International Negotiation & Bargaining Essay Example for Free

International Negotiation Bargaining Essay 1.- What, in general, did you learn about negotiation from the exercise? What surprised you? What would you do differently if you had a chance to do the exercise again? In general I learned that trust plays a significant role during negotiation; because here in this exercise and in the most cases of negotiation at the beginning you feel a hard atmosphere but to establish rapport is not an option. Then you need to get focus in the interest of each person and not just defending your position. It was good to us to open all the issues to resolve, so we are able to see the complete picture and not only one issue per time. This allows to use give the options necessary to give and receive and knowing what is the most matter to the other person and for me. I was surprised with one point I think was the point of the women during the excursion we both have the same interest, I noticed because my other part wants the same of me, and sometimes you believe that always will have opposing interests . I will do different definitely to trust more in my partner to be honest and since the begging tell him these are the things that they are most important for me, what are yours..? 2.- How did the actual outcome of the exercise compare to the pre-negotiation strategy you developed? How do you correlate preparation with outcome? As my professor mentioned that a Coach said: Failing in prepare, is preparing to fail. You need to develop your strategy and arguments to be consistent and explain very well the whys. I did not win in all the points that I wanted; but I did achieve the Best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA). Of course they have a positive correlation the more you prepare the more you achieve and vice versa. 3.- How did the concepts of preparation, power (structural and/or personal), relationship, interest, batna and or mutual gains, etc. addressed in the class and in the class readings (reference required) actually occur in this exercise? Well first this exercise began with a hard bargaining and realized because we both wanted to defend the position instead the interested and of course nobody has enough trust. I immediately try to change this because I had read that this kind of negotiation is going to fail, so I decided to apply the what I have learned and focus in the interests and to establish rapport as soon as posible. I listen well the interested and I try to be objettive, consistent and realistic with the whys and the reason that I want each point not just because I want, that could be the worst you can do, so preparation is very important because in a few words is how you are going to sell your idea or interest. I was very useful to know that we need to give a take process, and looking for a non-zero-sum, Win-Win. I think as the climber needs to be very carefully in what we say, how do we say and the tone, because not only the words give a message to the audience. For me, to open the negotiation and see several points (mutual gains) of the exercise instead one by one was the key of successful, because we were able to listen all the interests of each person, and this is the heart of negotiation. The main challenge for the climber is how to move for a Yielding or obliging to a compromising. BATNA is the result of having multiplies options in order to have a non-zero-sum we need explore each option a be able to give that message during the negotiation because BATNA will clarifies our plan B in case we do not achieve any agreement. In case my plan B is a good one or very strong I will have more power during the negotiation. It is very important to know both BATNAS in order to know the balance of the negotiation and how will be your approach, and style. REFERENCE: GETTING TO YES BY ROGER FISHER AND WILLIMA URY ESSENTIAL OF NEGOTIATION BY ROY J. LEWICKI, DAVID M SAUNDERS AND BRUCE BARRY BROADCAST ONE POWERPOINT UPDATED_REV1

Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages

Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages A Briefing on Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) by Group 5 Self Directed Work Team is a powerful concept since the ancient Roman legion and today approximately 68% of fortune 1000 companies implement SDWT concept including Ford, GM, PG, FedEx, etc. (Lawler, Mohrman, Ledford ,1995). Definition Vecchio (2003, p.107) defined Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) as â€Å"a highly trained group of six to eighteen employees that is fully responsible for creating a specific product†. And according to an article in Entrepreneur Connect   (Anon, 1995) â€Å"self -directed teams are small groups of employees who have responsibility for managing themselves and their work†. Success in todays challenging competitive environment is based on employee empowerment and team work (Boyett Boyett, 1998). This could be closely related to Herzbergs motivating factor which was later simply defined by Barbara (n.d.) as â€Å"what makes you work well†. Many companies are attracted to this innovation because of the prospect of flattening the organizational structure in these times when downsizing, flattening and work process reengineering are so crucial (Coates and Miller, 1995). SDWT leads to increased organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction (Forsyth, 1999) which in todays business is being the competitive advantage (Ron Williams, n.d). Advantages of SDWT General Motors, Proctor Gamble Xerox by implementing SDWT resulted in approximately 30-40% improvement in productivity (Bruce,n.d.). In Kodak customer assistance centre SDWT resulted in 100% increase in profits (Anon, n.d.).FedEx improved their service by reducing the loss of packages and incorrect billing by 13%. Rubbermaid increased sales by 50% above projections Quality improvement. Increased productivity and reduced cost. Highly flexible. Simpler job classification and each member know every process through job rotation which will reduce dependency one person. Better innovation and creativity. Team members are motivated by job satisfaction, empowerment, trust, feel of ownership personal growth which in turn benefit the company as a whole. SDWT is being a vehicle for bringing in the Total Quality Management concept in an organization (Vecchio,2006,p.112) Following statistics based on a review of organization that transferred to SDWT (John Cotter, n.d.) well prove the positive impact. 