Management and Organisations in a Global Environment Essay

Management and Organisations in a Global Environment - Essay Example at carrying out relevant research and applying the interpretation of the data emanating from the same in order to transform the company and render exponential growth to its operational effectiveness. Systems and technology consultancy: this includes working with private as well as public companies and corporations to source and provide information regarding financial services, energy, government and public services, manufacturing and telecommunications, among many others, so as to promote the scope for strategic partnerships between the public and private corporations. Kuwait is a country with a rich culture and strong ties with tradition. This has led the entrepreneurs in Kuwait to regard tradition and culture in all their activities. There strong presence of culture in business negotiations has become a standard in today’s world of commerce. (Stokes, 2001) The preparation for negotiations in a certain country involves a strong focus on learning more about the traditions as well as culture of the country. This helps the negotiator get comfortable with the business climate that is followed in the country so as to have a better grasp over what is happening around him or her. (Furusten, 1999) This has been seen in KCS as well. (Kuwait Computer Services – Official Website) In the Middle East, there are a plethora of customs as well as traditions that are a part and parcel of their activities in every walk of life. For example, a major part of this involves food habits. The Kuwaitis, as a people, focus on the food at every occasion. They have a wide variety of dishes that are prepared and savoured according to the occasion. The scope for stability as well as innovation and risk in this case is in the fact that the Middle Eastern culture needs to be studied in order to come up with a fool proof structure on which the knowledge management criteria may be arrived at and finally evolved. (Hofer et al, 2002) The function of culture helps employees in gaining wider

Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice Essay We believe that there should be mutual respect between individuals, which is a vital pre-requisite for social harmony. Our society needs to be more accommodating and less prejudiced. It is incumbent upon us to properly address the issue of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in earnest so that we may move forward to a healthier and more caring society. 2. 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Stereotype is an image or idea of a particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held. Discrimination is to make an unjust distinction in the treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, sex or age. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary) Stereotype is to decide, usually unfairly, that certain people have particular qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex or social class. Discrimination is the practice of treating one particular group in the society in an unfair way. Prejudice is to influence someone so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about someone or something. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Globally, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice are understood as related but different concepts. Stereotypes are regarded as the most cognitive component, discrimination as the behavioral component of prejudicial reactions and prejudice as the affective. In this tripartite view of intergroup attitudes, stereotypes reflect expectations and beliefs about the characteristics of members of groups perceived as different from ones own, discrimination refers to actions, prejudice represents the emotional response. Stereotypes are not only harmful in their own right; they do damage by fostering prejudice and discrimination. Although related, the three concepts can exist independently of each other. According to Daniel Katz and Kenneth Braly, stereotyping leads to racial prejudice when people emotionally react to the name of a group, ascribe characteristics to members of that group, and then evaluate those characteristics. Moral philosophers have defined discrimination as disadvantageous treatment or consideration. This is a comparative definition. An individual need not be actually harmed in order to be discriminated against. He or she just needs to be treated worse than others for some arbitrary reason. The United Nations stance on discrimination includes the statement: Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection. (Source: Wikipedia) Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination reflect the human tendencies to conceptualize and value certain configurations of phenotypic features differently, and act on these thoughts and feelings in our interactions with members of racial categories. Racial categorization reflects the process of placing people into distinct groups based on variation in phenotypic physical features of the face and body such as skin color, hair color and texture, eye shape, nose width, and lip fullness. Racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination reflect the human tendencies to conceptualize and value certain configurations of phenotypic features differently, and act on these thoughts and feelings in our interactions with members of racial categories. In both overt and subtle forms, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination exhibited among individuals belonging to different racial categories has long been a significant source of social strife in American society and abroad. In general, individuals with physical features associated with Whites (lighter skin color, lighter and straighter hair, rounder eyes, narrower nose, thinner lips) are advantaged compared to individuals with features associated with other racial categories. (Maddox, 2012) In Ghana, stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice is alive and kicking in Ghana like it is in any other society. Specifically, the statement brings to the fore some of the unhelpful ethnic slurs or ethno-phaulisms that cut across Ghana’s multiethnic society. There are ethnic stereotypes like Ashanti men are braggers throw their money around and have a superiority complex but they are very ambitious and hard working. Ga men are big talkers but are not big spenders, they are too stingy. Ewe men use juju too much, but are good scholars. Fanti men are romantic and sophisticated but are too honest, so they lack tactfulness and diplomacy. Dagomba men are tall, dark and handsome, but expect one or two rivals wives if you marry one. Akuapem men are very polite and gentlemanly. Kwahu men are very business-minded but stash their money in their house rather than in the bank. 2. 2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM We are concerned with how stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice affect our judgment with others and therefore the relationship we have with people. 2. 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS * Why do people stereotype, discriminate and prejudice against others? * What are the sources of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice? * What are the roles of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in tribal conflicts? * What are the strategies for dealing with stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice? 2. 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the people of KNUST, most especially the students as to effects of stereotype, discrimination and prejudice on KNUST campus. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: * Identify why people stereotype, discriminate and prejudice. * Examine the sources of stereotype, discriminate and prejudice. * Recognize the role of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in tribal conflicts. * Discover strategies for dealing with stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice related situations. 2. 5 ASSUMPTIONS/ HYPOTHESIS * People stereotype, discriminate and prejudice against others in the society because of the desire to dominate and control members of other groups. * People stereotype, discriminate and prejudice because they are unable to obtain all the information to make a fair judgment. * Negative stereotyping, discrimination and prejudices cause conflicts among individuals. * Understanding and appreciating other people’s values and culture will help decrease stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in the society. 2. 6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY To seek new insights; to ask questions and assess phenomena in a different perspective in relation to what others have done on the topic. It will educate us about value diversity and equal opportunity. We will understand how to challenge assertively expressions of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. Develop a responsible attitude towards person relationships. 2. 7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY * The study will help us to develop knowledge on our field of research. * The study on stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice will enable us explain to others what it entails and it consequences on human life. * The study will enable us develop our skill in research. * Educate others on the topic. 2. 8 CONCEPTUALIZATION Gender: Women over the years have fought shoulder to shoulder with men to gain recognition and freedom from all source of discrimination and recognition from their hard work and worth. Ethnicity and tribalism: Tribalism infers the possession of a strong cultural or ethnic identity that separate one member of a group from the members of another group. Religion: It involves treating someone differently because that person is associated with an individual of a particular religion or because of his or her connection with a religious organization. Age: It involves treating someone unfairly or less favorably because of his age. Age discrimination can take a form of harassment for example offensive remarks about a person’s age such as teasing offhand comments etc. Program of study: with the program of study, some people look down on other people’s program of study because they feel theirs is better than the others. 2. 9 METHODOLOGY 2. 10. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN AND TYPE OF STUDY Social survey design is a popular and commonly used strategy in social science research and is frequently used to answer who, what, where, how much and how many questions. They allow the collection of large amount of data from a sizable population in a highly economical way. Social Survey Design allows researchers to carry out studies in natural real life settings using probability samples thus increasing external validity of the studies. Using a social survey design will give you more control over the research process and when sampling is used, it is possible to generate findings that are a representative of the whole population at lower cost than collecting the data for the whole population. 1. 9. 2 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE Purposive sampling technique will be used for our sampling technique. With this technique, the researcher selects sampling units subjectively in an attempt to obtain a sample that appears to be a representative of the population. This method is been used also because of its relative advantage of time and cost 1. 9. 3 SAMPLE SIZE Selected students from various halls and hostels. 1. 9. 4 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Questionnaire includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. 1. 9. 5 SOURCES OF DATA Sources of data include the primary source, secondary source and the tertiary source. We will use all the three sources of data. Primary sources include journals, memoirs, dairies, newspapers, reports, interviews, raw data and many more. Secondary sources include books, television and radio documentaries, conference proceedings etc. Tertiary sources Google, Wikipedia, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, Ghana web, Modern Ghana etc. 1. 9. 6 UNITS OF ANALYSIS The unit of analysis is Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology which has a student population of about 45,000. Established in 1952, KNUST has a rich history in its evolution into a first class University over the years. Kwame Nkrumah, the African Personality of the Century and pioneer of African independence is the founder of KNUST. KNUST believes in achievement through diligence and commitment. 1. 9. 7 LIMITATION OF DATA COLLECTION Possible low response rate Members in a group may influence one’s decision Limited input from participants Certain data may be unavailable It may be time consuming The research may intimidate and suppress individual differences 1. 9 ORRGANISATION OF THE STUDY EVENTS| TIME FRAME| Introduction| 1 week| Collecting information for literature review| 8 weeks|. Administering questionnaires and collection| 2 weeks| Analysis of data collected| 2 weeks| Conclusion and summary| 2 weeks| Total time to be used| 17 weeks| CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The terms stereotype, discrimination and prejudice are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. But when discussing these terms from a sociological perspective, it is important to define them: stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people; discrimination refers to actions toward them and prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings about those groups. (Colledge, 2013) Stereotype is an image or idea of a particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary). Stereotype is to decide, usually unfairly, that certain people have particular qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex or social class(Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Discrimination is to make an unjust distinction in the treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, sex or age. Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary. Discrimination is the practice of treating one particular group in the society in an unfair way. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary). Prejudice is to influence someone so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about someone or something. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) THEORIES RELATING STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE What are the reasons for stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice people? Let’s look at the theories that social scientists have suggested: To be able to measure the existence and extent of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice of a particular kind in a particular social or economic domain, it is necessary to have a theory of how such issue might occur and what its effects might be. Scapegoat Theory: This prejudice springs from frustration among people who are themselves disadvantaged (Dollard, 1939). A scapegoat is a person or category of people typically with little power, whom people unfairly blame for their own troubles. Authoritarian Personality Theory: According to T. W. Adorno et al. (1950), extreme prejudice is a personality trait in certain individuals. This conclusion is supported by research showing that people who display strong prejudice toward one minority usually are intolerant of all minorities. These people look upon society as naturally competitive and hierarchical, with â€Å"better† people (like them) inevitably dominating those who are weaker. Culture Theory: This theory says that stereotyping, discriminating and prejudice may be characteristic of certain people, but some of this is found in everyone because it is embedded in culture. Think of a child growing up and their parents telling them they should marry from the same ethnic group. Conflict Theory: Part of this theory is when powerful people use prejudice to justify oppression others. An example is when minorities claim that they are victims and therefore are entitled to special consideration based on their race. (DJL, 2008) WHY PEOPLE STEREOTYPE, DISCRIMINATE AND PREJUDICE AGAINST OTHERS IN THE SOCIETY The ability to form general categories is an essential feature of human thought. Without it, we could not make sense of the world. Being able to classify our experiences, the people around us, and the material objects of our culture under general headings enables us to behave in new circumstances. We can then respond in appropriate ways to things and people we have never seen before. It allows us to carry over what we have learned in one situation to another similar situation. However, unlike other forms of categorization, stereotyping provides categories that are little, if at all modified by experience and knowledge. People will often ignore or re-interpret experiences in which an individual does not conform to the stereotype of the group, rather than change the stereotype. (Lorne Tepperman, 1991, p. 187) People discriminate out of ignorance and Selfishness and that they dont think about how it would make other people feel also to make them feels better. (Why do people discriminate, 2012) When people encounter instances that disconfirm their stereotypes of a particular group, they tend to assume that those instances are atypical subtypes of the group. Example: Ben stereotypes gay men as being not athletic. When he meets Al, an athletic gay man, he assumes that Al is not a typical representative of gay people. People’s perceptions are influenced by their expectations. Example: Liz has a stereotype of elderly people as mentally unstable. When she sees an elderly woman sitting on a park bench alone, talking out loud, she thinks that the woman is talking to herself because she is unstable. Liz fails to notice that the woman is actually talking on a cell phone. People selectively recall instances that confirm their stereotypes and forget about disconfirming instances. Researchers find it difficult to measure prejudice. One reason for this is that people differ in the type and extent of prejudice they harbor. For example, a person who makes demeaning comments about a particular ethnic group may be bigoted or just ignorant. Also, people often do not admit to being prejudiced. (Source: (Lewin, 2012), 14th November, 2012, 10am) Why do we form opinions about other people based on their appearance, posture, language, and so on? We do this because different factors contribute to why people stereotype each other. We stereotype, discriminate and prejudice other people when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we need to make a fair judgment about people or situations. In the absence of the so called total picture, to stereotype people in many cases allow us to fill in the missing pieces of information. Our society often innocently creates and perpetuates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the person been stereotype is unfavorable. For example, if we are walking through a park late at night and encounter three senior citizens wearing fur coats and walking with canes, we may not feel as threatened as if we were met by three high school-aged boys wearing hoodies. These generalizations root from our experiences we have had ourselves, read in books, and magazines, seen in movies or television, or have had related to us by friends and family. In many cases, these stereotypical generalizations are reasonably accurate. Yet in virtually, every case we are resorting to is prejudice by ascribing characteristics about a person based on appearance, without knowledge of the total facts. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or a group of certain characteristics. Quite often, we have stereotyped a person who might be a member of a group with which we have not had firsthand contact with before. (Why do we stereotype? , 2012). According to psychologist Gordon Allport, prejudice and stereotypes emerge in part as a result of normal human thinking. In order to make sense of the world around us, it is important to sort information into mental categories. The human mind must think with the aid of categories, Allport explained. Once formed, categories are the basis for normal prejudgment. We cannot possibly avoid this process. Orderly living depends upon it. † This process of categorization applies to the social world as well, as we sort people into mental groups based on factors such as age, sex and race. (Cherry, 2013) SOURCES OF STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE IN THE SOCIETY AUTHORITHAIANISM The authoritarian personality is rigid and inflexible and has a very low tolerance for uncertainty. People with this type of personality have great respect for authority figures and quickly submit to their will. They place a high value on conventional behavior. By labeling unconventional people ‘inferior’, ‘immature’ or ‘degenerate’, the authoritarians avoid s any need to question their beliefs and attitudes. SCAPE-GOATING Unpopular minority groups are often used as scapegoats for other people’s problems. They are blamed for wide varied things that they could not possibly have caused. The term originates from a Hebrew tradition. On Yom Kippur, a goat was set loose in the wilderness after the high priest had symbolically laid all the sins of the person on its head (Leviticus 16:20-22). One explanation of scape-goating is the frustration-aggression theory. Its three basic principles are that; (1) Frustration produces aggression. (2) This aggression cannot safely be directed against powerful people and (3) The aggression is therefore transferred to weaker individual who cannot fight such as members of an unpopular minority group. LEARNING Although prejudice and discrimination are sometimes associated with certain personality traits or with frustration, both are learned. South Africans do not need authoritarian personalities to have strong racial prejudice, because they learn such attitudes from their culture. Most prejudice is acquired early in the socialization process. Children adopt their parents’ prejudice as naturally as they adopt their parents’ language, and discrimination follow prejudice as regularly as night follows day. Some of the most common prejudices are taken from ethnic stereotype- ideas that portray all the members of a group as having similar fixed, usually unfavorable characteristics. ECONOMICS Conflicts between ethnic groups foster prejudice and discrimination. Some social scientists particularly Marxists, are convinced that all conflict stems from economic causes. Whether one accepts this idea or not, there is ample evidence that, the realities of economic completion lies beneath much prejudice and discrimination. In times of high unemployment, members of the dominant group can protect their jobs by making sure that members of subordinate groups are dismissed first. It has long been noted that anti black prejudice is high among white-working class men who compete with blacks for low paying, unskilled jobs. POLITICS The quest for power promotes prejudice and discrimination just as the quest for money does. Dominant groups use discrimination as a technique for maintaining their power, appealing to popular prejudice to justify their discrimination. In some societies, political discrimination is obvious and accepted fact of life. For example, South African does not allow native Africans to vote and until quite recently, many American communities denied the same right to their black citizens. (Coleman, 2002, pp.193-196) ROLE OF STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATING AND PREJUDICE IN TRIBAL CONFLICTS Stereotypes distort history through oversimplification but they are also extremely dangerous breeding grounds for bigotry, fear, resentment, irrationality, animosity, hatred and ethnic conflict and cleansing. Stereotypes generate self-serving attitudes such as we deserve more because we sacrificed more than others, they are suffering because it is their own fault, and it is their problem since they are killing their own people and it is their government and we have nothing to do with it. In extremes cases, stereotypes have culminated in mass violence, the mass displacement of millions of fellow citizens, ethnic cleansing, pogroms and genocide. (A. B. K. Kasozi, 1999; G. Prunier, 1995; P. Gourevitch, 1998 and M. Mamdam, 2002). The concept of tribe was derogatorily developed in the 19th century by racist western scholars and journalists to designate alien ‘non-white’ people as inferior or less civilized and as having not yet evolved from a primary state. From Kukubor, the following stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice can lead to tribal conflicts. From (Kukubor, 2006), ADVOCATING SEGREGATION. This advocacy represents a belief that different ethnic groups should live apart, have absolute control over certain natural resources, can be exposed to special benefits. This advocacy began in the Ashanti Confederacy at pre-independence unsuccessfully agitated for a Federal state so as to appropriate the perceived wealth of the Ashanti. Extreme pride in one’s ethnic group and Obsequious patriotism is good but extreme pride in one’s ethnic group has proven to be the fascist of all regimes. CONSTANT REFERENCE TO A PERSON’S ETHNICITY A mere mention of someone’s ethnic group on a first encounter could be benign. But constant reference to the person’s ethnic group after a long period f knowing that person, no matter how innocent the references may appear, establishes unmistakably tribal patterns. BELITTLING OTHER GROUPS AND INDIFFERENCE TO THE FEELINGS OF OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. Constant criticism and ridicule of the opinions of other ethnic groups, which is often done sarcastically without explicitly making mention of the ethnicity of persons. It is also typical to make fun of members of the ‘inferior’ ethnic group. EXCESSIVE HATE FOR A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP. This is where one adopts an exaggerated reaction to any perceived misconduct from a person of the other ethnic group. In this situation, the punishment is out of proportion to the original wrong, whether real or perceived, and completely ignores the provocation that have led to the misconduct resulting in conflicts. NON- RECOGNITION OF THE ABILITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. This attitude is so endemic in our political history. Some ethnic groups in this country have consistently denied the intelligence, cultural level, social status or other qualities of other ethnic groups in the face of overwhelming evidence. CONDESCENDING ATTITUDE OR BEHAVIOR. People show condescending attitude towards other members of different ethnic groups. They exhibit this by attacking other members which cause them most offense. They even employ members of other groups they perceive as enemies and use them to attack members of that ethnic group. These ‘employees’ may openly condemn the culture of their ethnic group as backward and shower praises on the members of ‘superior’ ethnic group. Furthermore, these people have no insight into their own prejudice. They believe that their prejudice is based on objective grounds that cannot be compromised. By this strong fixation, an individual is capable of violence and other forms of crime towards members of what he views as the ‘inferior’ ethnic group. For Hima/tutsi elite being called superior and alien had a feel good effect. They were proud to be told that they had racial affinities, however distant, with the new colonial masters Overtime they developed a superiority complex, which they used to claim privileges and entitlements, including being appointed colonial chiefs. They then reinvented the pre-colonial past to live the impression that their superiority had existed since time immemorial. Like the new colonial masters, they grounded their rights and privileges on the right of conquering and subjugating the natives some four to five centuries before the advent of European conquest and occupation. On their part, the natives felt dejected and resentful. They carried the burden of taxation and forced labor. Under colonialism, they served two sets of masters – the white and Hima/Tutsi elite masters. In due course, they sought to turn their supposed native status to their political advantage. In Rwanda and to some extent Ankole, the so-called natives began to make political demands on the ground that they were the natural majority. The extremists even went to the extent of demanding the return of the Tutsi/Hima aliens to their original homelands, where they came from, and wherever that might be (Doornbos, 1978:31). This led to the tensions of the 1940s and 1950s and the expulsion of the so-called Bayarwanda in the early 1980s. ( www. grandslacs. net/doc/3782, 1:15pm, 15th November 15, 2012) STATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION, PREJUDICE RELATED SITUATIONS The key to reversing stereotypes is to contradict them, in direct interactions between people, in the media, and through education. Between the individuals: once people get to know a person from the other side, they are often will determine that the other is not nearly as bad as they originally had assumed. Even when people learn that they share fear or sadness, they can begin to understand each other more. When they come to understand that the other is afraid of being hurt, or losing a loved one in war, just as they are, that brings people together. Depending on the context and other interactions, the image of the group as a whole may become more positive as well. In the media: the media also plays an important role in both perpetuating and in breaking down stereotypes. If they characterize particular groups of people in certain ways, their viewers (or readers) are likely to do the same. So if a movie or the motion picture industry in general, characterizes a group of people negatively, they are likely to be perpetuating negative stereotypes and making conflicts worse. If they emphasize the positive aspects of groups that contradict prevalent stereotypes, they can have a significant role in building mutual understanding. In Education: Educational institutions and teaching materials also have the opportunity to affect stereotypes, and hence influence inter-group relations. Efforts to teach about different cultures and the history of different racial and ethnic groups can help build inter-group understanding if it is done in an effective and sympathetic way. Changing stereotypes is largely the job of individuals. Each of us should examine the assumptions that we make about others and ask ourselves where those assumptions come from. (Source: (Why do we stereotype? , 2012) Training people to become more empathetic to members of other groups is one method that can reduce stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. By imaging themselves in the same situation, people are able to think about how they would react and gain a greater understanding of other peoples actions. Other techniques that are used to reduce prejudice include: * Passing laws and regulations that require fair and equal treatment for all groups of people. * Gaining public support and awareness for stereotype, discrimination and prejudice social norms. * Making people aware of the inconsistencies in their own beliefs. * Increased contact with members of other social groups. (Cherry, 2013) Pettigrew (1981) and others proposed that stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice can be reduced by increasing contact between groups (the contact hypothesis), social learning, social re-categorization and weakening stereotypes. INCREASING CONTACTS BETWEEN GROUPS Contact is effective under these limiting conditions: * Groups are roughly equal in status (social, economic, or task relevant) * Contact involves cooperation and interdependence * Contact is informal so groups get to know one another as individual * Persons must regard one another as typical of their respective groups SOCIAL LEARNING * To the extent that prejudices and stereotypes are learned, we can work to avoid teaching them to children * Parents and teachers, made aware of their own prejudices, may work to modify their behavior to encourage lower levels of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in children. SOCIAL RE-CATEGORIZATION The common in-group identity model (Gaertner, Dovidio et al. , 1993) * When members of different social groups come to see themselves as members of a single social entity, their attitudes toward the former out-group members become more positive * Crucial factor is existence of situation in which groups work together cooperatively toward shared goals * Strong support for common in-group identity model from lab and field studies, but hard to implement in real life settings WEAKENING STEREOTYPES. Stereotypes can be reduced if persons can be made to engage in attribute-driven processing thinking about the unique characteristics of individuals. Factors that encourage attribute-driven processing: * Give person incentive to think accurately about others (Neuberg, 1989) * Inform persons that their own outcomes depend on anothers performance, or that it is important that they form an accurate impression of other. * Successful outcomes for members of other groups (e.g. , career success) can counter stereotypes because we often attribute positive characteristics to those who have good outcomes. (Reducing Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice, 2012) CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The conceptual framework consists of age, program of study, gender, religion, ethnicity and tribalism which we use as a guide through the study. CHAPTER 3 DATA ANALYSIS The chapter three entails the data collection and analyses based on the objectives. Questionnaires were given out to a sample of 100 students to find the extent of their knowledge on stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in KNUST and this was their response. The data analyses system used is the SPSS. The bar chart is used to break the frequencies to make it more understandable and easy to interpret. 1. From the 100 respondents, 84% know about stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in KNUST, 8% do not know about it and 8% also do not really know about it. stereotyping discrimination prejudice in KNUST|. | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| Yes| 84| 84. 0| 84. 0| 84. 0| | No| 8| 8. 0| 8. 0| 92. 0| | not really| 8| 8. 0| 8. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 100| 100. 0| 100. 0| | 2. Talking about people who speak up when someone is humiliating, insulting and ridiculing another person, 47% said they usually speak up, 15% said they always, 9% said they never and 29% said they ignore humiliating insulting ridiculing another person| | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| Usua.

