Family Size

Would you rather be a member of a small family or a big one? Small families become spoilt over excessive resources. The advantages of having a small family weigh up to having a pretty good life. By being part of a small family you will receive more attention from your parents; go on holiday often and have money for yourself. Parents will not have to stress over money and budget issues. Although the advantages of a small family are everything most children would want in their lives, the disadvantages have a negative impact on your own and others lives.Disadvantages of children in a small family are that they don’t learn responsibility and become selfish due to having their own stuff and not having to share with siblings. They become spoilt because they are use to having everything their way and getting whatever they want at any time. Children also tend to become bored alone at home, holidays or outings. Being part of a big family introduces children to a balanced lifestyle.The advantages of being part of a family are children learn responsibility, do chores etc. It is also good for younger siblings to have someone they can talk to. On family outings there will be a joyful atmosphere because of the amount of people. They will learn to socialize easily and be able to share with others. Even though there are many advantages of being part of a big family, there are also disadvantages to consider. Children get less attention from their parents and have no privacy or space of their own.A major issue is sibling rivalry, which is when siblings don’t get along and compete with each other in academics, sports etc. Disadvantages for parents would be not having a lot of money to spend on each child and having a huge amount of stress to pay bills, fees etc. In my opinion, having and being part of a small family results in children being spoilt and unsocial. Having a big family is better for a child’s upbringing because of the jovial household atmosphere and responsibilities learnt. Total number of words: 337

Early Adulthood Cognitive Development

Cognition pertains to the acquisition, processing, transformation, storage, and retrieval of any information concerning the world (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). This process affects every aspect of our personality. Cognitive processes such as perceiving, conceptualizing, reasoning, remembering, and contemplating are all necessary for us to solve everyday problems, to work and do the household chores properly, to arrive at a sound decision and perform other daily activities that make use of our minds (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Thus, the development of the cognitive attributes of every individual molds his or her future for cognition is the crucial factor in meeting the challenges of life (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).According to Piaget, cognitive development is the product of the interaction of the individual with the environmental events (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). The cognitive attributes of every individual is fundamentally shaped by the heredity.Heredity dictates ou r physical appearances and other biological and physiological characteristics (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). In this connection, our genetic make up spontaneously manifests in our physical appearance and personality through maturation (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Even though we have different genes, human maturation is identical to all races. This means that differences in our physical appearance is dictated by our genes but all humans pass through, as a result of maturation, identical stages of development.Early AdulthoodEarly adulthood generally included individuals within the age-range of eighteen to forty years (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). After adolescence stage, individuals have attained formal and abstract reasoning and capable of solving problems by considering all possible means (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In his theory of development, K. Warner Schaie described the transition between adolescence to adulthood stages as a cognitive change from acquisi tion of knowledge to knowledge application (Santrock, 2006).He proposed that cognitive changes occur in two distinct stages. In achieving stage, the individual applies intelligence in achieving long term goals like career development. The honing of cognitive skills for behavioral regulation leads to the acquisition of the sense of independence (Santrock, 2006). On the other hand, during the early to middle adulthood, the responsibility stage commences.The young adults in this stage start to establish and nurture their own career and recognize their social responsibility (Santrock, 2006). Also, during this stage, individuals form families, focus effort and attention on the needs of children and spouse (Santrock, 2006).Gisela Labouvie-Vief believed that young adults undergo thought synthesis and intensive changes on thinking (Santrock, 2006). The young adults tend to look for their proper place in the society and seldom use logic in problem solving. Due to strong cognitive attributes, logical skills do not suffer a slump in the adulthood (Santrock, 2006).Meanwhile, William Perry suggested the differences in the process of thinking between adolescents and young adults (Santrock, 2006). The view of the adolescents on the world is described as dualistic thinking wherein every object has its opposite like right or wrong and good or bad. As maturity takes it course, multiple thinking replaces dualistic thinking (Santrock, 2006).Then, young adults tend to recognize myriad opinion and ideals of community members which leads to realization that not every problem can be resolved by the authority (Santrock, 2006). As a result, young adults start to shape their own thinking style, recognize the possible equality of opinions among the populace, and form their own opinion.This process results to relative subordinate thinking where the knowledge assessment is practiced and one’s opinions are challenged by the other members of the community (Santrock, 2006). After the s ystematic evaluation of knowledge, full relativism arises which leads to the realization that knowledge is constructed, context-based, and nom-absolute; thus, one realizes that truth is relative (Santrock, 2006).Furthermore, Jan Sinnot viewed that cognitive attributes of every individual develops as pressured by real-life problems (Santrock, 2006). As the individual strive to solve the problems at hand, he or she considers different perspectives resulting to realization that knowledge is non-absolute (Santrock, 2006).Jean Piaget’s Formal OperationsThe fourth stage, Formal Operations, of Jean Piaget’s cognitive development corresponds to adolescent period of humans and extends to the adulthood (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). This is the stage of decentralization where the individual learns to thinks objectively and considers every aspect of a problem.Although every adult develops the ability for formal operations, most may not reach the summit of formal operations; they continue to have a single-minded and ego-centered judgment (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000). Meanwhile, a decentrated individual has the capacity to rearrange and simplify information which in turn facilitates his or her understanding.The individual has the ability to conceive principles or scientific law applicable to observations, formulate hypotheses and design experiments for testing, and operate on operations (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000).In the stage of formal operations, individuals learn to perform formal operations by means of logical and abstract forms of thinking (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). Individuals’ thoughts at this stage tend to shift form ideal to reality. In addition, adolescence at this period has developed hypothetico-deductive form of reasoning (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).They already have the ability to gather data and investigate, formulate hypotheses, and deduce generalization from the results of investigation. Â  Further, the satisfactory completion of formal operations leads to continuous development of knowledge’s structure and the intellect. However, in the absence of the appropriate mental stimulus, it would be an arduous task for the individual to hurdle the stage of formal operations for the mental structures required were not attained (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Nevertheless, even the student s of the higher educational institutions and some professionals failed to reach the formal operations; they tend to be stagnant on the stage of concrete operations (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). For those who will successfully attain the formal thought level, further development of mental capacity and completion of process of maturation spontaneously occur (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Information Processing Theory and CognitionThe information processing theory described the information processing of humans similar to computers. Perceived stimuli through our senses are encoded, transformed, and stored by our cognitive system (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Then, retrieval to stored data happens as the need arises. With respect to cognitive development, the information-processing theory emphasized the changes on the perceived information during the processing (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998). For instance, the capacity to perceive stimulus varies with age while the ability to apply the process of encoding also changes with age (Louw, Van Ede, and Louw, 1998).Research and CognitionIn 1975, Riegel postulated that our experiences serve as cognitive challenge which leads us to the discovery of opposite of dialectical forces in our immediate environment (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). He suggested that by dealing with every dialectic force in our life, intellectual ability is enhanced.Based on research concerning postformal thought, development continuously progresses beyond Piaget’s formal operational stage (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In a study, participants were given complex tasks like political problems, personal relationship, and problems on the economy (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Then, they were asked to give their own views and its rationale.It was revealed that adults exhibited different levels of reasoning (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Similarly, according to Kramer, postformal individuals pass through absolutist, relativist, and dialectical cognitive levels (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). Most young adults are absolutists; they are able to face problems and often believe that every problem has its own solution (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).Relativists recognize variation on perspectives for a single issue and the rightful solution for the problem is always context-dependent (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005). In the dialectic phase, individuals tend to integrate and synthesize all possible views concerning the problem. According to Basseches, this level of reasoning can be observed among university students and professors in the higher educational institutions (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).In line with this, the postformal operation stage comes into the scene when the individual has a thought-provoking environment between twenty to thirty years of age. The nature of work or profession of the individual triggers his or her knowledge on concrete operations for further development (Hewston, Fincham, and Foster, 2005).At about twenty years of age, the individual had undergone roughly two decades of changes in cognitive aspects (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). The cognitive development beginning from the infancy stage has been becoming complex.Along with this, as revealed by researches in developmental psychology, individuals exhibit cognitive skills at different levels of cognitive development (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). This means that the individuals at this point can apply both basic and a considerable cog nitive skills complexity in dealing with life problems.In addition, the concept of upper limit or the set of tasks beyond which the individual can not perform is not absolutely real for appropriate scaffolding or contextual support can facilitate the attainment of goals (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). Instead, the absence of scaffold or tasks per se is the caused why certain skills won’t be observed in an individual (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003).Thus, the progress of cognitive development should be analyzed as a continuous process from infancy to the present state. In fact, the present cognitive skills honed by cognitive tasks are built upon the previous cognitive skills attained (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003).The theory of Dynamic skills described the context-based development and refinement of cognitive attributes. Cognitive tasks from infancy to the present state have been building and restructuring conceptual categories and concrete skills upon the minds of indi viduals (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). Both adolescent and young adult restructure tasks from representation to abstractions.Also, the ladder of skills is not merely just a reflection of development, rather a yardstick onto which variation in cognitive tasks are assessed (Fischer, Yan, and Stewart, 2003). This permits for the comparison of every activity under optimal, scaffolded, or functional classification.AnalysisCognition is generally defined as set of metal activities involved in the encoding, perception, storing, and retrieval of information. It is described as a set of inter-related process that guides one’s contexts of action as well as emotion. The information processing theory holds that proper allocation of attention on a task or stimulus results to efficient perception.On the other hand, perception means recognition of stimuli; thus, successful perception entails efficient processing of information that becomes the basis of one’s volition. Meanwhile, t he cognitive faculties of the individual are primarily shaped by the cognitive tasks and scaffold or contextual support provided by his or her immediate environment.Thus, although every human has inborn capacity for cognitive advancement, environmental influences take precedence on the expression and further development of cognitive attributes. As a result, the age demarcation for any cognitive stage is just a rough estimation for some people may advance or lag far behind, on age basis, with respect to cognitive skills attainment.Moreover, even though Piaget’s theory was extremely attacked by criticisms, it provided insights on the development of cognitive skills from infancy to adolescence. On the other hand, Lev Vygotsky proved that through proper scaffolding, a child can accomplish a task higher than associated tasks under his or her classification in Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (Elliot, Kratochwill, Cook, and Travers, 2000).Hence, cognitive development is not made of distinct phases, but the development can proceed gradually. This means that a child at pre-operational stage by means of scaffolding can accomplish cognitive tasks under formal operations. Further, the respective theories of Schaie, Sinnot, Perry, Vief as well as of Riegel and Kramer, similarly recognized the crucial role of environmental support on the cognitive development of every individual.ReferencesElliot, S.N., Kratochwill, T.R., Cook, J.L., and Travers, J.F. (2000). Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.Fischer, K., Yan, Z., and Stewart, J. (2003). Handbook of Developmental Psychology. Valsiner, J. and Connolly, K.J. Eds. London: SAGE Publication.Hewston, M., Fincham, F.D., and Foster, J. (2005). Psychology. United Kingdom: BPS Blackwell.Louw, D.A., Ede, D.M., Louw, A.E. (1998). Human Development, 2nd ed. Cape Town, South Africa: Pearson Education.Santrock, J. W. (2006) Life-Span Development, 10th ed. Ne w York: McGraw-Hill.