93% reported improve productivity 86% reported decreased operating cost 86% reported improved quality 70% reported better employee attitudes Given the above advantages and success stories there are consequences and problems in challenging the success of SDWT and even driving to the opposite direction to failure. Consequences of SDWT Elimination of supervisory position. The need for shift from holding the decision making power to delegation and allowing autonomy. In other words supervisor should act as a facilitator and provide guidance to teams especially outside the teams areas of expertise. Supervisors should manage communication and monitor the effectiveness. Leaders promote team work and corporation (Brillhart, 1983). The key in supervisory role is to motivate â€Å"Self-Direction†. In an interview with Sterling Health USA, employees often quoted that â€Å"Before, the group leader made all the decisions. You didnt know why the decisions were madenow we do† (Peter, 1999). But is the team leader ready to accept the transition from holding the power to delegation? Is S/He ready to improve the skills to qualify as a facilitator? Requirement for heavy investment in training. Training needed for both supervisors and team members in building various skills. Cloke and Goldsmith ( 2002, pp 205-214 ) identified ten skills those are essential for members of the work teams to develop self management, communication, leadership, responsibility, supporting diversity, feedback and evaluation, strategic planning, shaping successful meeting, resolving conflicts and enjoyment. Williams (n.d.) mentioned â€Å"It is not uncommon for self-directed work teams to spend 20% of their time in ongoing training†. Organization willing to implement SDWT should have a clear training strategy including cross training opportunity and resources. Top management should design the training policy and budget for it. Need for more flatter and flexible organizational structure. The decision making authority is transformed to the team members to eliminate waste of time relying on approvals from managers. Self-direction, autonomy, empowerment are the key players in success of SDWT which is facilitated only on flat structures. Responsibilities assigned to workers in GM clearly indicate the need for flat structure.(William,1999,p.11) Responsibility for quality control. Responsibility for maintenance and small repairs. Responsibility for safety. Responsibility for capital budgeting and operational budgeting. Responsibility for staffing. SDWT to begin performing takes long period. As per William (1999) SDWTs cannot be created instantly; it can take 2 to 5 years to fully implement. Some companies might not have the time or resources to go through this process Stages of forming SDWT: Stage one: (Start-Up) Goal preparation, explanation of purpose, member selection and building trust (6-9months). Stage two: (State of confusion) Technical assistance, feedback, implementing procedures to support self direction, and training. (6-9months). Stage three: (Leader centered team) Encouraging leadership activity among team members. (6-12months). Stage four: (Tightly formed teams) Resolving conflicts, start managing on own, communicating resource requirement and goals.(6-12months). Stage five: (Self direction) Maintain self confidence and self esteem of others. Strong partnership with internal and external customers. Consequently, if you look at the time and training involved in SDWTs it might not be suitable for an environment with a high employee turnover. Need for greater leadership development. As the organization would no longer function in a traditional manner the leaders or managers need to build their ability to allow and encourage such a high level of empowerment, which can be tackled with specially created programs (Coates and Miller, 1995). Problems of SDWT Team members approached the saturation point of learning through job rotation and would have achieved the maximum level of earning i.e. plant rate where no more room for psychological or financial boosts (Vecchio, 2006, p.113). Again while talking about pay as a motivator does it really matter? Can rewarding and recognition be the motivator to ensure continuing performance of the employees (Vecchio, 2006, p.84).   Also the performance measurement system should not create any competition within team members which will reduce co-operation and affect the success of SDWT. Another major challenge is getting people to remain committed to the improvement of the processes when they realize that they may be working themselves out of a job. The employees involved in self-directed work teams must have a great deal of trust so that employees are not concerned about their job security (Anon, 1995). Conflict management would be another critical and sensitive issue. Again each team member has different personalities and perceptions. Here comes the importance of required skills from facilitator. A culture of knowledge sharing has to be built in. Another question is that, are employees ready to be self directed? Whether they have capacity and skills? Of course proper training would be in place but still some employees prefer managers direction on what to do rather than deciding on their own. Here comes the need for selecting appropriate team members which is again depending on the talent of facilitator. Is the organization policies and culture is supportive in transferring power and authority to team members? Other problems would be signs of overconfidence which lead to members willing to take extra ordinary risk, members ignoring the ethical consequences, collective rationalization and underestimating capabilities of other groups which may lead to failure and financial losses.