Causes of World War One Essay

World War One was a turning point in history. Many scholars study this event and what caused this huge conflict. Germany used to be the sole one responsible for this war, but many controversial debates later, the blame was gradually put on the other great powers of Europe as well. In this essay, I will be analyzing the main causes of WWI, especially targeting the long-term causes. Most of these causes and events may be classified into 4 main themes: imperialism, the alliance system, militarism & nationalism. Imperialism contributed greatly to the outbreak of WWI. Imperialism is when a country takes over other lands and subjects them to their rule to extend their power and influence. In the pre-WWI era, the great powers of Europe strove to expand their empires. Germany, who only became an united nation in 1871, desired a large empire like Britain’s, who at the time had an empire that stretched out over 5 continents and colonized about 1/3 of the world. However, Germany only had a few pieces of Africa. Soon, though, they decided they wanted more. In 1896, Admiral Muller said to Prince Henry of Germany, â€Å"†¦either we harness the total strength of the nation ruthlessly, even if it means accepting the risk of a major war, or we limit ourselves to continental power alone.† This shows how much Germany would do for more land and power. It clearly shows they prioritized developing their empire over suppressing war if it arose. In 1897, Prince von Bulow of Germany said, â€Å"We don’t want to put anyone else in the shade but we too demand a place in the sun.† It is suggested that Germany wanted more of Africa and Asia. The fierce competition over lands caused incredible tension between the great powers. Each country wanted to dominate more lands to increase their trades and power. This can also be seen in the First Moroccan Crisis. France and Germany had begun to motion towards war over the colonization of Morocco. France, assisted by Britain and Russia, wanted to colonize Morocco, whilst Germany, who was weakly supported by Austria-Hungary wanted to annoy France and create strain in the Entente Cordiale’s friendship, as well as keep Morocco independent so it would be easier to conquer and keep trading with them. This shows how easily countries may begin to consider war and attack to take over new lands. Another event that shows clear intent of imperialism is the Bosnian Crisis in 1908, when Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia, tension grew so thick between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that with one tiny trigger, war would be a possible threat. Another main cause of WWI was militarism. Britain, who had the strongest navy at that time, felt threatened when Germany decided they wanted to build their navy power as well. The Anglo-German naval race of 1906-12 started when Kaiser William II of Germany released the Tirpitz Plan, which was a plan to increase Germany’s naval size. The British brought out the HMS Dreadnought, a deadly battleship, in 1906. Though Britain eventually won, it was clear Germany posed a serious threat. There was also an increase of armed forces which created the mood and atmosphere for war. By 1900, Russia had the biggest army of 1.1 million, though the number had decreased to 0.8 million by 1914. The armies of Germany and France had more than doubled from 1870, though England’s army had not increased much as they prioritized the naval race over building their army. With this attitude to building their military power, it was inevitable that these thoughts would eventually lead to putting the m to use. The alliance system also contributed greatly to the war. An alliance is when 2 or more countries form a type of ‘friendship’ where if one country is in trouble, the other/others would step in and help. The two main alliances were the Triple Entente, which consisted of France, Britain and Russia, and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Triple Entente, formed in 1907, remained strong as ever even when Germany tried to sever their bonds in an argument with France over Morocco. Additionally, Russia and Germany signed unofficial secret ‘reassurance treaties’ though it was not renewed in 1890 when William II of Germany took over. This led Russia to search for a new ally. In the end, France and Russia formed an alliance in 1894. This was exactly what Germany had hoped to avoid as now they were sandwiched between the 2 countries, leaving them extremely vulnerable in the case of an attack. However, William II was young and felt no need to have Russia on their side. It should be taken into account that if there wasn’t an alliance system, WII might not have been a ‘world war’, just one between Austria-Hungary and Serbia after an immediate cause- the trigger event of the assassination of the heir of the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Bosnia on 28th, June 1914. The assassination of the Archduke was committed by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist. He was part of the ‘Black Hand’, a secret Serbian nationalist society. This links to nationalism as the Serbs were tired of being ruled by the Austro-Hungarians, and in return, murdered Austro-Hungary’s heir. This shows how much they were wiling to do to make their point. This also links back to the alliance system. France, bound by treaty to Russia, found themselves at war against Germany, and by extension, war against Austria Hungary. Meanwhile, Britain who was allied to France, declared war on Germany. Once again, it should be mentioned that if it were not for the alliance system, perhaps not as many countries would’ve been involved in the war.

Implementing Relationship Marketing: the Role of Internal and External Customer Orientation