An Analysis of the Essay of Malcolm X as a Racist

An Analysis of the Essay of Malcolm X as a Racist Malcolm was a racist, violent Black Man. He has been an anti-white all through his previous life as he had confessed, and has remained the same even after his pilgrimage to Mecca. His thoughts and emotions deny the White man, and he still sees them as hypocrites who try to benefit from the Blacks, using Negroes as tools to enrich their lives. The influence he had received during his past years from Elijah Muhammad, and his learning of the history of the White man had so much effect on him. Although he had professed to witness to have understood the real teachings of Islam, his ideas and opinions of the Whites did not change. His preaching still focused on the Black mans plight, as he had done when he served as the Minister of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm says, I didnt miss a single opportunity to tell the truth about the crimes, the evils and the indignities that are suffered by the black man in America (pg 351). He simply generalizes all Whites to be evil and tells how the White men had oppressed them. He doesnt seem to realize that Whites nowadays are different from who they were before in the past. He was telling the truth, of the cruel history of the Whites, but the truth didnt apply to all Whites as he thought. If he had witnessed the spirit of true brotherhood during his pilgrimage in Mecca, shouldnt he be more open -minded, have more sympathy and a magnanimous heart towards the White people? His speeches caused the blacks to hate the Whites and commit violent crimes against them. New York Citys press was highly upset about a recent killing in Harlem of a White woman, for which many were blaming me at least indirectly (pg 365). This shows that Malcolm was a great orator, who could unite the blacks, bur it would have been better off if he had thought more to love one another, to become one as brothers, as written in the Quran. His Blood Brothers only consisted of Negroes. If we all are, as he says, the descendants of Gods creation, why cant Whites as well be a part of his Blood Brother? Malcolm actually says that there is only a minority of brotherly white people. Yes, I have been convinced that some American whites do want to help cure the rampant racism which is now the path to destroy this country! (Pg. 365) He has no sympathy for other Whites than the White Muslims, and doesnt even try to compromise with them. As much as he defended the rights of the Blacks, and preached of the Whites historical crimes, he denied the Whites and couldnt get out of his racial prejudice. How could he actually say that there was only a minority of brotherly white people, when he, himself, didnt even bother to socialize or integrate with the Whites in America, to get to know each of them better? Muslims of white complexions were the only people whom Malcolm considered as brothers. He did not accept other Whites as his brothers; he was still a racist to them. Malcolm denies the White people, and before accepting them as human beings, he first perceives their white skin color and starts to hold a racial prejudice against them. He lies the responsibility of the Black mans sufferings on the White man unconditionally, that it is their entire fault

Chinese economic systems before and after 20th century Essay

Chinese economic systems before and after 20th century - Essay Example They exported tea and porcelain products to various countries but after the 16th century, they lost their position on account of the closed door economic policies of their governments. By the 1950’s, China was producing only 10% of the world’s GDP. However, with the formation of the People’s Republic of China, there was a concentration on export oriented growth and China opened doors to the world. Early Chinese was an agriculture based economy. The economy was mostly centralized and was dominated by the bureaucratic class. The bureaucracy and gentry of imperial China were quintessential rent seekers (Maddison 2007). The bureaucracy was totally controlled by the various rulers but the bureaucrats had full freedom to run the show in the provinces they were in charge of. Thus, there was complete dominance of the urban life by this class. The lucrative business activities were impeded by the red tape. Hence, most of the big businesses were owned only by the government enterprises. There was to protection for investment by the private individuals. China’s merchants, bankers and traders did not have city charters or legal protection and international trade and intellectual contacts with the western world was completely restricted (Maddison 2007). From the beginning of 18th century till the mid 19th century, the country was plagued with many internal disorders. These rebellio ns and wars devastated the economy. Some of them were – The Taiping rebellion, the Muslim rebellions in Shensi, Kansu and Sinkiang, wars with France, UK, Japan and Russia (Maddison 2007). The financial sector of the country before 1978 was not developed much. There was only one bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), which was completely controlled by the government (Brandt, Rawski and Lin 2005). This bank received budget from the government and was the sole supplier of money to all government agencies. All government units, military units and cooperatives

Strategic Market, The Southwest Airline Model Research Paper - 1

Strategic Market, The Southwest Airline Model - Research Paper Example The employees at the company are trained to help customers and serve them genuinely with care in order to make customers happy; thus the company philosophy is translated into stockholder and customer happiness. The business model of the corporation is to eradicate the unnecessary frills provided by competitors; hence reducing the cost to clients. The industry reduces the cost by focusing on a lesser number of routes and only flying one type of plane; hence it has created a niche market in the aviation industry. Therefore, by choosing only to employ one type of aircraft, it was a very strategic choice that could enable the company to sustain their business in the global competitive business world. The Southwest airline industry have made significant efforts of employing effective strategic management policies and business model that can enable them to meet the demanding needs of customers in the targeted market. Michael Porter has attempted to reveal unique and valuable strategic position of an industry based on a tailored set of activities that can enable the company to achieve competitive advantage (Hill and Jones, 2009). Many industries have made considerable efforts of employing Porter’s five forces of competitive advantage in order to sustain their business in the global competitive market. The company manager of Southwest airline industry wanted to create a low cost aviation solution that can offer quality service to customers; hence enabling the company to sustain a competitive advantage. Therefore, the use of non-conventional models for low-cost and controlled solid growth for the airline has been among the major aspects for achieving competitiveness in the air line industry (Gross and Schroder, 2007). The industry also segments targeted market in varied ways including travelling short distances, frequent schedules, low cost fares, as well as, cost and value conscious customers. The other consists of

Cultural Background And Belief In Astrology Research Paper

Cultural Background And Belief In Astrology - Research Paper Example Numerous studies claim that the existence of scientific validity to back the form of astrology common in the West is conspicuously absent. Moreover, sources purporting that there is empirical evidence to support the authenticity of astrology in the West lacks scientific verification. Because of this, the question as to why people still belief in astrology while reality indicates that there is no truth to it arouses enormous scientific curiosity. A possible approach to unraveling the enigma would be to examine the interplay of factors that define social inclinations that weigh on belief in astrology. In particular, there has been a considerably level of controversy with regard to belief in astrology and cultural backgrounds. Some previous studies have studied astrology and culture and reached intriguing conclusions. For example, Dambrun (2004) claimed a strong positive correlation between belief astrology and racial bigotry, sexism, and negative attitudes towards marginalized societal groupings. The cross-cultural research suggested that strong believers in astrology consequently had stronger ascriptions to societal stereotypes and social tagging. Other studies have put their focus in finding the interrelation between faith in superstition and cultural inclinations. This project seeks to study cultural effects on astrology using the Chinese and the Western culture. According to a study by Beck and Forstmeier (2007), superstition deserves treatment as an interesting subject of science. The observation was born of the realization that regardless of the little empirical basis for its validity, many people harbor strong beliefs in astrology, and continue to read their astrology profiles. For instance, a large proportion of people knows their astrological signs and read them on a regular basis (Rogers & Glendon, 2010). In the past, studies have successfully demonstrated that the belief is attributable to the fact that the astrology sign profiles appear believable to most people when they most echo their personalities. The phenomenon now also known as ‘the Barnum effect’, and has been validated in numerous interdisciplinary studies touching on the military, occupational, educational, and clinical aspects of psychology (Rogers & Soule, 2009). The belief in Barnum’s effect has won support of many researchers. For instance, the effect was also noticeable by studies by Hamilton (2000), which demonstrated greater acceptance of astrology when the descripti ons had higher favorableness. The choice of profile, negative or positive, affects to some extent the way the respondents feel towards astrology in general. However, the relationship is yet to undergo comprehensive empirical research, and further validates ‘the Barnum effect’. Ever since, the effect has been an inspiration in the context of cross-cultural studies on its claims for its worldwide applicability. Cross-Cultural differences and Belief in Astrology Overwhelming evidence implies that ‘the Barnum effect’ is a global phenomenon. Studies comparing the acceptance of ast

Alto Chemicals Europe Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alto Chemicals Europe - Case Study Example Graaff suggested that the company should focus on its strengths and resort to ‘non-price’ selling. The skillful sales force should highlight superior technical service and ACE’s reputation as a reliable supplier while closing a sales deal. Graaff strongly advocated that the sales force should focus on converting more accounts from Barium to Tin. The intent was to generate business from small and medium-sized firms. Customer segments like wire and cable that were not price sensitive were also to be targeted under the new strategy to prevent price erosion. As a rule, ACE was to adopt the strategy of price leadership and not compete in the market merely by ‘meeting Barium prices’. Graaff envisaged that central coordination would help in regional optimization. Thus the headquarters took on the role of setting price and volume targets for the subsidiaries. In general, ACE was to pay less attention to low price markets and focus on high price markets. Compensation Plan The initial reaction from the sales personnel suggests that they are averse to the changes put forth by Graaff. Therefore a suitable compensation plan is to be devised to motivate the sales force to adopt the new strategy. It is recommended that the sales personnel are given incentive on each account they convert from Barium to Tin. A fixed, upfront amount should also be paid to them when they a small and medium-sized enterprise becomes a customer.