How Employees Affect Consumer Behavior :: essays research papers

How Employees Affect Consumer Behavior Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am going to discuss how employees affect consumer behavior and what I believe are the best ways to improve their effectiveness. I will be drawing upon my experiences as a consumer and working in a retail environment. Comments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one fulfills your corporate philosophy or promotes your products and services more than your employees. They are like ambassadors representing the United States when the president can not be there in person. You need them to act on your behalf when dealing with customers. If the customers aren't treated well once in your store or business, what good does it do to use marketing to get them into your store or business. You also have the problem of each customer who was treated poorly, telling other people about their bad experience with your company. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is and it's even worse when people are telling others how great your competitor treated them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I've had a few experiences where I have felt that I haven't been treated properly or fairly by store employees. Most of the time I've been able to find another person to help solve my problem and I was able to walk away a satisfied customer. There are some instances when I have consciously went to a competing business, because of the way I was treated. I know I am not the only person who does this, so I feel it is very important to have a work force that helps market your products, by being friendly and knowledgeable. This will prevent customers from turning away from your products and services. Ask your workers if they would recommend your product or service to their family and friends. If your people lack confidence in your company, you need to find out why and fix it. You want them to be proud to use your product or service so they can convey this feeling to the customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the things that turn off consumers are long lines and employees who don't pay attention or just go through the motions. Rudeness, impatience, and judgmental remarks are very damaging to your company image. Workers who are poorly trained or don't know about your product or service serve no purpose and let down customers. Lies, dishonesty, and promises that are broken cost companies a lot of business when you look at the long run. Ask your workers if they would recommend your product or service to their family and friends. If your people lack confidence in your company, you need to find out why and fix it.

Macbeth is Solely to Blame for his Demise :: William Shakespeare

The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy of the rise and fall of a power-hungry solider named Macbeth. Macbeth's gluttony, pride, and ambitions led him to turn into an unstable, callous man who would stop at nothing just to gain power. His greed to achieve more power resulted in the merciless killings of his king, best friend, and other innocent citizens. Eventually, the guilt of the deeds he was committing manifested itself in the form of hallucinations which contributed to the downfall of his supremacy. With him being weak enough to succumb to his wife's thirst of power, and being the one to physically kill Duncan, which makes him solely responsible for the chain of disarray that unfolded throughout the play. At first, Macbeth is introduced as a courageous, valiant soldier, who does so well fighting in war that he is honored with the title of the Thane of Glamis by King Duncan. On his way home, Macbeth encounters three witches who tell him that he will become king. It is at this point that he first considers murdering Duncan so that the prophecy can be fulfilled ?My thoughts, whose murder yet is but fantastical? (I,2,151). This thought was the beginning of a chain of events that would soon lead to his demise. Although he does reconsider murder and decides to leave his future to chance, until, of course, his wife convinces him otherwise. When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about how will become king he just adds to her overly ambitious attitude so much to the point that she convinces him to go murder. If he had not told her and just put himself in the hands of fate, it?s possible that Macbeth still would have become king without causing the death of the people who cared for him. It is arguable that Lady Macbeth could be the one to blame for the outcome of the play because she persuades Macbeth to murder Duncan, but it was not her who gave Macbeth the daggers, she didn?t lay a hand on Duncan. Moreover, it was Macbeth who killed the guards that he and Lady Macbeth planned to accuse of the murder. The fact of the matter is Macbeth had the free will to choose to avoid everything he got himself into. After the killing of Duncan, Macbeth is becomes king, but his mind wrought with guilt which causes uneasiness and hallucinations.

