Exercise for the Body

You know exercise is good for you — but do you know how good? At its most basic, exercise is any type of physical exertion we perform in an effort to improve our health, shape our bodies, and boost performance (Waehner, Web). Adults, men and women, and teens both benefit from exercise and physical activity in many different ways. Exercise should play a key role in everyone’s daily life, not only does it boost self esteem, it also improves mental health and helps prevent depression, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, and, as always, obesity.Most people agree that even though they may not look forward to doing a workout, they tend to feel better after there done. Finding activities that you enjoy and that become part of your daily routine is the key to a long and healthy life. Exercising helps prevent heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, decay of bones, known as osteoporosis, and obesity. According to the American Heart Associatio n, more than 16 million Americans have heart disease (Penninger, Web).Heart disease occurs when the small vessels in the heart muscle, the coronaries, are not sufficiently supplied with blood, a condition typically caused by arteriosclerosis (Blech 64). Primary risk factors for heart disease include: high blood pressure, obesity, cigarette smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Daily exercise, such as, walking, swimming, and running, has been known to lower blood pressure by keeping the arterial walls distensible and responsive to both diastolic and systolic blood pressure (Marieb and Hoehn 705).Type II diabetics respond well to exercise by becoming more sensitive to insulin- the hormone that lowers blood pressure. Exercise can also reduce â€Å"bad† cholesterol levels in the blood (the low-density lipoprotein [LDL] level), as well as total cholesterol, and can raise the â€Å"good† cholesterol (the high-density lipoprotein [HDL] level) (Marieb and Hoehn 943). Exerci se burns extra calories, increases metabolic rate (anabolic ally and catabolically), and increases enzymes which leads to weight loss. In addition, high levels of stress have been linked to weight gain.Whether it’s hitting the gym, swimming a couple laps in your pool, or even taking a brisk walk around your neighborhood, exercise improves mental health and helps prevent depression and anxiety. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression. When one is active, blood and oxygen flow to the brain are increased, growth factors that help create new nerve cells increase to promote plasticity, and chemicals in the brain increase that help cognition, such as, dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate (Physical Exercise, Web).As exercise is increased, energy levels and serotonin are increased, which leads to improved mental clarity (Sarnataro, Web). Studies show that exercise boosts activity in the brains frontal lobes an d the hippocampus. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms. Self-esteem is defined as the experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness (Fresh, Web).Developing healthy self-esteem is a critical component of program aimed at self-improvement. In those who work out in the morning, endorphins, a chemical the pituitary glands produce, are released into your bloodstream, which can lead to a more energized day (Zelam, Web). After a long day at work, stresses and worries can accumulate inside you. Exercise right after work is the perfect natural therapy that can change your mood drastically. Daily exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others.Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neigh borhood can help improve your mood. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance. Teens that make exercise and physical activity a habit have a lot going for them, such as, high self-esteem, better grades, and abstinence. Nearly half of American youths aged 12-21 years are not vigorously active on a regular basis (Fitness Benefits for Teens, Web).Teens who exercise a minimum of 60 minutes a day are less likely to have heart disease, obesity, and osteoporosis as adults. Resistance and strength training exercises in teens is very important because it helps bone production and bone growth, which prevents osteoporosis. Many teens deal with skin problems, such as, acne and early signs of aging. Exercise mediates the production of testosterone-related hormones such as DHEA and DHT. â€Å"There‘s a lot of indirect evidence that shows that when you exercise your level of str ess diminishes.So your adrenal glands are producing less of these male-type hormones that are part of any acne flare-up† (Bouchez, Web). Exercise boosts oxygen to the skin; it also helps increase that natural production of collagen, the connective tissue that plumps your skin. Your skin color is also improved after exercise because of the increase blood flow (Fitness Guide, Web). A 2002 study by the National Academy of Health showed teens who did not exercise were five times more likely to engage in overuse of alcohol, drugs, and crime than those who were already committed to a regular schedule of exercise.Women who regularly participate in physical activity can reduce or improve symptoms of menopause, PMS, diabetes, as well as numerous other conditions. Pregnant women should also engage in exercise. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise, three times a week, can help balance hormones, lessen morning sickness, prevent or manage gestational diabetes, and ultimately, prepare for l abor and delivery. Also, in women, estradiol and progesterone, 2 ovian hormones linked to breast cancer tumor production, are lowered in the body by exercise (Brotherston, Web).Fat is a catalyst in the production of estrogen. Exercise burns body fat and thus can decrease the rate of estrogen production. Sex plays a key role in exercise for men; the greater the amounts of testosterone circulating in the body, the greater your ability to build muscle, burn body fat, enhance athleticism, and perform like a champion in the bedroom (Stiefel, Print). Sexual function is affected by general health and the more you can do to improve your health with physical activity, the etter your sex life can be. Higher levels of testosterone lead you to wanting more sex. Frequent ejaculation boosts testosterone levels, which works your endocrine system (Stiefel, Print). Researchers from the University of Naples reported that lifestyle modifications, mainly a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise, imp rove erectile dysfunction in obese men (Bumgardner, Web). Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular physical activity.Basic knowledge of the anatomic, biochemical, and physiological changes that result from various patterns of physical activity (short and long term, sustained and intermittent, isotonic and isometric, low and high intensity) in persons of different ages is needed, as is a determination of whether a certain minimum-intensity threshold of physical activity is required for benefit (Fletcher and et al. Web). Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning (Kotz, Web). Regular exercise is a critical part of staying healthy. Those who are active live longer and feel better.

IPT Marketing Technology

Once IPT’s website is complete, the company will have a fantastic opportunity to use several simple tools in order to capture data on its customer base. An online sign-up form in which customers input key data along with their Email address will be instrumental in fine-tuning marketing efforts which target specific markets. Permission-based Email marketing will involve sending promotional messages to the list of addresses in the database at least once monthly. Asking all customers to complete a short, online survey form after placement of an order or at various random times as consumers are browsing the site will direct IPT’s efforts to create a more satisfactory experience for the customer from a service standpoint. The website can also be configured to provide an online ordering system for commercial customers, making it easier and more convenient for them to place orders. Spreadsheets can also be used in conjunction with existing sales software. By assigning customer numbers and tracking purchases, IPT will be able to determine its best customers in terms of buying frequency and dollar amounts. Spreadsheets can be created to track the spending habits of retail, corporate and wholesale customers as well as show trends relating to business levels throughout the year, also known as a â€Å"recency frequency monetary value† tool (Alexander, 2007). In this way, IPT will have a strong foundation on which to base marketing promotions after a year or less of tracking. Creating a database of information from each customer will also aid in retention of loyal customers. CRM principles are based on a foundation of knowing the customer at the most intimate level possible and then using this information to align benefits with consumer needs (Alexander, 2007). As IPT expands geographically, the purchase of CRM software specifically designed to be used in a networked system will be a necessity. Such software will also contain report-building features so that IPT is able to analyze the data in several different ways. Eventually, IPT will want to develop its own, unique loyalty program with incentives offered to its top percentage of customers. Incentives do not need to be monetary-based, but can be as simple as tracking occasions when the customer may want to send gifts, such as relative’s birthdays, etc. References Alexander, Peter (July, 2007). â€Å"Use Data to Build Customer Loyalty†. Retrieved February 5, 2008 from the Entrepreneur.com Website: http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/techtrendscolumnistpeteralexander/article182362.html.   

GM Acquiring Ford Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

GM Acquiring Ford - Research Paper Example For the year 2011, Ford Corporation had contracted $714 million of committed unsecured credit facilities with financial institutions due in 2014, as well as $7.9 billion of contractually-committed liquidity facilities provided by banks, from which $4.3 mature in 2012, and the rest in 2014. Ford Corporation classifies its long-term debt on the two sectors i.e. financial services and automotive sector. An overview of the amount registered for debt and long-term commitments is provided in the following tables. Taking into account that debt securities register the higher amount of the financial services debt, it is important to analyze the maturity structure of the debentures. The figure no. 1 depicts the term structure of these debentures. General Motors went through a process of reorganization in 2009, and liabilities from that period are still considered in the structure of GM’s debt. The following table depicts the description of debt for General Motors, considering also the amounts for Old GM. As in the case of Ford, GM classifies its long-term debt by considering the automotive and financial sector. For the automotive sector, the long-term debt registers $ 3613 million and a total of liabilities of $ 96792 million (as it can be seen long-term debt is a small portion of the total). The financial sector totals liabilities of $ 8820 million; a structure of these sector facilities is provided in the following

Why is this so important to find evidence of life in another planet Essay

Why is this so important to find evidence of life in another planet - Essay Example Accordingly, Hurowitz (2008) says that the scientific explosion to detect evidence of life on other planets has led to a mass enthusiasm among scientists and researchers, but the idea of our civilization finding places â€Å"teeming with life† elsewhere is quite apprehensive. According to Cessna (n.d.), one reason scientists find it so important and fascinating sort of a research to determine life on other planets may be simple burning curiosity to find out if we are really absolutely alone in the universe and a desire to establish connections with life from other planets to achieve many kinds of benefits. The question of what to do after finding evidence of life elsewhere fascinates many. This may include many benefits, some of which are also identified by Hurowitz (2008), like once life gets detected on some other planet, that may include solution to high gas prices or in my personal opinion, that may also include solutions to many problems on Earth, like food scarcity and oil