Does westernization equal modernity the case of Turkey Research Paper

Does westernization equal modernity the case of Turkey - Research Paper Example Some of the steps considered to have been taken by Ataturk to westernize turkey include the banning of the traditional men’s hat called the fez replacing it with European styled ones, Latin alphabets replaced Arabic writing. He also introduced European calendar and metric systems in place of the Arabic ones. Women could vote and be in charge of offices, and it was illegal for them to wear veils. Other reforms include abolishment of sultanate and Dervish brotherhood, establishment of Islam as the official religion in the constitution deleted and Sunday became the official weekly holiday. The army was reorganized to conform to the patterns of western world such as England. European schools were established in turkey and students sent to countries such as France to help accelerate the rate of westernization (Arslan 134). In the wake of the coup in 1980, the military drafted a constitution proclaiming turkey secular, democratic and parliamentary nation. This is as seen the beginning of westernization of Turkey as this meant the country had opened up itself to the worlds influence (as its primary allies have been the west) politically, socially and security wise. It has even moved to become a candidate of European Union membership. Its relationship with the EU began in 1996 when they formed a custom union, then later becoming a candidate of EU membership in 1999 (Global Edge par. 11). Other economic organizations Turkey has subscribed to include World Trade Organization, European Free Trade Association, United Nations, Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (Global Edge par. 11). Even though

Research Report - Media futures and new technologies Essay

Research Report - Media futures and new technologies - Essay Example This examination considers the element pressure between media advances and the different social drives that have molded development and utilization in the media journalism industry. At long last, study of a few ways that technology matters is carried out. It serves to shape parts of social life and finish up by concentrating on select new media issues. Every medium has it mechanical capacities that influence the conveyance of content, sound, and visual pictures. Case in point, a music show performed by one of the most loved specialists could be telecast live by a radio station; would hear the sound however not the capacity to see the entertainers. A magazine could print a tale about the show and give photos to demonstrate what the occasion looked like, however just afterward and without sound. A television system could convey live sound and feature; however any content conveyance would be ungainly, maybe constrained to a scrolling "creep" at the lowest part of the screen. A television would likewise have sound and feature, yet it would be accessible just well after the first show date. The Internet is novel capable of serving as an advanced stage that empowers these gimmicks print, sound, still photographs, and feature and do it live. Furthermore, those viewing the streamed show online could speak with other music fans through tex ting or tweets. It is presenting a type of intelligence that is unrealistic with television forms of the media industry. The innovative impediments of every medium set the parameters for the utilization. With digitization, however, distinctive media united to a solitary advanced multimedia, making a few refinements less clear. The Internet whether got to through machine, cell phone, or amusement support is a bland stage of machine systems that considers the conveyance of all manifestations of media. Media, before the ascent of the Internet, can be considered fitting in with the time of

Piaget Stages of Development Essay Example for Free

Piaget Stages of Development Essay Child development undergoes various stages from infancy to adulthood. This process of development is called by various psychologists as â€Å"progression through development† to which, age is often attached on each developmental stage. The first stage is called the infancy stage which is from birth to one year during which the physical and psychological occur most rapidly. In Piaget’s developmental theory, the child’s development during this stage is called â€Å"sensorimotor† because the child’s behavior at this stage is mostly simple motor responses to sensory stimuli† (Kalat 170). The stage of toddlerhood which is from one year to three years old is partly connected with infancy stage because as Olga Drebben asserts, â€Å"in these early childhood stages, the infants and toddler’s growth and development include very multifaceted processes of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial transformations. Drebben affirms that the primary modes of infant and toddler are sonsorimotor. The childhood stage or as Piaget calls it, the â€Å"preoperational stage of development† is the stage in which children are subject to externally imposed rules and adhere unquestioningly to rules and the directives of powerful adults. In this stage, peer relationship is an important factor towards constructing a self separate from others and towards developing the capacity to think in terms of other peoples’ attitude one self. Deutsch, Coleman and Marcus stated, â€Å"Equal peer relationships give children a chance to experience reciprocity which greatly assists them in perspective taking and problem solving† (Deutsch, Coleman, and Marcus 359). Adolescence stage on the one hand, is seen to takes place at the beginning of puberty or from 10 to 12 year for girls and 12 to 14 years for boys and end and at the age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys. While psychologist admits the lack of precision as to age limit, this stage â€Å"assume more responsibility for personal attainment and well being† (Arnett 168). It is also the stage to earn a living and a time when interest in fun increased. The stage of adulthood on the other hand are divided into three; early, middle and senior adults. The early adulthood which starts at age 21 up to 34 years, is concern on being able to engage in intimate relationships and in finding more satisfying work. This stage is also period of focusing on long term goals, nurturing other physically, finding a meaning in life, and developing a tolerance for delayed gratification to meet long-range goals (Corey and Corey 88). The middle adulthood ages 34 to 49 is regarded as the period of reassessment of one’s work satisfactions, of involvement in the community and of accepting choice made in life. According to Gerald and Marianne Corey, this period of life is a time for â€Å"solidifying one’s philosophy of life. The senior adults 50 to 64 are regarded as the beginning of the wisdom years. This period is characterized as the time for serving the community and planning for work transitions and retirement. Finally, the elderly, 65 years onward is the time â€Å"to find new levels of meaning in life and to appreciate what one has accomplished† (Corey and Corey, 89). This stage is a period of physical weakness because it is a time of diminished strength and increased dependence on others. Of all these stages, the development stage that is more susceptible to schizophrenia are the early adulthood ages 21 to 24 for men, while 40 and above for women. This is because the vast majority of the onset of this disease â€Å"falls within the interval of 15-54 years of age (Hirsch and Weinberger, 215). Steven Hirsch and Daniel Roy Weinberger noted that onsets of schizophrenia in men â€Å"peak steeply in the age group 20-24† (215), and it slowed down at lower level thereafter. This onset for men is the reverse for women above forties. The stages that are more prone to Alzheimer are definitely middle adults, senior adults and the elderly because this disease takes place during these stages of life. Question 2. Two of Piaget’s universal developments are the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. The sensorimotor development stages starts from birth up to the end of the second year. Also called the neonatal stage, it is the period of development when the infant where simply a passive being that acts with out any systematic goal. Sensorimotor stage is the development of the child that includes intelligence based on perceptual experiences such as reflexes from 0-1month, primary circular reactions from 1to 4 months which is a repetition of certain pleasurable behaviors and formation of habits, secondary circular reactions 4 to 8 months, the coordination of secondary schemata and so forth. An example to this is the hand exercises. The child can follow simple instruction to close or open his or her hands as this is pleasurable exercise, during the infancy stage. But when the child is over one year old he can already follow basic instruction with basic understanding. Preoperational stage on the other hand begins at 2 up to 6 years of age. Salkind implies that Piaget’s preoperational stage of universal development is the progression of the infant from a reflexive organism to towards understanding of the symbolic world (248). Michie Swartwood and Kathy Trotter pointed out that in Piaget’s preoperational stage, the key feature of children’s thinking â€Å"is symbolic representation† (69). Swartwood and Trotter cited that during this stage, the child is able to use symbol, an object, or a word to stand for something else (69). Thus, though preoperational stage occurs right after the sensorimotor stage terminates, the child experiences tremendous progress during this stage. An example to this is the ability to follow simple instruction not to touch this or that, or that, on the ground that it will harm him or her, or that it will hurt him. In comparing both stages of development the child acquires certain degree of progression before each stage terminates. Both stages also display some degree of intelligence as the child now learns a lot of things through his or her experiences. But these stages also differ on some grounds. First, children in the sensorimotor stage do not think symbolically, while in preoperational stage they do think symbolically. Second, in the sensorimotor stage, the â€Å"child is limited to direct interaction with the environment, while in the second stage, the children learns to â€Å"manipulate symbols that represent the environment (Salkind, 248). In general however, both these stages show the child’s remarkable and development. Question 3. Some of the major stress that I am dealing with in my everyday life are first and foremost are the pressures from deadlines that must be met. This creates tension in me especially when I am running short of time. Biased treatment and sexism are also a great source of stress because it angers me. I really hate these things and I felt stress every time I encounter it. Some minor stressors however that I encounter everyday are the peer pressures. Peers insistences of something I do not like create pressures on me. Stern and unsmiling faces also s a source of stress especially those I meet daily. Some of the coping skills that I learned over time to keep the minor stressors from becoming major issues are; first, to ease my self of being too competitive. I learned this skill after I realized that I do not actually need to compete with my self. I simply need to make a list of priorities and take things at a time based on the priority list. Second, is to be friendly. I just realized that there is nothing wrong to great people with a smile regardless of how they would respond at me. I realized that by doing this, I could prevent the minor stress from becoming a major stress as I actually overcome it. Question 4. Schizophrenia is a disease. It is a chronic disease and severe mental disorder with a typical onset in adolescence and early adulthood and a lifetime prevalence of 1%. Dwight Evans cited that on average â€Å"male have their illness onset 3 to 4 years earlier than female† (78). Schizophrenia is not a developmental disorder but a chronic mental disease. The four type of schizophrenia are the following, paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, and undifferentiated. The characteristic and symptoms of paranoid are hallucinations and delusions. In the disorganized type, it symptoms and characteristic are reflected by disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and inappropriate affect. The catatonic type manifest clinical syndrome such as excessive purposeless motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiar voluntary movements and so on. The undifferentiated sub type is diagnosed when the patient â€Å"does not meet criteria for the previous type yet does meet the criteria for schizophrenia† (Maddux Winstead, 182). It is more likely that schizophrenia has a genetic cause than environmental. It is quite common that when there is schizophrenia in the family, it is passed down to another member. Thus this disease is called â€Å"psychobiological† illness amenable to chemical intervention and modification of the environment. An example to this is when a person is exposed to violence and all other abuses since birth, he has the tendency to have psychological trauma which causes schizophrenia. Question 5. One incident that happened in my lifetime was when I read the story about a plane crash killing all the more than two hundred passengers. After I read the story, I was shocked and I developed psychological fear regarding boarding an aircraft. Psychology fit in this scenario because I knew pretty well that it was simply an accident. In this experience, I developed some fear as it would always come to my mind that this plane might crash too. But as I came to realize, accident happens anywhere to anybody, at any given time and cause. Since I cannot prevent it nor predict it, the best thing to do is to just be very careful and avoid those that I can, but those that I cannot; I just leave my fate in the hands of God. The connection here between psychology and life is that, life is real; we should rather be practical and realistic than be overcome by fear and anxiety about our bad experiences. Question 6. I have incorporated in my work of art elements of psychology through my use of colors and designs. In using bright colors, I usually expressed strong emotion such as anger, or fear, or other emotions. I also incorporated psychology in my designs such as shapes that expresses meanings like lovely ideas or joyful situations. I will incorporate them in the future in the same way I incorporated it the last time with perhaps some improvement or modification. I could connect the process that I go through as an artist with psychology through putting meaning on my experiences in the light of what I have learned about psychology. That is, I must seek the context of what I am trying to portray to which I labor so much. It means that my work of art should be reflective of what life is, of the emotions, such love, fear, and other strong feelings that we often encounter or should I say, that always experience on a daily basis. Finally, one influence that will mesh with my future work of art is those that wear green colors, or things that are green. I am fascinated by this color and this influence in me can help meshed up with my future work of art. Work Cited Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. International Encyclopedia of Adolescence, Volume 1 USA: CRC Press, 2007. Corey, Gerald Corey Marianne Schneider. I Never Knew I Had a Choice: Explorations in Personal Growth USA: Cengage Learning, 2006 Deutsch, Morton; Coleman, Peter T. ; Marcus, Eric Colton. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice USA: John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Drebben, Olga. Patient Education in Rehabilitation USA: Jones and Bartlett, 2010 Evans, Dwight Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: What We Know and What We don’t Know New York: Oxford University Press Hirsch, Steven Weinberger Daniel Roy. Schizophrenia Great Britain: Wiley-Blackwell, 1995 Kalat, James W. Introduction to Psychology USA: Cengage Learning, 2008. Maddux, James Winstead, Barbara. Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding USA: Routledge, 2005. Salkind, Neil J. An Introduction to Theories of Human Development USA: Sage Publications, 2004 Swartwood, Michie Trotter, Kathy. Observing Children and Adolescents: Student Workbook USA: Cengage Learning, 2004