H Entering Australia

Executive Summary Table of Contents Introduction – Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) was first established in 1947 and have since expanded internationally and currently operate in 34 countries (H&M, 2009). As H&M continues to expand every year, the following report has chosen Australia as the new market, where analysis has been conducted to provide H&M with recommendations of which market entry method they should adopt and the threats and issues they must overcome to be able to succeed. 1. 0 – Country Analysis – Australia For the purpose of this report H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) has chosen Australia as the foreign country in which they wish to enter and introduce their products. Australia is the largest island, however, is also the smallest continent in the world which is situated below South East Asia (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2009). Being the sixth largest nation on earth it also consists of six states and two territories with the lowest population density per square metre (REFERENCE). As it is practically impossible for H&M to enter the whole Australian market simultaneously, H&M has, therefore, chosen Melbourne as the first Australian state they wish to enter. There are many reasons for choosing Australia and Melbourne in particular including: †¢Melbourne is the second largest capital city in Australia with a population of 3,634,200 (REFERENCE). †¢Melbourne is renowned as the fashion capital of Australia, where the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) is one of the largest and most popular consumer fashion events in Australia (City of Melbourne, 2009). This may then make it easier for H&M to launch their products and also obtain brand awareness, as Melbournians are relatively ‘fashion conscious’. †¢New business opportunity, since 2006 there has been a 15% growth in the segment where young female consumers are demanding for low priced yet high quality and fashionable apparel (Euromonitor, 2009). †¢Australia has a similar country profile as previous countries H&M has successfully entered and launched its product. Hence, H&M appears to have prior knowledge and experience in expanding internationally into a Western country. 1. 0Product Analysis – Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) was founded by Erling Persson in Vasteras, Sweden, in 1947. It was initially known as Hennes, which is the Swedish word for â€Å"hers†, as the company only sold women clothing. Persson purchased Mauritz Widforss a small sporting apparel company and since then formed Hennes and Mauritz (REFERENCE). The company now operates in 34 countries including Germany, France, Hong Kong, USA and the UK. H&M continues to expand internationally where they expanded into the Japanese market in 2008 and will further expand into Russia and Lebanon by the end of 2009 and Israel and South Korea in 2010 (H&M, 2009). The core concept of H&M is to provide fashionable products at the lowest price possible, to compete with expensive department stores. H&M has 6 main product lines which include: †¢Women – diverse range of apparel spanning from basic sportswear to corporate and party garments. †¢Men – includes tailored garments such as jackets to fashionable apparel that reflect the latest trends. †¢Children – is divided into three categories – babies, children and H&M Young which is aimed at children up to the age of 14. Divided – targeted at teenagers and young adult, which offers fashion with a young look with creative designs that reflect those of the latest trends. †¢&denim Jeans – provides both traditional five-pocket jeans to the trendiest cuts. †¢Accessories – H&M also produces its own footwear, handbags, jewellery and even cosmetics. It should also be noted that H&M does not own manufacture any products, instead they re ly on over 700 independent suppliers primarily in Asia and Europe which enables them to select the best supplier (H&M, 2008). 3. 0 – Market Segments With the diverse range of product lines, it appears that H&M has the ability to target different market segments simultaneously, this is reasonably difficult to achieve. Therefore, for the purpose of this report, two specific market segments have been selected and profiled to provide an overview of which segments H&M should specially target when launching in Melbourne. 3. 1 – Profile One – Women's outwear segment The foremost market segment that H should target would be the women's outerwear segment which includes all garments from tops to blouses to jackets (REFERENCE). Main reason being, this market segment is reasonably profitable with a Retail Value of over $3000 million (Refer to figure XX), where women have traditionally been the dominate consumer in the clothing and footwear industry (REFERENCE). However, there appears to be a new social trend where men are becoming more fashion-minded and are also looking for cheaper options (REFERENCE). In recent times, there has been a change in preference for young women, where they do not only demand for high quality yet fashionable products, it must also be low priced (REFERENCE). H&M should then be able to target this segment, as the company's core concept coincides with this new trend. Where H's women's clothing are designed for women of all ages who are fashion minded, where its product line includes â€Å"everything from modern basics to tailored classics, sportswear, maternity clothes and cutting-edge fashion. † (H, 2008, pg. 17). However, for the purpose of this report and to make it easier to target, the primary segment will be young women aged 18 to 24, while the secondary segment will be women aged 25 to 40. . 2 – Profile Two – Childrenswear The second market that H should consider targeting once the women’s outerwear market has been successfully targeted would be Childrenswear in Australia, as figure XX illustrates the steady increase in the market share of childrenswear in Australia (REFERENCE). There are many reasons to the growth of the childrenwears market share; this may be because Australians are choosing to have few er children (REFERENCE). In addition, household isposable incomes have increased providing, the key buyer generally mothers, will be more willing to purchase good quality childrenwears at a low price. Therefore, H intensive range of children clothing which caters from infants to children aged up to 14, should be able to target the childrenwears market in Australia. Where the concepts for the children’s clothing are made to be fashionable, practical and hard-wearing (H, 2009). 4. 0 – Culture – Home Country, Foreign Country and Company Culture Each and every country, city and company will have its own distinct culture. There are many definitions of culture where Fletcher and Brown, 2009 has defined culture as â€Å"†¦prescriptive of behaviour that are acceptable to people in a specific community†¦learned†¦people are born into a culture†¦dynamic because†¦our behaviour influences the culture and culture is subjective† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 76). It is crucial for H to have understandings of the culture of the home country, foreign country and also the company’s culture. Main reason being, cultural differences play an important role in launching and establishing H as competent competitor in the Australian market. . 1 – Swedish Culture The Swedish culture is typically perceived as egalitarian, simple and open to international influences (REFERENCE). This may be caused due to the predominance of the Social Democratic Party where it promotes the culture of equality, pluralism and individual freedom (REFERENCE). As the Swedish culture is relatively sim ilar to the Scandinavian, it can be assumed as a low context cultural country in contrast to Australia. Low context culture can be classified as â€Å"†¦ messages are mostly explicit and the words covey most of the meaning in the communication†¦ (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 88). Meaning in Sweden people mainly communicates through words and do not place emphasis on non-verbal cues. Therefore, this culture may affect business negotiations between Sweden and Australians, due to the differences in cultural context, where Australians rely more on body language and facial expressions (REFERENCE). In regards to the fashion culture, Sweden is greatly influenced by European fashion, where there is a strong ‘dressed up’ working man’s culture (REFERENCE). 4. 2 – Australian Culture It is relatively difficult to identify and analyse Australian culture, in comparisons to other countries, as Australia is newly formed country and is a predominantly multicultural society where it consists of different races and ethnic groups (Live in Victoria, 2009). However, there are gradual changes to social trends which may become part of the Australian culture (REFERENCE). Similar to Sweden, Australia also has a low cultural context, yet in contrast, Australians appear to place more emphasis on non-verbal cues. Relating this to the Australian clothing culture, Australians generally dress in business attire during business hours. Though outside of working hours, Australians tend to choose clothing that is comfortable such as track suit pants and a loose fitted t-shirt, in comparison to a pair of jeans and jacket (Department of Immigration and Citizenship). This is an important factor; H must take into consideration, as this will directly affect the products and marketing strategies used to target the market segments. For instance, as Australia appears to have a ‘laidback’ culture, it would probably suit the market more if H was able to launch products that suited the Australian culture and preferences. . 3 – H Culture Company culture can be defined as â€Å"a system of values and beliefs shared by people in an organisation – the company’s collective identity and meaning† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 334). As stated on the official H website, the company believes its employees, teamwork, working at a face past and constantly improving (H, 2009). This suggests that H a ppears to have a relatively open, carefree and energetic company culture, where it strongly promotes open communication between managers and their employees (H, 2009). In addition, H is a firm believer of non-discrimination where all qualified applicants are given equal opportunities regardless of any characteristics including, race, religion, sexual orientation, sex, age marital status or disability. The company culture of H should not cause any implications when entering the Australian market. However, it may cause implications when international marketing strategies does not coincide with the company’s culture, as strategies are designed to accommodate the company’s culture and not vice versa (REFERENCE). 5. – Economic Factor The Australian economy has recently experienced a market downturn where economic factors such as consumer confidence and disposable income will have a direct and indirect impact on the market entry and success of H in the Australian market. ?Gross Domestic Production (GDP) The GDP for Australia has been relatively flat in 2009, where there is no significant growth, however, there is an anticipated growt h of 0. 5% in 2010 and with the recession ceasing there should be gradual growth of 3. 25% in 2011 (ANZ, 2009). ?Interest Rates In recent times, the interest rate has continued to drop, where in 2009, the nominal interest rate had dropped by 3% (Refer to Figure 2. 0 in Appendix). As interest rates are low Australians are discouraged from depositing money in the banks as it does not generate interest. ?Household Income From figure XX and XX the equivalised disposable household income for Australians appears to have gradually increased. For instance in 1995-96 there were 11% of total income categorised as being low income, however, in 2007-08, this had decreased to 10. 1%. While there has been a significant increase of high income earners, from 37. % in 1994-95 and 40. 5% in 2007-08 (ABS, 2009). Overall, the Australian economy appears to be reasonably attractive as both GDP and equivalent disposable household income have increased, which suggests that consumers have more money and are more likely to spend and purchase consumer goods which include clothing and footwear. Therefore, H should take advantage of this consumer confidence and enter the Australian market rapidly as consumer currently have the ability to purchase more consumer goods that are not considered to be a necessity. 6. 0 – Competitors Analysis Even though the clothing and footwear industry in Australia is viewed to be an attractive market to enter, there does appear to have intense competition (REFERENCE – competitive). Referring to figure XX, there is no dominant market leader in the Australian market; however, there are a number of brands who have gained substantial brand share, such as Just Jeans (1. 9%) and Jays Jays (2%) respectively (REFERENCE). All brands operating in the clothing and footwear industry could be considered as H competitor, however, Just Jeans and Jay Jays are the two most similar brands compared to H. Where they have also identified the demand for fashionable yet low priced products, therefore, all three companies have similar product offerings and also customer profiles. Hence, to successfully enter and establish H in the Australian market, it would be essential to have sound knowledge of competitors and develop core competencies such as designs that are exclusion and is able to differentiate H from other similar brands (REFERENCE). 7. 0 – Social Trends – Sizes Overall, both Australian men and women’s body weight has gradually increased in recent times. However, as the primary segment for H are young women aged between 18 to 24, only the body weight of women will be discussed. From previous surveys conducted there appears to be a steady increase of the average weight of women from 62. 6kg in 1989-90 to 67. 7kg in 2004-05 (ABS, 2009). From figure XX there also appears to be considerable increase in the Body Mass Index (BMI), where there are less women classified as being normal weight, while there are more women who are overweight and obese. As a result of this increase in body weight, the dress size as also increased from size 12 to size 14. Hence, to accommodate to this increase in weight, most clothing brands have now introduced larger sizes for instance, Portmans now has size 16 as part of their standard dress size (REFERENCE). Therefore, to ensure that H is able to compete with other competitors it would be essential for them to manufacture products that are the suitable size for Australian women. 8. 0 – Conclusion In conclusion, this report has thoroughly analysed a variety of factors to identify the attributes and threats of the Australian market in relation to the launch of H. Taken as a whole Australia appears to be an attractive market which consists of a stable economy and high consumer confidence. Where H is able to use these attributes to help them better penetrate and expand in the Australian market. In contrast, many threats were also identified including cultural differences, changes in social trends and also intense competition. It is absolutely essential for H to gain thorough understanding of the threats and furthermore the business and social environment of the Australian market. Main reason being, H will then be able to develop specific marketing strategies to address and overcome these issues to successfully enter and become a market leader of the women’s outerwear segment in the Australian clothing and footwear industry. 9. 0 – Recommendations. From previous analysis Australia and the city of Melbourne in particular appears to be a possible market for H to enter and expand into. Therefore, the following recommendations are written in correspondent to the threats and issues identified in the conclusion and throughout the report. †¢Market Entry Option – Direct Exporting It is suggested that H adopts a direct exporting method to enter the Australian market. Direct exporting can be identified as â€Å"†¦ the firm itself contacts the buyers overseas and either sells direct to the end-user† (Fletcher and Brown, 2009, pg. 290). Mainly because this is the market entry option H are experienced in using and is also one of the most commonly used method. As it is relatively simple to operate and provides the company with more control over the operation of the business. †¢Adapting to Australian fashion culture – Style and Size For H to succeed and be able to obtain market share, the company must adapt to the Australian fashion culture and the physical body size of Australians. Therefore, H is recommended to use product development strategies where they manufactured products that suit the Australian market. †¢Suitable store location – Chadstone Shopping Centre Finding a suitable store location also plays an important role to the launch of H in Melbourne. Therefore, Chadstone Shopping Centre is suggested as a suitable store location for the first H store to be established. Main reason being, the shopping centre is well-known and has a solid customer base, which makes obtaining brand awareness easier.

The military tactics used by both the USA and Vietcong forces in the 1960s.

The military tactics used by both the USA and Vietcong forces in the 1960s. The tactics used by the Vietcong and US military forces were very different and changed during the course of the war. At the beginning of the war the Vietcong (NLF) army was aggressive whilst the US army was defensive. The Gulf of Tonkin incident became America's excuse to become aggressive towards the Vietcong.In 1965 General W. Westmoreland developed the strategy of "search and destroy". Its objective was to find and kill any members of the NLF. US soldiers found this difficult however as the Vietcong always dressed in civilian clothing, and killing peasants by mistake was not uncommon; "if he's dead and Vietnamese, he's a V.C." was the view of the troops carrying out the search and destroy missions.It was clear from the outset of war that the US had far more technologically advanced weapons than the Vietcong, which they used throughout the conflict. B-52 bombers altogether dropped 8,000,000 tons of bombs between 1965 and 1973which equated to 300 tons of bombs per person living in Vietnam.The alleged 1966 martyrdom of Vietcong soldier Ngu...This was over three times the amount dropped during the whole of World War Two. Aside from bombs the US also dropped a considerable amount of napalm, a mixture of petrol, phosphorous and a chemical thickener which attaches itself to the skin causing horrific "fifth-degree" burns to the victim, which could quite often be an unlucky US soldier. Agent Orange, a complex biological weapon was dropped over a lot of the thick vegetation of Vietnam, causing all plant life to die, potentially to expose any hiding Vietcong.The US pioneered the development of anti-personnel bombs, smaller than those dropped from the B-52s, such as the "pineapple", which shot shards and needles of metal in all directions. With the many different developments of anti-personnel bombs it was the US's...