The Secret Garden Party Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Secret Garden Party - Research Paper Example On the other hand, findings of the study can be used by the company to recruitment of new visitors as well as monetising the involvement of interested consumers that do not physically, attend the festival. Before going to the main discussion, the study will try to understand background of the company. Background- Secret Garden Party Secret Garden party is an arts and music festival that is held annually in the last week of July. The program is conducted in Abbots Ripton which is nearby Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Fred Fellowes was the man who had established this alternative music festival program. In its inception or inaugural, the program was attended by a meagre thousand visitors in 2004. By 2013, the program was conducted in four stages and was viewed by almost a massive audience of thirty-two thousands. The organization follows the motto of ‘principle of participation’ in expanding the scope of its programs (Weinstock, 2010). Brand development process Secret Garden party can be explained by using Aaker’s (2011) brand categorization model. Considering the research work of Aaker (2011), it can be said that Secret Garden party categorized its service offering in terms of vividness, subject diversity and wide range of entertainment options. According to Aaker (2011), firms can develop superc ategory in the mind of customers by adding niche quotient in the positioning statement. Secret Garden Party also established separate brand positioning by engaging wide range of performances, action camps, variety of performers and art installations etc (Weinstock, 2010). ... External Environmental Analysis In this section, the researcher will analyze external environment for Secret Garden party with the help of PESTLE, competitor analysis and porter’s five forces while internal environment can be analyzed with the help of SWOT analysis. PESTLE Political The government of U.K. is supporting music and entertainment industry of the country by providing them tax benefits; legal support etc and these steps have been taken by the government to boost the competences of the American cultural and tourism industry sectors (Arnold, 2008). Therefore, it can be said that music festival organizing companies in UK have the opportunity to expand its business in politically supportive environment. Economical A national music and arts festival conducted is included in the nation’s tourism and cultural industry. It is found that the festival market has expanded in U.K., both in terms of scale and scope of its operations. The extent of competition in the festi val market in U.K. has substantially increased. Nurse (2004) also found that UK economy is characterized by strong economic growth and stable per capita income. Rise of participants’ numbers in music festivals of Secret Productions is also supporting the fact that certain segment of customers of UK has the sufficient disposable income to afford fees of music festival organized by entertainment companies. Social The social impact created by an event of entertainment is directly proportional to the scale and the size of the event. Figure 1: Social Impact of Event Management Programs (Source: Nurse, 2004) Consideration of research works reveals the fact that Hutchens

Human resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Human resource - Essay Example One such factor is the excellent performance and reward management of the company. The founders of the company abided by all the principles and produced products accordingly. The performance of the company and its progress within a short period of time has made it a nationalised company holding the majority portion of the market share. Current Performance and Reward Management practises at Innocent Performance management is an important cornerstone in the Human Resource practises of an organization (Smither and London, 2009). It is all about measuring the performances of the employees doing their jobs and designing and implementing systems in order to strengthen the performance standards which have been set. It starts with measuring the daily operational performances of the employees. An organization should have a clear understanding about the kind of job for which they are hiring the employees. Based on that the training should be provided and finally the performances of the employe es should be measured. Performance management involves partnership agreement with the employees or the team of employees in order to increase their level of involvement in the organization (Cardy and Leonard, 2011). Moreover the future improvement in the performance of an organization needs the assessment of the past and the present performance. Every section of activities like providing feedback, coordinating with the employees to solve the problems related to their decreased performance, developing improved performance level etc play an important role in performance management. The method of evaluating the performance of a particular employee is known as the performance appraisal. It is a part of the career development and involves review of the performances of the employees

Advertising Shape Social Trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Advertising Shape Social Trends - Essay Example The essay "Advertising Shape Social Trends" discusses how the technological development playing a role in the continuous development of advertising and promotional activities of companies across various sectors. From a general perspective, advertising is not only important to promote the offering of any company in front of their customer, but at the same time it is important for the organizations to established reasons in the mind of the customers regarding why their own product of services is better than that of the competitors. Another key point associated with the importance of the advertising is it â€Å"Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak†. It is an old thought associated with the advertising industry, but it still stands true. The most common goal of any advertising campaign is to sell the added benefits associated with any product or service. One can easily understand this concept associated with the advertising. Any individual can choose or purchase a number of soaps for them as there are many brands in this industry. To make any brand stand high above the rest in terms of attracting people’s eye organization need to focus on attractive as well as out of the box promotional activity. One such example is of Irish Spring. In their advertisement, they â€Å"claim not only freshness and cleanliness, but according to the woman from the ad, it's Manly, yes, but I like it, too, so it’s for both sexes. A company selling something knows you can probably get that something anywhere and you can get many versions of it".

In Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Young Goodman Brown, the pink Essay

In Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Young Goodman Brown, the pink ribbons are used symbolically to represent purity - Essay Example One such citation of the pink ribbons found on Faith’s cap include Goodman’s thoughts, in which he looks at Faith as an angel that was sent to earth meaning and implies that at one time she will resume her heavenly duties. As such, the mention of the pink ribbons in Goodman’s case are a sign of blessings and innocence in which case Goodman believes in savoring Faith’s innocence by clinging on to her skirts and following her to heaven. This is symbolic of taking her innocence, pink ribbons, by first signifying a common belief related to the color pink, which is then accentuated by the fact that they are ribbons. Following the above argument, the ribbons at one point or the other point to Faith’s femininity, but this idea is then taken over by the concept of innocent. One such case in which femininity is suggested by the pink ribbons is in the fourth paragraph of the story, where Faith says, â€Å"Then God bless you.† (Hawthorne 2). The succeed ing events are those of Faith peeping at Goodman and her ribbons still showing. Following this, the ribbons signify the fact that she is feminine and that is part of the aspects that draw Goodman towards her and is again applied to draw her character and put it into a realistic form factor. This is such that the ribbons on Faith’s cap are pink, and this can be looked at the purity of the color, which is non-existent. For pink to be made existent, there is a need to mix red and white, which in this case draws out quite a scoop in building Faith’s character, especially considering the independent meanings of the two constituent colors. Pink is made of white, which is used to symbolize purity and innocence as is the case of Goodman calling her a blessed angel, while red represents a totally different feature. Red signifies prostitution and blood, which in this case when put together to create the color pink indicates the different faces or characters of Faith. The charact er are in that the ribbons stand for the young stages of life that Faith is at and the youthful and angelic innocence she bears, according to Goodman. It however goes on to symbolize the aspects of an unlived life that can only be achieved when Faith becomes of age and matures to see the world for what it is rather than living a sheltered life. Goodman brings out this symbolism in that he is of the opinion that in spite of all the sin in the world, only he and Faith are exempt to all the evil around them, which unlike earlier, he would like to preserve her innocence. At one point, Goodman accepts to being sinful and attempts to shield Faith from losing her innocence, where Goodman views her as a steadfast anchor against sin. To further indicate Faith’s purity, the ribbons are read as having fell and Goodman picking them up after they come of her cap. Goodman takes them as a sign of Faith having fallen from the glory of god and that her innocence is breached. As a result, the ribbons strongly represent innocence and purity of Faith’s character in that when they fall of her cap Goodman screams, â€Å"My Faith is gone!†, which then indicates the value attached to the ribbons by Goodman as a symbol of Faith’s state of being innocent and youthfully pure (Hawthorne 9). Altogether, symbolism in relation to the pink ribbons that are repeatedly mentioned and referred to in the story is used to depict a number of

Models of Comparative Healthcare Analysis Essay

Models of Comparative Healthcare Analysis - Essay Example Each nation has devised its own health care system, which is adapted to provide for health needs of the citizens. Different countries devise different models, which they follow to attain the chief objectives of the healthcare system that include protection of families and individuals from financial exploitation and ruin through healthcare bills, treatment, and care of the sick people and keeping individuals healthy (Paranjape & Sadanad, 2010). It is not necessary to study the variations and health systems that exist in every nation, as the arrangements for health care providers seem to follow a similar pattern. Though there tend to be four models of healthcare analysis, the span of this write up does not encompass all the four models, but three models only.The first model of comparative healthcare analysis is The Beveridge Model, which was named after a social reformer who designed the National Health System of Britain. This social reformer was named William Beveridge, and he was a f amous person who influenced the health system in Britain for long. The system advocates for payment and provision of health services by the government, which finances the operations through taxes and revenue collection from the citizens (Wurman, 2004). In countries where the model operates, most of the hospitals, clinics and other health infrastructures are owned by the nation, and most of the health personnel who work in the health facilities are employees of the government (Paranjape & Sadanad, 2010).... This social reformer was named William Beveridge, and he was a famous person who influenced the health system in Britain for long. The system advocates for payment and provision of health services by the government, which finances the operations through taxes and revenue collection from the citizens (Wurman, 2004). In countries where the model operates, most of the hospitals, clinics and other health infrastructures are owned by the  nation, and most of the  health personnel who work in the health facilities are employees of the government (Paranjape & Sadanad, 2010). However, other doctors and nurses in this model work on a private basis, and they get their salaries from the government. Britain’s citizens never get hospital bills that wipe out the entire savings of families, relatives and friends (Institute of Medicine, 1994). The Beveridge Model has reduced per capita since the government regulates the practices of doctors and other medical personnel, as well as the fees that they charge for treatment of patients. The Beveridge Model is popular in the original place where it started (Great Britain), and other regions and countries, such as Scandinavia, Spain and New Zealand. Hong Kong has maintained The Beveridge Model of the healthcare system, which is a symbol of the ideology that the nation has maintained after its independence from the Britons. Despite the fact that The Beveridge Model is evident in most parts of the world, Cuba is a perfect example of a country where this model is practiced to the letter. The government has total control of the heath system, and it controls all services and operations of doctors. Patients get their health services at the expense of the government, and every citizen is guaranteed