A Comprehensive And Complete Strategic Report On Airasia Marketing Essay

A Comprehensive And Complete Strategic Report On Airasia Marketing Essay The report includes a detailed description of the company and highlights the achievements and strategic decisions that the corporate has undertaken since its establishment in 1993. Furthermore the report will carry on a detailed Macro environment analysis to evaluate the external factors which may affect the company currently or in the future. After analyzing the external factors and their impacts on the company, the report moves on to analyzing the companys micro environment. The comprehensive SWOT analysis also applied for understanding the companys current situation. The company occupies a strong position within Asian civil aviation, according to its successful low-cost business strategy model and financial resources. After great consideration and analyzing different strategic options for the company, this report recommends two possible future strategies for AirAsia, which are aligned with its current cost leader strategy. 2.0 Introduction AirAsia was established in 1993 in Malaysia. It was originally founded by a government conglomerate DRB-HICOM Holding Berhad. On the second of December 2001, the heavily- indebted airline was purchased by partners Dato Pahamin Rejab (former chairman of AirAsia), Dato Kamarudin Meranun, and Dato Aziz Bakar, Dato Sri Dr Tony Fernandes  [1]  . AirAsia began its operation as a low-cost carrier with two planes (both ageing Boeing B737 aircraft), serving five destinations (Kota Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Labuan, Langkawi and Penang) and a staff of 250. In 2003 the company opened a second hub at Senai International airport near Singapore and launched its first international low-cost flight to Bangkok. Since then it started a Thai subsidiary and launched Low-cost flights to Singapore and Indonesia. In 2004 flights to Macau were launched and in following year, 2005 flights to China, Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia been launched by the company. AirAsia now is one of the award winning and largest low-cost airlines in the ASEAN which is expanding rapidly. It started with a simple goal that how to free air travel and make it so affordable that now everyone can fly. AirAsia Group (including its Thai and Indonesian affiliates) now operates a fleet of 90 aircraft and flies to more than 60 destinations from hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. AirAsia operates more than 3,500 flights a week, colouring the blue skies over Asia a bright red with their striking livery. The Group employs close to 7,500 staff and in its short history, has ferried more than 90 million passengers. AirAsia has become recognised as The ASEAN airline. It has achieved this by providing effective route connectivity and launching direct, unique and high-frequency flights linking ASEAN towns and cities such as Kuala Lumpur- Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur-Bandung, Phuket-Ho Chi Minh City and Bali-Bangkok. 2.1 Vision statement To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares  [2]  . 2.2 Mission statement To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand to attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly maintain the highest quality product, embarking new technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels  [3]  . 2.3 Business Strategy The foundation of the business has been set to deliver a no-frill, low cost, hassle-free and reliable flights and services to its passengers. The company believes in keeping costs consistently low which requires high efficiency and maintaining simplicity in every part of the business. http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/images/AirAsia/aboutus/strategy.gif source:aurasia.com 2.3.1 key strategic implementations Safety First High Aircraft Utilisation: quick turnaround of 25 minutes Low Fare, No Frills Streamlined Operations: making the process as simple as possible, single aircraft fleet Lean Distribution System : ticketless service Point to Point Network 2.4 Highlights of the company According to IATA in 2009 the traffic dropped 3.5% overall in aviation industry which included 5% decline in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region. However in 2009 despite of global economic downturn and fear of A(H1N1) influenza pandemic, AirAisa managed to produce an astounding 148% increase in its core operating Profit to RM447 million  [4]  . The company ferried around 22 million passengers. It also succeeded in driving its Ancillary services by introducing new lines of the service. It expects deliveries of new Airbus A320 aircraft and the phasing out of its Boeing B737 aircraft in 2010. In addition despite tight credit lines it was able to secure financing at competitive pricing for all its aircraft deliveries for 2009 and 2010  [5]  . Five years financial highlights (RM million, unless otherwise stated) For the year ended June For the 6 months ended 31 December For the year ended 31 December 2006 2007 Restated 2007 Restated 2008 Restated Revenue 1,071 1,603 1,094 2,855 Operating expenses 997 1,341 875 3,207 Operating profit/(loss) 74 262 219 (352) Associates contributions (0.5) (3.9) Profit/(loss) before tax 86 278 277 (869) Tax 116 220 149 373 Net profit/(loss) 202 498 426 (496) BALANCE SHEET Deposits, cash and bank balances 426 595 425 154 Total assets 2,574 4,779 6,430 9,406 Net debt 627 1,959 3,272 6,453 Shareholders equity 1,148 1,662 2,099 1,606 CASH FLOW STATEMENTS Cash flow from operating activities 282 595 256 (416) Cash flow from investing activities (1,249) (1,943) (1,581) (2,602) Cash flow from financing activities 1,067 1,509 1,141 2,749 Net Cash Flow 100 161 (184) (269) CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE (%) Return on total assets 7.8 10.4 6.6 Return on shareholders equity 17.6 30.0 20.3 Return on capital employed 4.2 7.2 4.1 Operating profit margin 6.9 16.3 20.0 Net profit margin 18.8 31.1 38.9 CONSOLIDATED OPERATING STATISTICS Passengers carried 5,719,411 8,737,939 5,197,567 11,808,058 Capacity 7,378,075 11,140,764 6,621,276 15,660,228 Load factor (%) 78 78 78 75 RPK (million) 6,702 9,863 5,930 14,439 ASK (million) 8,646 12,391 7,919 19,217 Aircraft utilisation (hours per day) 12.0 12.0 11.9 11.8 Average fare (RM) 174 171 195 204 Revenue per ASK (sen) 12.4 12.9 13.8 13.9 Cost per ASK (sen) 11.5 10.8 11.0 11.4 Cost per ASK excluding fuel (sen) 6.6 5.2 5.4 4.2 Revenue per ASK (USc) 3.35 3.65 4.06 4.22 Cost per ASK (USc) 3.12 3.06 3.25 3.49 Cost per ASK excluding fuel (USc) 1.79 1.46 1.60 1.27 Number of stages 48,339 68,195 38,507 89,118 Average stage length (km) 1,163 1,088 1,183 1,207 Average fleet size (Malaysia) 20.5 27.1 31.6 36.6 Size of fleet at year end (Malaysia) 26 34 39 44 Size of fleet at year end (Group) 42 54 65 78 Number of employees at year end 2,224 2,924 3,474 3,799 Percentage sales via internet (%) 60 65 65 70 Source:airasia.com 2.4.2 Ancillary Services The company offers different ancillary services, such as AirAsia cargo, insurance, holiday packages and credit cards. Since 2010 it offers a non flight ticket booking service called AirAsia RedTix which offers ticket booking for concerts, musicals, theatres, sports and other events. It also offers some loyalty programs. Furthermore it is focusing on building its own supply chain for ancillary services to provide better pricing for its passengers. The company mainly use its website as a distribution channel to offer its services. The company achieved 34% growth in its ancillary income in 2008 and it expect around 50% growth in 2010. 2.5 Company description Its subsidiaries are Crunchtime Culinary Services Sdn Bhd; AA International Ltd, which is an investment holding company; AirAsia Go Holiday Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in tour operating business; AirAsia (Mauritius) Limited, which is engaged in providing aircraft leasing facilities to Thai AirAsia Co. Ltd ; Indonesia AirAsia ; VietJet AirAsia ; AirAsia RedTix ; Airspace Communications Sdn Bhd; AirAsia (B) Sdn Bhd; AirAsia Corporate Services Limited; Aras Sejagat Sdn Bhd, which is a special purpose vehicle for financing arrangements required by the Company, and Asia Air Limited, which is engaged in the provision and promotion of AirAsia Berhads in-flight food to the European market  [6]  . 2.6 AirAsia organizational structure The following chart shows the corporate structure and principal operating companies for AirAsia. http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/images/AirAsia/aboutus/chart_organization.gif Source: aiasia.com 2.7AirAsia route Network One of the key strengths for its business is to continuously expand its route network and the frequency of flights, which provides the advantage of more connectivity for the passengers. AirAsia operates from nine regional hubs. AirAsia flies to over 60 cities in 16 countries with 126 domestic and international routes  [7]  . When the company attempts to launch its low cost long haul flights (AirAsiaX) most of the airlines assumed that such attempts will fail due to the more cost and complicity in long haul flights. However the company were quiet successful since it has launched its long haul flights name as AirAsiaX and has earned numerous industry awards, including Asia Pacifics best New Airline in 2008 for its low cost long haul business model. Now there is huge market to expand its long haul flights to different countries. Currently AirAsiaX flies to China, India and Indonesia. The company uses the brand likening agreement which allows it to use the AirAsia brand and a shared services agreement which will benefit the company by sharing resources such as marketing team, distribution channel, cabin crew and pilots. The combined short-haul and long-haul networks feed each other. In the six short years since its inception, Thai AirAsia has become Thailands largest low cost carrier with a market share of 67.81% by passengers and of 67.80% by aircraft movement. It has ferried over 19 million passengers to various destinations. In 2009 the company expanded its rouà ©s in Thailand from 19 to 26 destinations. AirAsia now has two Airbus A320 aircraft based in Phuket, and achieved a load factor of 76% (79% domestic and 74% international)  [8]  . AirAsia currently operates four hubs in Indonesia. As the main hub, Jakarta connects Indonesian passengers to many cities across ASEAN. In 2009, it expanded its routes to Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. The company key focus in 2010 is India. Apart from Tiruchipillai, the company has added Kolkata, Kochi and Trivandrum to their network. Furthermore the company will focus into six new India routes in 2010  [9]  . 2.8 Joint venture and strategic partnership highlights The company business strategy is cantered on cost leadership, which is focused on price-sensitive customers on long-haul and short-haul flights. The company is mainly focused on joint venture partnership to expand its long-haul flights globally. As AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said: With joint purchasing power it means that we can potentially work with airline manufacturers on the right configuration and design of an aircraft specifically for AirAsia and that the best suits our operational needs for the future  [10]   Airaisa recently (09/04/2010) singed a strategic partnership agreement with VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company. The company earlier had acquired a 30 percent equity stake in VietJet Air( Vietnam Airlines) which was the first step to lunch of a Vietnam-based, low-cost subsidiary. The trade name is VietJet AirAsia which will be operating both in domestic and international market. The governments of respective companies were fully supportive to the lunch of VietJet AirAsia which will be offering low fares to boost the travel and tourism in Vietnam and the rest of ASEAN region  [11]  . http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/images/space.gif AirAsia recently (06/01/2010) signed an airline alliance agreement with Australias Jetstar to pool recourses and expertise, procure new aircraft and revenue-sharing deals which could lead to cost savings of $200m and $300m annually. The next step for the partners would be to look at joint venture on routes and other commercial activities including joint procurement of hotel inventory for holiday packages. Plans include saving on costs including aircraft purchasing, maintenance and design, since both airlines operate with similar fleets  [12]  . The Virgin Group became an investor in  AirAsia  X to the tune of a 16% stake. The majority stake with 48% is a Malaysian group that includes Fernandes, while  AirAsia  itself has 16%; Japanese aircraft lessor Orix Corporation has 10% and Bahrains Manara Consortium has 10%. AirAsia  X began operations in late 2007 to Australias Gold Coast and now flies to three destinations in that country and two points in China, as well as the UK. It is seeking more A340-300s for longer-haul routes and has 23 A330-300s on order. 