5 Breakthrough Techniques For Running A High-Traffic Blog

5 Breakthrough Techniques For Running A High-Traffic Blog When you jump out of an airplane,  you  better have a plan ready. Step one is a parachute, and step two is learning how to hit the  ground. Paratroopers have a  technique for this that allows them to  land safely. They call it a PLF (parachute landing fall). It goes like this: US Department of the Army manual, Public domain Balls of the feet Heels of the feet Side of the thigh Side of the hip, or buttocks Back of the shoulder blades Make sense right? Theres nothing like easing into it. Now, what about your blog? A blog launch is a lot like the initial jump out of an airplane. It is exhilarating, fast paced, and comes with an amazing view, but what happens after the free fall? Eventually, as a blogger or content marketing pro, you need a good plan in order to breakthrough the initial launch and begin running  high-traffic blog. Are you  really getting the traffic and attention you hoped for? Does your content have an ROI? Are you  going to be able stick the  landing without breaking your legs? Just like parajumpers, bloggers need a 5-point plan for sticking the free fall. Maybe you just launched a new blog, or maybe you are looking to revitalize a long-held content marketing plan. Either way, you need to have a process ready and that is what I have tried to compile in this post. I am calling it,  The 5 Point Plan For Running A Breakthrough Blog, and its actually pretty doable. This guide is  designed to take your blog from launch to high-end breakthrough traffic. The following five steps are what it takes. 1. Develop A Super-Human Understanding Of Your Audience We have been spending the entire month of August blogging  about  finding, growing, creating, and (most importantly) understanding your blog audience, and weve been doing it for good reason – it is the cornerstone of any breakthrough blog. Your blog exists for the pleasure of your audience. If you dont understand them, then how will you ever reach them? Too often, we take the Field of Dreams approach to content creation. We believe that if we write it, they will come.  Wrong. We need to have purpose in what we publish. One of the things that we talk about often is learning to expand your content core.  The purpose of this exercise  is to understand the difference between what you do, and what you need to talk about. This is where you start to understand your audience. The key is finding the content that your audience really cares about, and using those topics to reach them directly. It is a crucial component for any breakthrough blog. Further Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience In Content Marketing Are You Making These 5 Assumptions About Your Audience? How To Write For Two Audiences At Once 3 Hidden Google Analytics Reports To Help You Understand Your Audience 2. Find A Truly Unique Voice Lets face it. Youre arent the first person in the world to launch a blog in your niche, industry, or even on your city block. When it comes to blogs and content marketing there are few new ideas. Been there, done that. Dont let this dismal take on blogging stop you from trying though. The reality is that you dont have to be doing something new to be doing something great. Truthfully, most blogs are simply doing the same thing as everyone else. Theyre not that great. The key is to figure out how youre different. At , we call this a  Blue Ocean Strategy,  and it works because it is strategy without real competition. So, what is your Blue Ocean Strategy? The main quality of a Blue Ocean Strategy is that it is completely unique. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. You will need to come up with something on your own, but done correctly, it should provide you will a clear path to creating a blog that your audience loves to read. Further Reading:   Want To Make Your Blog Stand Out? Use The Blue Ocean Strategy How Pixar’s Creative Process Will Help You Produce More Innovative Content 3 Memory Techniques That Get People To Remember Your Content Is Familiarity Killing Your Project Before You Even Launch? 3.  Create An Achievable Publishing Schedule You have to set a schedule detailing how often you will  blog. If you dont, you  will fail. Its as simple as that. For early bloggers, I like to suggest that they start posting content as much as five times per week. This is a great way to start learning the ropes and get used to pressing that daunting publish button. As good as that may sound, though, it wont always be achievable, and thats really the most important part about setting a blogging schedule: You need to find something that you can set, and achieve. Once you know how often you will post, you need to develop an editorial calendar and process for planning our your content before you start to write. Here at , we provide a free set of editorial calendar templates that make this process easy. These free templates are designed to break your content down into three tools: An annual overview to rough-out your content plan for the entire year. An idea zone to plan out individual posts and content ideas. A one-month calendar to plan out specific posts for each day of the month. Download Free Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Templates You can download these free templates and an easy step-by-step guide on how to implement them into your daily workflow from our website. Just follow the link above. The best part about using a  paper editorial calendar is that it can help you start the habit of using one to plan your content marketing. Eventually you will need bigger and better tools like itself, but this is a great way to ease-in without a major financial investment. Further Reading: Get Our Free Editorial Calendar Templates The Ultimate Guide To Writing A Consistent Blog With A Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Try This Breakthrough Content Marketing Workflow For Your Team   4. Write Amazing  Content That Is Undeniably Sticky This is a biggy: To break through with your blog, you need to create better, and more original, content than everyone else. This can come in many unique forms. It could be longer (long-form content). It could be more visual. It could be better at telling a story. It could excel at SEO. Really, it could be anything. Even in a time with  Google, bots, and SEO, quality content is still the line that we need to measure  ourselves by, and it isnt always that easy. Sometimes content flows from our fingertips like lightning, and other times it drips like a painful leak in an old faucet. This is may require an adjustment to your process, but you must  find a better way. One of  first places to start writing sticky  content is with a great  headline. Before you even start to create your content, headline generation is a good way to think through your post before words meet the page. We like recommend writing at least 25 different headlines  during your early brainstorming process. This will get things flowing, and help you frame your content properly before going too far. You can also measure the emotional value of your headlines to ensure proper reach. Further Reading: Proof That Emotional Headlines Get Shared More On Social Media 25 Scientifically Proven Ways To Write Better Headlines For Your Blog 4-Step System For Writing A Great Blog Post, Even If You Have Writers Block The Perfect Blog Post: Simpler Is Better 5. Learn  How To Promote Your Content Like A P.R. Wizard One of the saddest stories in the world is the blog post that is published and never heard from again. After pouring all of your effort into an outstanding and insightful post, it will be up to you to make sure that it is heard around the world. In order to run a breakthrough blog, you are going to need to have a promotion plan in place. There are two big things that you need to be doing.

Vanilla Sky essays

Vanilla Sky essays David suffers from schizophrenia, brought on by his cut-short childhood, loneliness, the tension formed due to his questionable relationship with Julie, and eventually, his terrible disfigurement. Using Freuds definition of schizophrenia, David has escaped to an early and secure, possibly childish, state of psychological development, due to the unbearable stress and conflict that surrounds him. The id, as proposed by Freud, is the innermost core of the personality (Psychology-Frontiers and Applications). Under normal circumstances, it has no direct contact with reality, because it seeks only immediate gratification or release, regardless of rational considerations and environmental realities. In other words, What it wants, it takes! By degrading to this early stage of development, David has reduced his minds control of the release of the id, causing his perspective of the world to become wildly warped. A drunken driver killed both of Davids parents when he was very young, removing a large part of the psychological influence, which controls the development of a child. The loss of his mother, of whom he was obviously fond, must have surely been a terrible blow. However, the loss of his father may have been far greater in affecting Davids later actions and decisions. In his fathers biography, David is mentioned only once, and in passing. The relationship suggested by this oversight is one of possible rivalry, disappointment, and unfulfilled expectations. It is possible that Mr. Aames believed David unable to successfully run his company, and David has spent the majority of his life attempting to prove wrong that idea. Davids failure to resolve his emotional problems concerning his dad is a source of great anxiety and grief for David. Despite the people whom he surrounds himself with, David is unable to identify with his friends until he me ...

Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools Essay

Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools - Essay Example irst understand and realize that the agencies involved in implementing these policies are in reality the Federal government, the state, the local agencies, the school board of education, the teachers and finally the students. Sex education is of vital importance and needs to be taught by an expert who is trained to impart a sensitive issue, the synonym of which is symbolic to the attitudes, beliefs and values of a stable mind set, in an expert manner. While the Federal government is the overall authority in formulating policies, it does not take interest in the execution of sex education principles and thus relies heavily on the state and local bodies for the same. (Irvine, 2002) At the same time, as all the major funding activities pertaining to the school education system is done by the Federal government and hence, it has the right to exercise control over the ways and means of compiling and executing the policies pertaining to sex education in a public school environment. On the whole, it is the state and the local bodies, with special regards to the school education board and the related teachers, who influence the curriculum and execute it to perfection. Hence, a majority of decisions are ideally made at the local level. (Irvine, 2002) It has to be noted that a state mandate is essential to implement a particular curriculum regardless of what the school thinks about it. For example, if the state mandate requires schools to include HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local body has no choice but to implement the same in their school prospectus. Similarly, if the state mandate puts a restriction on the use of HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local bodies would have to do as told and cannot overrule the state decision. (Went, 1985) The content of sex education is not fixed and varies in accordance to the community and the age of the students enrolled in the program. In all honesty, the course

Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and Essay

Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowle - Essay Example People need to only reflect on how whoever writes history develops greater power and it becomes too painfully real how knowledge enhances different forms of power, including political and economic power. How people acquire knowledge and define it, however, is highly debated. The rise of emotional intelligence, for instance, questioned knowledge as pure logic. Feminists aim to call emotions and perceptions as equally valuable sources and components of knowledge. Some also argue of the unification of creative and critical thinking, because they are related and more effective in generating knowledge together (Mayfield 4; Paul and Elder 118). This paper evaluates this belief using the areas of knowledge of ethics and sciences. Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Ethics refer to the people’s guiding principles of what is right or wrong (Means 52). Ethics uses both critical and creative thinking skills. This paper first defines and diffe rentiates critical thinking and creative thinking. In the traditional TOK Diagram, see figure 1 below, the ways of knowing are through emotions, reason, sense perception, and language. Creative and critical thinking are both ways of knowing, but they are closely interrelated (Paul and Elder 118). Critical thinking analyzes and evaluates a particular material, while creative thinking concerns inventing something new (Mayfield 4). Creativity, however, has a â€Å"critical component,† and not just portraying â€Å"imagination† or â€Å"inventiveness† (Paul and Elder 118). In business, for instance, creativity is valuable if it leads to innovation of products, services, processes, and systems. Creativity must also have a critical output too. In connection to the TOK diagram, critical thinking primarily involves reason and language, or the right side of â€Å"knowing† in the TOK diagram. Creative thinking uses emotion and sense perception, or the left side of â€Å"knowing.† Reason and language are often used by sciences, but ethics employ emotion and sense perception too. But clearly, the diagram is a circle. It shows the unity of all forms of knowing for all areas of knowledge. Ethics uses reason and language too. It must be reasonable to be embraced by people, and it must also use persuasive language to convince people of its effectiveness in differentiating right from wrong. Knowers should be able to use all four ways of knowing to arrive at a balanced and ethical decision or option (Paul and Elder 118). Figure 1: Traditional TOK Diagram Ethics cannot be arrived at by using only emotion and sense perception; it also needs the guidance of reason and language. An example is the ethics developed by Immanuel Kant. Kant argues that people should be responsible for their moral actions and they have a duty to act morally (Bartlett 224). This is based on both the emotions of doing what is right and the reason for choosing right over w rong. Emotions are important to ethics, because some people need to feel that they are doing the right thing. For instance, merely following instructions from a superior can seem right, but it can also feel wrong. This can be related to employees of Enron, who followed their corrupt executive managers, because they also wanted to be rich and improve the stock price of Enron. It seems right to be doing this for the company, but it feels wrong, because they are duping their shareholders, as well as their diverse stakeholders. Perceptions are further