Examine and explain the contrasting principles unerpinning the Essay

Examine and explain the contrasting principles unerpinning the organisational structures and practices of the French communist and socialist parties in the 1970's - Essay Example During the 1980s the Socialist Party became the party of the Left in France, electing Francois Mitterrand to two terms during that time. In order to explain these developments one must look to the previous decade for the social, political, and organizational practices and beliefs that facilitated this change in the ideological left in France. An examination of the theoretical and ideological apparatuses that precipitated this political shift along with a presentation of cultural and political events that led to a realignment of political strategies of the two parties will be followed by an inquiry into the organizational and leadership practices and beliefs of the two groups. The subsequent analysis of the ebb and flow of the respective fortunes of the PS and PCF should reveal that the Political Left in France has operated under a "Coalition as Rivalry"2 paradigm to the ultimate benefit of the PS and the seemingly irrecoverable detriment of the PCF. Forming out of the Section Francaise de Ilnternationale Ouvriere (SFIO) in 1905, the Socialist Party was cobbled together with an uneasy mix of Marxists, members of workers parties, revolutionaries and reformists.3 The uneasiness of this arrangement eventually led to a splintering of the "feeble" alliance and at the 1920 Congress of Tour, what was to become the PCF was formed.4 The rather hard ideological line of the PCF illustrated by the slogan, "sovietization à ¡ outrance" is indicative of the affiliation that French Communists had at the time with Soviet Politburo.5 The Socialists and Communists did briefly come together in an unofficial capacity, along with the radicals in a mid-1930s movement known as the Popular Front. That coalition was interrupted by WWII. After WWII, much of the left was united against Gaullism though nevertheless splintered over the issue of Algerian Independence. The start of the Fifth Republic saw perpetuation of the orthodox

Environmental Case Study Essay Example for Free

Environmental Case Study Essay Malathion is a type of pesticide that is usually used in health pest control programs. For example, in mosquito eradication. It is used in various areas and public recreation areas. Other synonyms of Malathion include ‘carbofos’ ‘maldison’ and mercaptothion. It has been used in the past, to eradicate mosquito, Mediterranean fruit fly and the West Nile virus. Malathion use needs to be assessed well. In any urban set up, people are at a very high risk of being affected in case of careless use of this pesticide. Towns support a large number of populations, together with their facilities. As a member of the town council, it would be very crucial for me to carry out a risk assessment exercise before embarking on Malathion use in and around the town. The states of risk assessment will include: hazard identification, dose-response, exposure and risk characterization. In hazard identification, the hazards of using Malathion are identified together with their consequences. Hazards can be grouped into several major groupings. One major group is hazards of Malathion use on human beings. In an urban set up, a large population of people is concentrated at one point. For example, what danger can Malathion use be, if absorbed or ingested into the human body or if present in water sources. If Malathion use can case disorders in unborn babies is also identified. Another category of hazard identification is, hazards Malathion use may cause on the natural environment. This includes vegetation and even soil components. Both domestic and wild animals could be affected by its use. Just like humans, what consequences does Malathion use result to, if absorbed or ingested into the animals’ bodies. The soil interaction with the pesticide means, Malathion use can as well be a hazard to it. Soil supports life on the planet. Chemicals that would change soil composition puts at risk other life forms that depend on that soil. It would be very vital to identify Malathion use hazard and consequences on the environment that people live in. It would also be important to identify hazards of Malathion components on the water bodies. People, animals and plants use water. Identifying the hazards Malathion- contained water may expose to them is crucial in any risk assessment exercise. Dose-response This term refers to the change in effect caused by differing levels of pesticide use (Malathion) in an organism. Organisms can be affected in differing ways, by differing levels of Malathion use. Dose-response assessment would be very critical since, it helps one to identify consequences of Malathion use on organisms. It would be good, to note the effects of Malathion on organisms that exist on that environmental set up. If differing levels of exposure or doses to a stressor triggers change in effect of organisms, the effects will assist in recognizing the risks people, animals or plants are exposed to (Baker et al). Exposure of Malathion use, in risk assessment causes changes in effect of organisms. At this state, chemical components of Malathion, plus their doses are analyzed to determine effects they may have on organisms. For example, quantities of Malathion that differ will not have similar effects on either organisms or the environment. For example chronic exposure to low levels of Malathion have been hypothesized to impair memory. (U. S department of Health and Human Services, retrieved on 2008). This would need to be established if it is true or not. Possible effects of Malathion doses should be established and research done on them, for confirmation before a mission to use Malathion is embarked on. Risks can be characterized depending on affected subjects, areas affected or systems affected. Previous studies have indicated human deaths from Malathion use. Others include intestinal disorders in children, children leukemia, lung damage and kidney damage. Human birth defects have been confirmed in women exposed to Malathion lice shampoo. Malathion results to brain damage and chromosome defects in human blood cells. Genes could also be lost. The immune system is weakened, where there is increased risk of bacteria or viral infection. Animal deaths have occurred and tumors detected on their bodies. Heart defects appear in exposed fish. (Epidemology, 1992: World Health Organization: Edwards et al, 2007) As a result of the risk assessment, I would not vote for the use of Malathion in Genericville city. The hazard exposed to the people, animals and the environment is too great. The effects outweigh any justification for Malathion use. It would be good if other options of controlling the pest were completely exhausted before using the Malathion. Economically, Malathion use could result to extra costs incurred to correct its negative effects on the people, animals and environment. It may lead to political conflicts. Where the community does not agree with Malathion use, use by the council authority will result to disagreements with the community. References Baker E. et al. 1978. Epidemic Malathion poisoning in Pakistan malaria workers Edwards J. et al. 2007. Worker exposure and a risk assessment of Malathion and fenthion Used in the control of Mediterranean fruit fly in south Australia. Environ. Re. 103 (1) Mediterranean fruit fly in south Australia. Environ. Re. 103 (1) Epidemology: Jan 1992. 3 (1): 32-39 U. S Department of Health and Human Services: agency for toxic substances and disease Registry- medical guidelines for Malathion. Retrieved on 15 April 2008 World health organization www. //who. int/entity/water-sanitation-health/dwq/chemicals/malathion/en Retrieved on 15April 2008

