxi and the technologies that have been used in the concept. The BidTaxi is a improvement of the public transport services and has helped a number of the customers to easily reach the location the people want to reach. The report presents how the technology of BidTaxi have been helpful for both the common people and the drivers of the BidTaxi (Ansari et al., 2015). The transportation service uses the concept of the various new technologies. The report not only gives the idea of the implementation of the transportation but also puts forward the various advantages that are present in the BidTaxi. It is often difficult to find the transport or it is a time consuming process for obtaining the vehicle to travel to the desired location. Objective of BidTaxi: The concept of BidTaxi was brought into practice for making the life of the common people easy. The BidTaxi concept helped the common people to travel from one place to another in an easy manner. The BidTaxi concept will help the people to travel faster as the people would not have to spend time for finding the vehicles. The BidTaxi concept has also helped the drivers in obtaining a secured and independent job. The drivers can earn by driving the own vehicle. The drivers of the normal traditional taxi can also switch to the BidTaxi and this will help the drivers more as this will help in finding more customers and the drivers can also take the customers to the places the driver is not acquainted with by the help of the GPS systems. The BidTaxi organization wants the client to have the best travel experience each time and at an affordable price (Maryam et al., 2016). The concept of BidTaxi is unique and have changed the way the world can travel. The booking of the taxi is also very ea sy. The booking can be done with the help of an application in the phones. This have given the flexibility to the users to book from any place and book for any destination. The people who do not use the smart phones may use the website for the booking of the taxi. The main objective of the BidTaxi was to introduce people to a platform, which would help the people to travel to any place locally with ease. The objective was to help the people get rid of the everyday harassment of getting a vehicle to work. There are many people who go to work and face problem in the peak hours to find a vehicle. By the introduction of the BidTaxi it is easy for the working professional to reach the workplace in time. The old people can also travel comfortably by booking the taxi from in front of the home. The organization has been successful to a large extent in securing the objectives that were aimed. Working of BidTaxi: The main working principle of the BidTaxi uses the technology of the matching the search with the nearest vehicles and helping the customer choose the correct vehicle. The BidTaxi application allows the customers to choose the pick- up point and the destination where the customer wants to go. After the confirmation of the location, the information is displayed to the nearby drivers in the respective application of the drivers. The drivers accordingly individually set the price. There is a bid that takes place. The results of the bid is then displayed to the customer. The customer on the basis of the price of the bids decides which driver to choose (Dileep et al., 2014). The customer chooses the driver who has quoted the lowest price. After this the driver is assigned to the customer. The driver reaches the pick- up point that was entered by the user by making the use of the GPS technology. The driver then drops the user to the respective location. The payment can then be made by the customer by the use of the debit or the credit cards. If the person is not carrying the debit or the credit card then the payment may be made by Osko payment method. The Osko is an application for the online payment. The payment can be made in a fast and in an efficient manner. The respective banks have to be linked to the Osko application in order to make the payments. The organization also have an arrangement in the application for the rating of the driver and the driver can also rate the customer. Recommendations for improvement of BidTaxi: The coverage area of the search may be increased. The area, which is covered when the search is taking place may be increased. For this the efficiency of the application have to be involved. If the coverage area is increased then the number of drivers involved in the bidding will also be increased. The customer will have more options to choose from. The more number of bidding may help the customer find a more suitable option for travel. This will also help in increasing the number of the clients and also will help in the maintenance of the customer loyalty (Mozaffari et al., 2016). This will not only help the clients but will also help the drivers of BidTaxi. The drivers of the BidTaxi will be getting more number of clients. This will help in the more number of people getting motivated to join the BidTaxi organization and to work for the organization. The organization will gain profit as a whole and the drivers will get the help as an individual. This will make the process faster and more efficient and the customers would benefit in getting the drivers assigned. The application may be updated to show the purpose why the client wants to travel. If the client wants to travel for work then the process of the bidding would be made faster and the drivers that are present in the nearest to the pick- up point may be assigned so that the client can get the vehicle on time and may reach the workplace on time (Chen, Cui Li 2018). If the customer wants to travel for other reasons then the application should be flexible enough to show the recommendations or the suggestions for that particular purpose. For instance if the person wants to visit for lunch then the application should flexible enough for showing the best restaurants that are available in the nearby places and that the person