3.0External analysis 3.1 PESTEL analysis POLITICAL ECONOMIC SOCIAL Political uncertainly in Malaysia and Thailand Increased tension between Malaysia and Indonesia Severe Security Measures and Restrictions Terrorism attacks mostly in Malaysia and Thailand Increase in route charge by the Government Government support for national carriers Establishment of Climate Protection Charge, so the aviation industry has to compensate further taxes for carbon emission. . Currency fluctuation GPD growth rate The low-cost airline industry is in the growth rate of the life cycle High price ceiling of petroleum products and fuels Recession Changing economy leads to change in lifestyle which includes frequent flying for vacations Operating in ASEAN with different cultures and languages Operations increased in grey market Increasing Population Rising in middle class TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL Fuel efficient engines and air frames Teleconferencing for business Technology expansion in terms of internet sales Online check in Use of technology for ancillary services Wireless technology expansion Use of new Airbus A330-300 Use of information and communication Technology(ICT) Yield management system Computer reservation system Enterprise resource planning system Strict checks on Green house and global warming issues due to pressure from eco-friendly friends. Emission trading scheme Energy consumption and noise pollution controls Land for growing airports No food and beverage service inside the flights so reduce leftover waste Restrictions on mergers Preferential airport rights for some carriers ASEN Regulations Health and safety Other landing charges Compensation Political Political uncertainly in Indonesia and Thailand is not in Airasias favour as it operates mainly in both countries. Since 2006, Thailand has been facing many political issues. In April 2009, Red shirt protestors, who were angry that Thaksins government was forced out of office, caused the cancellation of ASEAN summit and their latest antigovernment protestors went on March 2010 which caused the closure of some airports in Thailand. Moreover as a result of granted exploration rights in oil rich waters off the coast of Borneo have increased tension between Malaysia and Indonesia  [13]  . As mentioned earlier, AirAisa offers long haul flights through strategic alliance with different airlines and willing to expand it further. The main political issue which the company may face in the future is the political relationships with the respective countries which may affect the operation of the company. Economic Fluctuating fuel prices: It has increased turbulence in aviation industry. According to the International Energy Agency the world aviation fuel demand will grow through 2010 led by Asia  [14]  . This current technique of global supply chain incurs large-scale costs to AirAsia who is unable to secure low-cost fuel. This is not good for this no-frills airline ait wants to stay in the market as a low-cost airline and to deliver customers what they want without added costs. Malaysia GDP Growth Rate: The Gross Domestic Product in Malaysia is in companys favour as GPD contracted at an annual rate of 2.60 percent in the last quarter. Malaysia Gross Domestic Product is worth 192 billion dollars or 0.31% of the world economy, according to the World Bank. Malaysia is a rapidly developing economy in Asia. Malaysia, a middle-income country, has transformed itself since the 1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. The Government of Malaysia is continuing efforts to boost domestic demand to wean the economy off of its dependence on exports  [15]  . Country Interest Rate Growth Rate Inflation Rate Jobless Rate Current Account Exchange Rate Malaysia 2.75% -2.60% 1.70% 3.70% 30449 3.1820 Economic Forecast 2009 2010 Malaysia GDP Growth Rate Sources: ASEAN Finance and Macro-economic Surveillance Unit Database; national statistical offices. Social AirAsia operates in a region with diverse culture, language, origin and religion. As a result the company operates in a market where consumer preferences and demographics are different and uncontrollable. Consumer behaviours are becoming increasingly difficult to predict as contemporary consumers tend to shift loyalties from one brand to another due to price differences or even lack of basic consumer consistency. The competition in low-cost airlines within Asia region is increasing, giving consumers vast choices to choose an airline. Thus in order to fully utilise a market, bring value, increase its consumer generated revenue and relate to the diverse consumer needs, AirAsia must completely understand the market. Technological AirAsia uses the latest information and technology system which allows it to reduce its operating costs. The company has adopted variety of information technologies such as Yield management system, Computer reservation system (CRS), Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP). Furthermore the company operates with youngest fleet, Airbus 300-330 which again allows the company to operate more efficiently. Environmental In the Asia Pacific region, rapid economic and population growth creates serious social consequences from environmental problems of  global warming and air pollution. The air travel is constantly increasing in that region as consumers are more driven with better technology; this has however increased issues related to global warming and green house effects. AirAsia is always expanding which spells disaster for the planet as more flights mean busier airports, bad sound quality for people living and working near the airports, more noise and air pollution. The company however says its airplanes are more efficient, quieter and thus have less environmental impact. CO2  Emissions from Malaysia Total Fossil Fuel CO2 Emissions from Malaysia graph Source: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis/mys.html Legal As mentioned earlier, AirAisa offers long haul flights through strategic alliance with different airlines and willing to expand it further through more partnerships all over the world. The main legal concern for the company is to sort out the legal issues and obtain clearance from the respective countries. As AirAsia Group CEO Fernandes has said that the budget airline would fly to North America once it sorted out the legal issues and obtained clearance from the respective countries  [16]  . Also the company has signed sponsorship deals with different companies, such as its sponsorship deals with National Football Leagues (NFL) Oakland Raiders, which brings its own legal issues. Furthermore the company should pay more attention to health and safety regulations as well. Overall it can be said that the external environment (PESTEL) for AirAsia is relatively stable, however the companys biggest problem involves the legal obligations. It should try to keep the Legal environment as steady as possible. Furthermore the perception of consumer behaviour is another issue for the company and it should develop strategic tools to improve total consumer investment and sales performances. 4.0 The industry environment AirAsia is engaged in the civil aviation industry where it provides low fare, long haul, short haul, point-to-point scheduled passenger airline services. In 2009 AirAisa managed to produce an astounding 148% increase in its core operating Profit to RM447 million  [17]  . The company ferried around 22 million passengers. It also succeeded in driving its Ancillary services by introducing new lines of the service. 4.1 Porter five forces Power of the supplier Supplier power is moderately high. Airbus is AirAsias main aircraft supplier, which means they have high supplier power. Also the switching cost from one supplier to another one is high as it involves lots of hidden costs, e.g. retraining pilots and mechanics. Airports also plays a crucial role as suppliers, the charges for main airports are very high as they are dominant player in supply chain, but the secondary airports have lesser bargaining power. Power of the buyer Buyer power is moderately high due to no switching cost from one airline to other one and it can be easily achieved. Also the easy access to the internet will allow customers to gain information on the prices which are charged by other airlines. Rivalry Rivalry power is in the companys favour. The low-cost operation of the company allows it to offer the cheapest price in the market. However there is a threat that, the profitability of LLC will attract full service airline to lunch its LLC version which will increase the degree of rivalry in the industry. Power of substitute Fortunately, the geographic structure of Asia which is so vast and the large distance between countries has made the air travel the most efficient and convenient way to travel, which makes the power of substitution such as trains or ferries low to the company. Power of new entrant The threat of new entrants is moderately in AirAsias favour at present. The high capital requirements to enter the market and high exit barrier prevent many entrants to the market. In addition, AirAsias current leading role and favourable brand awareness make it a first choice amongst the current competition. However, potential new entrants from full service carriers could be threats in the future and long term. Based on the industrial scanning, the demand for low-cost airlines in Asia is expanding. The profitability of LLC will attract full service airline to lunch its LLC version which will increase the degree of rivalry in the industry. However AirAsia is the market leader in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia and in order to overcome the future rivalry it should focus to add value to its services in order to keep its position in the market. 4.2 value chain The value chain logic is that every company occupies a position in the chain which is then passed downstream to the customer. Inbound Logistics is the start of the value chain which includes airport agreements, low cost suppliers and so on. AirAsia serves through secondary airports (significant savings) in various locations where it is able to get good contracts with the airport authorities. It even attempts to negotiate discounted fees by delivering an annual increase in passenger traffic where practical. So it has good relations with its contractors, Airbus being its main supplier of aircrafts provides on-time delivery, gives discounts so it is able to maintain common fleet which reduces costs and saves time. It also does outsourcing in the form of its online web check-in for its passengers. Support activities Firm infrastructure Finance Accounting Quality assurance HR management Providing recruitment and staff training Providing pilot training Providing Yield analyst training Providing In-flight training Technology Adopting information technology such as CRS, FSS, YMS Baggage tracking system In-flight system Procurement Technology acquisition Primary activities Inbound logistics Aircraft purchasing or leasing Aircraft fuel and parts purchasing Landing slot acquisition Flight and crew scheduling Operations Transporting passengers Flight scheduling Courier operation On-board services Outbound logistics Providing transportation Baggage claiming Marketing and sales Advertising and promotion: the most important activity to create more brand awareness. Direct sales Selected travel agent Services Call centre system: to tackle problems with customer enquiries Lost and found services AirAsias value network is a combination of players which comprises of its external network of its customers, stakeholders, complementors, open innovation networks, intermediaries and suppliers, and its internal network focusing on key activities, processes and relationships such as order fulfilment, innovation, customer support and so on. In order to add value it is necessary to position all parties in the value network business model so they can then deliver value to customer supply. Based on the information collected, value can be analyzed, and within this network a companys value share position can be determined. 5.0 Internal analysis 5.1 Current strategic implementations AirAsia has currently adopted information technologies strategically to integrate the operations and coordinate all the business and management functions. The followings are few system implementations that AirAsia has done in its marketing and sales activities as well as operation activity in the value chain. Yield management system Computer reservation system(CRS) Enterprise Resource Planning System(ERP) IT implementation and strategic alignment 5.2 Positioning The company has p