UK Wrist Watch Industry | Marketing Strategy

UK Wrist Watch Industry | Marketing Strategy During late 2008 and 2009 confidence of consumer fell and people became more aware about their spending in watches and jewellery has not been immune to the economic climate. During 2005 jewellery and watches market grew by 10 % were it reaches to  £4.8 billion in 2010 and over next five year Mintel forecasts is 11%growth in watches and jewellery market. Hence 2011 is also going to be the year to invest in mens jewellery. Stephen Webster presented a strong case for mens jewellery at IJL in September 2010, and assuming male customer only want watches and the odd signet or chain could lead to missing out on a potential wealth of customer. Its not that male customers dont want it: they just dont know they want it. Men dont have thinking about what to wear as women do, explain Webster. But once a man is bejewelled, theres no looking back. They also dont wait for special occasions like woman do, and they can go from zero to jewellery enthusiast in no time. Market research company Mintels September 2010 report Watches and Jewellery Retailing UK found that 20% of male respondent said they like receiving jewellery as a gift, and 12% said that they had purchased all of their own jewellery. So the market is clearly there to be exploited. http://www.retail-jeweller.com/trends/in-with-the-new-2011-trends/5020089.article Rapid increase in gold prices and recession change many consumers mind to buy silver instead of gold, this trend is rising to nearly three in ten women with almost one in five people wearing silver jewellery than gold; particularly young people aged 15-24. Now days Consumers are willing to experiment and try new looks with little minimising their bank balances which means many costume jewellery items are affordable and easy disposable without denting their bank balance. Young aged under-35 is more open to pay large amounts for watches these are consumers who do not wear jewellery to express their individuality or to show their consumer spending power. As the research has should that 86% of consumers wear a watch, were 40% only buy a new watch when their old watch is broken. The new reason for purchase a watch could be watchs main function with health benefits as a new way of helping the consumer. http://oxygen.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen/display/id=479809 Executive Summary: https://www.keynote.co.uk/market-intelligence/view/product/10331/chapter/0 Why buy me. Can be better explain by to fend off the competition by constant innovation, reinvigorate, recalibrate, update. Many brands and companies are continuously renovating their business and holding positioning themselves for growth. Positioning able offerings for brands and availability of product in the market. Several key target groups and users meet their needs as it reaches a certain mode of consumers and delivers benefits to them. Consumer and user are attributed by benefits and product as they are depended on how actual approach of a company or brands position communicates in the market place. As a result positioning or product of a company find one to keep further distance itself from competitors which is based on list of items, but very importantly in six key :, Distribution, Quality, Attributes, Product, Price and Usage Occasions. As compared to earlier times consumerism has undergone a sea change where the consumers are informed about the products. Hence, the market has become customer centric. Understanding the importance of customer is become the structure of business; in effects companies have started in regular basis i.e. repositioning exercise. In the recent times Titian Industries Ltd had a major brand repositioning exercise was planned more in order to provide more to its customers. Now the company holds new position. This study will help to understand the revived positioning strategies of Titan watches. An analysis of repositioning strategies of Titan also forms of the study. Firstly it is important to understand the overall wrist watch industry in UK. Secondly to study the brand positioning and re-positioning strategy of Titan wrist watches and to find out about the loyal customers of Titan watches as they are aware of the new positioning strategies of the company and how they used them. To study primary and secondary data have been used. Analysis UK wrist watch industry and brand repositioning strategies of TITAN Company has been analysed and completed on the basis of secondary data. Internet, journals, books and magazines have been used for this purpose. Project comprises conducting a questionnaire survey. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Introduction: 1.1 Theory and concepts: According to Peter Drucker A business has two and only two basic functions: marketing and innovation To maintain business relevance and market position, it is important to continuously innovate and invent brand image in the market to pace with change and intense competitive pressure in the marketplace. In this context, now days brand positioning and revitalization strategies have become a business vital part for battling brand erosion. Further heightened for brand repositioning is because of rising cost and high risk connected with launching a new brand in market. Increase in the cost and high risk related with launching a new brand that is a part of brand reposition. Brand reposition has received very importance in the marketing literature and treated as a difference of brand positioning. Reposition can be required as the market changes and new opportunities occur. In order to reach the customer which was never targeted at first can also be targeted with brand reposition. In order to change its image in the market it is important to focus towards brand repositioning, although it is one of the toughest and harder actions for repositioning of familiar brand in market. As per Solomon, essential part in the marketing efforts is position strategy because companies have to use the elements in the marketing mix to influence the customers understanding the position. There has to be several choices to be, so to as to be in more attractive and relevant position. It is important for the person who is reposition for the reposition to know and understand why reposition is necessary and its need, and if the offer is the one that will change or just the brand name. While repositioning it is important to undertake and understand all the risk factors that is likely to affect it in the market. A company risks its credibility and reliability more while repositioning its brand in the market and the need for a thorough strategy is very important to avoid any occurrence. Some analyst argues that to successfully reposition a established brand name is almost impossible because repositioning of a brand can make the most loyal customer to switch brand. If the brand is eroded then brand reposition becomes important. Numerous attempts to reposition brand in the market may fail which is testified by many company for example while soft drink has successfully been able to connect with the youth though they exist for 40 years in the market but at the same Levis, jeans has been losing its market share to newcomers such as The Gap despite numerous campaigns designed to reposition the brand trend. 1.2 Literature Review: The reposition strategy is defined into three stages that is: Introductory Elaboration Fortification This involves the introduction of a new or a repositioned brand, seeking underline the brands value over others, and to broaden the brand position. It is truly hard to change the customers perceived attitude towards a brand, and therefore the risk is great that the attempt to repositioning might fail. After rolling out the strategy, it is time to modify the proposition through update of the personality and through repositioning. There pros and cons with both of this segments and it is great significance that they are truly calculate when deciding the next step in the process. To understand it more deeply http://htmlimg4.scribdassets.com/55f3acalz4nfgla/images/10-81b5e3fa9c/000.jpg Figure 1: Stages in brand strategy development. When a company modifies or change something that is already there in the market established in the mind of the customer that is called as repositioning. Different profession and individuals have different meaning and understanding towards Repositioning. There are few different definitions and greater understanding about this concept: Repositioning is a change, principally about triggering the vision, mission and value in a new direction that is more suited f or the brand in the future- Brand manager consultant. Principally, reposition concerns changing the consumers perception of the brand PR consultant. Repositioning is built upon the change of unique and differentiated associations with the brand in some kind of direction; it is about having a balance between the category party and differentiation when using reposition strategies (Leading Brand strategies) From these definitions, it is obvious that reposition is about moving something to more attractive and relevant position. Reposition direction is often decided as to what a company wants to achieve. There is also a visible relation between price and quantity aspects. When a company perceives the market as a demand curve, the purpose is to down stretch or upward curve. When moving up and there is a need for reaching the premium segment and expand up wards. Figure: The principle of reposition. When striving towards a new position in the market, it is important to understand those consumers are limited. Peoples minds select what to remember and it is important to convince the consumers with greater arguments. The market always strive for change which is rapid and therefore repositioning can be necessary to meet these demands, newer and stronger arguments have to be established to convinced them to stay as loyal customers. As repositioning is a very complicated matter and therefore there are no detailed theories or models. Aim for repositioning is different for different person, and the only connection between all the different theories is that repositioning is moving something from somewhere towards a greater position at the market. Corstjens and Doyle (1989) identified three types of repositioning strategies: Zero repositioning, which is not a repositioning at all since the firm maintains its initial strategy in the face of a changing environment. Gradual repositioning, where the firm performs incremental, continuous adjustments to its positioning strategy to reflect the evolution of its environment; and Radical repositioning that corresponds to a discontinuous shift towards a new target market and /or a new competitive advantage. After learning the repositioning of several brands from the UK market, the following 8 types of repositioning have been identified. These are: Increasing relevance to the consumer Increasing occasions for use Making the brand serious Falling sales Bringing in new customers Making the rand contemporary Differentiate from other brands Changed market conditions A four phased brand repositioning approach can be followed to achieve the intended benfits- Phase I. Determining the current status of the brand Phase II. What does the brand stand for today? Phase III. Developing the brand positioning platforms Phase IV. Refining the brand Positioning and Management Presentation The advantages that can be derived from brand repositioning exercises can be summarized as: Value over others Updated personality Relevant position The risks associated with such strategies are: Loss of focus Neglecting original customers Losing credibility for the brand Confusing the brand Therefore, in order UNLEARN the brand positioning one must help the customer to know brand repositioning in more difficult than initially positioning. This can be done by: Carefully crafted communication New products, packaging Associations with other brands ( co- branding, co- marketing, ingredient branding, strategic alliances, etc) that reinforce the new brand positioning. This exercise is so critical to an organizations success that the organizations and leader in marketing/brand management should develop skill preferably with the help and facilitation of an outside brand positioning expert. Research Methodology: 2.1 Objectives To study the current scenario of UK wrist watch industry. To review the brand positioning strategies of different sub-brands of watches. To analyze the brand repositioning strategies of watches. To study consumer awareness and perception about the brand repositioning strategies of watches. This study will help to understand the gap in its communication strategy regarding brand repositioning exercises and the further measures to be taken for effective marketing communications. 2.2 Limitations: The study is confined to London area only There is possibility of sampling errors in the study The responses of the consumers may not be genuine Questionnaire may not be comprehensive 2.3 Sources of Data Collection: The relevant data was collected from both primary sources and secondary sources. The starting point of my information gathering has been the secondary sources such as internet, books, and journals and so on. Firstly, brand positioning and repositioning strategies of Titan, secondary sources such as internet, insurance magazines, and journals and so on. Then I conducted a consumer awareness survey on brand repositioning strategies undertaken by Titan watches in recent times. 