can travel to. The rating of the place may be shown in the application also. The same procedure may take place for the other places such as if the purpose of travel is given by the person as luxury then the application should provide the list of the names of the places that the person may travel to (Sagar, Balakiruthiga Kumar, 2016). The names of the spas or the hotels can be suggested in the application with the details. The application may also provide the price and the other details of the places. This will help in attracting more number of customers as the customer would be able to find the details in a single interface. This will help in solving the purpose of the client easily and will save time as the person does not have to visit the other sites for the checking of the prices of the restaurants or the hotels. After selection is made the client may enter the address or the place where the client wants to travel. Then the bidding takes place and the driver is finally assigned to take the client to the assigned place. To carry out the process, the organization needs to have a tie up with the various other organization in order to include the details of the hotels, restaurants or the other places into the database of the BidTaxi organization. The working mechanism would be as soon as the client enters the purpose of travel in the application, the search on that keyword is made and the resultant database is given to the client for making the choice. The BidTaxi concept may be extended to other vehicles. By collaboration with the different organization the BidTaxi may extend the concept to buses. The introduction of the concept to buses will help in the carrying of a number of person who want to travel to the same destination. For instance if a large number of person wants to travel to office, everybody can get into the application and assign the location of the office. Then the bidding may take place among the drivers of the buses. Then the driver with the best bid is assigned to carry the passengers of the office to the respective office (G. Meyer et al., 2014). The other more efficient process may be to any one of the member of the office can get into the application and the particular office where the client wants to travel may be presented through the application. All the people who are in the office and is interested in the travelling by bus may be given a monthly subscription. By doing this when any one of the member of th e office books the bus a notification would be received by the other member of that particular office who are holding the subscription that the bus has been booked. The time and the destination of the pick- up may appear in the application of the person. The driver also should be receiving information about the various location of the pick- up points. Recommendations: The people having personal vehicles and want to make an extra income may be allowed to put the vehicles in the BidTaxi organization. The driver for the car may be provided by the person or may be assigned by the organization. This can benefit in a number of ways. The drivers who cannot afford to have a car of own may come to the organization and register. The vehicles that are registered with BidTaxi and do not have a driver may be assigned to the drivers who have registered with the organization. This will allow the driver to have a source of income by driving the vehicle (Yim et al., 2017). The other help maybe of the person providing the car. The person would also be earning from the organization as the vehicle would be serving the BidTaxi organization. The organization would also be benefitting as the number of vehicles would increase and the organization may put more number of vehicles in the various locations and will earn more by the help of this. This will increase the turnov er of the organization. This process will also ease the client to find the driver for traveling to the various places. As the number of vehicles is increasing the number of bids taking place is more an as a result of which the drivers will not only be assigned easily but will assigned as per the requirement of the client. The client may obtain the travel at a much lower cost because of the more number of bid. The customer satisfaction will help in gaining more number of customer. The organization may provide the rewards to the best drivers who are performing well and are serving the customers with good efficiency. This will motivate the drivers more to perform better in order to provide the best services to the client. As the awards there should also be penalties that should be applied to the drivers for the mistakes that may be involved. The penalties may be imposed due to the various factors such as the bad behavior with the client, reaching the destination on time or showing casual attitude towards the work. All these factors may lead to the imposing of the penalties on the drivers (Williamson Morgan, 2018). The application contains the feature where the customer may rate the driver and the experience of the ride. The rewards that would be given should include the overall score that is the ratings of the driver, the number of hours that the driver has worked, how fast the driver has reached the pick- up and the destination point and all such factors. All the rewards will help in increasing the efficiency and the productivity of the drivers and this in turn will increase the number of customers. The strict actions against the drivers for any wrong doing will help in the increasing of the trust of the customers and may opt for BidTaxi for having a safe ride. References: Ansari, M., Al-Awami, A. T., Sortomme, E., Abido, M. A. (2015). Coordinated bidding of ancillary services for vehicle-to-grid using fuzzy optimization.IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid,6(1), 261-270. Chen, Z., Cui, W., Li, X. (2018). Research on Decision-making of Urban Taxi Management Organization.Business Administration and