Case Study to Promote Critical Reasoning Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To Promote Critical Reasoning - Case Study Example The sources of conflict that are developing in this facility are (1) differences in goals (each group or person has a goal or purpose within which the donated funds are suggested to be earmarked); (2) resource interdependence (the units compete with each other for other own share of the resources, specifically, of the donated funds); (3) task ambiguity (there is a lack of clarity as to how the money or donated funds must be used according to a pre-defined guideline or policy); (4) differences in power and status; as well as backgrounds and traits (each group has different perceptions on the relative value of their contributions to the achievement of the hospice center’s goals) (Martires & Fule, 2004). 2. What kind of leadership actions are needed to prevent the escalation of this conflict? The use of authority or leadership through recognition of the highest authorized decision-maker within the hospice center is needed to impose a solution to resolve or suppress the conflict. The highest authority in the hospice center would depend on which role was designated at the organizational structure. For a non-profit hospice, the decision-makers are usually members of the Board of Directors where an executive committee would be headed by the President (AAHPM, n.d.). In this case, the highest authorities seem to be in the professional capacities of the Administrator and the Finance Officer – with no clear distinctions of who should be in charge to decide on matters of the funds (could be the Finance Officer, if explicitly identified within the hospice’s policies and procedures). As it is, I agree with the Finance Officer to initially put the money in the bank for future needed endeavors. Spending the funds must be subject to the plans of the hospice given their urgency and importance to the achievement of the hospice’s mission and vision. 5. Try role playing a negotiation among the administrator, the financial officer, the chaplin, a representative of

A response to Generation Like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A response to Generation Like - Essay Example They could require brands to pay them for promotion, but they agree to work in exchange of goods and services. It turns out that teenagers underestimate their role in commercial culture today. Most of them tend to watch TV less and spend more and more time online using social media as a tool to express their identity. Brands cannot use conventional channels to reach and retain new audiences any more. They address Youtubers, fans, Twitter or Instagram celebrities to promote their products and they agree to do this for free. SMM advertising is very valuable because it is natural and it addresses loyal audience of viewers who identify with products liked by people they adore or follow. At the same time, kids learn fast and apply marketing strategies in their smaller channels in order to engage their fans and interact with them effectively. Overall, this documentary proves that social media marketing is not a game anymore and people engaged in it need to understand their value in

Virginia Employment Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Virginia Employment Laws - Essay Example Hiring professionals or other workers from foreign countries is always an option for management of human resources but t is always within the bounds of government policies and quotas provided by the governments of nations. For instance, the United States government and congress has always been revising its immigrant workers quota numbers from the year 1988 in order to favor employers and industries that need such workers. In the year 1998, the quota number was at 65000, which was further revised upwards to 115000 in the year 1999, and later to 195000 when the government went to the press seeking to revise the quota in order to benefit in this option of hiring of employees from other countries (Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, 2012). Many firms always opt for hiring foreign sourced workers in order to gain competitive advantage. There are many aspects to foreign employee hiring; for instance, some of these employees come cheaper than the domestic based employees in the same industry. Every immigrant program has its advantages and disadvantages. Hiring of foreign professionals, nonetheless, comes with its fair share of issues and challenges. It is not as costless as many people would think it is. This option always raises strategic issues on all levels of management in an organization. Among the issues that managers have to deal with when hiring foreign sourced employees or workers is the fact that the managers have to ensure that these employees have the right visas for the positions they have been sourced to take in the organizations (HG Experts, 2012). The United States of America has seen the number of immigrants into its borders increase as many people from various countries in the world go to America to seek better lives for themselves and for their families (West & Bogumil, 2012). These workers bring a lot to the American economy just like other employees in America. Immigrant workers are hard workers and also boost the purchasing power; which co nsequently leads to a boost to the economy of the country. Over the years immigrants have faced oppressive, exploitative, as well as deprived conditions in the places of work in the United States. Most of them are paid very low wages, and often have very little potential to advance in their jobs; let alone the potential for fulfillment. Additionally, these workers are faced with very hazardous working conditions. As a result of these conditions, therefore, the state of Virginia has come up with state laws to govern the way employees are treated within the state. To begin with, Virginia has the Virginia Payment of Wages laws which employers are required to go by in paying their employees; whether they are citizens or foreigners. Under this wage law, the employers are required to establish regular rates of pay, as well as payment dates (Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, 2012). All employees have to be paid their full wages and salaries as well. However, the employers are not bound by law to pay such benefits as holiday, sick, and vacation payments to their employees. Additionally, the employers are not allowed to make deductions on the employees’ pay in order to make payments like taxes and so on. Secondly, there is the Virginia Minimum Wage Act which applies to all employers who do

A response to Generation Like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A response to Generation Like - Essay Example They could require brands to pay them for promotion, but they agree to work in exchange of goods and services. It turns out that teenagers underestimate their role in commercial culture today. Most of them tend to watch TV less and spend more and more time online using social media as a tool to express their identity. Brands cannot use conventional channels to reach and retain new audiences any more. They address Youtubers, fans, Twitter or Instagram celebrities to promote their products and they agree to do this for free. SMM advertising is very valuable because it is natural and it addresses loyal audience of viewers who identify with products liked by people they adore or follow. At the same time, kids learn fast and apply marketing strategies in their smaller channels in order to engage their fans and interact with them effectively. Overall, this documentary proves that social media marketing is not a game anymore and people engaged in it need to understand their value in

Profitability Analysis for Coca-Cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Profitability Analysis for Coca-Cola - Essay Example Coca-Cola has been established for a long time and has a strong value and internal performance management system. This study focuses on the financial values of the company by carrying out a ratio analysis for the company and comparing the results with industry averages. Financial ratio analysis provides an instant way to evaluate the performance of a company by comparing its financial ratios with its own past performance and the industry average in the domain in which the company operates. Hence, it is necessary to perform a comprehensive financial analysis of Coca-Cola for us to make an opinion about the company’s value and performance management systems. A brief analysis of Coca-Cola with regard to its performance in terms of financial ratios is provided below. The financial conditions ratios are used to develop an understanding of the company’s financial health. These include ratios to analyze the liquidity position of the company which represents the ease with which a company can change its current assets into cash to meet its short-term liabilities. In addition, the liquidity ratios can be used to find out if the company is vulnerable to short-term insolvency which might lead to the company getting bankrupted in the long run. Many ratios can be calculated to find out the liquidity position of the company and hence its financial conditions, but some important ones have been discussed below to provide an insight about Coca Cola’s financial conditions since the last ten years or so. Coca Cola’s quick ratio for the year 1996 remained at 0.67 which is much smaller than industry’s average of 0.9. This shows that the company was not able to meet its short-term obligations using its liquid assets. As per the recent results, the company has improved its performance with its quick ratio now being 0.8 exactly equal to the industry average. This shows a healthier sign than what the company used to be 10 years ago.

Macbeth and Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Macbeth and Shakespeare Essay This quote â€Å"god defend me from my friends but ; from my enemies I can defend myself† means â€Å"gods help me from my friends but, I have the ability to defend myselfâ€Å". Two stories that I’ve read that support this quote are Macbeth by William Shakespeare and â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† by Edgar Allen Poe. I definitely agree with this quote because Macbeths friends thought they were really his friends but, they were wrong. Macbeth by William Shakespeare shows literary devices and they support my opinion of this quote. One is dramatic irony and it proves this quote true for many reasons. It is true because Lady Macbeth shows betrayal against Duncan, the king of Scotland and Macbeth shows betrayal against all his friend, he was really using them and in the end he killed some of his â€Å"friends†. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth wanted to both kill Duncan all along, so they Planned it all out. Betrayal is what happened here, big time. The other literary device from the story that supports my opinion and makes this quote true is, Tradgeic Hero. Macbeth started out as a tradgeic hero and then throughout the story he also â€Å"betrays† all his friends, pretty much the same reason for the dramatic irony. He is just a great example of a tradgeic hero. The other story that supports my opinion is â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† by Edgar Allen Poe and the quote â€Å"God defend me from my friends but, from my enemies I can defend myself†. The two literary devices used are symbol and mood. Symbol makes this quote true in this story. This is true because montresor’s coat of arms which is the snake biting the foot that is crushing it. This represents montresor getting revenge on fortunato for his supposed insult. When they both walked through the catacombs , montresor describes his coat of arms in a descriptive way. The other literary device that is used in this short story is, mood. The mood is very important in the story. It has a lot of terror and fear in the setting which connects to the mood. This mood is created because of the setting which is the cave with the bones, dampness and darkness. This set a mood that is not so inviting. These two stories both concluded the meaning of the quote. They both had friends and enemies and betrayal against one another. The setting in â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† defiantly showed how they defended themselves. This is why I agree with this quote.