(Craig, 2005, p.219) Given the fact empowerment is a key to succeed in SDWT; will all the managers support this? Foegen (1999) stated on the loss of control: If one individual makes all the decisions in a given department, for example, his or her control is all-encompassing. Focus is obvious and unequivocal. But when authority is delegated, that focus becomes blurred, decision making is diffused, and responsibilitys locus is often less certain. He also stated delegation and empowerment can decrease the self image of the managers. The other pitfalls of empowerment would be lack of clarity, managements view as shared control / loss of control etc. Finally it would require numerous changes in processes and procedures and require a lot more time to make SDWTs successful in a unionized department. Conclusion Before a company can decide to implement self directed work teams, Coates and Miller (1995) point out certain situations or job fields in which this method may not work. These include: When there is a requirement for direction or supervision. This is often needed for jobs which may be unpleasant, arduous, fast paced or risky. When minimal team interaction is required. In jobs such as these employees may find it difficult to lead each other. When a lack of professional maturity exists among team members. An unwillingness to make the effort exists. The inability to meet regularly as a team. Work groups with any of these five characteristics would find it difficult to function effectively and may have to resort to the traditional method of management. Statistics shows that empowerment has about a 50% success rate and it is found that major reason for this is lack of management commitment to the change process. One of the companies failed by using SDWT is The Airline peoples Express. (Fisher, 2000, p.26). References: Anon. (1995) Taking the Mystery Out of Self -Directed Work Teams, Entrepreneur Connect [Online]. Available from:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/17227174.html   (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Anon (n.d.) Teams, the good, the bad and the ugly [Online] Available from: http://faculty.css.edu/dswenson/web/TDlearnCo/gains-lossesofteams.html (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Boyett, J. Boyett, J. (1998) The guru guide: The best of the top management thinkers. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Brillhart, J.(1983) Effective group discussion. 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: William Brown Co. Bruce K.Bernard (n.d) Preparing for Self-Directed Work Teams [Online] Available from: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:rEhTVduzfRMJ:www.ux1.eiu.edu/~bkbarnard/preparing2.ppt+self+directed+work+teams+pptcd=7hl=enct=clnkgl=ae (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Cloke, K and Goldsmith, J (2002) The End of Management and the Rise of Organizational Democracy. Questia Online Library [Online] Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/111621737?title=The%20End%20of%20Management%20and%20the%20Rise%20of%20Organizational%20Democracy (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Coates, D. Miller, M. (1995) ‘Self Directed Teams: Lessons Learned for Local Government, Public Management, 77 (12), p. 16, Questia Online Library [Online]. Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/5001654373?title=Self-Directed%20Teams%3a%20Lessons%20Learned%20for%20Local%20Government (Accessed: 21August 2009). Craig E. Johnson. (2005) Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership. 2nd ed. USA: Sage Publications Inc. Ed Rose Steve Buckley. (1999) Self Directed work Teams, A Trainers Role in the Transition. USA: Intersil Coporation. Foegen, J.H. (1999) Why not empowerment, Business and Economic Review, Apr-Jun 1999  Ã‚  [Online]. Available from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5313/is_199904/ai_n21437565/  (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Forsyth, D. (1999) Group dynamics. 3rd ed. New York: Brooks/Cole-Wadsworth. Jeffrey Christopher Bauer (2002) A Longitudinal Evaluation of The Impact of Organizational Structure on Role Ambiguity and Work Group Performance [Online] Available from: http://www.ucclermont.edu/~BAUERJ/JCBauerDissertationFinal.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Kimball Fisher. (2000). Leading Self Directed Work Teams, A Guide to Developing New Team Leadership Skils. USA: McGraw-Hill. Peter B.Grazier (1999) Living with a self directed work team why self-direction works: A review of Herzbergs Concepts [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Robert P. Vecchio (2006) Organizational Behavior, 6th ed. Mason, OH, USA: Thomson Corporation South-Western. Robert T.Howell (2001) Fostering Self-Directed Team Members [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21August 2009). Williams, R. (n.d.) Self-Directed Work Teams: A Competitive Advantage [online] Available from: http://www.qualitydigest.com/nov95/html/self-dir.html (Accessed: 20 August 2009).