Management,1(1). Dileep, K. P., Devesh, G., Rao, A. R., Suman, M., Srikanth, S. V. (2015). Verification of Linux device drivers using device virtualization. InComputing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), 2015 2nd International Conference on(pp. 694-698). IEEE. Meyer, G., Buijs, P., B. Szirbik, N., Wortmann, J. C. (2014). Intelligent products for enhancing the utilization of tracking technology in transportation.International Journal of Operations Production Management,34(4), 422-446. Maryam, A., Siddiqui, N., Qadeer, M. A., Umar, M. S. (2016). Travel management system using GPS geo tagging on Android platform. InWireless and Optical Communications Networks (WOCN), 2016 Thirteenth International Conference on(pp. 1-6). IEEE. Mozaffari, M., Saad, W., Bennis, M., Debbah, M. (2016). Unmanned aerial vehicle with underlaid device-to-device communications: Performance and tradeoffs.IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications,15(6), 3949-3963. Sagar, S. V., Balakiruthiga, B., Kumar, A. S. (2016). Novel vehicle booking system using IOT. InGreen Engineering and Technologies (IC-GET), 2016 Online International Conference on(pp. 1-5). IEEE. Williamson, M. R., Morgan, S. (2018). Utilization of Unmanned System Technology in Transportation Engineering. Yim, Y., Cho, H., Kim, S. H., Lee, E., Gerla, M. (2017). Vehicle location service scheme based on road map in Vehicular Sensor Networks.Computer Networks,127, 138-150.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Marketing Plan for the BMW Z4 Car-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Plan for the BMW Z4 Car. Answer: The BMW Z4 BMW Z4 is one of the BMW products designed with a stunning hardtop and elongated hood combine. The vehicle has a powerful engine, low stance and has a seating position ahead of the rear axle to help the person driving take every corner straightaway and fast. It is of metallic paint combined with black Alcantara. The car is designed in a way someone can enjoy driving it as the hardtop can open and close in 90seconds even if it is at the speed of 25 mph. Therefore this vehicle was manufactured targeting those customers with a higher income and in love with sporty cars (BMW Concept Z4 First Look - Motor Trend, n.d.). Steps involved in writing a marketing plan A marketing plan is among the critical tools for any business to run comfortably and be able to attain what it needs. To run a successful business involves making potential customers know what you offer as a business person and coming up with a way that shows your product is the best to persuade them to buy (Wood, 2008). The marketing plan includes the advertising plan, pricing strategy, sale or distribution and a business's unique selling proposition and strategy to meet their objectives (Chase, Mackillop Hogarth, 2013). The fooling steps are involved when coming up with a marketing plan. Target Audience As a business person, one has to identify the target audience that is interested in buying the product. When coming up with the target audience, one should also find ways in which their products are unique than those of their competitors for the customers to come for them. When identifying the target audience, an image should be created in their minds that will make them come for the product. BMW Z4 targets customers with a higher income, and the vehicle has powerful engines and a hardcover top that can close or open in 90 seconds even at a speed of 25 mph making it different from its competitors catching the customer's attention (BMW Z4 - BMW USA, n.d.). Marketing goals Setting marketing goals entails drafting marketing objectives. The marketing goals help determine the success and failure of the business, and for this reason, they should be (SMART) that is specific, measurable, attainable reasonable and timely. Goals are things you want to achieve for a period of time. The main goal of BMW Z4 is to communicate luxury that is unmistakably unique that can help it get a good number of customers that love luxury in a short period. Strategies and tactics It takes time to carry out a good research that can help one come up with right strategies and tactics that not only help them win customers but also be ahead of their competitors (Perreault, 2010). It involves identifying a space that is empty in the market and trying to fill it up. It also involves the different kinds of media and different advertising tools or methods one may use to attain their goal and also reach the customers. A business person should take time to determine the best way to reach customers because customers are reached in different ways. One has to also have a marketing budget to gather costs of tactics. For example, the BMW Z4 has powerful engines that are not present in other cars and also a hard cover that opens and closes in seconds which is a good strategy to win customers. They advertise this vehicle using social media and websites and this way it is easy to reach to different customers across the world and also spend less. SWOT Analysis These are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are exhibited in organizations (Kim, Hayes, Avant Reid, 2014). These factors affect businesses internally and externally, internal factors being strength and weaknesses while external factors being opportunities and threats. Internal factors can easily be controlled as they may involve employee attitude, and the resources needed in manufacturing while external factors are uncontrollable because they are beyond what the business can do for example politics and competitors (Sinapuelas, Wang Bohlmann, 2015). Strengths and weaknesses The strengths of an organization are the positive attributes that are tangible and intangible in an organization (Cameron, 2014). It is what makes the organization do well over their competitors, for example, good technology and capital, while weaknesses are the internal negative factors. These are the things that need to be improved to be able to maintain competition, for example, poor