Hot Import Nights :: essays research papers

Car shows and race events are probably the largest forms of gatherings in America. People will spend all their money and drive long distances to show off their precious vehicle. Countless hours are spent cleaning, waxing, and prepping for a show quality finish. Hot Import Nights (HIN) is the largest car meet in the United States. Its flashy set-up and eye catching themes keep car enthusiasts craving for more all year long. This show is mainly for the younger group because they are the biggest spenders of products to modify their automobiles. Many would be disappointed if this ever ended. I support Hot Import Nights one-hundred percent because of the activities and product it brings to so many people. HIN is brought to just about every major city in the United States so that no one is left out. It’s a great chance for every one of all ages to get out and have some fun. As long as there is a passion for cars in their hearts it will be the most fun they have all year. Since there is so many people there from all over its amazing how different people are; social class, wealth, race, or gender doesn’t affect how people look at each other here, it is all about the cars. NOTHING else all year will give anyone a better chance to bond with dad than to spend a weekend with cars and just hang out. Most people go in large groups ranging anywhere from five friends all the way up to a hundred car crazed maniacs. It is very easy to find someone to go with, so nobody has an excuse not to go! HIN holds many events over its weekend to keep everyone entertained. There are several drag races for a wide variety of cars and prizes given to the winners. The great thing about HIN is that anyone can enter their car in the show event. Usually ranging from about 500-1000 cars brought just by locals, people love showing off their car to everyone that stops by. Just as the drag races, the show events give out many awards for having the wildest looking car and the craziest interior. Many people will just walk around during show events and talk to others with the same type of car as them. It’s a great chance to learn a lot about their car that they probably would have never found out.

Slim and George in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbek, there are several characters that make the book as interesting as it is.   For example, Slim and George are two characters who are alike in some ways, yet are different in many others.   They both want to be leaders, but only one of them can.   George and Slim have many characteristics, but there are reasons why Slim is considered a leader by his co-workers and George is not.    George is an ordinary man, unlike Lennie who is mentally retarded.   He promotes moral responsibility unlike Lennie or Curley’s wife. His need for companionship exceeds the generally accepted traditional remedies for loneliness.   He has some major physical characteristics that are noted by many people, which are restless eyes, strong small hands, thin arms, and a bony nose.    Slim is the moral judge of the bunkhouse.   He is a skilled workman.   With being the skilled workman that he is, he can gain acceptance by not claiming anything, but by just being himself.   That causes him to be a figure of integrity for many people.   Furthermore, Slim can be very concerned and helpful.   For example, Slim immediately thinks of getting a doctor for Curley, when Lennie crushes his hand.    There are many reasons why George is not a leader.   For example, he is always thinking about the future.   For example, he constantly asks himself questions such as, where will they work next?   Will he ever get his dream?   How can he protect Lennie from doing bad things?   Another reason for George not being a leader is because he works fairly well, but he does not stand out. That does not provide himself with any pride or satisfaction, therefore he has to look somewhere else for those qualities.      There are many reasons why Slim is a leader.   For example, Slim is the only had who appears to have a self-confident direction.   Another reason is because he has a reputation for craftsmanship.   That provides him with a source of pride and satisfaction.   When Slim receives the pride and satisfaction, he does not throw superiority in his partner’s faces.   That is why Slim is respected and viewed as a leader by his partners. Slim and George in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbek, there are several characters that make the book as interesting as it is.   For example, Slim and George are two characters who are alike in some ways, yet are different in many others.   They both want to be leaders, but only one of them can.   George and Slim have many characteristics, but there are reasons why Slim is considered a leader by his co-workers and George is not.    George is an ordinary man, unlike Lennie who is mentally retarded.   He promotes moral responsibility unlike Lennie or Curley’s wife. His need for companionship exceeds the generally accepted traditional remedies for loneliness.   He has some major physical characteristics that are noted by many people, which are restless eyes, strong small hands, thin arms, and a bony nose.    Slim is the moral judge of the bunkhouse.   He is a skilled workman.   With being the skilled workman that he is, he can gain acceptance by not claiming anything, but by just being himself.   That causes him to be a figure of integrity for many people.   Furthermore, Slim can be very concerned and helpful.   For example, Slim immediately thinks of getting a doctor for Curley, when Lennie crushes his hand.    There are many reasons why George is not a leader.   For example, he is always thinking about the future.   For example, he constantly asks himself questions such as, where will they work next?   Will he ever get his dream?   How can he protect Lennie from doing bad things?   Another reason for George not being a leader is because he works fairly well, but he does not stand out. That does not provide himself with any pride or satisfaction, therefore he has to look somewhere else for those qualities.      There are many reasons why Slim is a leader.   For example, Slim is the only had who appears to have a self-confident direction.   Another reason is because he has a reputation for craftsmanship.   That provides him with a source of pride and satisfaction.   When Slim receives the pride and satisfaction, he does not throw superiority in his partner’s faces.   That is why Slim is respected and viewed as a leader by his partners.