A Casestudy Of First Bank Nigeria Marketing Essay

A Casestudy Of First Bank Nigeria Marketing Essay Nigeria is among the developing countries in the World today. In the 1980s, several developing countries pursued some form of financial liberalization program or other, in order to boost the development of their countries. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). In achieving this financial liberalization, the First Bank of Nigeria Plc played a major role since the development and maintenance of the Nigerian economy. Being the first of its kind in Nigeria. The Nigerian Banking system started its history as far back as 1892 with the establishment of the African Banking in Lagos, the Capital of Nigeria as at then; it was taken over by the Bank of British West Africa (BBWA) in 1894 and was later acquired by Standard Bank of West Africa in 1965. In 1969, Standard Bank of West Africa incorporated its Nigerian operations under the name Standard Bank of Nigeria. In 1971, Standard Bank of Nigeria listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and placed 13% of its share capital with Nigerian investors. The bank changed its name to First Bank of Nigeria in 1979. (The journalof African society). Now, First Bank is the biggest bank in Nigeria out of the 25 banks, it has been rated as the largest RETAIL lender in the country. FBN has a subsidiary in London, UK which started its operation in year 2002 having a branch in Paris. The bank as at 2009 December had a total asset of N2,172 billion (USD14,718 million). (First Bank Financial Highlights 2009). Being the first of its kind in Nigeria, it has made a large clientele base and this has given the management so much confidence and a sense of satisfaction which has led to the neglect of customers satisfaction maximizations and feelings. There are 25 banks in Nigeria, although FBN Plc has been rated has the largest retailer bank, other banks are improving on the loop holes of their products and services and using that medium to sap their customers. The Nigerian populace has come to realise that they own the money (capital) of the bank and because of that; they should get the best products and services possible. Doole et al, (2005) says In the fast moving competitive environment it is vital for organisations to provide customer satisfaction otherwise they risk losing their customers to competitors. The penalty for not providing customer satisfaction can be a steep decline in the organisations performance, as Marks Spencer, McDonalds and British Airways (BA) have recently found. Integrated marketing communication consists of varieties of medium of communication all in the name of satisfying customers in order to get new customer and to retain existing customers. Zeithaml et al (2006) says, marketing communication is more complex today than it used to be. In the past customers received marketing information about goods and services from a limited number of sources, usually mass communication sources such as network television and news papers. With a limited number of sources, marketers could easily convey a uniform brand image and coordinate promises. However, todays consumer of both goods and services receive communications from a far richer variety of advertising vehicles- targeted magazines, websites, direct mail, movie theatre advertising, e-mail socialisation and a host of sales promotion. Consumers of services receive additional communication from services capes, customer service departments, and everyday service encounter with employees. FBN Plc is the biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of asset and clientele base but lacks a proper integrated marketing communication system. It has so much relied on the facts that it is the first bank ever in the country and the Nigerian populace believe strongly in the bank because of its strong asset base and because it has stood the test of times. Despite their strong clientele base, FBN can single handled own 90% of the customer population in the country if it adopts IMC. Chris Fill (2009) IMC has emerged partially as a reaction to this inadequacy and to the realisation by clients that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than previously. The FBN customers are yearning for qualitative and uniform information about their funds and interest. The Nigerian government created a monetary policy reform that was geared to stabilize the economy in short-run and to introduce a market system for effective allocation of resources. The efforts were directed at promoting financial savings, reducing distortions in investment decisions and inducing an effective intermediation between savers, investors and their financial institutions. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). Integrated marketing communication build a strong brand identity in the market place by tying together and reinforcing all your images and messages. IMC means that all your corporate messages, positioning and images, and identity are coordinated across all venues. It means that your PR materials say the same things as your direct mail campaign and advertising has the same look and feel as your website. (Zeithaml et al 2006). Thus this research work aims to explore the opportunities awaiting FBN Plc after adopting a well integrated marketing communications system to boost its customer satisfaction. Research Questions and Objectives: Identify the need, want and demand of the market. Identify the causes of lack of customer satisfaction Identify and evaluate the market opportunities for FBN Plc. Analyse the FBNs competitive advantage over its rivals Develop a well qualitative and quantitative integrated marketing communication system for FBN Plc. Methodology: Conceptual Framework and Design Fisher (2010) says conceptual framework is formed of patterns of concepts and their interconnections. It is usually based on cause and effect relationships which are often the basis of hypotheses that such research seeks to test. It has also been noted by Easterby- smith et al (2002) that conceptual framework helps to take a more informed decision about the research approach, decide which method(s) are appropriate for the piece of research, and also to think about constraints which may impinge on the research. FBN Plc being a bank and with diverse staff and customers spread all over the country, it is therefore advisable from the understanding of methodology (conceptual framework) to go by positivism approach which is linked to quantitative method. Yates (2004) states that other approaches (quantitative methods) within the social sciences may come from the fact that natural science methods appear to be successful in their field of use. Most research texts have categorised research into two parts; quantitative and qualitative approaches. (Knox 2004) notes that this is mostly done for ease of explanation or to reflect differences in style or marketing, (for structural reasons or for addressing alternative research disciplines) or simply differences in approach is in hindsight for the research. It is said by Yates (2004) that from research texts, the relationship between positivism and quantitative method is almost a law or truth. He then further highlights (with other authors) that quantitat ive methods can be used with other areas of examples within the social sciences. Also that one can argue clearly that positivist thinking has influenced quantitative or numeric research. This could be as a result from the justification that quantitative methods are just as appropriate within an interpretivist piece of research. Ticehurst and Veal (2000, p15) support this linkage between quantitative and positivism by stating that the quantitative approach to research is also known as management science or operations research. Therefore linking discipline with philosophy. Saunders et al (2003) sees research process as an onion. Adapted from Knox (2004, P.123) Within this onion the second layer refers to the subject of the research approach that flows from ones research philosophy. Therefore linking the philosophy of positivism with different approaches. This onion has now explained that ones research could make do with Deductive Approach: develop a theory and hypothesis or hypotheses and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis. Inductive Approach: in which data will be collected and a theory will be developed as a result of data analysis. (Saunders et al (2003). Deductive approach is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is validly inferred from some premises and must be true if those premises are true. And Induction is a form of reasoning that usually involves the inference that an instance or repeated combination of events may be universally generalised. (Malhotra, 2003). From the above, I as a researcher in the case of FBN Plc have chosen to use from the Onion; Positivism approach which will lead me to deductive approach (quantitative method). I am expected to use this approach to identify an area of enquiry which is the customers and members of staff of FBN Plc to be able to have a good background of developed theory, which is seen as crucial for, guide me. The issues to focus an enquiry upon emerge from the established theoretical framework i.e., the customer service procedure, products and services and information given to customers about their funds. Specific variables are identified that the researchers deem should be measured, i.e., hypotheses are set. An instrument to measure specific variables is developed. Respondents give answers to set and specific questions with a consistent language and logic. The response to the set questions are analysed in terms of a prior established theoretical framework. The researcher tests theory according to whether their hypotheses are accepted or rejected. (Malhotra,2003). Knox (2004) concludes that positivist paradigm is majorly used by marketing researchers (positivism = deduction =quantitative methods); in aligning methods with philosophical stances. It also helps to form the nature of techniques that are applicable by researchers. Alternative Paradigm Names Positivist Interpretivist Quantitative Objectivist Scientific Experimentalist Traditionalist Qualitative Subjectivist Humanistic Phenomenological Revolutionist Adapted from Malhotra(2003 p.138). Easterby-Smith et al (2002 p28) argue that the key idea of positivism is that the World exists externally, and that its properties should be measured through objective methods. This infers that only knowledge, which is observable, is in fact valid. This then brings together the epistemology of positivism with quantitative methods i.e. methods which are essentially numerical evidence, following a very natural science approach to the research in hand. In reference to the Onion diagram, the third layers consists of six Research Strategies which include; Experiment, Survey, Case study, Grounded theory, Ethnography and Action result. This research is to make use of all these strategies to know the expectation of customers and what the management and staff are ready to deliver to their customers. Saunders et al (2003) further expatiated on data collection to be by the following which will be the means of my gathering of information; Case study (questionnaires, interviews, observations) and Documentary analysis. Expected data collection: Collection of primary data will be conducted majorly in Nigeria through personal interviews (observations), questionnaires for customers and staff of FBN Plc, and customers and staff of other banks. A major interview will be conducted with the Head of Department of the following units; Retail, Human Capital and Social and Welfare (customer service) at the Regional office. Secondary data will be collected through the customer and staff complaint boxes, financial news and reports and other related websites. Resources: This deals with how to find things out by research than discovering things by reading literature. Fisher et al., (2010). In gathering information for the research work, survey research will be adopted to have accurate and generalised views. In having a successful research work, one needs to make use of several resources in the survey approach which includes the following: Questionnaire: a question is a method of obtaining specific information about a defined problem so that the data, after analysis and interpretation, result in a better appreciation of the problem. In this research work, the questionnaire must have these set of information inclusive Facts and knowledge Opinions Past behaviour Future behaviour (chisnall 2005). Pilot testing questionnaire: chinall (2005) notes that, it is vitally important to make sure that questionnaire are piloted through all the stages of development. He further explains that it contains question which are specific, clearly understandable, capable of being answered by particular population sampled and free from bias. Webb (2002) confirms that piloting of questionnaire helps to evade participants biased answer. Personal interviews: helps with structured questions like rating question in self-response instruments and open-ended questions. These are orally presented, with the advantage that there is the opportunity for the interviewer to interpret questions, clear up misunderstanding, or gather data from those not fully literate from the designers language. (Black, 1999). It also helps observe and quantify the respondents attitude when interviewed. Documentary analysis: this is analysing the news originating from the financial sector of the country, news about the general views of customers and staff and complaints of staff and customers. Ethical issues: this poses as a problem in gathering information from staff and customers when there is a restriction on privacy, customers and staff that believe they should be loyal to their bank and employer and this can be done by keeping some things secret. Research bias: Saunders et al.,(2009) says to avoid research being bias, questionnaires and interviews must be designed and tested before being put to use. Time: a time frame must be set to achieve the expected result for the research. Literature Review To appreciate the importance of integrated marketing communication (IMC) it is useful to understand its origin and the major elements that have helped in its development. For many years agencies and clients believed that to deliver messages to particular audiences it was necessary to use specific tools of the communication mix. At the time it was a common belief that to achieve specific communication effects on buyers it was necessary to use particular tools. (Chris Fill,2009). Schultz et al.,(1993) says the practice of integrated marketing communication is emerging as one of the most valuable magic bullets companies can use to gain competitive advantage. Advertising, sales promotion, direct response marketing, and public relations practitioners are busy finding common ground to meet the coming challenge of selling to customers rather than market. This explains that integrated marketing is not out to increase profitability alone but also to achieve maximum customer satisfaction. IMC has now emerged as the response to this structural shortfall and the realisation by customers that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than the way it was in the past. IMC develops and extends the notion and value as a communications process targeting a firms external market. By directing Internal Integrated Marketing Communications (IIMC) towards their employees, firms are able to promote employee satisfaction, trust and commitment, thereby strengthening the firm-employee relationship and ultimately affecting profitability by enhancing customer satisfaction (Herington, Johnson and Scott 2006). By achieving employees satisfaction, trust and commitment, it results in employees dedication and putting in their best at their duties and this helps increase customer satisfaction. Gummenson (2002) confirms this, that previous studies have shown that employees who are familiar with and committed to an organisations market orientation and brand values play a critical role as part-time marketers. All customer oriented employees, not just those associated with marketing, help to deliver the brand promise. They can influence relations, increase customer satisfaction, customer perceived quality and ultimately revenue. Therefore, directing integrated marketing communications towards a firms internal market is itself a critical part of achieving sustainability and profitability. (Ferdous, 2006). Schultz et al., (1993) have produces a lively, no-nonsense critique of this fast moving marketing trend in integrated marketing communications. Taken alone, the early chapters documenting the shift from mass production to mass marketing are worth the price of the book. Yet the real meat of the text is revealed as the authors analyze the emerging reality of true one-on-one marketing to individuals, a reality made possible by the power of information technology to develop this ultimate consumer segmentation approach. The fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. Nonetheless, despite the evolution and increased critical evaluation of IMC, it remains neither universally understood nor universally accepted as a useful construct. Furthermore, IMC is not consistently applied as a marketing principle and according to Hutton à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦has resulted in superficiality, ambiguity and blurred focusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Hutton 1997, p. 8). It is high time financial institutions realised that they all offer the same products and services and the only thing that can put a major distinctive difference to their services and product is by going extra mile to adopt IMC. Financial products are controlled by regulatory authorities in an economy. It includes administrative tinkering by governments with financial prices such as interest rates and exchange rates. McKinnon and Shaw (1973) further agrees that financial institutions are generally offering the same services and are controlled by government, and this is hindered in a repressed financial system by the low level of savings, it responds in a positive way to real rates of interest on deposits as well as the real rate of growth in output. Moreover, investment is negatively related to the effective real rate of interest on loans, but positively related to the growth rate of the economy. However, if it is proven that the basic financial practices of a bank is solely dependent of government policies, it is only a good thing for the bank(s) to look for best opportunities to improve on their services to survive and sustain their stand in the highly competitive market. This is further proven by Ferdous (2008) that the fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. IMC has been able to achieve what other marketing processes have not been able to by breaking down corporate, geographic, and political borders to reach into customers homes and offices in a matter of weeks or days through the use of worldwide networks created by computer and communications technology that have been inculcated into the process of IMC. (Schultz et al., 1993). Integrated Marketing Communication Integrated marketing communication plan. PLACE Distribution strategy CHANNEL/MEDIUM CHOICE C OTHERS (PR, POS, etc.) Objectives Strategy ELECTRONIC Objectives Strategy PERSONAL CONTACT Objectives Strategy TELEPHONE Objectives Strategy DIRECT MAIL Objectives Strategy MASS MEDIA Objectives Message strategy Media strategy Adapted from McDonald and Dunbar (2004, p.19). Ferdous (2006) describes IMC to have been variously described in terms of a process, a marketing orientation, an organisational structure, a set of marketing tools, a basis for accountability and a philosophy. In fact it is all of these. However according to Robert Lauterborn who helped coin the IMC label, What IMC has come to mean to too many people is little more than two-from-column A, one-from-column B media selection process (Lauterborn 2003, p.14). Schultz (1997) agrees that the focus has been one of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Trying to integrate discipline rather than customer or prospects communications. In addition, focusing IMC efforts on the integration of a firms external marketing communications disciplines ignores the gains in competitive advantage to be had from a horizontal integration across a firms total communications effort including that of its internal market. The need for integration is the notion that some aspects of marketing communication should be integrated. The origin of IMC can be found in the prevailing structural conditions and the needs of particular industry participants, an understanding of what elements should be integrated in order to achieve IMC needs to be established. The elements to be integrated are; relationships, structures, brands, communication tools, messages, employees, technology, agencies and IMC strategy. (Chris Fill, 2009). The integrated elements are applicable to understanding IMC as a customer oriented process in creating a common understanding of its principles and core values. It is known that the primary aim of any business is profitability which can only be achieved when customers are satisfied. Profitability as defined by Ferdous (2006) is the function of customer behaviour, and then customer orientation is not only logical but essential. IMC integrates everything that impacts customer behaviour, not just the organisations conscious outgoing marketing messages. It begins with product development and includes packaging (branding), selection of distribution channels (communication tools), channel management (agencies), customer behaviour (relationship), customer relationship management and total quality management. It involves the multi-dimensional, interactive, continuously measured communication that connects brands or products and the customer. Lauterborn (2003 p. 15). Furthermore, Cravens et al. (2003) identifies four attributes that set IMC apart from traditional promotional strategies. They are comprehensive, drawing on all of the media, tools and technologies available to affect behaviour; unified execution of all the components of the organisation; and IMC programs em phasise productivity in reaching the designated targets when selecting communication channels and allocating resources to marketing media. Before considering the delivery of values of IMC, the communication channels will be given further attention, the channels are generally complex, and they involve various media for different communication with the same set of target market or customers. Ferdous (2006), these views about IMC values share three key attributes which are fundamental to its values as a marketing concept. They recognise that IMC is about the connection between the brand and the customer and that communication in all its forms facilitates this relationship. Implicit is the understanding that marketing is the whole business from the point of view of its final result, which is from the customers point of view, marketing today is not a function, but a way of doing business; marketing is everything and everything is marketing. (Harris 1993,p.13). Most importantly in this approach is the recognition that purposeful and coordinated management of customers and their relationship with the organisation is at the heart of building brand equity, which at a time of brand proliferation is critical to success. (Ferdous 2006). The Role of Communication. Communication is the greatest use of language. John Locke has seen the use of communication as the clue to an analysis of the notion of linguistic meaning. Customer communication completes the marketing cycle, linking customer with product, service and availability. At a societal level, in order to connect to mass production and consumption there simply must be mass communications. At its best, commercial communication engages in real dialogue, transmitting value and meaning, while responding to feedback and remaining close to the external customer. Communication has the role to announce, inform, promise, persuade and influence customers to buy in by communicating and delivering customer satisfaction. ( Doole et al.,2005). Communication is the best instrument for sustaining a good relationship between a business and its customers if well understood. In as much as communication is essential between a business and its customers, so also a communication feedback is also very crucial. This because; if a wrong interpretation has been gotten from the information passed by an organisation and a feed back is not received from the customer, the customer retains the wrong information , the organisation might be repeating the same information again at great expense. But when a feedback is in place, the organisation has an opportunity to correct the misinterpreted information and pass the right information across which makes the customer a happy one. Communication when used in the right context strengthens relationships. Doole et al.,(2005) recognising that employees deliver quality, internal communication encourages affiliation with organisational values as well as providing everyday working information. He further explains that communication to both external and internal customers is central to both marketing transactions and relationships. LEVEL OF COMMUNIVATION CORPORATE BUSINESS UNIT MARKETING DEPARTMENT Product Price Promotion Place Price packaging BRAND MANAGEMENT People Sales Advertising Public relations Merchandising Direct Adapted from Doole et al., (2005p.249) This explains the level of communication and how uniquely they have their level of importance to the whole communication process of an organisation. If one malfunctions, it invariably affects the whole system. This helps to increase the value and credibility of brand communication. At this stage, it should be clearly noted that commercial communication should be based on clear intent as noted by Doole et al., (2005), a communication campaign generally seeks to both push product on to and pull products off the shelf and position the offer competitively in the mind of the consumer. Its components parts need to hang together as a cohesive whole and remain consistent with core brand values. It is further noted that during the process of product life cycle, communications have very different roles to play; Introducing new products: the role to play at this initial stage is getting target market attention, also getting the market to test the product or service and the major task at this initial stage is acceptance of the product or service. Product maturity: at this stage, the product has been accepted and needs to proceed to the next stage, the task here includes sustaining the brand identity, maintaining the loyalty, defending the market share and adding value to the product or service is the major task at this level. In a situation where the products or services face rejection or losing market share, the need to improve on the product is essential (revitalise and reposition) or direct customers towards alternative, perhaps reducing communications to bare bones dominates. With the aid of product or service campaign, messages can be charged with differentiating, reminding, informing or persuading (DRIP) or sequentially securing attention, arousing interest, building desire and promoting action (AIDA) and moving a customer from unawareness through purchase to brand loyalty. The Communication Process. The communication process of IMC is between internal external customers. This research work is based on the evaluation of IMC between the employees (internal) of FBN Plc. and its customers (external). Groonroos (1985) explained internal marketing as an instrumental behavioural strategy for developing the state of mind that allows customer service effectiveness and building of relationship marketing. Ferdous (2006), in recent times, marketing professional and scholars have given considerable importance and attention to Internl Marketing (IM). According to Lings (2004) much of the literature on internal marketing, contains a variety of interpretations of the domain of internal marketing, it aim and focus. This means, treating employees as customers, understanding and attending to their wants and views which will help achieve a positive change in employees attitudes and on the long run affecting customer (external) satisfaction positively. Chernatony ( 2001 as cited in Ferdous 2006) suggested that in order to coherently transfer brand values to the companys stakeholders, employees must develop a shared understanding of what the brand stands for, through implementation of a unified communication approach. Today, the way organisations communicate with their internal markets, better known as internal communication (IC) (Tansuhaj et al., 1998; Thompson and Hecker 2000; Ahmed and Rafiq 2003; Kong 2007) is considered one of the most essential internal marketing considerations. Ahmed and Rafiq (2003) attempted to give a more acceptable and holistic explanation of internal marketing through the use of internal communication as a cultural framework and instrument for achieving strategic alignment while building customer service competence. This is reveals the importance attached to internal (employees) communication in operationalising internal marketing concepts/activities and achieving organisational competitive advantage and success. (Ferdous 2006). External customers are the major component of a business or an organisation. Customers determine the existence and longevity of a business. It is therefore important to understand how to carefully communicate information across such that it would not be misinterpreted. Organisations should understand how they receive, process and respond to the feedbacks gotten from customers. (Doole et al., 2005). If quality is meeting and influencing customer expectation (Doole et al., 2005) and even delighting clients, then managing expectations matters. It is very crucial that employees (internal customers) do not promise more than what they can deliver. Communicating with customers regularly is critical, keeping in touch with them, comprehending their expectations, apologising and explaining the limits of service possibilities can influence their expectations and may expand their zone of tolerance. Ferdous (2006) emphasises on viewing IMC as a process that focuses on both internal and external customers is the first step to developing a c