location and lack of access to the market. For example, BMW Z4 has an excellent reputation, and it is also known as one of the best cars in the world giving it an advantage over competitors. This car has been made luxuriously, yet some people do not like luxury making it a weakness as they lose some customers. Weaknesses should be covered by strengths (Mintz Currim, 2013). Opportunities and threats Just like strengths, opportunities are positive factors that are external. They are attractive external factors that can help the business expand and benefit, for example, if your business viewed positively and growth in the market. Threats are external negative factors that cannot be controlled and can put the business at risk (Maggon Harish, 2015). Example of threats can be competitors and new technology in the market that the business is unaware of. BMW Z4 is the newest car in town that is luxurious, comfortable and has new technology that gives it a positive view of customers, and the car faces a threat from Mercedes Benz S Coupe that is also new and has luxurious features. Another threat is the everyday changing technology. Opportunities should be used to deal with threats. Competitor Analysis Competitor analysis is carried out to identify competitors and their strengths and weaknesses compared to those of your business. This way one can establish a way in which their product is unique for them to be able to attract more customers and run ahead of their competitors (Kumar, Sharma Gupta, 2017). The objectives of competitors help one set their targets well for competition. For the BMW Z4 to get ahead of competitors, they have a website that can show a range of the product and features of the car. The car also has classical proportions that can go through in an elongated hood that boldly defines the presence of the car. This way the car has been able to overcome competition from other vehicle brands in the market. Mission A mission defines the goals of a company or brand. It shows what the company does for the customers, employees and the owners. It also shows the culture and norms of the company (John, Katherine Jocz, 2012). Through the mission customers and competitors get what the brand or business is all about. The mission of BMW Z4 is a leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility and for customers to be comfortable. Marketing Objectives To increase profitand sales in six months. To improve communications both internally and externally. To get new customers in at least every two months for the six months. Financial Objectives To decrease individual costs by shipping vehicles in large quantities. To attain more than 40% profit of the vehicles sold within four months. To reduce the costs of vehicles, one's the 40% is attained. Marketing Mix Strategy Marketing mix strategy uses 4P's of marketing to enhance components of the marketing mix. The marketing mix is the way one takes a new product to the market. The meaning of 4Ps is what it entails, price, product, promotion, and place (Blythe, 2009). The 4Ps help one to attain a specific customers need or demand. The brand can use various digital media platforms to pass their message to customers in the world (Adam, Wim Micheline, 2011). For example, Facebook is a good example of advertising a product. BMW Z4 can use websites, social media platforms and other internet sites to market itself. For example, the product can be marketed by showing different sizes, qualities, colors and the designs it has. BMW Z4 can put different pictures of the same vehicle on their website for people to see and have their choice. The vehicles price could be placed on different media platforms, for example, Facebook and WhatsApp for people in different areas to know the price and they can even make it negotiable on their pages. The place of distribution can also be communicated on the websites. Promotion is taking messages about your product across the target market. BMW Z4 since it has a large target audience over the whole world it can use the internet to market itself. The brand can create a page where customers can be able to engage in conversations with them and ask for clarification. This way they will be creating good relations and marketing the product at the same time (Hartmann, Nair Narayanan, 2011). Digital communication is the key to marketing these days, and it should be used by every company (Luan Sudhir, 2010). Action Programs designed to achieve Marketing and Financial objectives To attain marketing objectives, the program that has been designed is capitalizing on the latest digital communication tools. Employees have been informed about global marketing and digital marketing to ensure they get many customers as they can. The employees have been trained to update websites daily to ensure no information comes out that customers are not aware of. The BMW Z4 has also created social media platforms for quick access to customers and to keep daily communication. Another program that has been designed to achieve financial objectives is that there are those employees that will have to move from the place within the first two months to talk to customers and persuade them physically to buy vehicles. This way, they will be able to attain the 40% profit. A program has also been designed to ensure vehicles are shipped in large quantities and not in order to minimize on customer expenses. Implementation and control of marketing plan For any business or organization to achieve its objectives, and implementation of the marketing plan should be done effectively (Laudon Laudon, 2010). To achieve objectives of a brand BMW Z4 should come up with a group of managers that overlook the work done for the brand to achieve its goals. One of the objectives of BMW Z4 is to get profit, and lower buying price of the vehicle and these can be obtained if the management put in place facilitates achieving these objectives. The correct attitude should be put in business to run well. Marketing control