Developing an internal and external customer orientation will facilitate the implementation of relationship marketing principles by businesses. Relationship marketing highlights the need for an external customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees. Employees will only be customer-oriented if an internal customer orientation is evident in the business. Four constructs pertaining to the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were identified.After checking for internal consistency, effect sizes were determined for these constructs analysing the practical significance of employees’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs. Similarly, four constructs referring to the external customer orientation of the same businesses were identified. The four identified constructs underpinning an external customer orientation were also checked for internal consistency and the practical significance of customers’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs was determined through effect sizes.It was found that the identified businesses lack both an internal and external customer orientation. Recommendations are made to improve internal customer orientation for the sake of an improved external customer orientation. An improved external customer orientation will facilitate implementation of relationship marketing principles in these businesses. INTRODUCTION According to Saren and Tzokas (1998:187) researchers in relationship marketing have come to realise that there is a need for detailed empirical evidence on how this approach could be implemented in order to promote a beneficial customer-business relationship.Morris, Brunegee and Page (1998:360) and Fornier (1998:343) argue that a lack of knowledge and consensus about relationship marketing and the activities involved in the implementation thereof has led to diffi culties in operationalising the construct. This study addresses this concern by arguing that a relationship marketing orientation is facilitated by management being sufficiently orientated to the needs and expectations of employees (internal customer orientation) as well as to those of customers (external customer orientation).The internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were investigated by means of effect size analyses. The goal and objectives of the study are subsequently explained, followed by a theoretical exposition on the interface between relationship marketing as well as internal and external customer orientation. A description of the research methodology is followed by the empirical results on internal and external customer orientation of the businesses that participated in the study.Conclusions are drawn from these empirical findings. Finally, managerial implications are discussed based on the concl usions. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The goal of this study is to explore internal and external customer orientation as elements facilitating relationship marketing implementation by small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives: to explore the interface between relationship marketing, and internal and external customer orientation; †¢ to report on empirical findings related to internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province; and †¢ to consider the managerial implications of the above empirical findings for managing these retailers. FOSTERING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETINGSheth and Parvatiyar (1995:261) define relationship marketing as â€Å"an orientation that seeks to develop close interaction with selected customers, suppliers and competitors for va lue creation through co-operative and collaborative efforts†. This definition suggests that businesses should pursue profitable business relationships. Morgan and Hunt (1994:22) define relationship marketing as â€Å"all marketing activities directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges†. This definition sets out the ultimate goals of relationship marketing, but does not show what relationship marketing entails.Attempts have been made to address this limitation by emphasising the dimensions and activities of relationship marketing. These dimensions and activities include (Too, Souchon and Thirkell, 2001:290): †¢ customer retention; †¢ product benefits; †¢ quality improvement; †¢ customer service; †¢ customer commitment by the business; and †¢ frequent contact with the customer. The first four issues refer to the business’ customer orientation while the last two relate to customer relationsh ip management practices.Kotler and Armstrong (2001:9, 667-681) indicate that relationship marketing is the process of creating, maintaining and enhancing strong value-laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders. According to this definition, relationship marketing does not end with customers, but includes all stakeholders (i. e. employees, channel members, stockholders and others). Relationship marketing advocates the establishment of long-term and profitable relationships between (both internal and external) partners or stakeholders (Zikmund and d’Amico, 2001:8).These relationships are not naturally sustained and should therefore not be taken for granted (Day, 2000:25). Long-term and profitable relationships are only established when trust, commitment and service are inculcated in relationship partners (Buttle, 1996:8-9). Stakeholder relationships also have to transcend functional boundaries (Beth, Burt, Copacino, Gopal, Lee, Lynch and Morris, 2003:67-68). Rela tionship marketing advocates that an engineer should, for example, take time to see how he could best design the product to satisfy the customer’s needs.The same applies to the accounting department – it should develop credit and payment terms that will best suit the customer while it needs also realising a profit for the business (Ostroff and Smith, 1992:22-23). In this respect Day (2000:24-30) argues that the ability to create and maintain relationships depends, inter alia, on the integration of key internal processes in the business. The implementation of relationship marketing therefore depends on a well-developed internal (employee) and external customer orientation.Taher, Leigh and French (1996:218) argue that in order to be customer-oriented, marketers should provide exceptional performance in quality, delivery and cost competitiveness (i. e. customer orientation). The business should also understand how customers measure value and how these value expectations c an be met. To win orders, a business should exhibit an external customer orientation that manifests the relative strength of the business in relation to its competitors (Koufteros, Vonderembse and Doll, 2000:526).To attain lasting customer orientation careful attention should be given to detail, meeting promises and swift response to the requirements of customers – i. e. competitive capabilities. The same authors define competitive capabilities further as a business’ ability to meet customer expectations compared to its competitor’s ability to do the same. Day (2000:28) argues that a customer orientation should be â€Å"immediately evident† in the mindset of those who deal directly with the customer. Kennedy, Goolsby and Arnould (2003:77-79) found that the development of an external customer orientation will be facilitated by: leadership. Staff members must experience â€Å"an unbroken circuit of passionate, sincere, unified and committed leadership from top levels to local managers†; †¢ centrality of customer requirements and performance feedback. This will also assist in achieving the required inter-functional co-ordination and alignment; and †¢ collection and dissemination of external customer data. This data, however, only becomes conducive for customer orientation development when it is widely circulated in the business to become a shared organisation-wide platform from which decisions are made.Patterson and Smith (2001:438) also support this notion. It is stressed that customer orientation should be explicit, otherwise the business risks over-serving unprofitable accounts and wasting resources that might be allocated to profitable customer groups. In this respect Reinartz and Kumar (2002) distinguished between customer groups and suggested ways of managing each group for increased profitability. Relationship marketing raises the need for customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees.Bendapudi and Leone (2002:83) indicate that customers form relationships with employees who serve them, and that these relationships may be stronger than the customer’s relationship with the business represented by the employee. Employees will not be able to develop social relationships with customers if they were not recruited and trained with this in mind (Patterson and Smith, 2001:438). Without customer oriented employees it will be difficult to implement customer orientation because employees are the ones who have to make it happen.If customer-orientation is lacking, the implementation of relationship marketing will suffer. This is because dissatisfied customers will never develop good relationships with the business (Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1995:47). Attracting, developing and motivating employees as internal partners foster an internal customer orientation (Conway and Willcocks, 2000:81). Day (2000:28-29) recalls the efforts made by many businesses to m ake employee satisfaction and retention a top priority in recognition of the damage that high employee turnover and disgruntled employees can cause to customer relationships.Employee performance and attitude play an important role in service delivery to external customers. Employee satisfaction impacts on employee attitudes, which in turn influence employee performance and interaction with external customers. Employee interaction with external customers obviously plays a pivotal role in the ultimate success of the business (Lewis, 1989:41). Strauss (1995:62-77) distinguishes between internal customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. He argues that internal customer satisfaction entails employees’ satisfaction with the performance of internal suppliers (workflow satisfaction).Internal customer satisfaction should, however, not be confused with employee satisfaction – i. e. the satisfaction of employees with their working conditions. He argues further that interna l customer satisfaction reflects in external customer satisfaction. For purposes of this study the identified relationship between internal and external customer satisfaction is acknowledged, but the distinction between internal customer orientation and employee satisfaction is rejected. Employees in small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses are not dependent on intricate internal workflow processes.As they derive their workflow inputs directly from management, a distinction between management inputs (relating to Strauss’ employee satisfaction concept) and workflow inputs will be vague. Strauss (1995:63) himself points out that if managers are prepared to take responsibility for quality and act as role models, they can expect commitment from their employees – which will eventually result in improved bottom-line results. Sasser (2003) explains the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction in terms of value the business creates for employees, who in turn will be able to create value for customers.If the value created for employees and customers exceeds costs, value is being created for investors. Internal customer orientation is the result of a conscious management decision about the â€Å"organizational setting† (Strauss, 1995:68). Concerning this organisational setting Malherbe and Pearse (2003:2-12) found significant positive relationships between job enrichment characteristics and job satisfaction, and eventually between job satisfaction and service quality in the South African retail industry.Chaston (1995:332-349) investigated possible actions to establish a stronger internal customer orientation in UK clearing banks, and concluded, inter alia, that management’s improved understanding of internal customer needs will be helpful in this regard. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Small- to medium-sized textile retailers from six selected towns and cities in the North-West Province were investigated to assess their interna l and external customer orientation. Retailers from Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Rustenburg were sampled.These cities and towns were chosen on the basis of their geographical representation in the province. They also represent the largest centres of economic activity in the province. A sampling frame of 61 small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses were constituted by using information obtained from the Potchefstroom City Council, the Bureau of Marketing Research and Braby’s databases. The sampling frame included independent tailoring businesses, textile, fabrics, and cloth retailing businesses (retailers, merchants or distributors).Forty-eight (N1=48) of the 61 business owners/managers were willing to participate in the study and were subsequently interviewed. One hundred and four (N2=104) employees, as found on the 48 premises, were also interviewed. Finally, two hundred and thirty (N3=230) customer responses were gathered using avail ability sampling for periods of two hours at each of the 48 business premises. Separate questionnaires, incorporating close-ended structured items, were developed for management, employees and customers as three separate groups of respondents. Owners/managers had to respond to 77 items.Thirty one (31) of these items pertaining to internal customer orientation were duplicated in the employees’ questionnaire, requiring respondents to respond to them from an employee’s perspective. Thirty-three (33) of the items on external customer orientation related to owners/managers were also put to customers, requiring them to evaluate it from their perspective. Respondents had to respond to the items according to a four-measure Likert scale where: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree and 4 = strongly agree. The responses were statistically processed with the help of SAS software (SAS Institute Inc. 1999). The reliability of constructs associated with internal and external customer orientation was tested by means of Cronbach’s Alpha values and average inter item correlations (Clark and Watson, 1995) as reported below. The practical significant difference between specifically defined constructs for employees and owners/managers (internal customer orientation) as well as for customers and owners/managers (external customer orientation) is indicated by using effect sizes. Effect sizes are calculated as availability sampling was used instead of random sampling.As explained above, the six cities and towns, the businesses who participated in the study, the interviewed employees and the interviewed customers of these businesses were not randomly selected. Statistical inference is therefore not relevant. This eliminates the use of t-tests and p-values as a technique to analyse statistically significant differences between means of responses from management and employees (or management and customers). Unlike t-tests, effect sizes are independent from s ample size, as a standardised difference based on the maximum standard deviation between compared groups is calculated (Steyn, 2000).The effect sizes (d-values) were calculated by using the following formula (Cohen, 1988:20-27): [pic] where: †¢ d = effect size; †¢ [pic] is the difference between means of two compared groups (e. g. management and employees or management and customers); and †¢ [pic] is the maximum standard deviation of the two compared groups. To calculate effect sizes, the maximum standard deviation is used instead of a mean standard deviation to allow for a more conservative approach to practical significance (Steyn, 2000). Cohen (1988:20-27) gives the following guidelines for interpreting effect sizes: †¢ d ? 0. indicating no practically significant effect; †¢ d ? 0. 5 indicating a moderate effect that could be significant if more data had been collected; and †¢ d ? 0. 8 or larger indicating a practically significant effect. EMPIRICAL RESULTS Empirical results regarding both the internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province are subsequently discussed. Empirical results: internal customer orientation Four constructs associated with internal customer orientation, as well as the items comprising these constructs, are reported in Table 1.The items comprising these constructs are also indicated. The four constructs exhibited Cronbach’s Alpha values all greater than 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315). Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are also reported in Table 1. Clark and Watson (1995:316) indicate that the average inter item correlation should also be used as a measure of internal consistency. They recommend that the average inter item correlation should lie between 0. 15 – 0. 50.It is evident from Table 1 that the average inter item correlations fall within this range, indicating internal consistency of the constructs. TABLE 1 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |Average inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |0. 752 |0. 1 | |Applying management principles strictly | | | |Seeking people who can think of new strategies | | | |Culture of supporting staff | | | |Treating staff the same as external customers | | | |Creating an enabling culture for staff creativity | | | |Exercising staff chievement recognition and reward | | | |Following fair disciplinary action | | | |Development and training of staff | | | |Appreciation of staff contribution to business success | | | |Conducting formal performance appraisals | | | |Making staff a part of solutions | | | |Aggressively competing for talented staff | | | |2. Employee development through communication and participative management |0. 713 |0 . 4 | |Promoting staff learning | | | |Encouraging a learning culture | | | |Practising participative management | | | |Marketing the business’ vision to staff | | | |Creating messages to inspire staff action | | | |Understanding the reality staff experiences | | | |Consulting staff with regard to leadership style | | | |Maintaining a two-way channel of communication in the business | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |0. 659 |0. 5 | |Incorporating knowledgeable staff inputs into business decisions and activities | | | |Acknowledging that staff is the business’ primary asset | | | |Involving current staff in the process of appointing new staff | | | |Giving responsibility and accountability to staff for their respective performance | | | |areas | | | |Collaborating with staff to draw up strategies, plans and objectives | | | |Arranging for staff to visit customers | | | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an integra ted effort by all |0. 623 |0. 5 | |involved in the business | | | |All departments working in collaboration with customer focus in mind | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | To indicate the practically significant differences between employees’ and owners’/managers’ view on internal customer orientation, effect sizes were calculated on the respective constructs. These effect sizes are reported in Table 2. Practically significant effects on constructs 1, 2 and 3 are revealed. Construct 4 only revealed a small effect.TABLE 2 EFFECT SIZES FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |3. 103 |0. 447 |2. 787 |0. 445 |0. 707 | |2. Employee development through communication and |3. 137 |0. 504 |2. 767 |0. 504 |0. 734 | |participative management | | | | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |3. 086 |0. 557 |2. 674 |0. 554 |0. 40 | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an |3. 489 |0. 695 |3. 327 |0. 750 |0. 216 | |integrated effort by all involved in the business | | | | | | Empirical results: external customer orientation Four constructs relating to external customer orientation, as well as the items associated with these constructs, are reported in Table 3. The correspondent Cronbach’s Alpha values for the four constructs are all above 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315).Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are once again reported in Table 3. These correlations fall within the range of 0. 15 – 0. 50 indicating internal consistency of the constructs (Clark and Watson, 1995:316). TABLE 3 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |A verage inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |Building customer relationships through the efforts of employees is important |0. 762 |0. 7 | |Attracting, maintaining and enhancing relationships with customers | | | |Establishing and maintaining profitable customer relationships | | | |Maintaining a mutually committed long-term oriented relationship with customers | | | |Moving customers from one level of the relationship to the next | | | |Extending priority treatment to regular customers over irregular ones | | | |Interacting with regular customers | | | |Forging long-term committed relationships with customers | | | |Employees developing business relationships with customers | | | |Fostering an intimate understanding between customers and staff | | | |The business’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs |0. 665 |0. 6 | |Delivering an offer exactly as required | | | |Extending quality and durability as the business’ core offer | | | |Deliverin g superior offers not available from competitors | | | |Continue improving the total offer to customers | | | |Delivering a tailor-made offer to customers | | | |Viewing delivery of the offer from customers’ perspective | | | |Delivering customer satisfaction |0. 642 |0. 6 | |Offering high levels of customer service | | | |Managing and maintaining the delivery of customer satisfaction | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | |Custom fitting service to customers’ particular requirements | | | |Delivering services to the satisfaction of customer desires | | | |Customer orientation of employees |0. 619 |0. 6 | |Instilling customer orientation among staff | | | |Formulating and realising a customer orientated mission statement | | | The effect sizes on the respective constructs for the practically significant difference between customers’ and owners’/managers’ view on external customer orientation are reported in Table 4. Practically significant effects are revealed on constructs 2 and 3, while construct 4 exhibit a moderate effect size. Construct 1 revealed a small effect size.TABLE 4 EFFECT SIZES FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Building customer relationships through the efforts of |3. 303 |0. 557 |3. 100 |0. 442 |0. 364 | |employees is important | | | | | | |2. The business’ offer to customers is geared towards |3. 408 |0. 423 |2. 928 |0. 465 |1. 32 | |satisfying customer needs | | | | | | |3. Delivering customer satisfaction |3. 528 |0. 445 |3. 202 |0. 399 |0. 733 | |4. Customer orientation of employees |3. 360 |0. 591 |2. 991 |0. 635 |0. 581 | CONCLUSIONS From the above empirical results the following conclusions regarding the internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers included in this study can be drawn. Internal custom er orientationFrom the effect sizes reported in Table 2 it is evident that management and employees differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on the following issues: †¢ management’s involvement with employees (construct 1). Management feels more involved with employees than employees experience it to be the case ([pic] > 0); †¢ employee development through communication and participative management (construct 2). Management is of the opinion that employee development takes place through communication and participative management, while employees do not experience the same ([pic] > 0) ; and †¢ acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential (construct 3).Management feels that employees expertise’ and potential is acknowledged, while employees do not feel the same ([pic]> 0). An small effect size was calculated for construct 4. Management and employees therefore agree that satisfying customer needs is realised throu gh an integrated effort by all involved in the business (construct 4, Table 2, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0, indicating agreement on the Likert-type scale). External customer orientation As far as external customer orientation, as reported in Table 4, is concerned, owners/managers and customers differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on: †¢ whether the businesses’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs (construct 2).Management feels it to be the case, while customers differ significantly ([pic] > 0); and †¢ delivery of customer satisfaction (construct 3). Customers feel significantly less satisfied than management thought them to be ([pic] > 0). As far as customer orientation of employees is concerned, a moderate effect size was determined (Table 4, construct 4). Owners/managers are of the opinion that employees are customer-oriented ([pic] > 3. 0) while customers do not experience it to the same degree ([pic] & lt; 3. 0). Table 4 also indicates an insignificant effect size on construct 1. Management and customers therefore agree that it is important to build customer relationships through the efforts of employees (construct 1, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0). MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONSWhen considering the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study, it is evident that employees do not feel appreciated by management. Employees indicated that management is not involved with them and that their expertise and potential is subsequently ignored. They also do not feel empowered through communication or participative management initiatives (or rather the lack thereof) from management’s side. Management and employees agree on a basic principle of the marketing concept (Barnes, 2001:7), namely that customer satisfaction is dependent on an integrated effort of all involved in the business. From the above it is clear that a certain amount o f goodwill is evident among employees.Employees recognise the importance of an integrated effort of all involved in the business to satisfy customer needs. It is recommended that management of these businesses capitalise on this aptitude of employees. Communication with employees on matters relating to management of the business will encourage employee participation, paving the way for the implementation of participative management techniques. This will draw on the latent expertise and potential of employees and will ultimately contribute to employee development and a sense of management involvement. As indicated by the empirical results, small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study lack a pronounced external customer orientation.Customers do not regard the businesses as being geared towards satisfying their needs. They are also of the opinion that employees of small- to medium-sized textile businesses are not sufficiently customer-oriented. By improving thei r internal customer orientation as suggested above, the external customer orientation of businesses may take a turn for the better. This may contribute to greater customer satisfaction as the interaction between customers and (more appreciated, and thus better satisfied and motivated) employees improve. After all: management and customers both agreed that the efforts of employees are important to build customer relationships.This is consistent with Sasser’s (2003) exposition that an improved internal customer orientation will contribute towards a better external customer orientation that will result in more satisfied customers.