Essay --

Ross Ebster Scott Yates English 1B 16 November 2013 Waking Up From the Nightmare: From Marx to Miller Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman is a modern day tragedy that roots itself with those who try to obtain the American Dream but are unsuccessful in their pursuit. Miller’s play revolves around the continual chase of this ideology and poses the question of whether attempting to â€Å"keep up with the Joneses† can be more of a nightmare than dream. Karl Marx’s ideology introduces the socioeconomic conflict between the capitalists and the working class. Marx referred to these opposing forces as the â€Å"haves and have-nots†. Looking at Death Of A Salesman through Karl Marx’s viewpoint can help shed light to Miller’s commentary and possible rejection of American capitalism during the late 1940’s. The protagonist, Willy Loman shows an insatiable struggle to fit into the right part of society and his desperation to have himself and his sons as one of the â€Å"haves†. The view Miller gives of the American Dream shows the soc ial and economic perspective of post-war America and how those views relate to social class. To fully understand this idea in context, one must define the idea of the American Dream. The basis of the American Dream at that time was that financial success through capitalism was the sole foundation for happiness. Marx’s view also helps to point out the overt theme of materialism in the play. â€Å"Marx professed materialism but generally tried to distinguish his views from the mechanical materialism which regarded man as a machine, or which reduced all human behavior to the laws of physics and chemistry† (Mayo 34). To Marx, materialism was a neutral notion; neither moral nor immoral. It was comprised of a simple acceptance of the â€Å"evid... ...changed young Biff’s life. â€Å"That boy — that boy is going to be magnificent! (Ben appears in the light just outside the kitchen.) . . .Yes, outstanding, with twenty thousand behind him.† (cite) Part of what makes this play so tragic is that if Willy had chosen acceptance and individuality instead of materialism he would have seen he had already achieved the American Dream by having the love of his family. Much of this play parallels the author’s own life, â€Å"He grew up white and Jewish in Harlem. Mr. Miller's comfortable childhood in the era of radio was transformed by his father's ruin in the Depression and the family's forced move from their Upper West Side apartment at the edge of Harlem to Brooklyn† (Shattuck 43). Death Of A Salesman heeds a well-deserved warning about the dangers of materialism and the risk of using capitalism as the sole backbone of prosperity.