comes in to ensure that all marketing activities carried out aim to attain the brand's goals and objectives. It is there to monitor and evaluate how available resources and finances are used. For BMW Z4 to attain 40% profit, there must be an evaluation that is carried out to ensure every employee adheres to what is needed to achieve this objective. Conclusion Therefore, it is critical for any organization to perform an analysis of the market plan so that goals can be attained. A SWOT analysis is carried out to know how to deal with competitors and also know what their strength is so that they can capitalize on it. Marketing mix analysis is also necessary because one knows the importance of carrying out promotions and designing a product differently. All these analyses are there to help an organization achieve its objectives. References Adam, S., Wim, N. Micheline, G. (2011). Entrepreneurship, Innovations and Economic Development. Oxford University Press, ISBN No. 978- 92-808-3093-4 Blythe, J. (2009). Key Concepts in Marketing. London: Sage Publications. ISBN978-1-84787-498-6 Cameron, B. (2014). Management. Strategic Leadership Review, pp. 22-27. Hartmann, W., Nair, H. Narayanan, S. (2011). Identifying Casual Marketing Mix Effects Using a Regression Discontinuity Design, Marketing Science, Vol. 30(6), pp. 1079-1097. John, A., Katherine, E. Jocz (2012). All Business is Local: Why Place Matters More than Ever in a Global, Virtual World. Penguin. Kim, K., Hayes, J., Avant, J. Reid, L. (2014). Trends in Advertising Research: A Longitudinal Analysis of Leading Advertising, Marketing, and Communication Journals, 1980 to 2010, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 43(3), pp. 296-316. Kumar, V., Sharma, A. Gupta, S. (2017). Accessing the influence of the strategic marketing research on the generating impact: Moderating roles of models, journals, and estimation approaches, Academy of Marketing Science Journal, 45(2), 164-185. Laudon, K., Laudon, J. (2010). "Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm." Eleventh Edition (11 ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Luan, Y. Sudhir, K. (2010). Forecasting Marketing-Mix Responsiveness for the New Products, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 47(3), pp. 444. Maggon, M. Harish, C. (2015). Revisiting The Relationship Marketing and the Customer Relationship Management in the Leading Tourism and the Hospitality Journals: Research Trends From 2001 to 2013, Journal of Relationship Marketing, Vol. 14(1), pp. 53-77. Mintz, O. Currim, I. (2013). What Drives Managerial Use of Marketing and Financial Metrics and Does Metric Use Affect Performance of Marketing-Mix Activities? Journal of Marketing, Vol. 77(2), pp. 17. Perreault, W. (2010). Essentials of marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach Chase, H., Mackillop, J. Hogarth, L. (2013). Isolating behavioral economic indices of the demand in relation to the nicotine dependence, Psychopharmacology, Vol. 226(2), pp. 371-80. Sinapuelas, I., Wang, H. Bohlmann, J. (2015). The interplay of innovation, brand, and marketing mix variables in line extensions, Academy of Marketing Science Journal, Vol. 43(5), pp. 558-573. Wood, M. (2008). The marketing plan handbook. Pearson Prentice Hall BMW Concept Z4 First Look - Motor Trend. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.motortrend.com/cars/bmw/z5/2018/bmw-concept-z4-first-look/ BMW Z4 - BMW USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/z4.html

Thursday, November 28, 2019

All About the Economics of Interest

All About the Economics of Interest What is Interest?: Interest, as defined by economists, is the income earned by the lending of a sum of money. Often the amount of money earned is given as a percentage of the sum of money lent - this percentage is known as the interest rate. More formally, the Glossary of Economics Terms defines the interest rate as the yearly price charged by a lender to a borrower in order for the borrower to obtain a loan. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the total amount loaned. Interest Types and Types of Interest Rates: Not all types of loans earn the same rate of interest. Ceteris paribus (all else being equal), loans of longer duration and loans with more risk (that is, loans that are less likely to be paid off) are associated with higher interest rates. The article Whats the Difference Between all the Interest Rates in the Newspaper? discusses the different variety of interest rates. What Determines the Interest Rate?: We can think of the interest rate as being a price - the price to borrow a sum of money for a year. Like almost all other prices in our economy, it is determined by the twin forces of supply and demand. Here supply refers to the supply of loanable funds in an economy, and demand is the demand for loans. Central banks, such as the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada can influence the supply of loanable funds in a country by increasing or decreasing the supply of money. To learn more about the money supply see: Why does money have value? and Why Dont Prices Decline During A Recession? Interest Rates That Are Adjusted for Inflation: When determining whether or not to loan money, one needs to consider the fact that prices go up over time - what costs $10 today may cost $11 tomorrow. If you loan at a 5% interest rate, but prices rise 10% you will have less purchasing power by making the loan. This phenomenon is discussed in Calculating and Understanding Real Interest Rates. Interest Rates - How Low Can They Go?: In all likelihood we will never see a negative nominal (non-inflation adjusted) rate of interest, though in 2009 the idea of negative interest rates became popular as a possible way to stimulate the economy - see Why Not Negative Interest Rates?. These would be difficult to implement in practice. Even an interest rate of exactly zero would cause problems, as discussed in the article What Happens if Interest Rates Go To Zero?