Spectator Violence at Sporting Events

â€Å"These people want to hurt you. It†s frightening. You feel like you†re in a cage out there†. Reggie Smith, (Berger, 1990). Spectator violence at sporting events has been recorded throughout history. People who have power over the events, often team owners, indirectly influence the amount of spectator violence by encouraging the factors contributing to violence, in order to benefit themselves. Sale of alcohol, encouraging crowd intensity, creating rivalries, and targeting social groups, are factors affecting the degree of spectator violence and can be proven to be influenced by the owner†s actions. Therefore the blame for spectator violence can be attributed to whoever has power over the sport. Many historians suggest that an increase in spectator violence coincides with the commercialization of sports. Anthropologists agree that in societies where games were not for profit, they were enjoyed as celebrations of physical skill without competitiveness or violence between players or spectators (Berger, 1990). However, when people gained power or financially from the sporting events, spectator violence increased (Berger, 1990). Public spectacles and games were part of the Roman Empire. Each emperor had an amphitheater and the size of the crowd reflected the emperor†s wealth or power. The emperor through crowd excitement could influence spectator violence to such an extent that gladiators could be killed or freed depending on the crowd†s effect on the emperor (Robinson, 1998). The emperor encouraged the Roman working class, â€Å"to forget their own suffering, by seeing others suffer,† while the senators, and emperor would benefit financially from gambling profits (Robinson, 1998). With the commercialization of sports, owners† profits increased with alcohol sales. Beer drinking has been an integral part of sports since the late 1870†³s. Chris van der Alie noticed that his saloon did well when St. Louis Brown Stockings were in town. As a result, he decided to sell beer at the games. On February 12, 1880, Alie signed a contract with the Browns allowing him to sell alcohol on their property (Johnson, 1988). During a game on July 6, 1881, the first alcohol related brawl broke out in the crowd, injuring twenty spectators and killing two (Johnson, 1998). The signed contract with the Browns† was a financial bonus for the owner, however permitting alcohol to be sold, might have indirectly contributed to the injuries and deaths. Alcohol sales contribute financial support to teams. â€Å"Without beer companies as sponsors, the teams would have trouble making ends meet. † Bob Whitsitt, president of Seattle Supersonics, (Berger, 1990). The more alcohol consumed, the more revenue for the owners. During the 1987-1988 season the Cincinnati Reds sold 12,610 half-barrels and 35,365 cases of beer. The amount of beer consumed averages out to a pint for every man, woman, and child who attended the 81 games the team played at home (Johnson, 1988). The team†s owner benefited with a financial profit of over 1 million dollars. Sponsorship or ownership of teams by alcohol manufacturers, increases the alcohol sales. The first major partnership of beer and baseball dates from the 1953 purchase of the Cardinals by August A. Busch, Jr. , president of the Anheuser-Busch brewery (Johnson, 1988). In twenty-five years its† sales soared from fewer than 6 million barrels a year to more than 35 million (Johnson, 1988). In addition to direct profit, alcohol also indirectly increases profit through increased attendance. In 1974, when the Cleveland Indians† fan attendance was down, the owner implemented â€Å"Beer Night† where they sold beers for 10 cents at the first game of a three game series against the Texas Rangers (Berger, 1990). Attendance was up by 3500. The night turned out to be the first and last â€Å"Beer Night†. When a brawl occurred during the 5th inning, hundreds of Indian fans charged the field and beat up the Texas Ranger players. Seventy-six people were arrested. All were intoxicated (Berger, 1990). There†s no question that the beer played a great part in the affair† (GM Eddie Robinson). Eddie Robinson did not apologize for the incident, and it took Lee MacPhail, president of American League to intervene and ban the beer nights (Johnson, 1988). The rowdy behavior contributed by alcohol consumption often accompanies the throwing of beverage containers. Cups, bottles, and cans act as stimuli and provide a throwing opportunity. In 1988, Pete Rose of Cincinnati Reds was pelted with full cups of beer and whiskey bottles, when he stormed out of the dugout to dispute a call. It was insane, many of the fans were throwing unopened beer cans† Pete Rose, (Johnson, 1988). To restrain spectator violence, many agree with not selling alcohol at sporting events. â€Å"The selling of alcohol at sporting events should be banned† (Johnson, 1988). Other solutions have been implemented, such as limiting drinking to designated areas, selling low alcohol beer, and making it more difficult to buy. The solution of prohibiting alcohol at games was never implemented (Johnson, 1988) Alcohol sales increase revenue; profits keep the owners satisfied. The owners to increase entertainment and increase attendance often promote other stimulants such as music, hearing obscenities, and aggressive play in the event or in the stands. Since sports are a source of entertainment, loud music and aggressive play in the event pump up the crowds, increasing the fans† enthusiasm. Hearing obscenities can be contagious and escalate into more swearing, name calling and fighting. An obscene cheer starts with two fans, increases to eight and soon a whole section is vibrating to the pulse. If fans take exception to the obscenities individual fights break out building into group fights, as friends come to assist. Owners are often able to control the crowd†s involvement in the game with the type of music they play and how loud they control the volume (Robinson, 1998). An excited, participatory crowd heightens the atmosphere and increases future ticket sales, benefiting the owner. However, the same atmosphere can increase hostility leading to fan violence. Basketball games attract anywhere from twenty to thirty thousand fans, whereas a gymnastic competition may attract a few hundred (Robinson, 1998). This is party due to the loud, exciting atmosphere at a basketball game. Goldstein did a study comparing crowd hostility before and after a basketball game to before and after a gymnastic competition. He proved that the hostility increased considerably for the basketball fans, and also discovered that hostility occurred no matter if the fan was rooting for the winning or the losing team (Robinson, 1998). Large sport events like basketball often use music to increase the crowd†s hostility and competitive awareness of the game. Owners often don†t realize at what point hostility turns to fan violence. This may have been the situation for Dan Goodenow, organizer of the 1988 Martin Luther King Classic basketball tournament where 5 fans were arrested, a man's face slashed, and a police officer injured during a riot (Atyeo, 1979). Coaches and game officials blamed the rap group Public Enemy, who played before the game shouting obscenities, carrying plastic guns, and working up the crowd to an extent of raucous excitement (Chapman, 1988). Owners or school leaders help create team rivalry by encouraging fans, through city or school patriotism, to support their team. With media support, owners use historical team rivalry, competitive stories, propaganda and team loyalty to promote high-ticket sales and increase profits. Excessive promotion of rivalry changes crowd cheers to jeers that can lead to violence. The most common rivalries are school rivalries. Starting as far back as 1899 the students of Colorado School of Mines and those of Colorado College would celebrate victory by using dynamite to blow up the rival†s goal posts (Taylor, 1992). During one game the presidents of the universities promoted the final game, as â€Å"The top college in Colorado will win† (Taylor, 1992). By game time, most students from both schools were there to cheer their teams on. When Colorado College was down their fans, frustrated by the score and the name-calling, stormed the field at half time where a riot broke out. When rivalry was claimed to be a factor it was no longer promoted, and violence diminished (Taylor, 1992). A similar example of rivalry leading to hostility occurred in the 1999 Red Feather game Banting vs. Westminster. To encourage attendance and raise money for charities both schools had pep rallies to pump up the students by using music, videos and chants. During half time the two schools emerged towards the center of the field taunting each other. The organizers of the rallies intent on boosting ticket sales inadvertently encouraged spectator violence. There is an increase in violence following sporting events promoting rivalry as compared to regular promotion, as seen in professional boxing following a highly talked about match. The promoters in boxing do everything they can to make sure the matches turn out violent to satisfy the crowd. David C. Phillips a sociologist studied the rate of homicides following highly publicized heavyweight championship fights. The survey was done the 3 weeks following each of 18 highly publicized bouts from 1973-1978 compared to those bouts with normal publicity (Davidson, 1983). Phillips found that there were 193 more murders, in the surrounding areas, after the promoted fights as compared to the norms (Davidson, 1983). After the highly promoted Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight on October 1, 1975, the murder rate shot up thirty-two percent (Davidson, 1983). Phillips theory is â€Å"people see how violence is prized in the boxing ring and come to believe that violence outside the ring will also be rewarded† (Davidson, 1983). The rewards however, are the financial rewards to the owners, through increased ticket sales and media advertising. Spectator violence may be parallel to violence in the society. For example in a violent society, play will be violent, whereas in a peaceful society play will be more peaceful. The make up of the social group contributes to the possibility of violence. Spectators can be divided into different social classes and the event advertised in areas where a particular social group is targeted for ticket sales. Often working class males are targeted, as their values and attitudes of aggressiveness, fearlessness and toughness are well suited to competitive sports (Bonney & Giulianotti, 1994). They are likely to be the fans that are betting on the game or are there for the thrills (Berger, 1990). These fans are more likely to attend contact sporting events such as rugby and to be violent, compared to the upper class fans who analyze the game are more likely to attend a cricket match. In the sport soccer, hooligans who dominate the crowds are mainly males who generally act in rough, noisy behavior (Taylor, 1992). They have lawless fun, fighting spectators, throwing objects and vandalizing property. Most hooligans are from the working class. They have low ambitions, violent behavior and high stress levels (Bonney & Giulianotti, 1994). They act out their frustrations, like the Roman working class, by attending sporting events where they loose their individualities. Fans in Glasgow, Scotland, trampled sixty-six persons to death when they tried to return to the stadium they had just left upon hearing that a last-minute goal had been scored. Berger, 1982). â€Å"Hooliganism gives the organization of a team motivation with their traditional cheers and it builds the atmosphere which builds a team† Lesie Davis, management of Peru†s soccer organization (Taylor, 1992). Major soccer teams target this low-income social class because it brings atmosphere to the game and alcohol sales and profits increase (Shumacher, 1975). In marketing ticket sales for most team sports, owners target males nineteen to forty-five. Sixty three percent of males and twenty percent of females in that age range are involved with sports whether they participate in them, or follow them (Oliver, 1971). Team owners often exclusively target males, resulting in an increase of ticket sales and merchandise. However, when males are bonded they often act violently emphasizing their masculinity, machismo, bravery and fighting skills (Tiger, 1970). Many teams in the American Baseball League in the 1970†³s were having problems concerning fan violence, and found the main instigators were males. They changed the games to Sunday, traditionally a family day and encouraged female fans by admitting them free. With women and family present the men were less likely to loose their individuality and act violently as a group. The results for the next 5 years were positive as fan violence decreased by 30 percent (Berger, 1990). By studying the occurrences, degrees, and causes of fan violence over history, owners are able to decrease the incidents of fan violence while maintaining profits and entertainment value of their organization. Slowly but effectively owners, teams, coaches and professional leagues are creating solutions to minimize fan violence. The American Baseball League, National Baseball League and the National Basketball Association participate in TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management), which is a program for training everyone from vendors to ushers in handling people who have had too much to drink (Berger, 1982). Many of the NFL teams have moved their tailgate parties outside the stadium to eliminate the hostility caused by loud rock bands on the premises (Berger. 1990). Security cameras have been installed in many of the soccer stadiums and transportation centers to games, spotting the fans that cause the violence, and acting as deterrents for others. Controlled drinking areas, entrance controlled security checks, and increased visible security personnel are measures, which have helped to reduce fan violence in all sports. Most important, the owners need to be aware that some of their actions to benefit their organization have an indirect influence on the factors for fan violence. Sport is a basic feature of Australian culture. The achievements of Australian athletes have enhanced our image as a nation. Participation in sporting activities contributes to the health of millions of Australians; the teamwork and fair play which Australians learn on the playing field provide the basis for a good society. But Australian sport is not without shortcomings. Whilst sporting violence, on the part of both participants and spectators, is less frequent and less severe in Australia than in many overseas locations, it remains grounds for concern. Violence on the playing field sets a bad example for impressionable young Australians. Unruly crowd behaviour can spoil a pleasant family outing.