Collection of Poems by Various Authors Essay -- Edgar Allen Poe Langst

Collection of Poems by Various Authors Poet Biography, Edgar Allan Poe The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Mamie by Carl Sandburg Explication, Mamie by Carl Sandburg Two Strangers Breakfast by Carl Sandburg Mag by Carl Sandburg Explications of Two Strangers Breakfast and Mag by Carl Sandburg Reasons Why by Langston Hughes Explication of Reasons Why by Langston Hughes The Faces of Our Youth by Franklin Delano Roosevelt Enjoyment, Explication, The Faces of Our Youth by Franklin Delano Roosevelt Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe Explication Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe Works Cited Poet Biography Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is one of the best-known American poets. His most famous poem is The Raven, a copy of which is included. His first poetry book, Tamerlane and Other Poems is so rare that it sells for two hundred thousand dollars per copy. Poe was also a mystery writer and he is often called â€Å"the father of mysteries.† Overall, Poe has greatly influenced American culture. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother, an actress named Elizabeth Arnold Poe, died in 1811 when Edgar Allan Poe was two. Because of this, he was put up for adoption. He was taken into the home of John Allan, who was a tobacco merchant. Poe attended grade school in England and Richmond, Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia for one year. He had to leave because his stepfather refused to pay tuition. Poe’s stepfather did, however, send Poe a little but of money every month. With that money, Poe was able to live comfortably and still have time for his writing. In 1832, after publishing three poetry books, the Philadelphia Saturday Courier printed five of his prose tales. On May 16, 1836, Poe married his younger cousin, Virginia Clemm. On January 30, 1847, she died. This death caused Poe much sorrow and he became an alcoholic. About three short years later, Poe was found dead on October 7, 1849. The conditions of his death are mysterious. After a visit to Norfolk, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia, Poe was found unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he dies the following Sunday. Poe is buried in the Westminister Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a q... ...s lover is dead, he still loves her and will never stop loving her. I think that this is saying that two people who are truly in love cannot ever fall out of love. Even death cannot make their love go away. To me, this poem is an example of what everyone wants someday, true love. This poem has been my favorite poem ever since I first read it. I like how when you read it aloud it has a great rhythm to it and sounds very sing-songy. I believe that this is a wonderful poem with a meaningful message and I hope that one day I can experience this type of love for someone. Works Cited Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger, eds. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc., 2000. Haskins, James S. Always Movin’ On. New York: Franklin Watts, 1976. Hendrick, George, and Hendrick, Willene, eds. Carl Sandburg, Selected Poems. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1996. Washington, Peter, eds. Poe: Poems and Prose. New York: Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 1995. Wilson, James Southwall. A Summary of Facts Known About Poe. Edgar Allan Poe Museum: 30 Movember 2000, .

Lupus Essay -- essays research papers

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks women between the ages of 15 and 40. It occurs less often in men than in women. The people affected by lupus vary depending on the country or region. In the US alone, the prevalence rate is highest among Asians of Hawaii, blacks of Caribbean origin, and Native Americans of the Sioux, Arapahoe, and Crow tribes. Lupus is a disease that affects the immune system. We can think of the immune system as an army within the body with hundreds of defenders (known as antibodies). They defend the body from attack by germs and viruses. In lupus, however, the immune system becomes overactive and creates antibodies that attack healthy tissues in the body, such as: the skin, kidneys, lungs, heart and brain. This attack induces inflammation, causing redness, pain, and swelling. It is not contagious. Symptoms come and go and vary from person to person. The symptoms can develop so slowly that the person may not notice for a long time. When the lupus symptoms are evident, they are called flares or relapses. When the symptoms are better, it is said that they are in remission. There are three major types of lupus: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - lupus that affects certain parts of the body 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discoid or Cutaneous Lupus - lupus mainly of the skin 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug-Induced Lupus - lupus caused by medicine Systemic lupus erythematosus, sometimes called SLE, is the most serious form of the disease. Systemic means that it may affect many parts of the body, such as the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart, or the brain. This type of lupus can be mild or serious. If it is not treated, systemic lupus can cause damage to the organs inside your body. Discoid and cutaneous lupus mainly affects the skin. The person may have a red rash or a color change of the skin on the face, scalp, or other parts of the body. Drug-induced lupus is caused by a small number of prescription medications. The person with drug-induced lupus may have the same symptoms as the person with systemic lupus, but it is usually less serious. Usually when the medicine is stopped, the disease goes away. The most common drugs that can cause lupus