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Case Study on Apollo Hospitals Essays

Case Study on Apollo Hospitals Essays Case Study on Apollo Hospitals Essay Case Study on Apollo Hospitals Essay Apollo Background (evolution since inception) Analysis of Apollo’s internationalization strategy  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 2 Apollo Hospitals, started as the first corporate hospital of India, has grown remarkably 1 2 First super-specialty Hospital in India – Early 1980s y Liberalization and Growth – Late 1980s; early 1990s 3 4 Wide Scale Marketing Efforts Focus on middle and lower strata of Society 5 Global expansion and local penetration 1983 – Dr. Prathap Reddy established the first ever corporate hospital of t h it l f India – Faced skepticism in his campaign that superspecialty hospital was viable in India – Was able to attract doctors from the west 1986 – At the personal urging of Dr. Prathap Reddy, the then Prime th th P i Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, liberalized the Hospital Sector. Apart from individual patient and doctor referrals, which served as primary d i marketing tools in the 1980s, Apollo exercised various print, audio and video marketing tools   1990s onwards Till early1990s, the services of Apollo were restricted to the elite strata of society lit t t f i t criticism that its services were not for the masses. Apollo has already expanded to more than 45 Hospitals and more th 250 d than Apollo Clinics in India and abroad Apollo faced Has centers of excellence in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nepal, Nigeria, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, etc. Apollos business began to grow in the 1990s, with the deregulation of the Indian economy, which drastically cut the bureaucratic barriers to expansion and made it easier to import modern medical equipment The successful  coronary bypass operation of the Vice President of India in 1993 gave a major boost to the Apollo brand and visibility. Apollo reacted by expanding its services to the poor class Has set aside free beds for the poor Has set up a trust fund Is pioneering remote, satelliteremote satellite linked telemedicine across India Made an IPO and raised $4. 6 million in 1983 Further initiatives include South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Oman Bahrain Vietnam and Thailand, among others 3  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. ..  and has become the single largest private hospital group in Asia 1983. India Chennai Apollo attracts more than 10 million patients in India itself, from over 55 countries 2006 India Chennai1 Hyderabad1 Delhi1 Kolkata1 Ahmadabad1 Others (4)1 Others (250) 2 Overseas SiL k 1 Sri Lanka Bangladesh2 The UAE2 Nepal2 Ghana2 Nigeria2 UK2 Saudi Arabia2 Leadership, Quality and Network The Apollo Hospitals Group is recognized as the Architect of p p p g Healthcare in India It is the largest corporate entity in healthcare in Asia and the third largest in the world It has won multiple accolades both inside and out of India. The Apollo p p Hospital in Chennai was the first Indian hospital to be awarded IS0 9002 and ISO 14001 Certifications and has been named â€Å"Best Private Sector Hospital in India† by The Week magazine Apollo manages over 6400 beds in different centers and is currently involved in either the management or ownership of 45 hospitals in India and abroad (1) Apollo Hospitals (2) Apollo Clinics Source: Literature Search, Company website  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 4. Apollo Hospitals Group – The Group has an integrated business model (‘Across the Healthcare Spectrum’) ( p ) Third Party Insurance Health and Lifestyle Clinics Pharmacy Retailing Tertiary Education Healthcare Services Strategy p Implementation Consulting HOSP info Clinical Trials System Telemedicine  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 5 Apollo Hospitals Group– Companies, besides Hospital Offers Business Process Outsourcing and IT solutions and services Apollo Health Street Incorporated. to global clientele Established in 1999 Largest retail pharmacy chain in India and has round-the-clock Apollo Pharmacies operations maintains a stock of prescription drugs, OTC medicines and other health and body-care related products Moving towards offering e-prescription based services Acts as a catalyst for students and is complementary to the existing MedVarsity Online Limited (MOL) education system over 1500 hours of medical content that is accessible to the medical community Established in 2000. Apollo Telemedicine Enterprises Limited E t i Li it d (ATEL) Allows the participant sites to collaborate with institutions in India and abroad and provides their clientele access to healthcare in areas not adequately served by the medical community Established in 1999 www. redseerconsulting. com. 6  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. Apollo Hospitals Group– Companies, besides Hospital Its the largest Third Party Administrator (TPA) in Asia affiliated to Family Health Plan Limited (FHP) 1700 major Corporates and manages 4. 