Free Essays on Picture of Dorian Gray: Dorian as Faust :: Picture Dorian Gray Essays

Dorian as Faust in The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray is a rich story which can be viewed through many literary and cultural lenses. Oscar Wilde himself purposefully filled his novel with a great many direct and indirect allusions to the literary culture of his times, so it seems appropriate to look back at his story - both the novel and the 1945 film version - in this way. In many ways, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a retelling of the Faust story. A temptation is placed before Dorian, as with Faust, and he falls for it--offering up his soul to get it. In fact, one of Faust's principal wishes is also to remain young. Faust and Dorian also each seduce a young woman, then lead her to her death, as well as leading the woman's brother (Valentine in Faust and James Vale in Dorian Gray to die in attempting revenge for his sister. It is also a Doppelganger story, like Adelbert Chamisso's "Peter Schlemihl" (in which Peter foolishly sells his shadow) and even more like Edgar A. Poe's "William Wilson" (in which the narrator is tormented by a schoolchum who looks and sounds exactly like him, and which ends much like Dorian Gray, with its more sinister overtones. Dorian Gray has a theme of eternal youth, bought at the price of one's soul, and continued through the destruction of others, in common with vampires as well. And, of course, Dorian Gray has to be run in the mind's eye against the backdrop of Oscar Wilde's life, particularly his affair with the young aristocrat, Lord Alfred Douglas, which eventually landed Wilde in jail for sodomy, and pretty much ended his career. Along these lines, the life of Oscar Wilde and his novel, Dorian Gray can also be compared to that of rock star Freddy Mercury of Queen and their song, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Here we have Oscar Wilde, fun-loving, witty, cynical, decadent kind of guy, undone by his homosexual liaison with Lord Alfred Douglas, languishing in jail for sodomy. A few years previous to this sad turn of events, he writes The Picture of Dorian Gray--about a decadent, immoral murderer, who also has homosexual relations (with various young men who die, become drug addicts, commit suicide, etc.), and who dies a horrible and disfiguring death due to his evil ways. Now, we also have Freddy Mercury, who lived a flamboyant and decadent lifestyle as a sexually ambiguous rock star.

Efeectiveness of Loyalty Programs in Big Bazaar

| 2011| | MARKETING OF SERVICES TERM PAPER PRADEEP KUMAR. N(M100002MS) | [EFFECTIVENESS OF LOYALTY PROGRAMS IN BIG BAZAAR]| | Contents page no 1. About the company 03 2. Significant features of big bazaar 04 3. Promotion techniques 04 4. Sales Promotion techniques 05 5. Loyalty programs 06 6. Customer experience 08 7. Research objective 09 8. Research methodology 09 9. Hypothesis and testing 10 10. Sampling plan 10 11. Findings 11 12. Conclusion 12 ABOUT THE COMPANY Big Bazaar is a chain of hypermarket in India. Currently, there are 210 stores across 80 cities and towns in India. Big Bazaar is designed as an agglomeration of bazaars or Indian markets with clusters offering a wide range of merchandise including fashion and apparels, food products, general merchandise, furniture, electronics, books, fast food and leisure and entertainment sections. Big Bazaar is part of Future Group, which also owns the Central Hypermarket, and is owned through a wholly owned subsidiary of Pantaloon Retail India Limited that is listed on Indian stock exchanges. Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, is India’s leading retailer that operates multiple retail formats in both the value and lifestyle segment of the Indian consumer market. Headquartered in Mumbai (Bombay), the company operates over 10 million square feet of retail space, has over 1000 stores across 61 cities in India and employs over 30,000 people. The company’s leading formats include Pantaloons, a chain of fashion outlets, Big Bazaar, a uniquely Indian hypermarket chain, Food Bazaar, a supermarket chain, blends the look, touch and feel of Indian bazaars with aspects of modern retail like choice, convenience and quality and Central, a chain of seamless destination malls. Some of its other formats include, Depot,Shoe Factory, Brand Factory, Blue Sky, Fashion Station, aLL, Top 10, mBazaar and Star and Sitara. The company also operates an online portal, futurebazaar. com. A subsidiary company, Home Solutions Retail (India) Limited, operates Home Town, a large-format home solutions store, Collection i, selling home furniture products and E-Zone focused on catering to the consumer electronics segment. Pantaloon Retail was recently awarded the International Retailer of the Year by the US based National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Emerging Market Retailer of the Year 2007 at the World Retail Congress held in Barcelona. Pantaloon Retail is the flagship company of Future Group, a business group catering to the entire Indian consumption space. Pantaloon is not just an organization – it is an institution, a centre of learning & development. Over the years, the company has accelerated growth through its ability to lead change. A number of its pioneering concepts have now emerged as industry standards. For instance, the company integrated backwards into garment manufacturing even as it expanded its retail presence at the front end, well before any other Indian retail company attempted this. It was the first to introduce the concept of the retail departmental store for the entire family through Pantaloons in 1997. The company was the first to launch a hypermarket in India with Big Bazaar, a large discount store that it commissioned in Kolkata in October 2001. And the company introduced the country to the Food Bazaar, a unique ‘bazaar' within a hypermarket, which was launched in July 2002 in Mumbai. Embracing our leadership value, the company launched aLL in July 2005 in Mumbai, making us the first retailer in India to open a fashion store for plus size men and women. STRIKING FEATURES OF BIG BAZAAR * Food bazaar. Electronic bazaar. * Furniture bazaar. * FutureBazaar. com * Amusement zone. * Telecalling services PROMOTION TECHNIQUES * Big Bazaar – Isse sasta aur accha kahin nahi :- Big Bazaar has adopted value pricing in which they win loyal customers by charging a fairly low price for a high – quality offering. * Wednesday Bazaar – Hafte ka sabse sasta din :- In January 2007, Big Bazaar introduced a Wednesday Bazaar concept called â€Å"Hafte Ka Sabse Sasta Din† with the aim to give homemakers the power to save the most on this day of the week. Sabse Saste Teen Din (Big days) :- In 2006 they started a new shopping festival, i. e. Sabse Saste Teen Din on 24, 25 and 26th of January. Big bazaar throwed up to 65% of on each & every products in the store for three days. * Big Bazaar announced The Great Exchange Offer with a â€Å"Bring anything old and take anything new† concept which started from the 16th of Feb 2008 at the Landmark store. SALES PROMOTION TECHNIQUES The various promotional schemes undertaken by big bazaar are as follows: * The punch line of Big Bazaar says â€Å"IS SE SASTA AUR ACCHA KAHI NAHI†. This line gives the feeling that Big Bazaar gives merchandise which is cheapest in the market or in other words the value for money which a customer will be getting here will be more than anywhere else. * Wednesday is the cheapest day. This is done to divert some of the crowd coming on weekends to a relatively free day. Big bazaar advertises Wednesdays as the cheapest day in all the leading dailies across the capital. This offer targets housewives and encourages them to purchase groceries and vegetables because no one purchases vegetables on a weekly basis, they purchase it at least two times a week. * Big Bazaar has announced a unique exchange offer `Bring anything old and take anything new’. Under the exchange offer, old garments, utensils, furniture, plastic ware, newspapers or just about anything will be weighed and valued and customers will be given exchange coupons. There is also a direct exchange on mobile and electronic goods during the period with attractive discounts on new purchases. * Big Bazaar’s `The Great Exchange Offer’ has mobilized more than two lakh families to actually carry the junk of the house and offload it at the nearest Big Bazaar. Retail analysts say that generally February and March are dull months for consumer buying in the country and therefore this kind of a promotion campaign is needed to boost sales during the period. PANTALOON group’s hypermarkett chain, Big Bazaar, celebrated Republic Day as the Maha Savings Day, when shoppers at Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets across the country, were offered merchandise at rock bottom prices. * The Maha Savings Day saw shoppers got deals they have never seen or heard before. The offers spread across categories from electronics to utensils, from apparel to furniture and also food. For example pressure cooker for Rs 299, two Ruf n Tuf Jeans for Rs 499, and a M otorola C115 for Rs 1,399. Big Bazaar usually runs a full page advertisement on Saturdays and Sundays in all the leading dailies communicating various offers. This is done to attract crowds on weekends because most of the people usually shop during weekends. * Pantaloons retail India limited provides Green card, this Green Card is passport to a whole new world of exclusive benefits and privileges. These includes: * Instant discounts for every time you shop at Pantaloons. * Exclusive shopping days to get hold of latest merchandise. Regular updates on collections and promos via catalogues, sms and email. * Special invites to the most happening events. * Extended exchange periods and complimentary drops for alterations. * Exclusive billing counters and much more. * Big bazaar in association with ICICI banks has launched loyalty cards for the customers. They are: * ICICI Bank Big Bazaar Silver Credit Card : It gives you the benefits of regular cards and additional features to make your shopping not only enjoyable but also a way to save more with Big Bazaar. ICICI Bank Big Bazaar Gold Credit Card :The card brings to you more reasons to save and earn rewards on its usage. It gives you all the benefits of regular cards and additional features to make your shopping not only enjoyable but also a way to save more with Big Bazaar. * Shakti Card Shakti is a credit card for housewives. You need not submit income proof. Simply show your Big Bazaar bill of more than Rs. 500 and a lifestyle proof like club membership card, health club card etc. And get your ‘Shakti’. You can use Shakti at all the Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets * T24 In June 2010, Future Group in partnership with TTSL rolled out a mobile service called T24 for its customers. As part of the offer, customers were rewarded with free talk time for every purchase above Rs. 500 made at Future Group shopping outlets across all formats and locations. LOYALTY PROGRAMS * Big bazaar in association with ICICI banks has launched loyalty cards for the customers. They are: * ICICI Bank Big Bazaar Silver Credit Card : It gives you the benefits of regular cards and additional features to make your shopping not only enjoyable but also a way to save more with Big Bazaar. * ICICI Bank Big Bazaar Gold Credit Card :The card brings to you more reasons to save and earn rewards on its usage. It gives you all the benefits of regular cards and additional features to make your shopping not only enjoyable but also a way to save more with Big Bazaar. * Shakti Card Shakti is a credit card for housewives. You need not submit income proof. Simply show your Big Bazaar bill of more than Rs. 500 and a lifestyle proof like club membership card, health club card etc. And get your ‘Shakti’. You can use Shakti at all the Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets * T24 In June 2010, Future Group in partnership with TTSL rolled out a mobile service called T24 for its customers. As part of the offer, customers were rewarded with free talk time for every purchase above Rs. 500 made at Future Group shopping outlets across all formats and locations. CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE The customer experience among the big bazaar customers is comprised of the following Components: POPULATING THE CUSTOMER PROFILE: To create the Ideal Customer Experience, Big Bazaar populates the Customer Profile with the relevant information . the customers who are having very similar buying patterns in the big bazaar are populated and an analysis is done so as to find the preferences of the products of these groups, including various promotion strategies and offers. DELIVERING AND RECEIVING VALUE AT EACH CUSTOMER INTERACTION: Big Bazaar views each interaction as a golden opportunity to deliver value through its products, services, and processes, as well as to receive valuable information from the Customer in the form of feedback. CUSTOMIZING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: By understanding an individual’s needs, it creates the Ideal Customer Experience by Customizing the products, services, and processes to meet the Needs of the individual customer RESEARCH OBJECTIVE * The objective of the research is to find the effectiveness of loyalty programs in BIG BAZAAR ,i. e whether loyalty programs attract customer attention or not in todays competetive scenario . * To find out the increase in customer loyalty by measuring various factors. * To find out customer’s reactions to various loyalty programs and change in their purchase decision due to these programs. To analyze customer’s expectations from retail format like convenience store in terms of offering of loyalty programs. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research problems:- consumer’s reactions and expectation from loyalty programs of convenience store format, Big Bazaar. †¢ Research methodology: Exploratory method †¢ Descriptive research: is a type of research conducted when we have to find out the frequency with which Something occurs. This research is guided by initial hypothesis. HYPOTHESIS AND TESTING Hypothesis testing for this report has evolved around formulating a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis as regards to the percentage of population availing the loyalty programs H(o) Null Hypothesis :Mostly 70% of the population would be Availing the loyalty programs carried out by Big bazaar. H(T) Alternative Hypothesis:- Less than 70% of the population Would be availing the loyalty programs carried out by Big Bazaar. At 5% level of significance I tested the above mentioned hypothesis as per the results obtained. The Chi-Square test has been taken up as the selection criteria for the above mentioned data. The Chi-Square test which shows the magnitude of discrepancy between observed and expected frequency can be expressed symbolically as X2= Summation of (O-E)2 E Where, O= Observed set of frequencies E= Expected set of frequencies SAMPLING PLAN I selected a sample size of 51 ,I gave a questionnaire and interviewed the samples in the OLD MADRAS BIG BAZAAR in BANGALORE Questionnaire Sample Methods| Random Simple Sampling| Sample size| 51| Primary data| Questionnaire| Interview Sample Units| sampling unit is Noida area. | Source of data| through primary sources| Market survey & area| | Sampling size| 51| FINDINGS * Big Bazaar has been preferred by most of the Households frequently and they use to purchase daily Requirement material from there. While still 15% of People don’t prefer to buy daily requirement items from Organized formats. The data predicts that customers at nearby locations of Big Bazaar prefer to go to there often but it is not a destination for customers every time. * 35% go there oftenly * 30% go there occasionally * 15% go everytime * 20% people go there sometimes * The ratio of customers using loyalty programs floats between 60%-62%. Educated people are giving more Attention to the loyalty card due to the awareness of its future benefits monetarily as well as in getting right information of the production. Most of the custo mers feel satisfied from the loyalty program offerings of Big Bazaar so it has been successful in fulfilling customer’s expectations. While 25% of customers still want to get some more benefits in return of their loyalty to the store. * Customers feel 55% motivated to shop from Big Bazaar due to their loyalty programs. Conclusion In my calculations: The calculated value of is more than the table value. So, the hypothesis is REJECTED i. e. less than 70% of the population is only availing the loyalty program carried out by Big Bazaar. There are maximum customers who are satisfied with the merchandising of the store and they find every product of brand in each category and shelf according to their choices. They are having some complains regarding the future cards. * Customers wait for discount loyalties provided by them but not too much. * Customers are not aware of the benefits of the card. * Many of the customers are not even using any of the loyalty Program. * Store has been a big flop at online shopping centre as people want to touch and select their items before purchase