Compare and contrast Goodbye Lenin (Wolfgang Becker, 2003) and La Essay

Compare and contrast Goodbye Lenin (Wolfgang Becker, 2003) and La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995) in terms of their significance - Essay Example The struggles that those connected to her must endure can be seen as the struggles that occur whenever an ideology of a culture passes, the growing pains that must happen in order to come to a point where freedoms are fully understood and experienced. In La Haine (1995), the pain of having to deal with the nature of city inequities where race and poverty create a power inequality between authority and the poor is explored through the events of a day in the life of Parisian impoverished youths. In turmoil that is part of the perceived landscape of the European culture, as filtered through Hollywood visions of racial inequality, the nature of life after the fall of communism is reflected. In both films, social issue are examined through personifications of struggles as well as the reactions of those around those personified ideals are explored. The plot to the film Goodbye Lenin (2003) is defined by its connectivity between the present and the past. The first portion of the film connec ts the events that will happen further along within the film through a recalling of 1978 when Sigmund Jahn entered space. Jahn was from East Germany and this is a great source of pride for the main character of the film, Alex. The film becomes an exploration of the way that life is lived before the fall of the wall and how it has developed since that time. Alex’s mother, a supporter of the Socialist Party, sees her son arrested at a protest before the wall falls and has a heart attack which leads to a coma that lasts through the political events that precede and are post the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The nature of the exploration is defined by the way that Alex, his sister Ariane, and his girlfriend must prevent his mother from finding out about the political changes because the shock might cause her to once again fall into cardiac arrest. Through the ways that the three plot to present former oppressive atmospheres to Alex’s mother, Christiane, a revelation of the profound differences before the fall of the wall and since that time can be appreciated. In recreating the oppressed state of life before the wall fell, incidents such as taking out all the brighter decor that has Western influences and replaying old broadcasts of events that happened before the fall of the wall provide a contrast of the ways in which life was experienced on either side of the powerful and transformative event. The adherence to the old ideologies creates an additional sense of the transformation that has occurred during the time of Christiane’s coma. There is a running commentary about the beauty of anarchy, the fulfillment that is created when human beings deny ‘authority’ and assert their right to freedom. In the end, despite her own belief and feelings about conformity, Christiane is scattered after her cremation through the use of a rocket that belongs to Alex. This act is an illegal act, but he does it anyway, freeing his mother from her own constraint and scattering her in the place that she loved, while symbolically celebrating the freedom that they have gained through the fall of the wall and the transformation of their nation. The film, La Haine (1995), explores the tension between anarchy and authority, the police representing authority and having both honorable and corrupt representations available for contrast. The power dynamic is what sets the authority apart from the anarchist youth who explore their

Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Christianity - Essay Example arts; the first part is known as Old Testament encompassing 39 books of Hebrew Scripture while the second part is called New Testament comprising of 27 books. The Bible highlights the life of Jesus and Christian faith. A number of gospels have been included in the holy book enlightening the mind, soul and heart of millions of followers. Many Christians adhere to the doctrine of Biblical Literalism by considering it as a word of god along with following its teachings in their personal and social life Historical Jesus is believed to be Galilean Jew who was baptized by John the Baptist and began his preaching in Galilee. He was considered as a prophet and ethical teacher. It is often believed that he travelled to Jerusalem and preached a number of people who later became his apostles. Historical Jesus is a picture of Christianity resembling to god offering guidance and support through gospels and spiritual power (Roger, Stark 22-23) Saint Paul is one of the greatest names in Christianity associated with spreading Christianity in different parts of the world. He was born under the name Saul and hated Christians until Jesus came to him in a vision. He changed his life by converting into a Christian along with preaching gospels. He is considered as the greatest prosecutors of Christians and is highly respected by them. He perceived that Christianity is God’s call and built a number of churches. His contribution in Christianity is highly appreciated in Biblical Literalism. The Kingdom of God is often defined as the Kingdom of Heaven stating the existence of God within people who follow the will of God. The term Kingdom of God can be found in the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John. It is defined as a medium through which one can connect with god following his teachings and prescribed path. Protestants and Catholics share the common ground of having faith and trust on Jesus Christ and his preaching. The Protestants are not considered as Churches but communities sharing

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Personal Statement - Essay Example While at David Game College I have learned academically and socially. My major subjects include accounting, statistics and economics. I have outstanding marks in all of these courses. I feel that the instructors have done an excellent job preparing me for more in-depth study of Economics and Finance. My minor subjects at this time are maths, statistics and information technology. I believe that this combination of academic subjects has laid a proper foundation for my future studies. I especially feel that my information technology class has been helpful in showing me the possibilities for using technology to apply my knowledge of Economics and Finance. My time at David Game College has helped me to grow and mature as a student and as a friend. I have especially benefited from the opportunities I have been given to work collaboratively with classmates. An important learning experience came when I was assigned to produce a report with two other students that held very little in common with myself. While uncomfortable at first, we soon found that the most important thing we shared in common was the desire to do well on the report. As a result, we began to focus on our common goal instead of differences in culture and belief. We completed the report and received outstanding marks. This was an important learning experience because I realize that working in Economics and Finance will require me to work with all kinds of people from all over the world. I learned that if you focus on a common goal, differences seem to be less important. These are exciting times for the study of Economics and Finance. The global recession and financial meltdown, state debt and trade relations are in the news daily. I believe that when times are bleak, knowledge and understanding are the only things that can help to brighten a situation. Understanding the complexities of a national economy and then being able to apply

Marketing managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing managment - Essay Example Volkswagen also works in helping the consumers gain loan from leading banks along with delivering several insurance products in regards to the purchase of automobiles. The major brands of Volkswagen AG are like Audi, Skoda, Bentley and others through which the company endeavours to gain a global market. During 31st December 2009 the company through the operation of its premier brands was able to achieve a sales figure of around 4 million automobiles on a global scale. The company is also endeavouring to takeover premium brands like Scania AB and Porsche to help expand its business operation (Volkswagen AG, 2011). The company on a global scale reflects a significant position in the automobile industry by conducting sales of around 6.2 million automobiles during 2007. In regards to market share the company accounted for around 9.8 percent share in the global car market. The marketing strategy taken by Volkswagen endeavours to create a market niche for the major nine brands of the compa ny. Market for the cars for Volkswagen varies along a scale from low to higher value Sedans (Group Portrait, 2011). The micro environmental analysis of the company can be conducted based on specific strategic tools like Porter’s Five Forces Model. The Porter’s Five Forces Model helps in understanding the position of the company in the light of the potential of the consumer and supplier base. Further the tool also focuses on the competitive position of the company in the market. It endeavours to understand the policy framework of the company to counter the threats from the competitive world. Having focused on the different internal stakeholders like suppliers, consumers, the competitor base of the company and also on the internal policy system the analysis further proceeds to signify the threat of the existence of substitute products. Consumer Potential-In regards to meeting the demands of the consumers the company focuses on continuously evolving to usher in new models

Portfolio management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Portfolio management - Essay Example It is due to the effective fiscal policy that it has been included among countries that are yielding increased business practices in the shortest span. Most recently, the Qatari economic policymakers have served their vision in bringing foreign investment at home because they aim to expand their technological and engineering practices as well. On comparison, the picture of effective economic boom in Qatar was unexpected in 2009. It was merely because there were increased cut in the prices of oil. Therefore, it was difficult for Qatari lawmakers to come up with policies that would have resulted in increase exchange rates. However, in 2014, there are more than 46 technological and engineering projects that are expected to be completed within next 10 years (Books LLC). As per the statistical reporting, it has been noted that Qatar is considerably the 30th freest economy in the index of 2014. In particular, the economic score of Qatar is marked 71.2. This measure of economic freedom is not just limited to labor freedom but monetary freedom as well. Overall growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) of Qatari economy is noted to be more than 6.8% in 2013. In other words, it can be said that the difference noted in the GDP of Qatari economy was marked to be 8%. As per the policymakers, the increase in the GDP was possible because of change in natural gas and oil that allowed the country to make effective use of its reserve (International Business Publications). Talking about the inflation rate of the country, it was expected that the country’s inflation rate would increase up to 3.6% where it was marked less than 2% in 2012. As per economic analysis of 2013, it was noted that the inflation rate would remain stagnant. Herein, it is imperative to note that increase in the rate of inflation is supposedly affecting the consumer prices. As noted above, the major contributor of the economic development of Qatar is

Sex Discrimination in the UK Mobile Phone Industry Essay

Sex Discrimination in the UK Mobile Phone Industry - Essay Example But it is a certain believe that even if such misconceptions exist, it is the responsibility of the management to have them corrected rather than letting them prevail. The aim of this report is to present a case in terms of analysis of the mobile phone industry in the UK, by critically analyzing its environmental issues and prime focus being on the gender discrimination in the industry, which is becoming a leading issue in the organizations world over. Gender discrimination has its roots routed in the very basics of our society and has prevailed in the same for several decades or even more; probably from the time the first sexual harassment case was established, not in the court of law, but on the grounds of earth. However, the topic here is precisely focussed towards the issue relevant to the mobile phone industry in the UK. This industry has a good progressive and growing rate and is more professionally structured than many other industries across the world. the prime aim of targeting this industry is the fact that it has extensive ends of interactions with other industries and it also has some tremendous professionals employed like MBAs and Engineers, and so on. With the boosting growth in this industry, its call centre services have also expanded and outsourcing has taken placed in similar context. Thus, it has huge branches that spread from one end of the world to the other. Therefore, this industry has been chosen. The report conducts a brief literature survey and an extensive interview-cum discussion with around 20 employees of different mobile industry giants, with a 50:50 male-to-female ratio to ensure that the data is not biased and there is less sampling error with more random sampling. The key area that has been highlighted here is the feeling of employees that they are being discriminated based on gender differences, with the prime aim and objective being the same. Gender discrimination, over the years, has been very destructive for organizations on the whole by means of causing loss of motivation and trust amongst the employees over the management decisions leading to loss of productivity and loss of goodwill not just amongst the employees but amongst the other group of stakeholders as well. This has even led organizations into having law-suits filed by employees of the same, tarnishing the goodwill of the organization on the whole in one go. Thus, the said subject is considered of extreme importance for an organization, and thus it is being studied in this research with the focus on the most progressive industries in the world i.e. the mobile industry in the UK. Literature Review European Business Environment The European business environment is probably the most competent and competitive in the world, with the facts standing erect in cases of mostly all industries. This has always been recognized and respected by the European Union as well. With imposition of taxes, quotas, and duties, the local business has always been prevented and promoted towards steady and strong growth. European products