7 million lives Initiated ‘managed care’ to control rising medical costs, and to make medical facilities accessible for greater number of people Online Hospital Equipment Services Private Limited An electronic equipment exchange for medical devices and high end technology products used in the delivery of medical care It provides expert advice and services on technology, technocommercial issues Delivers family-focused primary healthcare services through Apollo Health Lifestyle Ltd (AHLL) branded Apollo clinics across India and its neighboring countries. Used information Technology to create an e-marketplace that Keimed. com Limited would service Apollo and others through an end-to-end, logistic p g g solutions partnerships for effective inventory management and control  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 7 AGENDA Apollo Background (evolution since inception) Analysis of Apollo’s internationalization strategy  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 8 Drivers for International Expansion Huge opportunity. Large unmet need for high quality medical care Greater ROI Large unmet need for high quality medical care – High unmet demand, specially amongst people who could not afford to travel abroad for treatment – Major procedures like open-heart surgery were unavailable – The medical treatment in many Asian and Gulf countries was conducted sloppily, using low quality equipment Greater ROI Certain foreign markets such as Gulf countries were lucrative as countries, they could generate higher ROI  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 9. Apollo’s used the OLI Paradigm effectively for International expansion Ownership: While the hospital group has maintained its ownership Ownership Advantages g it has found that in order to remain competitive and achieve scalability it needs to relinquish some of power and has adopted the franchising model in order to expand Internalization: Used an internal strategy of leadership, quality and leadership Internalization Advantages network. The chain has spun of subsidiaries under its main brand which include Apollo Clinics, Apollo Pharmacy etc. Apollo is continually characterized by change and innovation. Strategic inorganic and inorganic expansion in order to rapidly ramp up and help keep the company abreast with the dynamic business environment Location: Apollo has firmly reaffirmed in its strategy the belief that â€Å"more is sure†. The chain apart from setting up multiple hospitals and clinics in each city have now set it footprints in tier 1,2 cities alike. It has aimed to become a global brand by setting up centers in Dubai and other Asian countries and is continually looking to expand d Location Advantages  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 10 Apollo’s branding and demand generation initiatives focused on individuals, referring doctors and corporations General public and individuals. Awareness of high quality medical care and stress illness prevention Targeted mailings to promote Apollo clinics for various therapies such as diabetes, asthma, back pain, cancer and cardiology Introductory discounts to attract first time users Developing an internal system to respond to all consumer queries promptly Regular advertising in a variety of media to target urban  consumers Screening programs for illness such as cancer and tuberculosis in rural areas Local Doctors. Individual visits by Apollo sales force, to local doctors to build relationships Frequent mailing by Apollo to the doctors, to keep them informed about the hospitals services and procedures Track number of referrals made by individual doctors in a computerized database Inform and update referring doctors about the progress made with the patients Encourage Apollo doctors to participate in national Medical Association meetings to increase the Hospital’s familiarity to doctors across the nation. Corporations Corporate and government employers – Less price sensitive than those who paid out of pocket Target key decision makers such as top executives, human resource managers, trade union leaders and company medical advisors Mailings and individual visits Conduct programs at the companies to increase awareness and teach skills such as first aid  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 11 Apollo has taken various key Initiatives to increase international presence and operational efficiency Strategy Increased emphasis on Managed Hospitals Description Apollo built the first HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) in 1995, on the lines of HMOs in the USA. USA It provides all medical care as needed to its members in return for a fixed annual premium premium. The HMO combines two methods of expansion – building wholly owned facilities and licensing Increased emphasis on Managed Hospitals in order to reduce risk, cost and to increase geographical reach Licensing will help spread Apollo’s influence and recognition more quickly than building wholly owned facilities Improvement in efficiency and cost reduction Improvement in efficiency through better asset utilization of all existing facilities Cost Reduction through simplification of processes in the areas of materials, manpower and financing. Aggressive marketing to access overseas markets – measures such as publicizing successful Aggressive marketing Has established an AIC (Apollo Information Centre) network, establishing government-private partnership for patients to be sent by the respective Treatment Abroad Committees referring Treatment Committees, private patients through health insurance HMOs and TPAs and through local doctor referrals surgeries, awards, accreditations, alliances/ partnerships and accolades Backward Integration. There is increasing focus on providing wholesome health solutions, integrating to the Indian methods of wellness. Source: Literature Search  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 12 Apollo Hospitals has also taken other steps to expand its reach and penetration globally The only international training organization for the American Heart Association Technical International Affiliation and Accreditation support from Texas Heart Institute and Minneapolis Heart Institute for Cardiology and Cardio Thoracic surgery Exchange programs with hospitals in the U.  