Analyzing Personal Conflict Management Styles Essay

Conflict management is the detriment of many teams or groups in accomplishing its goals. This is because most people do not understand the different conflict styles and how to apply the rules and principles associated with the style you may be dealing with. In this paper I will analyze three of the five management styles discussed in the textbook Communication in Small Groups. Avoidance and competition are two styles that I believe have the greatest effect on hindering a group or team from accomplishing its goals. Collaboration, however, is a style that I believe is most effective in assisting a team in attaining its goals. This is a style that I use not only in my professional life but also in my personal life and have seen the difference this style of conflict management makes on individuals who are approached with this technique. Avoidance, according to the Collins English Dictionary is â€Å"the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening. † This definition sums up the reason I believe that of the five conflict managing styles, this one is among the top reasons some teams fail at achieving their goals. Whether it is just that a person does not like confrontation, are afraid to voice his or her true opinions out of fear, or simply do not want to hurt another person’s feelings, the simple fact remains that the team may not be aware of everything they need to consider. They miss the opportunity to be more objective in reaching an educated decision on the goals the team is trying to attain. This can also lead to members of the team feeling as though a member does not care and give them reason to discount whatever input that member may have. It is important to remember that there are certain instances when avoidance is needed to move the team along. For instance if what is causing the conflict is something trivial that will not have an adverse effect on the ultimate goal of the team it is likely a good idea to avoid it. It may be also be a good idea to use this method temporarily to give a team time to gather their thoughts on an important issue they need to resolve, but cannot get certain members to be objective or reasonable because they are standing firm behind their point of view. Competition is a conflict management style exactly opposite of avoidance. This is a very confrontational style, which characteristics consist of forcefully persuading others that their position is the only correct position. A person who exerts this style in most cases seeks to win with the intent of another person losing. They want control and work to achieve it no matter what. This type of style is infectious to a team. It is hard for a team to work at attaining a common goal if the level of competition in the team is such that no one can agree. Competition often leads to unethical ways of trying to persuade others in the team like shouting, or even threatening. These types of behaviors lead to defensiveness and distrust as members may feel as if they are forced into a decision rather than arriving at a decision on their own. Again, just like with all management styles it is not always a bad thing to be competitive. When working as a team it is important to remember the goals of the team and be mindful that the actions taken are working toward that goal. No matter how right a person is individually, he or she must find a way to get the rest of the team to agree that their point of view is correct or the best action for the goal the team is trying to accomplish. Otherwise, they will accomplish nothing and alienate themself from the team. The other members of the team can again feel as if that member does not care about what is best for the team and discount his or her ideas as one sided. Of all of the conflict management styles, collaboration is the style that most researchers agree is the best for achieving the goals of a team. â€Å"To collaborate is to have a high concern for both yourself and others† (Beebe & Masterson, 2009, p. 52). This common belief among users of this style drives them to search for answers using all of the tools at the team’s disposal. The different dynamics of the team become assets. They see the differences that distinguish the members of the team as points of view are respected and viewed objectively. Differences like a male versus a female’s perspective, race, culture, and even social or economic status are viewpoints that give all in the team a bigger picture of the different issues they may need to consider when coming to a conclusion about how best to achieve their goal. Though this style is thought of as the best route for teams to use, it is lso one of the most difficult. Even a person who has a natural talent or personality that promotes this style of conflict management has to practice to be effective using this style in a team setting. A person cannot be judgmental and must be sure not to take anything said personally. This is something that most if not all of the team members must have an awareness of. All team members have to feel comfortable with the results and with what was given up from their own personal point of view to arrive at the team’s decision. This style is also very demanding so it requires a good amount of patience. Depending on how quick a decision is needed it is not always possible for a team to achieve and some in the team may not believe that their best interests were achieved. I realized through this research that I am a person who naturally uses the collaboration style of conflict management in many areas of my life. In my relationship with my wife, I use collaboration as a way to strengthen our alliance in running our household. Feeling as if we are a team benefits the decisions we make for our family. Our children see us as united in our decision making. This is something we had to work to achieve and collaboration was the key to its success. We had a competitive style at first and our children would use that fact to split us up on decisions that we made pertaining to them. I could break that cycle by focusing on putting our ego’s aside. Our discussions were no longer about who was right or wrong. It was a process that started with accommodation to show I was willing to take the first step. That eventually grew into compromise, which is what most couples strive for. Finding a middle ground gives most couples the sense that they are working as a team. Collaboration, however, is the ability of that team not to find a middle ground, but actively work to agree and the best plan or action together by understanding and processing each other’s viewpoint to come up with decisions together. It is a style that comes in handy when training my children on the importance of being responsible and accountable for their actions. Collaborating on goals so that they are part of the decision-making process empowers them to believe they have control over what decisions they make. In my school and professional life collaboration has proven to be a way to drive for results. Team members work better when they are at ease in their decision-making, and everyone is comfortable with each other. Disagreements work themselves out with little stress because of the trust established through everyone’s willingness to collaborate on the goals set in place. Because the goals were set together, everyone has a vested interest in its outcome and most want that outcome to be a successful one. When I do encounter a person on my team with a conflicting style, I tend to take some time away from the situation to evaluate the best course of action for our progress. I take into account the level of importance our issue may have on our ultimate goal and what if any ethical issues are involved. Collaboration, though it is my favorite approach, is not always the approach I may use to resolve the issue. I am not one to avoid the issue entirely, but I have had to use accommodation, compromise, and even competition depending on what the issue is and what personality I am dealing with. In conclusion, you can see that there is no one way to manage conflict. I believe that being able to adapt to the different conflict styles will assist a person in overcoming conflict. Collaboration best supports a person who is adaptable and best supports a team’s objective because it focuses on the goals of the team by giving each person on the team’s needs equal importance.