Letter to state representative about Comprehensive Cancer Care Research Paper

Letter to state representative about Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Research Paper Example The Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 now titled as H.R. 3705 offers a comprehensive government intervention that improves on the health care services provided to survivors and their quality of life. The bill â€Å"aims to improve survivorship care throughout the cancer care continuum by supporting coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing grant programs to increase provider education of palliative care and symptom management, and investing in survivorship-related research.† I appeal to you as a health care provider and as one of the many citizens who know or is related to someone afflicted with the disease. Anyone who has been acquainted with the disease, one way or another, will attest that Cancer must be addressed to alleviate the sufferings of the patients. I believe that Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 is one way to carry out this goal. In this regard, I urge you to support the review the bill and to support its enactment by voting for its passage in the

Gaining Power and Influence in the Workplace Essay

Gaining Power and Influence in the Workplace - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  power is the aptitude to control people. Authority is the privilege to influence, control, and transform other people. To elucidate how the reporter gains power and influence in the work place, it is important to describe French and Raven model of power and influence. These two individuals postulated an all inclusive form of collective and shared authority. In doing so, they proposed and recommended various categories of authority. These categories include intimidation, incentive, valid, specialist, referent, as well as informational. People in positions of leadership can achieve power and influence through corporeal and oral intimidations. Power through intimidation can either be applied to a single entity or a group of people.This paper highlights that  achieving power and influence through incentives is practiced in many organizations all over the world. Individuals who are involved in making decisions regarding incentives have all the power a nd influence in the workplace. Valid power and influence is achieved on the basis of how the individual in management position is expected to behave by the public. In referent power, people are known to respect and recognize the authority of individuals that they are capable of forming relationships or associations with. Informational power depends on the status of an individual as some individuals are considered to be more knowledgeable than others.

Wal-Mart Stores Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Stores Essay Optimistic and energetic, Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated was a great businessman. He was born in Kingfish, Oklahoma on March 29, 1918. He was raised in Missouri where he worked in his fathers store while attending school. Sam was a multimillionaire, but by working hard he achieved his dreams. He opened the first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Arkansas. Managing business during that time was hard, but he was fortunate, his Wal-Mart store was successful and the Wal-Mart chain started to grow. It was the beginning of an American success story that no one could have predicted. Walton was a great entrepreneur and he knew consumers would flock to a discount store with a wide array of merchandise and friendly service. His vision was to become the low price leader in small, rural towns. His experience as a Ben Franklin store manager in rural a community led him to realize that in 1960 small towns isolated themselves from national market. Sam acknowledged that all he had to do was beat the prices of the local retailers to be successful. During the time period of 1960 through 1970 the education was very limited. There was little or no technology and different ways of teaching. For instance, during this time all of the children were being taught in one room, with one teacher, teaching everyone the same thing at one time. Everyone did not have an opportunity to go school. Some children had to stay at home and help their parents raise the younger children, so that there parents would be able to work and provide for the family. Some children were not allowed to go to school because their parents did not want to. In those days children did not know anything about computers, because they were not introduced in the classroom because there was no room or very little room. School was a safe haven for children during this time. They could walk to school safely without having to worry about being abducted by a strange man or woman. Children could play at recess time without worrying about anything, because children were not shooting other children. They were well mannered and behaved because, if they did not behave they could be spanked with the paddle by the principal. In this time period, children were not packing guns to school, beating up on each other, fighting each other and there were no gangs in the schools. They were worried about learning and getting an education, not about beating up on someone. Hotels in the early 1960s were limited all across the nation because technology and money was limited. The hotels that were mostly available in big cities and the hotel rooms were not cheap. If you were traveling you had usually (stay in hotel) pulled in to a motel. People that had a good amount of money would get the big rooms and the smaller ones usually were rented to the middle class people. The big hotel rooms usually contained a bar, television, bed, bathroom and sometimes a balcony. Two of the top hotels were located in Las Vegas and California because they had a lot of tourist attractions. Motels were found more often than hotels because they were cheaper and not as fancy. The motel rooms were usually run down and dirty. The motel rooms usually contained a bed, a television and bathroom. Most of the lower class people stayed it the motels because they couldnt afford the hotel rooms. By the late 1960s technology was slowly becoming easier to understand for the younger generation. In the 1970s people discovered there was more efficient technology, therefore the government could produce more money. Most of the hotels and motels were bigger and better then they were in the early 1960s because the technology was better and there was more money. The hotels and motels got more business because it was easier to advertise to the public and people made more money then before. Hotels and motels were easier to come by because the business expanded across the nation. People made more money so they spent more traveling across the nation. Hotel rooms were a lot nicer since technology was upgraded. Most of the TVs were bigger then in the 1960s and had a lot more channels plus they were colored. The motels were bigger and much nicer then in the 1960s. Most of the business nations wide were more efficient during and after the 1970s. In the 1960s technology was still developing and medicine was nothing compared to what it is today. An increasingly mobile population in the United Sates during this time began to demand and improved quality of care in hospital facilities that consisted of an emergency room. Since most of the hospital admissions were elective, these poorly designed emergency rooms were not well equipped and barely had any staff. Despite these impediments patients were increasingly motivated to look for unscheduled care. Emergency room visits quadrupled from1955 to 1970. As the pressure to provide care to more and more patients grew, hospital began to change their bylaws. Many facilities were short in staff and they had to place doctors in the emergency room regardless of special training or specialty. For several years there were no educational or academic training programs in emergency medicine. Because of these emergency physicians held a meeting in Arlington, Virginia in 1968. Thirty-two physicians from eighteen stated attended this meeting. Thanks to this meeting, they incorporated a national association of emergency physicians called American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Throughout the years more associations and programs began to develop. After all Sam Walton lived during trying times. He cared about his community thus providing them with opportunities. He once said we are all working together; that is the secret, and we will lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we will give the world an opportunity to see what it is like to save and have a better lifestyle. We are proud of what we have accomplished and we have just begun. I can say Sam Walton deserves all due respect for his great accomplishments. It can definitely be declared that Walton was a great entrepreneur in business. He was not only able to use his talent to search out and take advantage of new business opportunities, but was also able to develop innovative ways of doing many things in a way that had never been used before. By using his imagination, aggressiveness, and hard work, Walton gave birth to a great industry and all the benefits that would follow, not only financially, but also emotionally.

Multiculturalism in Canada

Multiculturalism in Canada Multiculturalism in Canada Multiculturalism is the acceptance or promotion of multiple racial and ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place. Today, most of the twentieth century racial and ethnic minority relations, in Canada, have been shaped by a clash between the liberal idea of equal citizenship and conservative racial thinking. Official policies in Canada have stressed the need to assimilate racial and ethnic minorities into an all-embracing mainstream culture. In 1971, the government of Canada announced its policy of multiculturalism. The policy not only recognized the reality of pluralism in Canada, but also seemed to reverse the earlier attempt to assimilate immigrants. It challenged all Canadians to accept cultural pluralism, while encouraging them to participate fully and equally in Canadian society. They supported that a new model of citizen participation in the larger society be adopted base on pluralism of rac ial and ethnic groups that were part of the Canadian family. They offered a blueprint for a Canadian identity based on public acceptance of difference and support of cultural pluralism. Therefore, the role of racial and ethnic groups is really important in Canadian multicultural society because this multicultural diversity is a result of centuries of immigration. National disasters, military action, and political repression have always produced large-scale movements of population as displaced groups seek new homes. Those displaced for military or political reasons have often wanted a right to refuge under a state that will protect them or guarantee their fundamental rights. In the first half of the twentieth century, a large numbers of refugees fled from Nazi Germany, Palestine, and the Soviet bloc, and in 1951 a legal definition of refugee was established under the Geneva Convention. It is from the second half of the twentieth century, however, that international conflict and tension created ever greater numbers of refugees seeking shelter in a more secure home. This has been divan, in large part, by the ethnic basis of much military and political conflict, which has meant that whole populations have been forced to find a save home. In addition, the diverse population is now one of the unique features of Canadian society. In the 1991 survey has shown that more than 30% of Canadians were an origin other than British or French. But that percentage is most heavily concentrated in Ontario and western Canada , but rural areas, small towns like Quebec and Atlantic are home to fewer foreign-born people than is the rest of Canada. In rural Quebec, for example, the vast majority of the population was not only born in Canada but so were their parents, grandparents and great grandparents. By contrast, approximately 90% of foreign-born Canadians live in Canadas 15 largest cities. But, here again, the distribution of foreign-born is uneven. Some provinces, like Quebec (outside Montreal), have relatively fewer foreign born. On the other hand, 30% of all Vancouver residents and 38% of all Toronto residents (more than a million people in Toronto alone) were born outside Canada. Therefore, accordingly, to the researches, Toronto and Vancouver may have the most cultural, racial and ethnical minorities in Canada. But they do not stand al one. The cultural mix in other Canadian cities may be different, but pluralism is a fact of Canadian society. Official policy in Canada focuses the need to assimilate racial minorities into an all-embracing mainstream culture. The implementation of this policy has shown that these liberal assumptions have not gone unchallenged. In fact, from the 1960s, state policies in Canada became more restrictive in relation to immigration, as racial thinking became a more marked feature of official thinking. Some of Canadians do not supported multiculturalism. For example, in English-speaking areas, some people worried that multiculturalism would divide Canadians rather than unite them. Others in Quebec protested that multiculturalism was designed to undermine Quebec nationalism, but many other Canadians, supported the policy, and they saw it as recognition of a pluralism that was a fact of Canadian life. The multiculturalism policy has to relate to visible minorities, so these new communities are less worried about understanding of their values in Canada because they look to the multiculturalism policy as aid in the elimination of discrimination for equal access to jobs, housing and education. In 1981, federal multiculturalism officials established a unit devoted to race relations in Canada. Later this unit expanded to make race relations as a primary focus of the multicultural policy. Today, most provinces and many municipalities have followed this procedure and mainly focus on education, policing, social services and protection of human rights within their areas of jurisdiction. Finally, most federal multicultural programs stress on institutional change, race relations and citizen integration and participation. Multiculturalism means the diversity of the racial and cultural mix, the need for tolerance and accepting one another as fellow Canadians. By globalization and the ever-increasing movement of people from one country to another, the challenge of appreciating and accommodating cultural differences has become a universal experience, so the government policy would be sensitive to the needs of both long-time residents and the newly arrived with the greatest success. Canadas future depends on the commitments of all its citizens to a unified Canadian identity. Therefore, multiculturalism in Canada become a significant issue and it has a deep root in the society. Reference Luchtenberg, Sigrid. and McLelland, Nicola. 1998. Journal of Intercultural Studies. Vol. 19, p187, 20p www.hrw.org / refugees Richard, T. Schaefer. And Bonnie, Haaland. 2009. Sociology. Third Canadian Edition