S. and Europe S Association with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Heart Institute, USA Associate of the Johns Hopkins University, USA. International I t ti l Research Alliances Apollo Hospitals has entered into various alliances to broad base its value proposition St Cell Research and Th Stem C ll R h d Therapy – July 2005 Tied up with Histostem, part of the Delaware Corporation, for the development of a sustaining and mutually-beneficial relationship in Cord Blood Stem Cell Research and Therapy in India Medical and Business Collaborations ? July 2005 – Collaboration with Johns Hopkins to jointly develop state of the art concepts state-of-the-art concepts, technology, partnerships with clinical departments especially in Oncology, Neurosciences and Cardiology, nurse education, telemedicine, clinical research and medical education The local partnership approach has worked very well for Apollo p p pp y p Local Partnerships/ JVs – Local Partner Local partner usually deals with many local issues, besides providing capital, such as provision of land and dealing with local authorities, doctors and other interest parties Help in creating a sound clientele base – Apollo – Partial capital investment, and management Example A ll H E l Apollo Hospitals Group in a joint venture with it B it l G i j i t t ith its Bangladeshi partner STS l d hi t Holdings, Dhaka Source: Literature Search.  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 13 Apollo’s success can be attributed to its organization around ‘Five Stars’ to give patients advanced medical care possible at high quality Medical Personnel Hired top quality medical personnel – top caliber, renowned doctors and su geo s e e surgeons were a key to Apollo’s reputation a d se ce ey po o s eputat o and service The presence of top specialists garnered referrals from throughout the world. Apollo took every opportunity to publicize the accomplishments of its doctors Effective application of the latest medical technology has been a critical part of Apollo’s service and appeal to patients and consultant doctors Equipments have always been expensive but Apollo never compromised Medical Technology Employees Motivation – Employees have been the ‘middle star’ for Apollo, signifying their p y p , g y g central role in the success of the Hospital. Every individual is valued Culture – Strong sense of community Compensation – 10-20% higher than the industry average Every employee is expected to take responsibility for each patient’s every patient s need Every employee has to go through an induction training which emphasizes on grooming, etiquette and hygiene and stressed ‘Never forget to thank a patient’ Focus on a number of ways to serve patients better than the competition Patient health has always been the most important indicator of success and hence the hospital has always been focused on providing the best medical outcomes www.redseerconsulting. com. 14 Hospitality. Values Source: Literature Search, Harvard Business Review RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information.  © 2009 Apollo is looking to expand aggressively in other international markets Fiji Mauritius West Asia The Caribbean islands International Expansion E i Africa Mongolia Georgia Kazakhstan  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 15 Thank You! ([emailprotected] com) ( @ d lti )  © 2009 RedSeer Consulting Confidential and Proprietary Information. www. redseerconsulting. com. 16.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why do teens use self-injury as a coping mechanism Research Paper

Why do teens use self-injury as a coping mechanism - Research Paper Example It is a fact that as the materialism and modernism are increasing at a fast face all over the globe, the probability of self-injury is also mounting at an astounding pace in the teens. Myriad critical reasons form the bedrock of the self-abusing tendency in teens and a complex and intricate meshwork of crude realities needs to be scrutinized for identifying the major factors. These factors should explain the reason why more and more teenagers are readily seeking refuge in self-injury mechanism. People are oblivious to many distressing realities concerning this issue and this paper is basically an effort to highlight the relation between problems faced by teenagers and increased tendency of self-abusing. Facts and discussion presented in this paper are basically meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that â€Å"more and more teenagers are using self-injury as a coping mechanism because they are unable to relate their aggravated problems to their parents, peers, or teachers beca use of poor self-esteems, low morals, and continuous feelings of guilt and shame.†... It is an unequivocal fact that depression is highly capable of paralyzing one’s thinking, self-assessing, and comprehending abilities. Therefore, one finds oneself eventually trapped in a tight spot where one can neither hear any voice from the outside world that is normal nor translate the inner rushed and psychic emotions that are abnormal into something that could be understood by the people surrounding that person. An increased number of teenagers are selecting self-harm as a way of emotional projection in the hope of coping with horribly bizarre feelings of numbness, shame, regret and for punishing themselves for certain past failures. 3. Inability of parents and teachers to help teenagers increases self-harm incidence: Self-harm is a horrendous and powerful reality that affects all teenagers irrespective of social, racial, ethnic, or economic differences. It is an issue of concern around the globe that what majorly makes most of the distressed and disappointed teenagers seek refuge in self-harm in spite of the presence of parents at homes and teachers at schools. Research suggests that teenagers engage in self-destructive behavior because they find it increasingly difficult to relate their gross problems with their parents as the depression intensifies. With ever-heightening materialistic approach, most of the parents are unable to share more time with their families due to which, teenagers find it impossible to verbally communicate the nature of their problems in the short time their parents spare them. Nearly same is the scenario experienced by such depressed and anguished teenagers at the schools, where owing to increased cultural diversity and number of students, teachers are unable to relate to all the students