2.4 Sampling: To conduct sampling of 50 loyal consumers of Titan and in the age group of 20 30 years for this study. Since Titan has taken up brand repositioning strategies since January 2011, consumers who have seen the previous and new campaigns have been targeted. 2.5 Primary data: Data was collected through an interview schedule, consisting of both open ended and closed ended questions. It consisted of the parameters like reasons consumers brand preference, recollection of earlier tagline and advertisement, brand ambassador of Titan awareness of new tagline and campaign featuring sportsmen and actors from International body and so on. The data was collected through e-mails, telephone contacts and one to one personal interviews. Industry Overview UK Watch industry: In 2004 and 2008 market report examines the jewellery and watches market in UK were fluctuated and fell by 2.8% and finish at  £4.33 billion in the review report. Large declined in 2008 contribute to the global economic downturn and UK recession which adversely effected nearly all UK industries. The only unaffected by the downturn was the luxury end of the market end, but by the 2008 and 2009 it begun to take effect on it. In recent year the jewellery and watches become increasingly competitive. Although this market have wide range of suppliers and retailers also online retailing have contributed highly for transparent for information on pricing and availability of products. This was a positive trend for small brands that was previously unable to deal with consumer directly. Some larger retailers and few independents have developed their transactional sites to deal with their consumer demand. The product which have high rate of consumer penetration with around a third of the UK population owning piece jewellery and watches. In 2009 downturn in UK economy shows that it will affect all areas of consumer spending and unlikely to show reversal in near future. It seems the concepts of a wrist watch have become that of a status symbol rather than a practical chronometer. According to a survey that suggest one in seven people in the UK has no need for watch, apart from as a fashion accessory. Gadgets such as iPods, laptops and mobile phone, represent threat to the watch industry, survey conducted by Mintel. Even in the age of iPhones, people spend huge amount of money on a quality time piece, with high-end brands such as Rolex and Tag Heuer adorning blinged up wrist of rappers, bankers and fashionistas alike. http://www.wharf.co.uk/2010/11/why-wrist-watches-are-dialling.html SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE UK WATCH INDUSTRY: Strengths: Watch industry is growing industry which faster rate As the population is rising, the watch market is also expanding Customers are not very price sensitive as far as quality watch is concerned Weakness: There is not much advertising done by watch industry No innovation in products There are few number of exclusive showrooms that reduces the consumers accessibility to the product There are few marketers, who are concentrated only upon a particular niche segment (Tag Heuer ) Opportunities: There is more need of fashionable luxury watch and fine luxury watch brands that can be targeted in UK, as customers are more like trendsetter and fashionable. UK especially London is a metropolitan city which makes it more attractive for the new company. Youth are more brand conscious than their predecessors. That leads to the expansion of the market for branded watches. Threats: There are many foreign players entering in the race Too many players will dilute the market and the profit margin. Mobile phones acting as substitutes of the watches. The Indian watch industry began in the year 1961 with the commissioning of the watch division of Titan. The first watch model manufactured by HMT was the Janata model in the year 1962. HMT was the leader in the watch market till the Tatas formed Titan watches in association with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation in the year 1987. They took a major strategy decision, which later changed the face of the Indian watch market to manufacture only quartz watches. Liberalisation in 1992 and removal of quantitative restrictions due to WTO has opened the doors for many the Indian market viz. Tissot, Swatch, Omega, Rado, TAGHeuer. The import duties on watches are falling which makes the Indian market look attractive for the global majors like Casio, Swatch and Citizen. Company Profile: Overview Titan is one of the largest watch producer in India and sixth largest in the world. Titan manufactures over 7 million watches per annum and have 65 million customer. In 1984 titan was established as a joint venture between the Tata Group and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation. Manufacturing in a state- of -the art at Hosur, Tamil Nadu the company brought the large change in Indian market, by offering quartz technology with international styling. By understanding the different segments in the market, the company launched its second brand Sonata watch, as value brand for those who like styled watches with affordable prices. In last two decade the company has build an very good impression in watch business to become Indias largest manufacturer and world largest sixth manufacturer of watches. This was mainly because good formidable distribution network. Being one of largest retail chain of exclusive retail showroom for watches called The world of Titan spread over 100 towns. Titan have branches over 30 countries, its also have multi brand outlets named Time Zone, service centres and dealer outlets. The company has watch plant at Dehradun (UP) and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and electronic circuit boards in Goa. The promoters held majority stake of the company, with Tidco having 28% of the shares and Tata Group companies owing 25% of the shares and the public sharing holding around 28% in the company. The rest of the stake held by the foreign institution, non resident Indian, mutual fund and other institution. It also acquiring a license for global brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, while. It has also in its portfolio its first Swiss Made watch brand Xylys. In 1995 the company capitalize to brand Tanishq as diversified into jewellery in fragmented market operating no brand in urban city. Also in 2005 the company launched its second Jewellery brand, GoldPlus, as using its opportunity for capitalizing in small town and rural India. Its also diversified into fashion Eyewear by launching Fastrack Eye Gear sunglasses as well as prescription eyewear. TITAN WATCHES: BRAND POSITIONING STRATEGIES Overall strategies: Since from the beginning Titan has been positioned as a premium brand, because its high quality products for its customer. Titan is struggling to have a strong brand image in UK market due to its numerous sub-brands that caters to different segments in India. It follows different positioning strategies; these strategies can also be analyzed as given below: Attribute Positioning: The company launched first quartz watches to Indian market as its product. The company successfully penetrate the market by this launch, under this strategy came Raga, Classique and Regalia. Classique positioned as style corporate wear that leaves a quiet definite impression and qualities of function. Regalia ranger represent the elegant-wear. Raga is an exclusive watch as positioned. The Raga and silver Raga collection of style, delicate and feminine with each piece unique truly. User Positioning: Titan provides to several user groups children (the Dash), sportspersons and adventurers. The fastrack range is seen as being modern and related to present time, reliable and sturdy. The advertising, packaging and merchandising of this range is young, cool and vibrant. Benefit Positioning: Titan offer many deals to differentiate its offering on the basis of superior style and attractiveness which is offered by Digital range fastrack. Competitors Positioning: Titan had to encounter the threat with the entry of several foreign watchmakers into the market; most the entrants are catering to the upper end of the market Omega, Cartier etc. Quality or Price Positioning: In the overseas market, especially in Europe where it is competing with Swiss and Japanese watches, it is position itself as value-for-money (less than Swiss watches and higher than Japanese), by giving attractively styled and of good quality. TITAN WATCHES: BRAND RE-POSITIONING STRATEGIES FOR GLOBALISATION Titan has managed to get fair market in Middle East and Africa but its failure in Europe was a downturn for the Company as the return was not as good as investment made for the expansion. Titan has decided to revamp its flagship watch brand in Europe mainly in UK. Titan wants to reposition it more youthful and relevant to the changing times. Titan has entered the International markets in 1989 through the export of watch movements. Titans first global footprint was placed in the UAE the largest market in the Middle East then it moved towards Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and few markets in Africa. Though it faced strong competition, it reached the sales of 100,000 watches within a year of its launch. It started to move globally and moves towards Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal. After its extensive survey, it concluded that it needs good reason to stock the brand. Titan needs to re-position its brand image in the UK market. And so Titan decided to against soft option of driving its globalization through private label exports. It would launch its product under its own brand with market positioning Therefore Titan found a massive advertising campaign to create brand awareness. It also participated in the fair which showcases the worlds biggest watch brand in the world. http://www.moodiereport.com/images/luxury_watch_tables_jan10_04.jpg http://www.moodiereport.com/images/luxury_watch_tables_jan10_05.jpg CONCLUSION: The suggestions to improve consumer awareness about brand repositioning strategy of Titan are as follows: To increase its visibility, Titan Company can sponsor events similar to fashion shows which all latest designs launched are displayed. This is important as it has a great effect on different segments of the customers in different ways. It is important to have Tie up with radio channels and television to broadcast and telecast its advertisement about various sales promotion from time to time. RD needs more investment as customer expectations are changing rapidly. It should focus more on introducing more varieties and luxury items in the market at regular interval. Introduce exclusive collection for working women which is more contemporary and complements any fashion styles. Tie up with international watch brands to make the product stronger in the market. To use internet to spread awareness among consumer about the brand. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Terry Hills framework: Corporate objectives Terry Hills framework: Corporate objectives Friction materials is enjoying a new lease of life as seen by their ability to make substantial profit partly due to the renaissance of the motorbike (scooter) as a source of transportation by the middle aged. Thus the corporate objectives are: Gain market share in the OE market through manufacture and supply of DBP in 2 years. Entering the Far East market as a Long Term Strategy to increase profitability and to wrestle for International Market Share in 3 years Superior Product Performer thereby securing the contract on a Long term Basis Improve Research and Development for the OEM for incremental business. Increase ROCE to 30% 3 years. Increase Profit Margin to 30% in 3 years. Increase ROI to 40% in 3 years. Order Winners and Qualifiers Criteria Discussion of the Criteria and the Implication for Operations BRAND IMAGE This is true for the motorcycle manufacturing company as demonstrated by their attention to detail and their strong Quality Policy and culture. It is therefore pertinent for Friction materials to maintain their already lofty heights of Quality to be able to tap into the sea of opportunities of OEM. For the AM, it is a guide to the potential customers of the qualities attached to the brand. With a Quality rating in the industry, the brand image does help win some of the customers over to the product range. For the SM, Brand Image could play a role in the choice of the DBP because the customers may want the best quality DBP for their automobiles which would help in marketing (word of mouth). This is a strong basis for our core competency being retained rather than outsource. COST For the OEM, Cost is the major order winner here as the company has to be highly competitive on cost to ward off potential competitors from the market. But with the prospect of Research and Development for new ways of making DBP, Friction Materials would be able to charge pre For the AM, Cost is highly competitive as well. The company must be able to get DBP to the market at affordable prices as the company has to be highly competitive on cost to ward off potential competitors from the market. For the SM. Cost is not competitive and almost not relevant. The cost of the DBP should be reasonable enough and not charge ridiculous amounts though the customer is willing to pay for the value of the DBP. Q QQ QQ: Performance quality flexibility in design dependability and volume are sensitive order qualifiers such that a drop in one of the characteristic specification could cost them the order. These criteria are key to their winning over the OE market thus we have a QQ which denotes (order loser). On the long run (3 years on) some of the values would change because Friction would have acquired a certain volume of market share and the direction of the market would tend to shift. For instance with a breakthrough in RD, the value of design flexibility and cost would change. This signifies that For design flexibility, it would be a new order winner, a display of our competency and thus they would be able to charge premium price, or at least increase the price of supply. Cost would be a dominant order winner as competitors would seek to drive down cost hence stiff competition. On the other hand, Q is not as sensitive as QQ. You would not lose the order if you cannot meet the demand. For Instance the durability of the DBP is a qualifier because it must be able to perform for a period of time but not too long to be considered absurd. 