Rising Gas Prices in the United States Essay -- The Oil Industry

Once upon a time Americans hopped into their cars on warm spring days and took long drives to admire the beauty of nature. Teenagers took joy rides around town to meet friends and rode from one â€Å"hot spot† to another. Those were the days when gas prices were affordable to the average American. Over the past few years, gas prices in the United States have been on the rise. What is causing the increase in gas prices? To understand the increase in gas prices, one must first identify the distribution of dollars paid per gallon at the pump. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (eia) in 2010, the annual average paid at the pump consisted of 68% crude oil, 7% refining, 10% distribution and marketing, and 15% taxes (see Fig.1). This shows an increase of crude oil over the 2000-2009 average of 51%. (e. I. Administration) Currently, the most important factor in the rise of gas prices is the increasing cost of crude oil. Unfortunately, the United States has three percent of the world’s oil reserves. (Horsley) In 2009, the United States was third in crude oil production as well as the world’s largest petroleum consumer. (e. I. Administration) Such consumption required and still requires the United States to import petroleum/crude oil from other countries. Mainly, the United States imports petroleum products and crude oil from Canada 23.3%, Venezuela 10.7%, Saudi Arabia 10.4%, Mexico 9.2%, and Nigeria 8.3%. (e. I. Administration) In addition, approximately 77 other countries import to the United States. (e. I. Administration) Worldwide, there are many factors contributing to the increase in cost per barrel. Most recently, Libyan rebels, inspired by the success of their Tunisian and Egyptian neighbors, are up... ... Oil Production.† 10 March 2011. 19 March 2011 . Press, Associated. â€Å"MSNBC Oil Prices Fall as Libya Promises Ceasefire.† 18 March 2011. 19 March 2011 . Press, Associated. â€Å"Oil Hits Highest Levels Since Recession.† 25 March 2011. 25 March 2011 . Press, The Associated. â€Å"IEA Says Libyan Oil Exports Halted.† 15 March 2011. 25 March 2011 . Reuters. â€Å"Factbox: Libyan Oil Production, Exports, Customers.† 11 February 2011. 20 March 2011 .

Don Quijote and the Neuroscience of Metafiction Essay -- Quixote Migue

Don Quijote and the Neuroscience of Metafiction What is metafiction? Its original meaning was "a fiction that both creates an illusion and lays bare that illusion."1 But the term has expanded and expanded to include any fiction that even mentions the idea of fiction. That can cover a lot of things, starting with the Iliad.2 I'd like to go back to the original idea. In my understanding, metafictions tell stories in which the physical medium of the story becomes part of the story. Among contemporary writers of fiction one could mention: my erstwhile colleagues John Barth, Donald Barthelme, and Ray Federman. Others are Borges, Calvino, Nabokov, Umberto Eco, John Fowles, Salman Rushdie, and on and on. Metafiction has become very popular in our questioning centuries, the twentieth and twenty-first. But, from previous times, one could point to Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste or Sterne's Tristram Shandy. The events of Tristram Shandy include the very copy of Tristram Shandy I am holding in my hand. Metafictions lead to some of the more dizzying effects possible in literature. In Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook, for example, one of the notebooks tells about a novelist trying to write a novel. A friend asks her to give him the first sentence, and the novelist rattles off the first sentence of The Golden Notebook itself. Drama--metadrama--gets this effect in the metatheatrical tradition of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author or Henry IV, and many of the absurdists like Genet or 1 Ionesco or Weiss, in which characters point to the "play" they are acting in. In movies, you could also point to Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo or Bergman's Persona or Alejandro Amenà ¡bar, Abre los Ojos, and espcially Sp... ...e from Linear Time: Prefrontal Cortex and Conscious Experience.† In The Cognitive Neurosciences, ed. Michael S. Gazzaniga, 1357–71. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 1995. Llinà ¡s, Rodolfo R. The I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2001. Passingham, Richard. The Frontal Lobes and Voluntary Action. Oxford Psychology Series 21. New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1993. Rolls, Edmund T. "A Theory of Emotion and Consciousness, and Its Application to Understanding the Neural Basis of Emotion." The Cognitive Neurosciences. Ed. Michael S. Gazzaniga. Cambridge MA: MIT P, 1995. 1091-1106. Scott, A. O. â€Å"Forever Obsessing About Obsession.† Review of Jonze, Adaptation. The New York Times, 6 December 2002, Section E, Column 1, Page 1. Waugh, Patricia. Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. New York: Routledge, 1984.

Personal Narrative - My Childhood Memories :: Papers

PAIN! Lots of pain! I thought I was dying! I slammed into the ground my leg now at a very odd angle! I screamed! I heard footsteps running towards me screaming for me to answer, but I couldn't find the energy to do so! I closed my eyes and then I fainted! When I was small about six or seven years of age. I remember playing in our local park, on the biggest climbing frame I had ever seen. I would climb so high I'd swear I could reach the sky. I'd play for hours and hours everyday of the summer holidays. But one afternoon was enough to change my view of my climbing adventures of fun and fantasy forever. The excitement disappeared all because of one accident. The day began as usual with my mum taking me to the park to play on the climbing frame and to feed the ducks. My mum and I walked to the duck pond to feed the ducks. I was having a great time. There were big ducks, small ducks, fat ducks and thin ducks every kind of ducks you can imagine some did look pretty funny I remember telling my mom in Vietnamese as that time she didn’t know the English language very well. After feeding the ducks we headed for the climbing frame. I ran down to the climbing frame my mum in hot pursuit. I pushed through the gate as fast as I could, running towards the climbing frame. I quickly began to climb to the top. I could hear my mum below badgering me to slow down. I ignored her! Oh how I wish I'd listened to her instead. It happened all of a sudden, I lost my grip and fell painfully back down to earth I then recall waking up in an ambulance my head throbbing with pain. I felt my face with my shaking hand. My eyes were all wet, I'd been crying. As I opened my eyes a women peered kindly at me! "Hello," she said, "how are you feeling?"