are procainamide, used for heart problems, hydralazine used for high blood pressure, and dilantin used for seizures. Drug-induced lupus is usually found i... ...nbsp;  Chloroquine, (Aralen) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hydroxychloroquine, (Plaquenil) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quinacrine, (Atabrine) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chemotheraphy drugs o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Azathioprine, (Imuran) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cyclophosphamide, (Cytoxan) If, after diagnosis of lupus, the patient should develop pain in the chest previously undiagnosed that is crushing or squeezing, shortness of breathe that is preventing the patient to breathe adequately, or more than two symptoms of a stroke, 911 or another emergency service should be called immediately. The doctor should be called immediately if the patient develops chest pain, shortness of breathe, blood in the urine or urinating less than normal, a fever over 100.5 with or without a headache or body aches, experience depression or change in behavior, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, dizzy or muscle weakness, or have swelling of the lower extremities and have been diagnosed with lupus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no cure, no way to prevent lupus, and there is no definitive treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Effect of both parents working Essay

â€Å"Good, honest, hardheaded character is a function of the home. If the proper seed is sown there and properly nourished for a few years, it will not be easy for that plant to be uprooted.† ~ (George A. Dorsey. http://www.quotegarden.com/parents.html ). The fact that parents nowadays lack attention to their children has caused the child to have a weak performance, bad behavior, and a negative outlook had grown in popularity among people. It is possible to identify two main aspects in which parents don’t give their children the right attention they need as a child; the outer aspects, and the inner aspects. Consequences arise when parents don’t spend enough time with their children, one would be behavior toward the society, and the other is the negative affect on the family bond. First of all, children might seek attention from people around them, which may result might make him loose them. For example, when a child comes home from school, he/she likes to talk about what has happened in school, and kinds of details about his/her day. However, if that person was not around on a regular basis, the child will slowly start to seek attention from elsewhere. Second comes the lack in the family bond. For example, parents will get used to not having their children around, therefore, consequently will not value their parents presence like they should, so neither of the two parties will value the other and as a result, this valuable parent-child bond will start to get weaker with time. Thirdly, communication between parent and child will be effected, which will lead to many issues ahead. F or example, when a child lacks communication with his parents, attention will be pursued with someone else, which is not an advantage for either the child or the parent. Many children tend to develop a sense of shame and embarrassment when such issues arise. Moreover, if attention is still not found, emotional issues arise, where children start to bottle up instead of opening up, and this itself may have a negative effect on the emotional stability of the child. Finally, when not much time or attention is given to children, there will be a gap in a child’s life as he/she grows up. A strong bond with children creates the most wonderful memories of time spent together that will last a lifetime, and when such  bond is affected, memorable moments decrease along with their value. For example, when a child grows up, if a memory seems to be unclear, looking back at a precious photo in an album brings back all the good memories spent that day, when the photo was taken. The emotional, physical and mental environment the child is brought up in plays a big role in an individual’s life even up to late adulthood. Firstly, if there was a lack in affection expressed by the parents, children might not have enough affection towards their own parents, which is what they have learnt from their own family and what they will be considering to be normal. For example, children will not love their parents enough to look after them in old age. Secondly, lack of moral guidance. For example, children will not be able to develop the sense of right or wrong, unless they were guided and told over and over again by their parents. Thirdly, children might suffer from emotional vacuum. For example, children will always try to search for someone to fill this this emotional gap they have, which could result in children drifting to the wrong path, and as an adult this individual might develop regrets to the past and force him/herself to escape reality via drugs or alcoh ol, which could result in all sorts of addiction problems in time. Finally, a child might not get to draw the great qualities of character his/her parents have, and instead draw in negative behavior and qualities from his/her friends at school. For example, children who lack the care and attention of their parents try to get it through a strong act, such as stealing, lying or bullying. In conclusion, parents have to be careful in many aspects of a child’s life while growing up. A person’s childhood is such a critical time in an individual’s life because it has the biggest input in shaping and molding the individual as an adult. The better and healthier the childhood is, the more successful an individual is in many aspects of life such as being a parent, work, career, social life, health, cognition etc.