2 years is good but no one would want to design DBP for 10 years so if the life span of 2 years is attained then it is fine. For instance delivery speed is not required as you would have agreed to sign the deal to deliver at an agreed period failing which you would be fined. MARKETING STRATEGY SWOT Analysis Strengths Credible supplier network Modern managerial input Good debtor to creditor days Good current Ratio; indicates cash flow Ability to expand current location Centralized location to market and to ports for export Fully depreciated machine cost, hence they machine cost  £0 Skilled Labour force as can be seen in Specialist Manufacture Brand Image recognition for quality Close relationship with the tool specialist fabricators. Weakness Inventory levels Friction between top management (cronton and whitson) Long changeover period on press machine Poor personnel management Poor use of work packages leading to unused raw materials Underutilization of MRPII systems Inability to do online payment Poor space utilization Over reliance on entry into OE market Opportunity Potential global leader in OEM Local sourcing of materials (when they gain social status) DBP direct supplier to industry manufacturers thus increasing market share Expansion of production range Threat Competitive Labour Market Stiff competition from the Far East Potential Environmental threat on noise and waste disposal MARKETING STRATEGY Expansion of Market channeled to an increase in both local and global supplies of DBP. Revolutionize the OEM to a Quality competitive market based on cost management. Improve Research and Development capabilities After sales customer feedback as a way of getting closer to the customer and improving on quality and performance. MANUFACTURING STRATEGY VERTICAL INTEGRATION This is the level of incorporation in a supply chain for the various stages of the supply process. It could be forward or backward integration. A vertical integration could be to bolster the technological front based on competition or for to emerging markets. Make / Buy: The make or buy analysis is a strategic analysis that helps top management to decide what they want to produce, what they want to stop producing or what they want to outsource to a third party. In practice, core competence is not outsourced because that is the uniqueness of the product; if you let it go, you could just be setting up future competition for your company. The various decisions taken and the reason are as follows; For the supply of raw materials; a single supplier was preferred. This would prevent re-testing for the quality of the supplied materials as the testing phase takes a couple of weeks to get the right mix for the required braking performance. This would increase lead time and consequently reduce the ability to deliver on time. It also helps reduce the variation in quality that could arise from multiple sourcing For the mixing operation, that is the core competence and could be detrimental to the growth and the corporate objectives of the company. For the Press Operation, the Press tool manufacture is done by a local specialist firm. This could lead to delays in taking up the tool fabrication hence building up lead times for the OEM. When the design team finishes the design, they would have to wait for the Press fabricators to be available to work. Communication gap is also a threat to the smooth running of the design of the tool for the OEM. The specialist firm is also prone to take over by large BP manufacturers who are direct competitors and once competitive advantage is lost to them, it affects the market share of the OE and consequently the ability for Friction Materials to compete. Thus the decision is to Vertically Integrate the Local Specialist; this helps build competitive advantage in the OE market. For the baking operation, it would be kept in house. Outsourcing baking increases the time the operation takes; from 3 hours to a potential 5-6 hours. The cost of transport, labor and the payment of the operation together with the time trade-off make it very complicated and unsuitable for outsourcing. The chemical properties of the brakes at high temperatures could be altered during transportation and thus could lead to a failure in testing which results in the company losing the order. It is therefore a critical operation in-house and not outside. For the machining operation, the decision is to be kept in house. This is because an automated 100% dimensional check is required after machining. If you machine in house, there is a greater chance of achieving that accuracy than to outsource to a specialist that could be overlook little details that could lead to test failure. Since the machines are running at full capacity, an extra machine is required for the OEM manufacture. The machine would be second hand quality as accustomed to the company. The fully depreciated machines make extra budget available for this purchase and would in no time be fully depreciated as well. Thus we practically are paying less to do more. For the painting, the operation would be carried out in house. The reason is to be in control of the goods produced. Also the painting operation is a low skilled task hence a contract staff could be employed for the sole aim of painting. This helps specialization on the long run and reduces costs due to transportation and material handling. It also reduces labor cost as the company is only bound by the contractual agreement without benefits. For the packaging, the short term objective would be to continue in-house but re-brand the lot size so as to accommodate more DBP. This reduces the burden of having to pack several hundred of DBP at any time. The lot sizes could be increased and standardized as there is no obligation to supply with the current range of boxes but simplifies the current packaging operation. This helps reduce the number of boxes supplied for packaging and hence the time and cost of transportation and material handling. However the long term plan would be to source for a packing company that would agree to package as close to our production site as possible. This helps free up space for increased production and other value added work. FACILITIES The design of the operation would take into consideration the item to be produced, vary the different possible ways to produce it and come up with the best and most efficient way of producing it. The characteristic of the operation is determined by the 4 Vs VOLUME HIGH LOW HIGH LOW VARIETY LOW HIGH VARIATION LOW HIGH VISIBILITY The OE market involves long production runs with product specification and low variety, there is need to implement a high volume low variety manufacturing process which is the category of the OE market. Volume: This is the production capacity within a particular time frame. The volume is set prior to production in order to plan for capacity. The current forecast of 150,000 in the first year is a high volume compared to the normal few hundreds that are currently produced. Therefore it is a high volume process operation and adequate capacity should be provided as required. Variety: this can be described as the different combinations of products that a production process can accommodate. There is limited variation in the demand of DBP for the OEM due to the standardized requirements. Basic changes can be made in the design but it is practically the same spine and technology that is used. This depicts a low variety production. Variation in Demand: This is the ability of the production process to change with little notice to the forces of demand and supply or product design and specification. Orders are requested a year prior to production thus a stable demand profile which makes effective capacity utilization probable. Therefore it is a low variation demand production. Visibility or Customer Interaction: this could be described as the level of participation of the customer in the production process. The ultimate goal of any production of the process is to satisfy the customer. Since the customer is not expected to be at the factory every time, we settle for a low visibility production process. This has no bearing on the type or quality of DBP produced as the company would be ratified fit for the production of the OEM before proper production can commence. Location The current location of Lutterworth is perceived as a central location both to the potential and to the international market. The town has a rich history of manufacturing work and is in a central location for transportation of finished goods and raw materials and assess to the factory very easy. It is also close to a large motorcycle manufacturer who is the potential customer. This is an ideal location for a growing company and the rate of development could become attractive for immigrants due to the emerging facilities. TECHNOLOGY Product Profiling The product profiling approach is an analysis understands the requirements for production and the characteristics available for each process to meet production specification. A comparative analysis helps in process choice the layout structure to adopt. Original Equipment Manufacture would be done through the batch production process. The process type helps utilize the standardized production format due to low variety. It also helps improve the efficiency of production and spreads the overhead costs over more units. The Specialist Manufacture is a jobbing type process while the Aftermarket production is Batch Production therefore if we go for a flow line production process; it would impede our production process. Thus if for OEM, a flow line is chosen then Specialist Manufacture must be outsourced to compensate for the complexity of the production process. However the Specialist manufacture is the core competence of Friction Materials and to let go of it would be synonymous to throwing your market share away. If a competitor comes by and vertically integrates that section of your company, then there is a potential buy-out of Friction Materials. Therefore it was sensible to use a flexible Bach production process currently which could move into a flow production process with enough investment to justify the resources required to change it. Process Choice Project SPECIALIST PARTS AFTER MARKET Jobbing ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT Batch Line Continuous High Volume Low Alex and Terry Hill 2009 Volume High Low Low High Low Variety Fixed Position Process Cell Feasible Flow Product High High Low Regular Flow Dr Watt 2010 However, for a long-term capacity planning, investment decision and availability of funds could make OEM be more flow line suited. This occurs when there is a huge volume to justify the investment and good forecast of an emerging market hence a growing demand and a comfortable market share to control. The OEM batch process tends towards the flow line production section. Process Choice SPECIALIST PARTS Project AFTER MARKET Jobbing ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT Batch OEM Line Continuous High Volume Low Alex and Terry Hill 2009 CAPACITY A capacity strategy is a review of how the personnel would work effectively with the resources and machinery available. For the OEM, there is a predictable demand known a year prior to production, hence a level capacity strategy typifies the production. There is no lead or lag in production and demand hence the make to order plan. LEVEL CAPACITY PRODUCTION The capacity is set at 3000DBP per week at standard working week of 40hours. This helps both capacity and personnel utilization and a tight budget schedule. If there is a change in capacity planning, shift hour or overtime can be used to compensate for such. However this plan is for the current production target of 150000. INFRASTRUCTURE HUMAN RESOURCES These are specialists in the area of recruiting people for various job functions. From a manufacturing point of view, an IE is the right person for this task. This is because he has been trained to understand the right work contents the workforce required to achieve maximum capacity utilization and the performance measurement attached to each job function. However the HR specialist understands how to tie the salary structure and the benefit (both money and material) attached to him. Therefore the strategy would be to employ the unskilled workforce and train them to a basic minimum skill level required to do the basic non skilled operations like printing, packaging and painting and machining while we use a higher wage structure to lure the skilled workers; should we need them. The unskilled workers could be temporary workers or permanent workers depending on the requirements while the skilled workers would be made permanent to increase core competency. Periodic training like safety and their specific job functions would be necessary to update the level of skill and technology across board. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT THE BALANCED SCORE CARD It is a framework that converts the vision of the company into performance measures that can be interpreted and monitored. The mission statement should thus be seen as the action plan that drives the company on the journey to the destination it hopes to achieve in future. LEARNING AND GROWTH FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE CUSTOMERS PERCEPTION AND EXPECTATION INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Fig : The balanced Score Card Slack, chambers Johnston 2007 Strategic Objectives Strategic Measurements Core outcomes Performance Drivers 1 Financial Increase Profitability Increase Revenue Project Cost Reduced Cost Compete Based on Cost Operational Efficiency 2 Customer Increased market share Share of segment % presence in the OE sector Customer satisfaction Customer feed back % satisfaction, positive feedback 3 Internal Revenue mix Research and Development collaboration Prototype designs success rate Increase ROCE High ROCE Higher utilization of resources 4 Learning and growth Employee capability Staff productivity Reduced scrap rate Upgrade of facilities Systems Audit Improved cycle times Adapted Balanced Scorecard, Kaplan and Norton 1996 Financial perspective Growth: The dream of every business is growth; and so is Friction Material. The growth of the company is the gate way to expansion in other markets and could be a factor in increasing the Market share which has been set as at 2 years. Increased Profitability: The profitability of a company is its ability to satisfy the demand of production; output, overheads and cost of production and still make a margin. Most businesses are set-up with an aim to make money; either primary or secondary. Friction Materials made profit this year and the OEM is a lee-way to guarantee constant volumes of production and with a high efficiency system, the OEM would be the source of revenue for the company. This is because the OEM has a huge potential to turn the fortunes of the company around from a small company to a Large company with huge revenue and large market share. In an emerging market like the OEM, the first to enter the market usually dominates a great percentage of the market share. Therefore it is pertinent for Friction Materials to be in the market as one of the pioneer members. The OEM would generate huge revenue as they have a huge volume of production thus reducing the cost accrued to the production costs and overheads and consequently drives d own the cost of production and hence increases profitability Profitability of the OEM is vital to the existence of the company as it helps to generate a funds through production that could be ploughed back to the operation of the other product range and with good decision making and investment policies; the company will be transformed into a World Leader in the manufacture of DBP. Profitability of the company also helps it satisfy its personnel commitment; paying of salaries and bonuses to the workers for increased motivation. If a business is not profitable, the management of the company could struggle to pay wage and this would ultimately impact on the shop floor reducing the productivity of the workers; as most workers would lack the motivation to continue work without pay. Ultimately the customers; the motorcycle manufacturers would get affected as Friction Materials could end up not meeting the demand target and are imposed heavy fines. Gradually the company would lose its competitiveness and could end up being bankrupt if it continues to fail to meet the target. The contract would be cancelled and the production would be hampered. The end result could be the administration of the company, since it cannot meet its basic obligation. Cost Reduction Sustaining growth is all about meeting the expectation of the shareholders, those responsible for the investing money and time to the success of the company. In Sustaining the growth of the company, good asset utilization and cost reduction policies like getting depreciated machines to work effectively, helps to reduce the overheads and unwanted cost attached to the daily running expenses of the company. The OEM is a cost-competitive market and imploring a strategy to drive down cost is worthwhile. Trade-offs associated with low cost production should be properly weighed before decisions are made else it could eventually cost more; both for the cost of rework and the excess and unnecessary man-hours used. For instance, if the cost of a standard back plate is $10 and you get a supplier for $6, it is possible that the manufacturer might not be able to meet production target. So if you hire him for your supplies and he fails to deliver, in panic, you might need to get another supplier w ho would end up charging you more than it would cost and you might have to run extra man-hours to cover up for production time lost. All these could cost more compared to the stable $10 who is guaranteed to deliver when needed. Customer Perspective Increased market share The market share is a portion of a business sector where you dominate. In reality, big companies like McDonalds have almost all the market share between them leaving the remaining for smaller companies. The idea is that every company sells a particular volume of the product in the market. Companies with dominant shares sell high volumes of stock periodically. Friction Materials has market share as one of its targets because it aims to be a profitable business. If they can churn out large volumes of DBP and exhaust their production capacity in terms of sales; then they would be able to get the overhead cost driven low. This helps put the Cost reduction strategy in check and increases the viability for profit making. A large market share increases the brand image of the company and opens doors for wider reach to the Far Eastern and Global markets on a whole. It also helps increase the possibility of dominating the Local market. Based on the operational capabilities of the company and the entry into the OEM market, Friction Materials could boast of a sizeable market share so far as other factors are favorable. With percentage market share dominance, plans like marketing drive sales promos and exhibition events like auto fares can be used to boost their brand image and ultimately sell the product to the market. The market share volume determines the amount of profit and volume of DBP that could be sold over a period of time. Customer satisfaction Customer is king, should be at the back of the mind of every employee of Friction Materials. This is because the customer makes it possible for the employee to be paid; if the DBPs are not quality ones or the customers are not satisfied, they could easily turn to a competitor and this affects the market share of the company. Since we regard the customer as king, and production is based on customer needs; it is imperative that Friction Materials delights its customer base by going the extra mile to meet with them, to have a personal experience with them. This helps the company reach out to potential customers and at the same time get a good understanding of the performance of the DBP in the market and ways to improve the current production specifications and designs without altering the standard specification requirement for manufacture. It also helps identify potential areas of strengths and weaknesses as emerging opportunity that abound but have not been fully utilized. For the OEM to succeed, the customer must be delighted exceptionally and satisfied with the unique qualities of the DBP else Friction Materials would lose ground to their competitors and could lose their competitive advantage to poor human relationship. Therefore the company should make the customer the aim of the production process and in pleasing a customer that could be a potential chain of new customers. It is widely said that it costs a lot to get a new customer compared to retaining one of them. Thus it is more profitable to secure already existing customer base by delighting them exceptionally while looking for incremental business than to look for more business and neglect current customer base. Internal Process Perspective Research and development For Friction Materials to remain relevant in the OEM, the RD team would be expected to design and develop new lines for production. The ability to meet this requirement is one of the basic tasks of Friction Materials as an OEM. Therefore it is an important aspect of the company that needs to be restructured. Currently, there is no department for RD and since it is a major requirement by the contractor, a new R and D department be formed. The design engineer as well as the local specialist firm that was integrated needs to be incorporated in this department to work together for the progress of the company. A good R D enables breakthroughs which can yield huge revenue. Similar to this is the Astra Zeneca R D who charge premium price for discoveries in their RD that are able to sail through to the production stage. RD also increases skill level of the company and takes the competitiveness to a higher level. Thus it gets to a point where they could re-define the characteristic qualities of performance of DBP as seen by the 5 seconds telephone response employed by Zenith bank to attend to customer enquiries. High ROCE: A high ROCE for Friction Materials signifies a good balance of employee strength. The ROCE is a financial tool used to understand the extent of effective utilization of resources. If the employees are trained well and given the right resources to work with and appropriate incentives and benchmarks to go with, then they would be well motivated to achieving company targets. When the targets are met, they can be used as benchmarks to be built upon. With a steady growth rate in ROCE, investment on raw materials, machines and personnel would be justified. Productivity, efficiency and proper scheduling of the production process are the hallmark to achieving a high ROCE. An Acid test ratio can be used to measure the liquidity of the company, the more liquid a company is; the stronger it is. Thus using a benchmark as a source of strength makes the top management of the company a focused one. Growth Employee capability reskilling people Upgrade of facilities buying new machines ORGANIZATION The organizational structure of Friction Materials should change from a process based leadership to a functional matrix organizational structure where the operations personnel have easier access to top management for decision making and policy formulation. For a small company like Friction Materials, the Organizational hierarchy is very visible. Too many management port-folios or positions; as is seen here, creates a communication problem such that escalating issues or problems as seen on the shop floor could take a while before it gets to the appropriate table and this makes flexibility very low. If friction arises between the managers, it could trickle down to the shop floor. Besides there is unclear definition of roles and responsibilities and this is a potential disaster because of the ownership of responsibility for failure or damage. Thus instead of creating an operations unit, they are building a potential silo. This hampers effective communication between the operations crew. The dual role for the sales manager could also be detrimental to the progress of the company as there might be sub-optimization of the sales department and biased decision making; should he be in contest with another manager. There should be a common focus of top-management on the direction, aims and objectives and the vision should be shared collectively. Time out on team building and holiday trips could be scheduled to help foster relationships of employees of Friction Materials. Having grudges against people is a reality of life, but when it affects the productivity of the company, it becomes questionable. Job roles and functions should be well defined and the performance; measured. This helps make the workers responsible for the daily activities and could improve productivity. A good reward and compensation scheme (bonus) could be employed but it must be properly structured to avoid sub-optimization of departments or resources. PRODUCTION AND PLANNING CONTROL The planning and control system of Friction Materials Ltd is the MRPII but is underutilized at the moment as there is no skilled clerical worker that can handle the software. The clerical workers need to proceed on a flexible training schedule to learn the latest version and application of the MRP II system. There should also be an online order and portal system where purchase orders and payments can be made and reduce the over reliance on the telephone order or fax as there could be ambiguity in communication. The capacity planning features of the MRP II system was not in use and the WIP records for an on-going production process is not recorded which makes it almost impossible to be able to plan for adequate capacity and schedule for raw materials hence the high inventory levels. A kanban pull system can be implemented for the production of the OE market to meet production targets until a full scale imp