Why I Dance

Ever since I was a little girl dance has always been in my life. I can still remember as a three year old putting on my favorite pink sparkly costume on, and applying bright red-hot lipstick all over my chirpy face. I would put glitter all over my face and run around the house twirling. I felt like I was a princess whenever I danced, but sometimes I think I got so into my own fantasy, that I got so dizzy I knocked myself into the wall. And the wall wasn’t the only thing I got myself knocked into, I got myself into chairs, tables and even a lamp!Usually I would just cry for a couple minutes and my mother would comfort me but then I’d get right back on my feet and start twirling. But once I knocked into my mother’s lamp, I think that was the last straw she finally said to me, â€Å"Honey, if I put you in a dance class will you PROMISE me you wont dance in the house again? † and that’s how it all began†¦ Now 10 years later I still keep dancing. Da ncing is not so much as a choice to me as a need. When one is thirsty, one drinks water.When I hear music, my body naturally starts moving because this is what I need to do to stay alive. Dance is and will always be my passion. People tend to ask me why I love dance so much, but words can’t explain, you have to be a dancer to completely understand the love of this art. Maybe it’s the control of the dancers body to execute each move flawlessly that enraptures me? Or it could be the look on the dancers’ face that that says they love what they’re doing? Either way I love to dance. It brings such joy to so many people, both the dancer and the people watching.Some people may disagree and say, â€Å"Dance is not a sport! † But I say it is. Sports require pushing your body physical body to reach its maximum performance level. Some people consider throwing a ball and tackling a sport. But in my mind that is not a sport. Dance is a sport. Dance requires gra ce and elegance. Dance requires you to feel the music, and let the music seep into you. To dance you have to take all your emotions out and mix them with your body and muscles and you get a beautiful aroma of dance.Dance requires pushing your bodies to the ultimate limit, to dance you have to stretch daily and get as flexible as you can be. Dance requires patience and practice. In dance you may not get a new move right away, so you have to be patient with yourself and keep practicing and practicing till you finally get the move. So when you combine all these elements passion, practice, patience, flexibility and emotion you get something beautiful, you get dance. In a way dance is like life. Whenever I’m learning a new move I always find myself landing on the ground head flat hard.I yelp in pain from the sore in my thigh, but I just get right back on my feet for more. In life you always find yourself facing new challenges. But if you run into a new challenge you just need to g et right up back on your feet, live your life, and face the challenges. The shiny lemon-scented smooth wood bar tightly screwed onto the wall is like my friends and family. The ballet bar is like my family because when I’m going through tough things in life my friends and family are always there to comfort and help me through the problem.Well the ballet bar is like that to because when I dance or use the bar to stretch and I feel I a little off balance I just grip the bar. So the bar is like my family and friends because it gives me the support I need when I dance. I remember the day I bought my first pair of Pointe shoes. They were so perfectly wrapped and pretty. They were a beautiful shade of light pink leather and smelled like a new car. They were as soft as velvet and just absolutely perfect. In Ballet each time I master a new step, its like life, my ballet shoes represent new beginnings.When I graduate college, that will be a new beginning, and when I am older and get m arried, that will be a new beginning. All throughout life, we begin new things whether there good or bad we just have to keep living our lives and enjoy it because we only have one. Now ten years later from twirling around my house and knocking into walls, and lamps I think about how much I’ve grown as a dancer and a person. Dance has helped me in a lot of areas; I am very athletic, strong, and have high self-esteem.I am encouraged now more than ever to try my best in class, at competitions, and in life in general. So in conclusion, dance is a perfect example of everything I want to be when I’m older: Strong, beautiful, smart and hopeful. I know I’m not completely those things now, but I can strive to become them, as I get older. I love dance, and I hope to dance for the rest of my life, and when I’m 60 years old I’ll still be able to do my splits. And that’s why Dance is and will always be my passion.

Written Abstract on Sea Turtles

The article, entitled â€Å"Relationship of Blood Mercury Levels to Health Parameters in the Loggerhead Sea Turtle† by Day et al. , (2007) aimed at investigating the threat of mercury as one of the pervasive environmental pollutants in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). The rationale behind this study is that there was a need for a study that focuses on the presence of mercury in sea turtles and its toxic effects since immunosuppression is evident in diseased populations. Total Hg analysis, clinical chemistry and complete blood counts,lymphocyte proliferation: ex vivo THg exposure, incubation, lymphocyte proliferation: in vitro MeHg exposure, lysozyme activity, corticosterone and testosterone, statistical analysis, THg concentrations, the use of clinical blood parameters, and ex vivo lymphocyte were implemented to obtain results. Randomly selected free-ranging subadult and adult turtles that served as the research sample were examined from May 2001 to July 2003. To assess proliferative responses, lymphocytes were exposed in vitro to methylmercury. The authors found a positive correlation between blood mercury concentrations and hematocrit and creatine phosphokinase activity, but they also found a negative correlation between blood mercury concentrations and lymphocyte cell counts and aspartate aminotransferase. The positive correlation result implied that there is higher affinity of mercury species for erythrocytes than plasma. It also showed that it is important to measure hematocrit when analyzing whole blood for mercury. On the other hand, in vitro immunosuppression occurred at methylmercury concentrations that correspond to approximately 5% of the research sample which were captured in the wild. In addition, the negative correlation result found ex vivo between mercury and lymphocyte numbers and mercury and B-cell proliferative responses. This implies that there is a possibility that it is possible that mercury negatively impacts on the immune function of sea turtle in the wild.

Buyer Behavior: Starbucks Essay

1. Interview Conversation directed to a definite purpose other than satisfaction in the conversation itself. (Market Intelligence) The main advantage is that they normally achieve a high response rate and that the likely level of error being introduced into the research result is low. 2. Focus group discussion A small group of people, considered to be representative of the target segment, invited to openly discuss products or issues at their leisure time in a relaxed environment. (Market Intelligence) This method is useful in providing a qualitative data. It is inexpensive to conduct, it can be done quickly, and it can provide useful, timely, qualitative data. It usually consists with 8 to 10 respondents and the interviewer taking the role of group moderator. 3. Projective techniques The objective of projective test is to delve below the surface responses in order to obtain true feelings, meaning, or motivations. (Market Intelligence) 4. Observation It involves the personal and mechanical monitoring activities. It records actions as they occur and thus there is no lack of accuracy caused by a respondent’s faulty recollection of their past actions or inadequate estimate of future ones. (Market Intelligence) 5. Telephone research Telephone research is relatively fast and low cost of gathering data. It is most useful when only a small amount of information is required. The advantages of this method are a wide geographical range, efficient, high response rate, modification question is possible. The disadvantages are a biased result, higher refusal rate, short interview, and no visual aids. (Market Intelligence) 6. Interview survey The survey approach involves asking question of the target market or population. To obtain data, it is usually necessary to obtain a sample to provide an estimate of the characteristic of the entire population. This is qualitative or motivational research and provides information on behavior and attitude. (Market Intelligence) 7. Postal research questionnaires Questionnaire is the primary tool of marketing research, a devise for delivering question to respondents and recording their answers. (Market Intelligence) The advantages are low cost, no interviewer bias, questionnaire length. The disadvantages are lack control of respondents and if the company find wrong customer than it will get wrong information. (Market Intelligence) †¢ Secondary data Starbucks purchases high-quality bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment. In addition to sales through our company-operated retail stores, Starbucks sells bean coffees through a specialty sales group and supermarkets. The Company’s objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. In the 2002, Starbucks has branched to Indonesia and MAP is the one who won the master of licensing agreement in Indonesia. There are already more than 50 stores in Indonesia and the company is growing fast. The coffees that the company sells in Indonesia are from Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, New Guinea, Sumatra and Sulawesi. The menus are not much different than any other Starbucks store all over the world. The mission statement: 1. Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity 2. Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business 3. Apply the highest standard of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee 4. Develop enthusiastically satisfaction customers all the time 5. Contribute positively to our communities and our environment 6. recognize that profitability is essential to our future success †¢ Market research findings In Indonesia, most of people are already used to drink coffee and become a habit for some people, especially for older men. This is one of the benefits that make Starbucks as a successful coffee store in Indonesia. Starbucks also create a strong image for a modern and trendy coffee drinker for their customers. This is the reason not only mature men will purchase the product, but also women and even younger generation. The price for Starbucks are quite expensive than the competitor. The environment of the store is cozy, relaxing working environment with calm colors decoration, and using wood material with simple style as their furniture decoration to create a minimalist natural. The workers in the store are friendly with a little dynamic attitude. The manager is a full time workers and the age is between 25 up to 40 years old. The counter staff are usually a part timer and the age is between 17 up to 30 years old. There are some segmentation for their target market, such as young customer, young executive, executive and expatriate. Young customers are between 16 up to 23 years old. They usually prefer cold coffee drinks or blend coffee drinks, such as iced coffee latte, caramel frappuccino, blended milk green tea, etc. Young executive customers are between 24 up to 30 years old. They usually prefer cold coffee drinks, blended coffee drinks and brew coffee Executive customers are between 31-55 years old. They prefer brewed coffee and iced coffee rather than blend coffee Expatriate customers are between 40 to 55 years old. Most of them only like brewed coffee. †¢ Marketing research plan The research plan that I would recommend for Starbucks is using questionnaires, focus group discussion, and observation. 1. Questionnaires A questionnaire is the easiest method to gather data. It is low cost, no interviewer bias, questionnaire length is variable. The questionnaires that conduct in the Starbucks store are already implemented. This will be affective if we also do questionnaires for the competitors’ customers. The questionnaires objectives are to know what the most popular product competitor is, why the customer prefer the competitor store than Starbucks, and what competitor thinks about Starbucks. 2. Observation The observation will be conducted in the competitors’ stores. It is the simple way to know the strengths and weaknesses of the competitor. Through this method, the company also can know the opportunities and the threats that caused by the competitor. The purpose of observation is to recognize which the most popular product in the target market is. Also what kind of varieties the competitors offer and the buying habit of target consumers. 3. Focus Group discussion After conducting questionnaires, researcher would have a quantitative result. To go deeper into the core issue, a focus group discussion should be conducted. This method is useful in providing a qualitative data. It is inexpensive to conduct, it can be done quickly, and it can provide useful, timely, qualitative data. I would recommend 5-10 respondents which consist of Starbucks and competitors customers.