Marketing Management – Coca Cola India

Coca Cola India's Thirst for the Rural Market Coca Cola India's Thirst for the Rural Market: ‘Thanda' Goes Rural In early 2002, Coca-Cola India (CCI) (Refer Exhibit I for information about CCI) launched a new advertisement campaign featuring leading bollywood actor – Aamir Khan. The advertisement with the tag line – ‘Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola' was targeted at rural and semi-urban consumers. According to company sources, the idea was to position Coca-Cola as a generic brand for cold drinks. The campaign was launched to support CCI's rural marketing initiatives. CCI began focusing on the rural market in the early 2000s in order to increase volumes. This decision was not surprising, given the huge size of the untapped rural market in India (Refer Exhibit II to learn about the rural market in India). With flat sales in the urban areas, it was clear that CCI would have to shift its focus to the rural market. Nantoo Banerjee, spokeswoman – CCI, said, â€Å"The real market in India is in the rural areas. If you can crack it, there is tremendous potential. However, the poor rural infrastructure and consumption habits that are very different from those of urban people were two major obstacles to cracking the rural market for CCI. Because of the erratic power supply most grocers in rural areas did not stock cold drinks. Also, people in rural areas had a preference for traditional cold beverages such as ‘lassi'6 and lemon juice. Further, the price of the beverage was also a major factor for the rural consumer. CCI's Rural Marketing Strategy CCI's rural marketing strategy was based on three A's – Availability, Affordability and Acceptability. The first ‘A' – Availability emphasized on the availability of the product to the customer; the second ‘A' Affordability focused on product pricing, and the third ‘A'- Acceptability focused on convincing the customer to buy the product. Availability Once CCI entered the rural market; it focused on strengthening its distribution network there. It realized that the centralized distribution ystem used by the company in the urban areas would not be suitable for rural areas. In the centralized distribution system, the product was transported directly from the bottling plants to retailers (Refer Figure I). However, CCI realized that this distribution system would not work in rural markets, as taking stock directly from bottling plants to retail stores would be very costly due to the long distances to be covered. The company in stead opted for a hub and spoke distribution system (Refer Figure II). Under the hub and spoke distribution system, stock was transported from the bottling plants to hubs and then from hubs, the stock was transported to spokes, which were situated in small towns. These spokes fed the retailers catering to the demand in rural areas. CCI not only changed its distribution model, it also changed the type of vehicles used for transportation. The company used large trucks for transporting stock from bottling plants to hubs and medium commercial vehicles transported the stock from the hubs to spokes. For transporting stock from spokes to village retailers, the company utilized auto rickshaws and cycles. Commenting on the transportation of stock in rural markets, a company spokesperson said, â€Å"We use all possible means of transport that range from trucks, auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and hand carts to even camel carts in Rajasthan and mules in the hilly areas, to cart our products from the nearest hub. â€Å"7 In late 2002, CCI made an additional investment of Rs 7 million (Rs 5 million from the company and Rs 2 million from the company's bottlers) to meet rural demand. By March 2003, the company had added 25 production lines and doubled its glass and PET bottle capacity8. Further it also distributed around 2,00,000 refrigerators to its rural retailers. It also purchased 5,000 new trucks and auto rickshaws for boosting its rural distribution. Through its rural distribution initiatives, CCI was able to increase its presence in rural areas from a coverage of 81,383 villages in 2001 to 1,58,342 villages in August 2003. Apart from strengthening its distribution network, CCI also focused on pricing in rural market. Affordability A survey conducted by CCI in 2001 revealed that 300 ml bottles were not popular with rural and semi urban residents where two persons often shared a 300 ml bottle. It was also found that the price of Rs10/- per bottle was considered too high by rural consumers. For these reasons, CCI decided to make some changes in the size of its bottles and pricing to win over consumers in the rural market. In 2002, CCI launched 200 ml bottles (Chota Coke)9 priced at Rs 5. CCI announced that it would push the 200 ml bottles more in rural areas, as the rural market was very price-sensitive. It was widely felt that the 200 ml bottles priced at Rs. 5 would increase the rate of consumption in rural India. Reports put the annual per capita consumption of bottled beverages in rural areas at one bottle as compared to 6 bottles in urban areas. The 200 ml bottles priced at Rs. 5 would also make CCI competitive against local brands in the unorganized sector. It was reported that in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat the local cola brands such as Choice and Tikli cost only half the price offered by CCI, which gave them the advantage in garnering the major market share before CCI came out with Chota Coke. CCI also targeted the rural consumer aggressively in its marketing campaigns, which were aimed at increasing awareness of its brands in rural areas. Acceptability The initiatives of CCI in distribution and pricing were supported by extensive marketing in the mass media as well as through outdoor advertising. The company put up hoardings in villages and painted the name Coca Cola on the compounds of the residences in the villages. Further, CCI also participated in the weekly mandies10 by setting up temporary retail outlets, and also took part in the annual haats11 and fairs – major sources of business activity and entertainment in rural India. CCI also launched television commercials (TVCs) targeted at rural consumers. In order to reach more rural consumers, CCI increased its ad-spend on Doordarshan. 