Lorenzos Oil Film Synopsis and Analysis

Lorenzos Oil Film Synopsis and Analysis Lorenzos oil touches the hearts of most as you watch the story of a young boy battling adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD. The story is based off a true story as the parents, Augusto and Michaela Odone, take care and search with uncertainty for a cure for their son Lorenzo. The story identifies with those who suffer from an incurable disease which neurologically effects Lorenzos life. The oil, found by Lorenzos dad, brings hope to him and his family. Lorenzos battle is fought with courage and strength and he identifies with so many important subtopics in our class such as: disease and illness, death and dying, and the body. Lorenzos battle will show us how one struggles with disease and illness but strives with his loved ones by his side. Lorenzo begins to show signs of neurological problems when he and his family move back to the United States for his dads military work. Lorenzo begins to show signs such as fits, lapses, and hearing problems. Lorenzos parents set out on a mission to find a cure for the incurable disease he has. The Odones have many encounters with doctors/ professionals. The work done from parent to professional shows the strive in the Odones hopes to find a cure for their son. After being told that there is no cure by some doctors, they begin to travel and meet with many different people, doctors, scientists, researchers, etc., who are willing to do all they can to help find a cure for their son. These professionals give an examples of how well some professionals work with the parents rather than the patients in this case. The Odones can barely watch as their sons health declines and knows it is up to them to set out to find a cure. While researching so many different aids, the Odones come up with one last final shot. His parents, declined by many researchers again, finally discuss a cure with a Chemist involving oils to add to their sons daily diet. The oil helps in repair in some of the damaged parts of the brain but does not aid in repairing the myelin deficiency in the brain. Mr. Odone takes it into his own hands to seek out an appeal of medical research and efforts to treat myelin damage and or deficiencies in the brain of ill patients. Lorenzo deals with his illness very strongly. As he begins to lose neurological functions, life becomes much harder. He is not treated horribly by many doctors; he is more the less treated like a boy with a disease that has no cure. Lorenzo battles his illness with as positive a mind set as possible, as he begins to take the oil, he feels little relief and shows improvement, but the improvement is not enough to save him from this horrible disease. He later is only able to blink yes or no and can barely swallow on his own. Thankfully for Lorenzo he continues to keep his sight which is a beautiful gift he is pleased to still have. In researching the medical response to the movie, the film was criticized to have given the idealistic view of finding a cure, which was not found. Research done regarding Lorenzos disease has shown little to no effect of taking the oil during the illness, but shows results when taken before the illness. The real Lorenzo Odone, lived to be 30 and died of pneumonia in 2008, living two decades longer than predicted by physicians. In the movie, the Odones compare their studies to those done by animal experimentation finding vague results in the process. I feel as if the events of the film played out appropriately. Being hard to accept the news of an incurable illness, Lorenzos parents react more strongly than he does. Lorenzo accepts his disease as anyone must once they are told they have something inoperable. The only thing which could have been done differently in the film was not acting as if they found a cure but more the less acting as if they found an agent that helps one who suffers from ALD. In the movie and in the real life story, I do not feel as if there is any one who deserves the blame. Blame cannot fall on anyone as Lorenzo has a disease with no cure. Really in reality praises deserve to be given to Lorenzos parents for attempting to find a cure for there son. The Doctors deserve praise for there attempts at finding cure as well. The only blame can be on the disease itself. The general public and prospective health care providers can learn very many things from this film. The general public can learn that horrible diseases can happen to anyone. The general public can also learn from this that parents and family members can do so many things to help their child or loved one. Anyone can become involved in helping whether its just by doing little things. For example, my mother suffers from ulcerative colitis and last year I did a triathlon and raised money for Crohns and Colitis research we raised near $2,000 for research. The general public can do so many things to aid in the development of a cure for diseases. Health care providers can learn both positive and negative things from this film. Health care providers can learn never to give up on a family and let them try to do what they can to help a child or a loved one. Health care providers can also see that parents typically do not have the equipment or information needed to find a cure for a loved one although they can put their foot in to help. Health care providers in this instance should see the glass half full rather than half empty. Patients can learn so many positive and negative things from this film as well. Patients can learn that people can have an effect in finding a cure. Patients can also learn not to count on a cure for a disease that is incurable. Patients can learn that some doctors will treat them with respect while others will not. Patients can also learn that researchers do care and they will help as much as they can to aid in a patients health. Lorenzo learns that his health, disease, and illness although incurable can be fought with compassion and strength. Lorenzo who was diagnosed with his illness at the age of 7 technically could not do much for himself at the time of diagnoses. Lorenzo takes his illness day by day. Lorenzo slowly loses neurological functions every day. He struggles with impairments everyday like lapses and tantrums. These lead Lorenzo to question his body and wonder how much more it could handle but Lorenzo never gave up and fought his body until the age of 30, two decades longer than doctors expected. Lorenzo never truly was considered disabled more the less just ill. I would have considered Lorenzos illness a disability. Lorenzo was beginning to lose functions and that in my opinion would classify as a disability. Being disabled to me is when someone is not able to function regularly without assistance whether their disability be visible or invisible. Lorenzo needed help from his parents after his illness became severe thus classifying him as disabled to me. Lorenzo seems to avoid the reality of death and dying. Lorenzo truly avoids death and dying by defying the odds and surviving his illness for two decades longer than expected. I would assume that as a child one cannot grasp the thought of death or dying, but more the less just barely be able to understand that he is sick with an incurable illness. Being 7 years old, death does not seem to be a realistic thing. I think back to when I was 7 and would never be able to comprehend the fact that I am ill and could die whenever from a horribly rare incurable disease. Lorenzo also faces the sad reality that his own body is fighting against him. The body being a wonderful but terrifying place takes over without Lorenzo being able to do anything to stop it. The oil that Lorenzo is given has a certain amount of fatty acid chains which attack the part of the brain that is being affected by ALD. Unfortunately, ALD had already taken its toll on other parts of his brain including the myelin sheath which help protect neurotransmitters in sending messages from cell to cell. The body did not reject nor accept the treatment but rather just let the treatment work on his body. The treatment may have helped his body at an earlier stage but its not as if his family predicted he would get a rare disease like ALD. Lorenzo and his family face a series of unfortunate events upon the development of this horrible disease in their son. ALD is a disease linked to the X chromosome. First this disease effects fatty acid buildups and then damages the myelin sheath within the brain. These lead to lack of hearing, lapses, seizures, and eventually hyperactivity in the brain. ALD is a very rare disease which effects a very small number of people in the United States. The Odones have been faced with a very hard challenge and do as much as they can to stop the disease their son is infected with. The never ending positive intentions of the Odones lead them to finding a treatment for ALD which has helped effect many lives of people with ALD today. The Odones have helped scientists and doctors today give patients with ALD relief and hope. Although ALD is still without a cure, the Odones and Lorenzos actions have helped the medical community achieve a great necessary success which will play an impact on the live s of anyone with ALD.

Discussing The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay

Frederick Douglass In the preface of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by himself, William Lloyd Garrison, Abolitionist and member of the Anti-Slavery Society, said of Frederick Douglass, after hearing him speak, â€Å"Patrick Henry, of revolutionary fame, never made a speech more eloquent in the cause of liberty than the one I had just listened to from the lips of that hunted fugitive.† Garrison and other abolitionist convinced Fredrick Douglass to continue to tell his story of slavery, but Douglass was not a free man and warily told, â€Å"only fragments of his life story, guarding always the details of names, places and means of escape which might have identified him to his master and exposed friends and accomplices who had helped him in his way.† The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was Douglass’ first autobiography. In it he revealed all the details of his childhood that he could remember, which he had never spoken to anyone prior to writing the narrative because a slave with any knowledge of anything besides obeying his master was often punished by death. From listening intently to conversations of both his negro family and his white masters, he knew he was born in Tuckahoe, near Easton, in Talbot country, Maryland. Years later, when he thought he was about seventeen years old, he heard his master say it was 1835, so he at that time, set a near estimate of his own birth to be around 1818. Frederick was raised until the age of seven by his grandmother, Harriet Bailey, in a cabin with many of his other cousins, who were taken from their parents. It was the white master’s intent to separate slave families so the slaves would remain ignorant of who they were. Frederick knew his mother, Betsey B... ... Frederick change his last name from â€Å"Bailey† to â€Å"Douglass† to protect him from being identified. Frederick said in his narrative, â€Å"From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace, and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angles to cheer me through the gloom. This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise.† Frederick Douglass became a vital aspect of the anti-slavery movement from 1841 until his death in 1895. Freedom for Frederick was bittersweet in that his freedom was precious to him, yet illusive in the bondage that he carried in his heart and mind for the daily terrors that continued to be suffered by his fellow slaves.