12 The company ensured that all its rural marketing initiatives were well supported by TVCs. When CCI launched Chota Coke in 2002 priced at Rs. 5, it bought out a commercial featuring Bollywood actor Aamir Khan to communicate the message of the price cut and the launch of 200 ml bottles to the rural consumers. The commercial was shot in a rural setting. In the summer of 2003, CCI came up with a new commercial featuring Aamir Khan, to further strengthen the Coca-Cola brand image among rural consumers. The commercial aimed at making coke a generic name for ‘Thanda. ‘ Of the reason for picking up the word ‘Thanda', Prasoon Joshi, national creative director – McCann Erickson, the creator of the commercial, said, â€Å"Thanda is a very North India-centric phenomenon. Go to any restaurant in the north, and attendants would promptly ask, ‘thanda ya garam? ‘ ‘Thanda' usually means lassi or nimbu pani, ‘garam' is essentially tea. Because the character, in itself, represented a culture, we wanted to equate Coke with ‘Thanda', since ‘Thanda' too is part of the popular dialect of the north, thus making ‘Thanda' generic for Coca-Cola. With the long-playing possibilities of the ‘Thanda' idea becoming evident, ‘Thanda' became the central idea. Once we decided to work on that idea, the creative mind just opened up. â€Å"13 Between March and September 2003, CCI launched three commercials with the ‘Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola' tag line. All the three commercials aimed to make rural and semi-urban consumers connect with Coca-Cola. The first ad featured Aamir Khan as a ‘tapori' (street smart); in the ad he makes the association between Coca-Cola and the word ‘Thanda. ‘ The second commercial in the series featured Aamir Khan as a ‘Hyderabadi shop-keeper'; here again he equates the word ‘Thanda' with Coca-Cola. The third commercial featured Aamir Khan as a ‘Punjabi farmer' who offers Coca Cola to ladies asking for Thanda. The three commercials showed progression in associating ‘Coke' with ‘Thanda' in a rural/semi-urban context. In the first commercial the connection of Coke with Thanda was made, in the second one there was a subtle difference, with the shopkeeper asking customers to ask for Thanda instead of Coke, and the third commercial showed that when one asked for Thanda, one would get Coke. Analysts said that all the three commercials succeeded in make rural consumers connect to Coke and increased awareness of the brand among them. Along with TVCs, CCI also launched print advertisements in several regional newspapers. Future Prospects CCI claimed all its marketing initiatives were very successful, and as a result, its rural penetration increased from 9% in 2001 to 25% in 2003. CCI also said that volumes from rural markets had increased to 35% in 2003. The company said that it would focus on adding more villages to its distribution network. For the year 2003, CCI had a target of reaching 0. 1 million more villages. Analysts pointed out that stiff competition from archrival PepsiCo would make it increasingly difficult for CCI to garner more market share. PepsiCo too had started focusing on the rural market, due to the flat volumes in urban areas. Like CCI, PepsiCo too launched 200 ml bottles priced at Rs. 5. Going one step ahead, PepsiCo slashed the price of its 300 ml bottles to Rs 6/- to boost volumes in urban areas. (Refer Exhibit III for Pepsi Co's rural marketing initiatives. ) In early 2003, CCI announced that it was dropping plans to venture into other beverage businesses. Company sources said that increasing volumes of cola drinks had made the company rethink its plans of launching juice and milk-based beverages. In 2002, CCI had announced plans to launch beverages such as nimbu paani (lemon juice), fruit juice, cold coffee, and iced tea in collaboration with Nestle India. 14 Though CCI was upbeat because of its early success in its drive to capture the rural market, the question was whether the company would be able to take this success further. A major media setback occurred in August 2003, when the Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment announced that it had found high pesticide content in soft drinks manufactured and sold by both cola majors. Around same time BBC Radio in its program – ‘Face the Facts' alleged that Coke's plant in Kerala was making excessive use of groundwater resources in the region and was also contaminating the groundwater through discharge of toxic elements, thereby harming the land, water resources and also the food chain in the region. Though CCI refuted these allegations, the company reportedly experienced a considerable decline in sales after August 2003. With many social and political groups becoming active against the cola companies in rural areas, it remains to be seen whether CCI will be able to quench its thirst for the rural market.